Verdict
The JBL blame 5 Wi - Fi is another excellent - sounding wireless speaker system from JBL , boasting an even more urbane carrying into action , especially over a Wi - Fi association . It is substantially more expensive than its predecessor and close contender , and though the accession of Wi - Fi makes this talker more convenient for indoor use , some may bewail the omission of the PartyBoost feature article .
Pros
Cons
Key Features
Introduction
TheJBL Charge 5was a greatBluetooth speaker , portable enough to be used outdoors as well as indoors , and featuring one of the good audio performances at its monetary value .
All eye would have been on JBL announce a Charge 6 but alternatively theCharge 5 Wi - Fiappeared , sum up additional wireless capabilities .
Design
Not much has changed with the design as the JBL Charge 5 Wi - Fi is more an iterative update than a complete revision . It still looks like an American football you could wager a game of catch with .
It ’s more or less heavier at 1 kg , and just like before it is well built : heavy , perdurable , and surprisingly dull . It does not feel like it would crack or break easily – I ’ve drop this loudspeaker from about a foot or so onto a hard wooden surface and softer grass , and on each surface the speaker bounces and flips into one direction . It ’s a very durable speaker system .
There is a variety in its expression to note . Like Ultimate Ears and Marshall , JBL is incorporating more post - consumer recycled charge plate , using reuse material for the speaker grille . I have n’t felt much of a difference between theCharge 5and Charge 5 Wi - Fi in terms of how they feel . The promotional material also use FSC certify newspaper printed with soy ink .
The only notable visual change is the musical arrangement of button on the top open . The PartyBoost push is replace by the Moments push button ( shape like a heart ) , the playback button has switched side and the loudness buttons are pair off together . In the middle you still get the business leader and Bluetooth clit , but it ’s joined by an light-emitting diode that refer a Wi - Fi connection .
coat in the same coarse material texture of before , the Charge 5 Wi - Fi remains grippy to entertain . There ’s no handgrip , strap or advert loop so carrying it in a hand or aim it in a bag are the only means of transport . Dirt is easy enough to fray off , and if it ’s bewilder then the speaker is waterproof so it can be given a rinsing .
Not only is it waterproof , itsIP67 ratingmeans it ’s dustproof too . That valuation does intend that it could be submerged into a body of piddle 1 m deep for 30 moment . Having dunked it into a roll of water , I was a little surprised by how absorbent it was but after several vigorous shakes , most of the water supply was gone . The principal USB - A interface is conceal by a tab which lay off water from have through .
At the fourth dimension of review the Charge 5 Wi - Fi only comes in blackened . If you ’re looking for other vividness , perhaps wait a niggling longer . JBL usually tends to lucubrate the colour option over metre .
Features
The big feature is the addition of Wi - Fi , and this expands the number of sources the JBL Charge 5 Wi - Fi can spill with . There’sSpotify Connect : build up - in Chromecast , AirPlay , Alexa Multi - Room audio frequency , as well as Google Home andAmazon Alexavoice assistants through another speaker or gimmick . That does n’t feel completely necessary , but it ’s there if you want the Charge 5 Wi - Fi as part of your wise home plate frame-up .
There ’s no PartyBoost feature where you could daisy chain a ludicrous number of JBL verbaliser together , or wager in stereoscopic photograph . That ’s slightly mitigated by the multi - way supporting , but for some I ’d wager its skip will be disappointing .
Another welfare is that feature such asSpotify Connectwill use up less of your peregrine equipment ’s battery , as it ’ll be streaming directly from the Spotify servers than from the phone . There ’s also compatibility with the JBL One app – the Charge 5 Wi - Fi wo n’t work with the JBL Portable app , and if you seek to connect , it ’ll ferry you off to the One app anyway . Wi - Fi also allows for 24 - bit/96kHz playback .
Before I get to the app , a tone on swapping between Bluetooth and Wi - Fi . This speaker works similarly to theSonos RoamandMove . The JBL commove 5 Wi - Fi will basically stay connected all the time once it has been set up . Wonder away from your home Wi - Fi ( I walk up the road and power the utterer up again ) , and the Wi - Fi indicator will flash until it regains connectedness .
Bluetooth is enable by crusade the Bluetooth release , which puts the speaker in its sexual union mood , but it does n’t turn the Wi - Fi off . You could be pullulate Bluetooth audio from Spotify , but with a water tap of the button in the Spotify app , start streaming over Wi - Fi after which the Bluetooth connection is disabled / turn off . This can be change in the app to prioritize a Bluetooth connection when the speaker power up .
second is a button dedicated to your favourite track , playlist , or tuner place . Sign into the account of your favourite music subscription service within the One app , fructify the automobile - off time ( or ignore it ) , volume spirit level , and then tap ‘ Save ’ . From there on that play list or post can be accessed by pressing the ‘ Moment ’ button . In pattern it works , weigh it and it ’ll tee up whatever you ’ve chosen .
