Balancing Power, Portability, and Performance
While JBL has a fairly extensive catalog of Bluetooth speakers, the Charge is one of its best-sellers. So what makes it so popular? Having tested both Charge 4 and Charge 5, I can say that what sets this speaker apart is its balance in sound and how easy it is to carry. It can get loud and has thundering bass, while not being that much larger than the Flip 6.
Key Takeaways:
- The Charge 5 finds a good balance in portability and power.
- Durable enough for regular outdoor use.
- Clear sound at low and moderate volume but struggles at high volume levels.
- EQ support through the JBL Portable app makes it easy to adjust how it sounds.
Charge 5
The Bottom Line
The Charge 5 is starting to show its age compared with more recent releases, but its affordable price tag and widespread availability still make it a viable speaker, even in 2024. Its tough exterior makes it great for outdoor use and for those who prefer indoor use, there’s even a Wi-Fi version available. Its biggest strengths are the volume and bass it produces for a speaker of its size, which can easily be carried by hand or in a backpack.
Available On AmazonWhat I Like:
- It’s large enough to get loud, while still being easy to carry.
- Waterproof and durable fabric wrap that effectively reduces damage.
- Quite bassy for its size, but not overpowering.
- 3-band Custom EQ means the sound can be adjusted.
What I Don’t Like:
- It struggles to maintain audio clarity at high volume.
- No on-speaker button to skip tracks backward.
- Bluetooth 5.1 predates the introduction of LE Audio.
The JBL Charge 5 Finds The Sweet Spot Between Power & Portability
- Weighing 2.1 lbs the Charge 5 can be carried in one hand and is suitable for daily use.
Just shy of 9 inches long, the Charge 5 is arguably the perfect size for a portable Bluetooth speaker, especially for those wanting a speaker that can be carried in one hand and placed into backpacks without risk of being weighed down. After all, it weighs just 2.1 lbs.
I’ve found a lot of people looking for a JBL speaker aren’t sure whether they should go for the Flip, Charge, or Xtreme. There’s a sliding scale effect with these speakers, the Flip is super portable, but to be that small its volume and bass are limited by its smaller internal drivers. The Xtreme is a larger speaker with a lot of bass and gets pretty loud, but it’s 50% heavier than the Charge, which can be frustrating to carry around.
The Charge 5 sits comfortably in the middle, being easy to carry while still getting quite loud and bassy. It’s as large as I’d go for an everyday speaker.
A Strong, Durable Design That’s Easy To Clean
- A fabric mesh wraps the shell, protecting it from scratches during use.
- Although prone to collecting dust when used outdoors, it’s easy to clean.
The Charge 5 is covered in a fabric wrap, an iconic design element for JBL. Although I find that this limits how unique each speaker looks, it’s hard to argue against how well it protects them from damage. It is an effective way of reducing scratches in particular.
I’ve used this speaker in just about every environment, from the drab confines of my office to the scenic views of mountain tops, hell, it’s even occasionally gone kayaking with me. I haven’t noticed any durability issues.
Sure, sometimes it can get a little grimy after an outdoor trip, as dust and debris tend to settle in the pockets of the fabric wrap. However, cleaning it is super simple, just run a hose over it with a bit of pressure and this debris dislodges.
There have been isolated reports online of a few bad batches where the glue that holds the fabric to the internal structure has come loose, but these are very rare cases and JBL has a good track history of replacing these factory defects.
Comprehensive Waterproofing Protects It From Rain
- It’s a seriously waterproof speaker that can withstand short-term submergence in water.
- Its waterproofing makes cleaning easy with a light to moderate-pressure hose.
Waterproofing is basically mandatory for portable Bluetooth speakers these days, making it hard to get excited about this industry standard. Still, the Charge 5 does live up to its IP67 rating.
I try to keep my speakers out of water as much as possible, as it just feels like unnecessarily risk. With that said, I’ve had a kayak flip with both me and the speaker inside and washed it down dozens of times with a pressure hose and it’s taken it all like a champ.
Two important things to remember are that if you do decide to place it in water, it shouldn’t be left for longer than 30 minutes and shouldn’t be submerged deeper than 1 meter, and the USB port seal must be closed.
Easy To Use Controls, But Limited Track Control
- Its controls are simple and intuitive, all situated on the top of the speaker.
- There’s no way to skip tracks backward using the on-speaker controls.
