JBL Charge 5
also sold as Charge 5 WiFi Edition
Illustration of the product
▶ From a video review of this product
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- Battery life
- ~20 hours
- Watch out for
- The exposed charging port
Why it ranks here. The Charge 5 has one of the largest and most consistently happy owner followings of any portable speaker. It is the reference point in JBL threads and comment sections, and it is still recommended now that the Charge 6 exists.
A truck driver uses it as the radio in whatever cab he is in: 'Awesome loud and clear quality. Great bass. And one of the best battery life. And you can charge and listen'↗. One buyer at $150 found it 'Definitely better'↗ than Marshall speakers costing almost a hundred more. The bargain now is old stock: one owner got a Charge 5 for £72 against £170 for the Charge 6 and says it 'gives little away to its successor'↗. Owners of the Flip 6 say the Charge 5's bass and battery are worth the step up. The gripes: the charging port is open to dust and water, so one owner plugs it with 'a small blob of blu-tac'↗, and one unit's audio 'keeps fading in and out'↗.
What owners like
- 'Awesome loud and clear quality. Great bass'↗, and 'Definitely better'↗ than Marshall speakers costing almost a hundred more
- Long battery that doubles as a power bank: 'you can charge and listen'↗
- Old stock is the bargain: £72 against £170 for the Charge 6, and it 'gives little away to its successor'↗
“I always tend to move a couple of generations back when it comes to technology. The well-received Charge 6 is currently £169.99 in the U.K. I got a Charge 5 next day delivery for £72.00. No competition and gives little away to its successor. I am not too troubled about bells n’ whistles, plumping for just good sound quality and I am highly satisfied with the Charge 5. I also got a hard zip case made by another brand which has finished the package off, nicely.” — YouTube comment · @zacetto · 2022-02-25
10 positive · 1 mixed · 1 negative · 12 voices · ✓ all 12 linked to source
Read all 12 quotes (12 voices)
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Just bought mines. I travel a lot. And I’m also a truck driver of a cheap company that won’t replace the radios in the older trucks, so it’s my radio in whatever semi truck I’m in. Awesome loud and clear quality. Great bass. And one of the best battery life. And you can charge and listen. Highly recommended
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Bought mine yesterday for 150. This thing sounds sweet. Definitely better than the Marshall Kilbourn or Action 2 and those are almost a hundred more. Highly recommend for 150 bks.
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Received my Charge 5 about a fortnight ago & am blown away by just how good it sounds! The only negative I have to mention is that the port is open & exposed to dust & moisture. I'll remedy this by putting a small blob of blu-tac over the port.
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He forgot to mention that the charge 4 only has a mid sub and a low end sub but the charge 5 also has a tweaker that helps with higher notes
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I always tend to move a couple of generations back when it comes to technology. The well-received Charge 6 is currently £169.99 in the U.K. I got a Charge 5 next day delivery for £72.00. No competition and gives little away to its successor. I am not too troubled about bells n’ whistles, plumping for just good sound quality and I am highly satisfied with the Charge 5. I also got a hard zip case made by another brand which has finished the package off, nicely.
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Just got it today it’s really nice looking in person and has nice thumpy bass, And tweeter does such a good job with the highs
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JBL absolutely nailed it with the Charge series. I have a JBL Charge 5 WiFi Edition and it never ceases to amaze me with the amount of audio power it's capable of. Take that form factor and make it boombox style there's some tuning in that shape or acoustic style itd be hands down the GOAT!!!!
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Since you are considering the Charge 5, i’d do that. I have both the Charge 5 and flip 6. The Flip 6 is great for it’s size don’t get me wrong. But the lower bass and louder volume is more worth it for me. Plus the battery life is better on the Charge 5 if you buy it brand new.
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Charge 5 with the WiFi option beats the 6 any day.
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I absolutely love mine! I initially wanted the flip till till I heard this one! It gets VERY LOUD!!! But sounds AWERSME‼️ I thinking of getting two!!
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I bought mine and the audio keeps fading in and out do yk how to fix it or should i return it? I bought a warranty for it too
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I recently bought one and I'm still happy as can be, my best buy this year.
