JBL boombox 3 Review : Portable Bluetooth Speaker Under Test | Tech Reviews
The JBL Boombox 3 lives up to its name and is a fairly large portable speaker that has very good sound quality and bass that attracts a lot of attention.
It is gigantic. JBL has released a portable speaker so big it’s the size of Bowers & Wilkins’ Zeppelin and the weight of a professional sound bar. In exchange, it gives a power rarely seen in anything that can be taken from party to party.
There is a kind of fad among loudspeaker manufacturers that leads them to name their equipment with the word “boom”. That onomatopoeia, which refers to the hit of the bass (or subwoofer) is a perfect claim for customers. Or so we suppose.
The JBL model is by far the largest portable speaker I’ve ever reviewed. But, in its favor, it is the equipment with the most watts that I have ever tried without the need to plug into the electrical current. To give us a better idea of the set, let’s see its technical characteristics:
| JBL Boombox 3 | |
|---|---|
| Dimensions and weight | 48.2 x 25.7 x 20 cm | 6.7 Kg |
| Speakers | 1x Subwoofer de 80 W | 2x Woofer de 40 W | 2x Tweeter de 10 W |
| Dust and water resistance | IP67 |
| Connections | Bluetooth 5.3 | 3.5mm Audio Input | External charging USB A |
| Battery | Up to 24 hours | 9,600mAh battery |
| Price | 549 euros |
Big, heavy and well finished
JBL’s speaker is gigantic. It really is. The box, when the delivery man brings it to you, is a monster weighing 10 kilos that you have to carry carefully if you don’t want to make a hole in the floor.
Once we take it out of the packaging we see a very simple piece of equipment: the speaker covered and protected by a white fabric cover and robust cardboard molds that carry the equipment in perfect balance. Even if it fell to the ground, it wouldn’t come out badly.
And here the unboxing ends, since it does not carry anything else: the speaker, the manual, the product guarantee and the charging cable . If you lose this last one, know that it is a classic two-pin that is in every house (the one that the PlayStation 2 has, without going any further) .
The Boombox 3 is a real monster. It weighs 6.7 kilos, is half a meter long and between the base and the handle we have about 28 centimeters. For all this, it is not a portable device, but it is portable in the strict sense of the word: it can be moved. Easily? That is another question.
JBL has decided to make the speaker classy and pretty. It is all black, with orange touches, following his brand image. The rubbers that we see on the base and on the handle give it a better grip and some cushioning, ideal for absorbing the vibrations of the subwoofer.
With this we have matte black throughout the team, a front that is dark and mesh, and the discreet touch of orange. I mean, it’s almost elegant, despite how big and hulking it looks . The good thing is that it shows quality. Once you touch it, move it and try it, you can see that the passage of time will not be a problem.
JBL Boombox 3 Review : Simple app and two way connection
In the connectivity section, the JBL Boombox 3 is a Plug and Play. That is, we can turn it on, search for it with the mobile via bluetooth and start listening to music. No need to download anything or have to configure anything.
The first time I used it was turning it on, searching for it among the nearby devices and putting Spotify . Just that. And best of all, it was enough to impress me with its sound, its power and its quality.
If you want to customize the sound of the JBL, you have to download the official application, which is simple. It just gives us a little equalizer without much mystery and… that’s it? Well, there’s also Party Boost in case you have more JBL speakers and you want them all playing at once, which is pretty neat.
For the classics (those who distrust waves), the JBL Boombox 3 has a 3.5mm jack input to connect an MP3 player or a smartphone. I have used it and I can confirm that the sound is the same, there is no higher quality (as expected in a device that is not HiFi).
JBL Boombox 3 Review : Power to put on the party of the century, autonomy to spare
In this section the JBL Boombox 3 is unrivaled. It has two power modes: one is when we only use the battery, the other is when we plug it into the mains. As usual, the team tries to extend the autonomy as much as possible once we unplug it.
The battery mode offers a power of 136 watts RMS (sustained power, not peak). Or what is the same, enough power to fill a swimming pool, a bonfire on the beach or a party in the middle of the mountain with music.
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With the volume at full power, two people within 3 meters of the speaker cannot hear each other except by yelling at the top of their lungs. Honestly, with a speaker like this you can put on a mini-concert that you don’t miss more equipment. It is impressive, the most powerful I have ever tried.
The plugged-in mode ups the ante to 180 W RMS as well. This mode is designed for when we have it somewhere close to home (a swimming pool, a garden, a patio, etc.) with a plug at hand. With 180 watts you can forget about the Party Boost, the Boombox 3 is enough and is left over.
It is true that this is the least important mode, since it is usual to use these large and expensive equipment for parties outside the home, where you do not have speakers nearby or plugs . Despite this, it is very interesting is plus power.
If 136 W is a lot, with 180 W it is better not to put it at maximum if you do not want a problem with the police (I do not say this from experience, I promise).
As for autonomy, JBL promises us up to 24 hours of uninterrupted music. In this month of use we have been able to extend it to 18 hours without much problem, having the music quite loud. So it will surely arrive at 24 hours if you are not one to break your eardrums.
It acts as a Power Bank (9,600 mAh) thanks to its rear USB port , so you can charge your mobile without much problem while you use it to play songs. Without a problem, you can throw a whole party (7/8 hours) playing loud music while charging your smartphone, which is very interesting.
JBL Boombox 3 Review : If you don’t mind carrying weight, it’s the ultimate speaker
Let’s go to the conclusions, to the important moment of the analysis: is it worth buying the JBL Boombox 3? It is very difficult to give you a direct and clear answer. The JBL speaker is aimed at a very specific audience, at a fairly small market niche.
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If you often go with friends or family on the road, love to throw parties, love music and care about power and sound quality, the JBL Boombox is the best equipment on the market for less than 600 euros . Nothing sounds as good, as loud and for as long.
But if you want a powerful speaker, with good sound and that doesn’t take up the size of a medium suitcase (one of those that you have to check in when you go by plane) there are dozens of options on the market , even JBL has 5 or 6 valid options .
You have to understand, before buying this equipment, that it is half a meter long and weighs almost 7 kilograms. If this is not an impediment and you love to throw parties with a brutal sound: the JBL Boombox 3 is the indicated equipment.