All the controls are located on the top of the speaker in a single array, though the power and Bluetooth pairing buttons are flat and centered while the multispeaker pairing, volume, and play/pause buttons are raised from the speaker and situated on either side.
This is a standard configuration for JBL speakers, and it makes controlling the speaker simple. I really don’t like the off-center button placement on the Flip 6 that makes me reach over the speaker to access them, so from a user-friendly perspective, I’d much rather use the Charge 5.
One downside to this speaker’s controls is the inability to skip backward a track when using the physical buttons. The play/pause button skips tracks forward with a double-click, but if you want to replay a song or go back to a track you’ll need to reach for your phone.
Having a USB port on the back of the speaker may seem a little gimmicky, but it’s honestly really useful if you forget to charge your phone and want to keep the tunes going. Nowadays, I keep a charging cable in my car for emergencies and there have been more than a few times when I’ve needed to use this feature.
Bluetooth Connections Are Stable and Fast, But Not Without Flaws
- Its wireless connections are stable and can be maintained over impressive distances.
- Bluetooth 5.1 means the Charge 5 isn’t supported by more impressive LE Audio codecs.
The Charge 5 supports Bluetooth 5.1, which isn’t exactly the latest and greatest, but it is still effective, and here’s what you should know when comparing it to more modern releases.
Most Bluetooth speakers don’t use many of the features introduced by the latest Bluetooth versions. Sure, the upgrade may facilitate certain codecs that can reduce latency, or support new multispeaker pairing protocols, but in most cases, these aren’t used by the speaker. So going with a 5.1 speaker in 2024 or 2025 isn’t really a problem. This becomes more of a concern for high-end home audio.
I’ve comprehensively tested the Charge 5’s Bluetooth and can honestly say that it performs better than many of the newer speakers. It has exceptional range, and I often leave my phone under the patio while I relax in the pool with the speaker by my side. Connection drops are hardly ever a thing, and latency is low enough to use it for videos too.
It is, however, unfortunate that LE Audio, a feature that improves the efficiency of Bluetooth through reduced power consumption and better codec support, is only offered by Bluetooth 5.2 onwards, which trickles down into some of the Charge 5’s audio performance.
If you’re that person who never knows who in your family has the Bluetooth speaker in their room, the Charge 5 has the benefit of being able to connect to up to 3 devices, meaning you won’t need to constantly pair it back to your phone.
Mutispeaker Pairing With JBL’s PartyBoost
Looking to boost coverage or increase the sound quality by adding more separation? The Charge 5 supports multispeaker pairing using JBL’s proprietary PartyBoost technology. You can pair it with other PartyBoost speakers. These are the models it can pair within a general pairing:
- JBL Charge 5
- JBL Flip 5
- JBL Flip 6
- JBL Xtreme 3
- JBL Boombox 2
- JBL Boombox 3
- JBL Pulse 4
- JBL Pulse 5
It can also form part of a dual TWS pairing which separates the left and right channel sounds, in much the same way that traditional bookshelf speakers do. This can only be done with 2 speakers and can only be done with another Charge 5.
Is It Worth Going Wi-Fi?
Wi-Fi support is becoming increasingly popular, but the Charge 5 is one of the only JBL speakers alongside the Boombox 3 to have it as an optional alternative to the base model. The Charge 5 Wi-Fi retails for $70 more than the regular model and supports both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, but with limitations.
The Wi-Fi model doesn’t support PartyBoost multi-speaker pairing, but it does open up new opportunities for home use. Since it connects to the Wi-Fi network with AirPlay, Alexa Multi-Room Music, and Spotify Connect.
So which Charge do you go for?
- The regular Charge 5 is better for the everyday person who wants to use the speaker outdoors and those who already have speakers that it can be paired to.
- The Charge 5 Wi-Fi version is a better choice if you spend most of your time at home and already have other tech products connected to your Wi-Fi network.
Clear Sound With Decent Bass, But Degrades At Peak Volume
- The Charge 5 does well with most genres of music, with its versatile sound.
- Although quite bassy for its size, they aren’t particularly deep.
- It sounds clear and detailed until the volume is pushed above 70%.
By design, the Charge 5 has a thumpy bass that although not exceptionally deep and can be quite inconsistent, it sounds definitively better than the Flip 6 but is not nearly as bass-heavy as the new UE Megaboom 4. To me, this speaker sounds pretty good out of the box without any EQ adjustments. The vocals sound clear and have good separation from the bass, meaning it doesn’t sound muddy off the bat.
