JBL Xtreme 4 review: a sweet-sounding battery beast with AI smarts

I spend a short ton of time at the beach in the summer . And while at first glance my huge , thatched Billabong hat , mirrored sunnies , and oversized Yeti may screambeach rear , make no mistake : I am unvoiced at workplace . You see , there is n’t a Best Buy on Earth that can contend with the selection ofBluetooth speakersfound on a sweltering , crowded beach . A walk along the shoreline is an dateless mashup of speech sound , from club banger to Hellenic careen hymn and oh so much Tay . And as I take the air , there ’s one speaker brand that catches my eye more than any other : JBL .

The American audio maker has built a reputation for its well - design and premium - priced speakers that systematically sound better than most . Its portable Flip and Charge speaker unit are mainstays on ourbest Bluetooth speakerlists , and themid - sized Xtreme 3speaker it release in 2021 was wide praise , make it a toughened human action to follow .

At CES in January this yearJBL announcedthat it would finally be update the popular speaker unit , along with the new Clip 5 and Go 4 mini speakers , and that metre has number . The JBL Xtreme 4 launched today in the U.S. and , happily , JBL has allow it well enough alone … for the most part — it ’s still powerful for its sizing at 100 watts , still sound sweetened and sheer , and still makes good on its “ Xtreme ” moniker with itsIP67 ruggedness rating .

But JBL has also view primed to make some improvements where it counts , including the plus of Auracast Bluetooth connectivity , some AI - powered levelheaded optimisation tech , and , most imposingly , an upgrade ( and replaceable ! ) shelling that boasts a precursor - scorching 30 hr of playtime .

The JBL Xtreme 4 could be the estimable Bluetooth verbalizer of the year for its class , but is it worth its $ 380 damage ? It ’s a elusive job , I know , but I logged a lot of beach time to find out .

Out of the box and setup

The JBL Xtreme 4 with its USB - C charger and rugged strap . Derek Malcolm / Digital TrendsI’ve beenreviewing a lot of Bluetooth speakerslately , and one thing that has set the JBL Xtreme 4 asunder from the others is just how much more premium it experience . JBL really has nailed this over the years , and I was remind of that as soon as I pulled it out of the box .

The utterer comes securely wrapped in a felt - similar suitcase and is packed in recyclable composition board that features fold - up handles that make it easy to slew out . It ’s also courteous to see that JBL has include a solid power - brick - to - USB - C charging cable and not just a solo cable … or no cable at all .

The Xtreme 4 also come with a quality nylon shoulder strap that clips to the speaker by way of two metallic element carabiners , and it also features the requisite bottle - opener buckle . Do you need a bottle unfastener on your speaker strap ? Some would argue , no . I am not one of them . It is a prissy tactual sensation .

The USB-C port on the back of the JBL Xtreme 4Derek Malcolm / Digital Trends

Yep , that buckle doubles as a bottleful opener . Derek Malcolm / Digital TrendsA quick - start guide in the box gives you everything you necessitate to sleep together about the Xtreme 4 , including how to geminate it with your phone or other devices , which is dead simple . I did n’t even require to put the speaker into union mode — I just opened my earphone ’s Bluetooth preferences and it plant it and paired it . Re - pairing is comfortable enough as well by keep back down the dedicated Bluetooth button on the loudspeaker .

The spry - start scout also has a helpful QR code that you could scan for downloading the well - designed JBL Portable app , which I already had installed on my gimmick from other JBL loudspeaker system I own .

Design

Made with recycled nylon and credit card material , the Xtreme 4 ’s design is round-eyed but premium . Derek Malcolm / Digital TrendsNot to belabour the point here , but JBL makes gorgeous Bluetooth speakers , and the Xtreme 4 is no exception . JBL say that the speaker is made with reprocess fabric and credit card , the former of which is a tightly weaved mesh that envelop almost entirely around it , much like the late multiplication of this speaker . It ’s available in blue , calamitous , and camo .

I was n’t sure how well the textile covering was go to hold up on the beach , and while I did n’t roll the affair around in the sand , there were unquestionably some grains stick in the mesh later . Luckily , though , the Xtreme 4 has an fantabulous IP67 junk and waterproof rating ( it can be deluge in a meter of pee for up to 30 moment ) , so spraying the sand out in the sink afterward was a breeze .

An IP67 rainproof paygrade means the the Xtreme 4 will crank it out , even in water . Derek Malcolm / Digital TrendsThe Xtreme 4 is about the size of a rugger ball at 11.7 in long by 5.9 inch marvellous by 5.5 inches deep . And it ’s not heavy but feels solid and uncompromising for its size at just 4.6 lb . Hanging from my shoulder during the slogs to and from the beach , or wherever else I trekked with it , did n’t bother me in the least .

