- JBL releases two new robust speakers
- The JBL Go 5 is a pint-sized pocket speaker for $49 / £39 / AU$59
- The JBL Xtreme 5 is a chunky party speaker at $379 / £329 / AU$499
We rank JBL’s outdoor speakers among the best Bluetooth speakers you can buy, and one of our top picks has seen an upgrade, so let’s start with the successor to the JBL Go 4.
The JBL Go 5, which looks set to match its predecessor’s $49.95 / £39.99 / AU$59.95 price tag (judging by the UK price, which is confirmed to be £39.99), brings a few upgrades over one of our favorite pint sizes.
JBL has apparently upgraded the sound to increase volume and offer deeper bass than before, both by a claimed 10%. It has an extra hour of battery life over its predecessor, and a new EQ preset lets you get an extra two hours.
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JBL has also made it easier to pair multiple Go 5 speakers: just press them together and they can play in stereo, instead of messing around in the app.
Since these are the kind of cheap speakers you can easily buy to take on days out, wild picnics or walks, there’s a good chance your friends have a few too. Soon you can play together.
And then there’s Xtreme
The other new speaker is the JBL Xtreme 5, which as you can imagine is an upgraded Xtreme 4. The predecessor cost $379.95 / £329.99 / AU$499.95 and we know the 5 will match that price in the UK.
The Xtreme 5 has also seen some performance changes: it’s been redesigned to make its drivers sing, and it’s also got an improved output to make the most of its specs. Perhaps most importantly for bass fans, it also has a subwoofer.
These changes let the Xtreme 5 match the Go 5’s upgrades of, according to JBL, 10% more bass and 10% louder volume. There’s also a new SmartEQ mode, which identifies what you’re listening to and applies an appropriate equalization preset and a sound booster to reduce distortion at higher volumes.
These two speakers launched alongside JBL EasySing Mics, which are karaoke microphones designed to work with the brand’s speakers. Their built-in technology can remove vocals from tracks, instantly turn them into karaoke-able songs, and last for 10 hours on a single charge.
We’ve seen them before, most recently with the PartyBox On-The-Go 2 Plus, and they seem to work across most JBL speakers. UK price is £129.99.
The best Bluetooth speakers for all budgets
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