A party speaker that sounds great
JBL has been a pioneer in the Bluetooth speaker world for many years because of its dedication to sound the sheer number of speakers along with quality it offers.
A fast look at JBL’s site and you will quickly discover that the company has 10 Bluetooth speakers for you to choose from. The choice might appear somewhat overwhelming but, on the other hand, in addition, it means hidden in that line-up there’s a speaker that will fit your needs.
Get the very small JBL Clip two, if you want to have an ultra-portable speaker. If you want bass without breaking the bank or your back, get the JBL Charge 3.
However, what if you would like a Bluetooth speaker that has loud, sounds great, and offers a light show that will keep young ones (and yourself) entertained? JBL has you covered with the $200 (#200, roughly AU$252) JBL Pulse 3.
It’s this generation where the speaker shines although the Pulse has been around since 2014. JBL has made the speaker provide features like chaining and stereo mode and sound better, last longer.
Sure, the flashing lights are still the gimmick that hooks people in, but the speaker is so great that the dip in battery life is not much for having the ultimate pool-side speaker of a compromise.
Design
The JBL Pulse 3 includes the organization’s signature cloth covering, which is a hint that this speaker is in fact IPX7 watertight, meaning it could be submerged in water up to 1 meter in depth. The body of the speaker is dominated by a plastic that acts as an superb diffuser for the built-in LEDs. The Pulse 3 is a similar to the JBL Charge 3 when propped up but is larger overall and may only be listened to standing vertical.
You will also notice the bass radiators on the top and bottom of this speaker, which aren’t guarded by any net. You don’t want to touch them the radiators could be damaged by that but they’re fun to check at as they vibrate with the music. Speaking of audio, the JBL Pulse 3 plays in 360-degrees so you get the exact same listening experience wherever you are, which is great for using outside.
All the Pulse 3’s controllers are situated around the trunk. You have buttons for power, volume, Bluetooth matching assistant, JBL Connect+ and also a dedicated button to cycle through the manners that were light. A long press of the button that is mild will disable the light show, but where’s the fun in that?
Performance
Given the gimmicky nature of the speaker, we weren’t expecting much in the excellent department. But, we were pleasantly surprised by how balanced the JBL Pulse 3 sounded. While its lights can lead you to believe it will be a bass heavy wreck such as the Sony SRS-XB40, don’t be fooled. This speaker sounds great.
Where the JBL Charge 3 highlighted the bass a little too much and cropped the highs, the JBL Pulse 3 handles to maintain things balanced. The highs are slightly rolled off but instruments like violins are still well represented. Bass is full-bodied and offers liquefy but bleed to the mids a bit.
Possessing 360-degree audio is great for environments where you’ll be moving around like in beach, a party or next. This ensures everyone gets the same listening experience. You can also pair other JBL Connect+ speakers that are competent to play in unison for quantity or in stereo, which can be nice feature to have. The bad news is that, because it takes Connect+ to pair, you will not have the ability to pair with your JBL Connect speakers that are old which lack that feature.
Battery life is a fair 12 hours with the lights turned on, which can be short in comparison to other speakers. As an instance, the UE Boom 2 gets 15 hours as well as JBL’s own Charge 3 offers 24 hours of battery life.
By disabling the light display but it’s reasonable to assume that people will use it now sure, it is possible to prolong the battery life quite a bit. If you’re going to be blasting songs during the night, Nevertheless, you might choose to bring a charger.
Verdict
The JBL Pulse 3 was a pleasant surprise. While its show may lead you to believe that it’s about that bass, the Pulse 3 really offers a very well balanced tonal balance. Bass presents texture and slam, however bleeds into the mids. If you are not an audiophile none of this may rest well knowing that this speaker sounds damn good and has loud and matters.
When compared with the Sony SRS-XB40, a different speaker that provides a light display with its audio, the JBL is the better purchase. The Sony is simply too bass-heavy to work for many genres of music and, more troubling, is just splashproof. The Sony speaker requires a proprietary charger and is also much larger.
The JBL Pulse 3 is your speaker to have if you want a Bluetooth speaker that’s waterproof and also a conversation piece.