The removable battery door.Derek Malcolm / Digital Trends

On the back of the speaker , things get minimalist . Embedded in the fabric covering , all there is is a cylindric plastic tag with the Xtreme 4 model name on it and the USB - C larboard . That ’s it . The USB - C port , of course , can be used for charging and as a power banking concern for charging other devices , which my daughter and her friends made use of several multiplication .

Lastly , on the bottom of the Xtreme 4 are two thick and grippy rubber feet , and one of the most important Modern lineament of JBL ’s 2024 speaker crop : a panel that you’re able to spread out with a screwdriver that give you access to the obliterable battery . Yes , removable battery .

At CES this twelvemonth , JBL foretell that , in an endeavor to be more eco - well-disposed and increase the longevity of its products , that the battery of several of its 2024 Speaker , including the Xtreme 4 , Clip 5 , Go 4 , and a couple of itsPartyBoxparty speakers , will be replaceable . While areplacement batterywill run you $ 100 , the move ensure your speaker wo n’t end up in a landfill rather than they should and that they last much longer .

Speakers, power, and controls

strong-arm button ascendence means you wo n’t have to take hold of your phone for simple subprogram . Derek Malcolm / Digital TrendsBehind the Xtreme 4 ’s mesh covering and JBL logo sit down four equipment driver , just as they did in the Xtreme 3 . That include two 2.75 - inch woofers and two 0.75 - in tweeter , and then of course of instruction on both slope of the speaker sits a single 2.75 - inch bass radiator also brandishing the JBL exclamation mark logo .

JBL has determine to keep the superpower output of the Xtreme 4 the same as Xtreme 3 , because if it ’s not fracture , do n’t sterilize it . When plug in to AC king , the speaker will pump out up to 100 watt RMS totality ( 30 James Watt from each woofer and 20 watts from each tweeter ) , and when running off the battery , it ’s just somewhat less at 70 total watts ( 20 James Watt from each woofer and 15 Isaac Watts from each tweeter ) . I could n’t tell the difference in yield when swap back and away , but do n’t worry — for a loudspeaker system this size it gets plenty brassy .

Two inactive radiators on the Xtreme 4 birth some of its big sea bass sound . Derek Malcolm / Digital TrendsThe controls on the JBL extreme are also nicely done . I always care to see forcible button on Bluetooth speakers because that means you do n’t have to progress to for your phone to do unproblematic things like turn up the volume or skip a track , regardless of who ’s machine it ’s paired to .

The Xtreme 4 ’s button are flawlessly designed , well lay - out on top of the speaker , and do what buttons do . The play button smartly performs multiple functions — one click pause and plays tracks , two click skips a rails , and three clicks goes back a cut — and there are self-aggrandizing , tactile up - and - down volume clit that are easy to find in the night because , in direct contrast to a peck of Bluetooth speakers on the market now , the Xtreme 4 does not feature any kind of guide light show like theSoundcore Boom 2 , and I am entirely fine with that .

This get us to another new addition to the Xtreme 4 ( and other 2024 JBL speakers ): Auracast . The new Bluetooth applied science allow , among many other things , the Xtreme 4 to connect to an unlimited bit of other JBL gimmick with Auracast ( such as the new Clip 5 , Go 4 , and other verbalizer to come in ) to create a bigger sound profile and even a multiroom setup . you could also use it to make a stereo duo with another Xtreme 4 , and the loudspeaker system will still link to older PartyBoost - subject JBL speakers through the handy JBL Portable app .

Battery life

One of the boastful improvements to the Xtreme 4 that it has over the Xtreme 3 is battery life . JBL has managed to eke out a humongous 24 hours of playday on a charge ( nine hours longer than the Xtreme 3),buta new feature film called Playtime Boost lengthen that an extra six hours to an even more impressive 30 hour in sum .

Playtime Boost is activated through the JBL Portable app , and its only downfall is that activating it stop the speaker ’s EQ , causing a significant reduction in all that big and warm JBL tone and low - end punch . It could be a small price to devote , though , if you find yourself , say , on a camping trip and just need to get the most music time out of the speaker before it fail .

The 9,444 mAh lithium - ion shelling takes just 3.5 hours to in full buck , and the 59 - column inch USB - C overseas telegram is enough long for when you ’re reload the utterer . You ’ll ask your own cablegram for charging your devices , though .

Sound and performance

The JBL Xtreme ’s IP67 rating make it durable enough for backbone and seaDerek Malcolm / Digital TrendsThere are decidedly speakers out there that cost less , are more brawny , and proffer more feature than the Xtreme 4 , but few have even come close to sounding as good as this speaker has . The JBL Xtreme 4 is the best - sound Bluetooth talker I ’ve heard all year .

