JBL Go 4 Is The Tiny Speaker That Punches Once more, Right here Is How

Too many pocket-sized Bluetooth audio system current music that’s faint and distant, requiring technique an extreme quantity of effort to take heed to. Then there’s the JBL Go 4, priced at $39.95 (was $49.95), a small brick-sized system aiming to indicate that notion on its head. At decrease than half a pound and small enough to fit in a coat pocket, it not solely provides, nonetheless actually delivers, clear, extremely efficient audio that makes you seize for the quantity dial reasonably than throw your arms up throughout the air in disgust.

It’s tiny, nonetheless the Go 4 has the gorgeous potential to fill space with depth. The vocals are clear, and the bass notes have merely adequate wallop to anchor all of the issues with out overpowering it. Plus, the frequency response solely dips to 90Hz, ensuring that the bass doesn’t get muddy as a result of it does with a couple of of its smaller rivals. Wirecutter staff examined it and have been blissful, describing the output as “satisfying and full” no matter its small measurement. As for the loudness, whereas it gained’t blow out any dwelling home windows, it does attain an affordable 80 dB at full blast, which is ample to take care of a solo trek or a small gathering with out distortion.

Sturdiness-wise, the Go 4 has developed proper right into a rock-solid sidekick that you just don’t have to think about. The rubber edges wrap throughout the fabric cowl, defending it from drops as little as waist peak. An IP67 classification seals it tight in the direction of mud and water, making it splendid for days on the seaside when sand goes all over or poolside when electronics are lastly carried away. SoundGuys put one via its paces, subjecting it to six days of arduous use, all of the issues from being thrown spherical on a hike to being knocked off the desk for enjoyable, and it nonetheless appeared mannequin new (along with the Go 4’s additional silicone security on prime, a serious enchancment over the Go 3).

Battery life holds up merely as successfully over time; one full value from a USB-C port provides seven hours of regular listening at an inexpensive amount, and for many who activate the Playtime Improve risk, that may improve to 9 hours, with the one actual drawback being that the low-end bass is barely decreased. That’s actual real-world runtime. It could solely take barely higher than two hours to recharge, and with Bluetooth 5.3 connectivity, you’re going to get reliable connections of as a lot as 60 toes even via partitions, whereas its multipoint pairing experience enables you to merely change between your phone and capsule whereas your music stays to be streaming.

The controls are merely the place your thumb expects them: three raised buttons sit on prime to handle play, stop, and amount with a nice click on on, whereas the flexibility, Bluetooth, and Auracast pairing buttons are neatly tucked away on the facet so that you simply don’t ought to seek for them at nighttime. As a further revenue, the JBL transportable app has a five-band equalizer that permits you to tailor the sound to your preferences, comparable to rising the highs to take heed to podcasts additional clearly or warming up the mids for a additional acoustic sound.