STEREO GUIDE Rating
The JBL Xtreme 3 is for good reason the most popular mobile speaker on a shoulder strap, combining party dynamics with hi-fi virtues.
Pros
- natural, excellent tonal balance
- tight, powerful bass without booming
- excellent SPL given its size
- useful in-app EQ, Analogue Input
Cons
- The price is also premium class
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Sound: Tonal balance / Transparency7.7
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Sound: Bass / Dynamics8.5
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Ease-of-use / Connectivity8.5
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Price/Performance9.2
The JBL Xtreme 3 is the third generation of the popular portable Bluetooth speaker. It is larger than the Charge 5 and about twice as heavy, which makes it not quite easy to stow in a bag or backpack. That’s why it’s especially popular to conveniently carry it on its textile shoulder strap – to the beach or the park for example. Compared to its predecessor, it got lighter by almost 20 percent – thanks to particularly powerful neodym magnets instead of ferrite equivalents.
A significant improvement is the water- and dustproof standard meeting IP67 class. The third-generation Xtreme is on the market since 2021, but gained significant improvement from a new app and other cool features like an equalizer. The rounded enclosure is available in in three different colours. If you prefer some outdoor or military feel, get the camouflage look! If you are in the market for something discreet, blue or black might be the colours of your choice.
Easy-to-use and surprisingly handy
The side panels of the tube are now angled. It can be operated either horizontally or in upright position, even if the latter might looks unusual at first glance. The soundwaves produced by the lateral compound radiators still manage to escape through the gaps between the rubber stands. Thus, its position appears to be particularly slip-resistant.
Standard horizontal position means even more stability, provided by the now centered rubber stand. The necessary size of a flat surface has been reduced, a chair would do the job. However, a stable one might be advisable here.
Use the in-app equalizer after an update
As active drivers, JBL continues to rely on two 2-way concept plus passive radiators producing extended bass. The tweeters are each 0.75″ in diameter while low-midrange drivers come at almost 3″ each. The maximum battery life is promised to reach 15 hours, and a smartphone can take use of the power bank option connected via USB-C. The JBL Xtreme 3 comes with an external power supply included. This one recharges the built-in battery in 2.5 hours when needed. A light bar indicates the progress.
Two smartphones can be connected at the same time. Two latest-gen JBL bluetooth speakers can form a stereo pair, or one might use the daisy-chain-mode called ´PartyBoost´ to connect numerous speakers.
The new version of JBL´s designated Portable App (for iOS and Android) is also available for the Xtreme 3, offering a very useful 3-band graphic EQ. However, some devices that have been delivered so far still need an update of the internal firmware, this might take some time.
Easy-to-use, easy-to-connect
Operating the Xtreme using its rubber buttons is easy, some of which are recessed into the upper fabric covering between the massive strap eyelets. Volume control, Start/Stop/Skip Forward and PartyBoost also work without the need of unlocking your smartphone´s screen.
Music is fed either via Bluetooth or via the mini-jack analogue input. However, the large Bluetooth speaker does not have a microphone for making calls or using voice recognition technology.
Get the real hi-fidelity party out of 2 kilograms
The JBL Xtreme 3 sounds amazingly mature, almost like a pair of small bookshelf speakers. Thus, it does create the decent image of a somewhat wide soundstage and is reproducing voices in a very vivid and clean manner. Powerful dynamics and realistic tonal balance are among the strong points, which come with the image of transparency, liveliness and detail voices. Treble region might appear to be a bit on the glittering side, even a bit emphasized when playing pop music, but never showing harshness – that’s exactly how we imagine the ideal mobile speaker to sound.
Adding its powerful bass, JBL´s ghettoblaster tube is easily initiating a true party mood and hi-fi feeling at the same time. Beats are rich and impulses offer the necessary dynamic capabilities. Due to a sonorous character and really low bass, besides partying with synthesizer beats, especially rock and jazz recordings with a real drumkit are upscale fun. Only when pushing the SPL to the JBL´s limit while turning up the bass one might take note of the digital limiter cutting impulses in order to avoid distortion and damage.
Simple, but useful: The 3 band equalizer
Despite the JBL’s ideal tonal balance, the app-based EQ might be useful on several occasions: For example, the bass might become too fat or boomy in small rooms or being positioned close to a corner. Positioned freely on a chair in open-air, it on the other hand might show a tendency towards slimness. The bass control slider of the EQ is excellently the appropriate countermeasure in these cases. However, it should probably serve more to boost the bass in a party Bluetooth speaker like the Xtreme 3. This works better than with the much smaller JBL Flip 6, but turning up the bass at higher SPL might cause the limiter’s interventions described above to become audible more easily.
Conclusion and alternatives to the JBL Xtreme 3
In terms of SPL and subjevtive dynamics, the successor to JBL´s bestseller outperforms a whole class of mobile speakers without making any compromises in terms of fine resolution, tonal balance and clarity. At most, the somewhat heavier and bulkier Teufel Rockster Cross can keep up here with more features and a bit more bass capabilities at the same high level of reproduction quality.
Specifications JBL Xtreme 3
- Retail price: 330 euros
- Dimensions (W x H x D): 30 x 13.6 x 13.4 cm
- Weight: 1970 g
- Battery life up to 15 hours
- Features: water/dustproof according to IP67 protection class, JBL Party Boost, powerbank function, in-app EQ
- More at: jbl.com