The app itself is prosperous to pilot , proving fleet and responsive in function . It also has an info icon for the ‘ Moment ’ feature that helpfully explains if you ’re at a loss as to what it does .
shelling life sentence is rated up to 20 hours , which is the same as its herald , and it can act as a powerbank to charge other gimmick through the USB - A port . Compared to other speakers , theMiddletonis up to 20 + hours , and Orange Amps’Orange Box(£299 ) is 15 hours . There ’s no fast - charging list with full bombardment rush noted at 6 hours . Charging throughUSB - Cdoes feel glacially slow if you ’re used to tight - charging .
There’sBluetooth 5.3onboard and the wireless public presentation is as true as the original model . A clap of Hey Jude at top intensity and it was only at a distance of over 20 + metres where the signal became a little choppy .
Sound Quality
The JBL Charge 5 Wi - Fi takes the same approach as its predecessor but contribute with it more refinement . JBL has n’t changed the driver conformation per se ; it ’s a similarly sized woofer transducer unite with a 10 mm tweeter , but JBL has elicit a better performance from it .
With Nelly Furtado ’s Maneater , the Charge 5 Wi - Fi launches into the track with a punchy , control bass execution . Furtado ’s part is pore in the middle , but the dispute between the two speaker system is the newer exemplar visualize her voice above the rest of the track . It helps to give vocals a quad of their own , preserving them from the vitality of the driving heartbeat .
The cymbal crashes speech sound crisper and more detailed but the overall tint of the Charge 5 Wi - Fi ’s presentation does n’t seem too different . It ’s still the same driving , industrious public presentation . The sea bass is still potent ( I can feel it emanate through the mesa the loudspeaker is on ) , and in an outdoor set bass wo n’t be as substantial but there ’s still enough to get a feel for the song ’s percussive round .
A replacement to a slower slow , Sting and Eric Clapton ’s credibly Me , and the bearing 5 Wi - Fi digs out more detail from the replicate finger’s breadth snaps . The vocal intro is big and bold in stature , like with Maneater , Sting ’s vocal fathom exonerated , better projected , and with a bit more dynamism to his inflection . What stands out with this caterpillar tread is the flashiness of the speaker . At similar volume levels the Charge 5 Wi - Fi is a step up in glitz than its precursor .
With Hey Jude at the speaker ’s loudest bulk , I did n’t notice any distortion , though the bass performance is n’t as bounteous . I doubt many will be too fussed when used outside , and at its default volume it ’s gimcrack enough to use indoors .
Still on Bluetooth and a transposition to Christina Aguilera ’s Without You , and the refinement to the tweeter become clearer . Where the playback of the piano is dulled on the Charge 5 , it takes on a bright , tart , and more defined verbal description with the Wi - Fi model . The speaker unit resolves contingent finer , the vinyl crackle china that opens the Sung dynasty is unmortgaged , and Aguilera ’s voice also feel more focused and defined .
Switch to Wi - Fi and it ’s a substantial step up . Aguilera ’s vocal performance becomes even clearer , ladled with more detail and pungency , crisper but no less expressive . There ’s also another detectable pace up in loudness , so much so I turned the book down during a listen of Hot Chip ’s Over and Over .
stick with that track and it ’s noticeable how dull the treble can sound , along with bass part that feel less exuberant , and voices that experience submerged with the relaxation of the track . The JBL load 5 Wi - Fi retains what made the original good , but improve on areas that needed work .
Like the Charge 5 , the Wi - Fi model still occupy a directional approach to fathom . It does n’t sound too bad from behind but does n’t have a feature like the Marshall Middleton ’s multi - directive soundscape . You ’ll require to be face the speaker for the best performance .
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Should you buy it?
The build quality is just as baffling and durable as before for outside role , and the addition of Wi - Fi better its audio quality .
JBL understandably has eyes on theSonos Roamwith the Charge 5 Wi - Fi , and while it gasconade a bigger bass performance than Sonos ’ speaker , it is £ 50 more expensive .
Final Thoughts
The JBL Charge 5 Wi - Fi improves on its harbinger . It retain the same rugged human body but with better Bluetooth audio , and over a Wi - Fi connection it voice leaping and bounds better than the archetype .
The addition of Wi - Fi capableness such as Spotify Connect , Chromecast , AirPlay , Alexa Multi - Room Music as well as progress - in music rain cats and dogs playback within the JBL One app also makes the Charge 5 Wi - Fi more convenient for indoor use . Some may even gravitate towards using it indoors more than they do out of the home .
That makes it a considerably more versatile speaker system , but the jump up in cost is just as considerable . Nonetheless , the Charge 5 Wi - Fi earns a full-blooded imprimatur from me , but with theSonos Roamoffering similar capabilities for less , some may need to allow the toll drop before take up up JBL ’s fantabulous wireless utterer . Check out ourBest Bluetooth Speakerguide for more option .
Trusted Score
How we test
We prove every wireless speaker we survey thoroughly over an extended catamenia of time . We use diligence standard mental test to compare features properly . We ’ll always tell you what we regain . We never , ever , swallow money to survey a intersection .
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FAQs
There ’s no backup for PartyBoost have on the Charge 5 Wi - Fi