Overall, it sounds decent, but has room for improvement – that’s where the JBL Portable app comes in! I highly recommend using the app for its 3-band custom EQ where one can dial it in further and get it sounding more balanced.
Vocals are clear, bass is powerful, but the Charge 5 suffers from a loss of clarity when played at full volume.
I was able to improve the sound quality substantially by increasing the mids by +2 and the bass and treble by +1.
I found that electronic music sounded best this way, but for less bass-heavy genres where I want more focus on the vocals, having the bass set to +0 while the mids are at +2 is a better choice for bringing the vocals and subtle details to the forefront. This also makes vocals sound clearer outdoors where at the stock sound, they can sometimes get lost in the wind.
Although it sounds clear and defined at low to moderate volume levels, once pushed past 70%, there’s some very noticeable compression that increases how muddy it sounds. At maximum volume, there’s a significant drop in sound quality. This is in part due to the age of the speaker, and I suspect we’ll see dramatic improvements in this area when the Charge 6 is released.
Frequency Response Measurements & Maximum Volume Levels
To test the speaker more objectively too, I used measurement software and a UMIK-2 measuring microphone. This was done to get a visual representation of the speaker’s sound profile and to get an accurate volume level (SPL).
With a flat EQ set in the app, I measured 92.3 dB at exactly one meter from the speaker using pink noise playback via Bluetooth. This is around 3 dB more than the Flip 6, and 1 dB louder than the Soundcore Motion 300.
Battery Life Is Good, But Not As Lengthy As JBL Claims
- Battery lasts about 12 hours with a moderate volume level.
- Supports USB-C charging.
Although rated to provide up to 20 hours, I consistently get closer to 16 hours at conservative volume levels and around 12 hours at 50 to 60%. While this falls short of some competitors like the UE Megaboom 4, it’s still very reasonable and I find myself charging it about once a week on average.
Keep in mind that the exact amount of playtime varies depending on the volume level and EQ settings used.
Charging is done via USB-C and takes around 3.5 hours to get it from empty back up to 100%.
The Mobile App Should Be Seen As Essential For Users
- Using the JBL Portable app gives some additional control over the speaker.
- A 3-band EQ is the most powerful feature of the app.
The JBL Portable App isn’t particularly comprehensive, and I’d have preferred a 5-band EQ instead of a 3-band, as it would allow more precise sound adjustments. Still, it does the basics – showing the remaining battery life as a percent and allowing the creation of a simple way to establish a TWS connection. For general pairing, you’ll need to use the on-speaker PartyBoost button though.
Is It Worth Waiting For The Charge 6?
Given that the Charge 5 is starting to show its age, is it worth waiting for the Charge 6?
At the time of publication, there have been no announcements by JBL that the Charge 6 is on the way, but given its popularity, it’s not a question of if as much as when. However, it is challenging to predict the future release of speakers.
I anticipate that we may see the Charge 6 released in 2025, and given JBL’s 2024 releases, it’s likely to be a big upgrade for the speaker. But should you really wait potentially a year? Chances are you want something to use now, and JBL’s Charge 5 has a pretty good resell price. It may be best to go with the Charge 5 for now and then sell it on the second-hand market when the Charge 6 is released, that way you’ll only need to invest a bit more when the new version does come out.
Consider These Alternatives
Looking to keep your options open? Here are a few worthwhile alternatives to consider:
Ultimate Ears Megaboom 4: For more powerful bass, better dispersion of sound, and longer-lasting battery life the new Megaboom 4 from Ultimate Ears is an excellent alternative that goes for just over $100.
Bose SoundLink Max: If you’re able to dig deeper into your pockets, the SoundLink Max is a premium option that offers world-class audio performance with a stylish and durable build – but it doesn’t come cheap.
Soundcore Boom 2: Although slightly larger than the Charge 5, the Soundcore Boom 2 retails at a lower price point and offers great sound quality (especially at maximum volume) and improved sound dispersion.
My Final Thoughts
Overall, the Charge 5 (Available on Amazon) is a good speaker for casual listeners who aren’t necessarily looking for the perfect balanced sound and instead want a relatively loudspeaker they can take with them on trips, or use around the house and garden. Its biggest strengths lie in its custom EQ and clear vocals. Its weakest points are the inconsistencies in the bass and loss of sound quality at higher volumes.