Out of the box seat , the Xtreme 4 amount pre - tune to the society ’s own JBL theme song EQ preset . Billie Eilish ’s former , Hit Me Hard and Soft , has been on repetition at my house , and so I spin that up on the Xtreme 4 first at around 50 % volume , because why not ?

When the deep bass kicks in at the 20 - mo Saint Mark ofLunch , my eyebrows belong up . What I got was smooth - as - silk down in the mouth remainder , a mid - jab that hit me in the upper bureau , and then lively and controlled highs that accentuate the snare drum and Billie ’s key signature breathy vocals . All this and I had n’t touched the EQ setting in the app .

So , allow ’s talk about that app . While it is a second modified ( more on this later ) , the Portable app gives you everything you require to dial in the sound the way you care it . There are four EQ presets : JBL Signature , Chill , Energetic , Vocal , and Custom , which gives you a five - band EQ that ranges from 64Hz to 16,000Hz .

The Xtreme 4 execute really well across all these EQ presets and caters to the dynamics of the songs you ’re playing , as a good verbalizer should . This may be because of the fresh AI tech that JBL has put into the Xtreme 4 — AI Sound Boost — that the fellowship says , “ analyzes audio in veridical time with an AI algorithm to optimize the acoustical output level , leading to more powerful and vitreous silica - clear phone . ”

to boot , the Xtreme 4 has taken a step forward from the Xtreme 3 in terms of frequency response , now delivering a rich range of from 44Hz to 20,000Hz , over the Xtreme 3 ’s 53Hz to 20,000Hz .

SUP ? The Xtreme 4 is secure for all your beaching . Derek Malcolm / Digital TrendsI usually like to test speakers with all EQ options set to flatcar , which I also did here , but I liked the JBL Signature limit so much that I kept going back to it . It give thing a routine of a bass and mid - gamey encouragement , and if I ’m good , the flat EQ ( that you ready using the Custom option in the app ) postulate a bit of a boost in the low and high frequencies for my liking .

I really felt the moral force when play Foo Fighters ’ hitEverlong , which has some slap-up whispering - to - a - scream import . At around 60 % volume ( which is pretty flashy in small space like my house office ) , thing like cymbal and mid - heavy guitars can take their toll , and I did experience a little fatigue . But I ’m an idiot and like my medicine on the loud side . Turning matter down helps a slew , and with soft music styles like common people , idle words , and pop , it ’s patently less of a problem , but the Chill EQ circumstance is also an excellent way of soften any piercing highs .

The industrious preset does just that : adds some sparkle with a lower - mid boost , and Vocal give out ever further with the increased mids and reduced high to bring vocals to the cutting edge if you really care to get word the lyrics . Tracks like the flame Lips’Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robotsand the Beatles’Blackbirdsound beautiful on these context . And do n’t get me depart on Eilish ’s trackThe Greatest — a sailplane , atmospheric jewel soak in reverb that the Xtreme 4 just loved .

My only postulation would have been for JBL to offer the ability to hold open usage EQ setting , or even modify theirs for save , too . I eff the JBL signature , for example , but I ’d have sleep with it more with a little less gamey - end .

I played all form of music through the Xtreme 4 and in different setting — big rooms , lowly way , bathrooms , at the beach , in the blistering tub , and in the lake ( it float and still sound good ) — and it fork up consistent functioning . At its highest volume the loudspeaker defend its fidelity , never break out up , and it scoop the clarity and dynamic of larger , more powerful speakers like the 140 - wattSoundcore Boom 2 Plus($250 ) . It also exceed one of my deary , the excellentMarshall Middleton($300 ) , in term of richness of audio and articulateness .

Should you buy it?

Let ’s be honest : The biggest hurdle for anyone considering the Xtreme 4 is going to be its terms . $ 380 is nothing to sniff at , and as I note earlier , there are other , less - expensive options out there if all you want is something loud , sounds decent , and is rugged enough for all your summertime playfulness . Not to tug on this ancient adage , but with the Xtreme 4 you get what you ante up for .

First , you ’re getting stride - up , AI - drive JBL sound that you ’ll value whether you ’re on the beach or listening at home . And you could dial it in with a self-coloured app . You ’re also getting a battery that can last an insane 30 hours and that you may replace , which imply you ’re not go to have to furcate over cash for a novel speaker for a while . And if you do , you’re able to bring another Auracast - enabled JBL speaker to expand your verbaliser empire .

If price is still a hangup for you , then take a hard look at the Xtreme 3 , which you’re able to still get for around $ 230 and is still a closelipped competitor to its fresh - faced sibling .

All said and done , the Xtreme 4 is agio price but offers premium sound and feature of speech , and is one of the best Bluetooth speakers of 2024 so far .