JBL Charge 3 Waterproof Portable Bluetooth Speaker (Black), 1

First off, I like me Charge 3 and ended up buying a second one to pair for stereo outdoors! If you are trying to connect a mic using the 3.5mm Jack you have to know two things. First: Not all 3.5mm jacks are the same. I believe there are tr, trs and trrs plugs and you need to look at the number of black plastic rings, the tip shape and length of the plug. Hopefully, someone at JBL can advise all of us Secondly the Impedence and resistance of the mic and the length and thickness effect that. Also hope they give advice on that, as well.

This is my 4th JBL product in 18 months, so I guess you can say Ive drunk the Kool aide. I bought a set of wired JBL in ear headphones from a discount store on a whim, and was highly impressed. Then I bought the JBL Tune500BT Bluetooth on ear headphones (awesome). Then I bought the JBL Clip 3, I liked it but my son liked it better so I gave it to him which gave me an opportunity to upgrade to the Charge 3. FIRST OFF, this speaker came in the mail today. I was impressed with the box it came in. It felt like I was opening up some kind of treasure box...lol Seriously speaking though, THIS little one and a half pound box of sound is IMpressive. I dont have crazy little gadgets to measure this, that, and the other thing, but I have my ears and my ear knows when Ive got something going. I am a little hard of hearing (due to a LOT loud music) so for those of you who are concerned with the amount of loud: you have NOTHING to worry about. This little thing is LOUD because I had to turn it down to finish my testing. I have a few song I like to listen to to judge the sound of my speakers so I listened to them via my cell phone and Youtube (it was the quickest route to music). I was impressed but not completely blown away. I want speakers that can recreate stereo but I was thinking that the Charge3 sounded like it was not doing a good job of this, so I played I Feel Love by Donna Summer because I can judge the amount of stereo reproduction because you can hear the separation of the left and right channels in this song. So I switched from my cell to the computer, where all of my music is and This was where everything came to life. I listened to everything from Pop to Country to Gospel to Rap/Hip Hop, to classical, to Drum n Bass, to Opera and then some, and I gotta say, with few song exceptions, ALL music was reproduces fantastically. Earlier I said I had to turn the Charge3 down because it was too loud. Yeah, too loud... CHILDREN, If you buy this speaker you will NOT go wrong. I want a second one after having heard this one only 3 short hours ago, and I am having a hard time stopping myself from clicking BUY NOW for #2. I hope my review was helpful. Sign me a VERY Happy camper, and then some.....

Realized I bought this thing four years ago and still havent reviewed it. I was delighted this morning at how bluetooth on the charge always just works. So easy to connect / disconnect and seems to have some intelligence around this. Other devices are a pain (and have been especially, lately) but this guy always just gets it right, no matter which device Im using (personal MBP, work MBP, iPhone, iPad - I switch around all the time). And, of course, it sounds amazing. Starting to see some diminished battery life here, which isnt surprising after 4 years of heavy use - but can still get several hours off of a single charge. And can always just plug it in if needed. Im a JBL customer for life if they keep making products like this.

After three days of almost constant use inside, Ive decided this is an okay speaker. But as the headline says, its just okay. Nothing spectacular. I bought this speaker instead of the Charge 4 because of some negatively reviewed aspects of the 4. The Charge 3 isnt a bargain, price-wise, but at $99 its not going to break your bank. And its lots less expensive than a lot of the current garbage Bose has on the market. Sound quality on the Charge 3 is decent, but it sometimes sounds a bit muddy depending on speaker volume and placement. In other words, it needs to be placed in a somewhat open space, not against a wall or on a shelf in a bookcase. Bass is lacking in this speaker. Seriously lacking. And the louder it gets, the more distortion you get. Hard to imagine this speaker providing acceptably clear sound levels at a large outdoor party. Again, for indoor use its pretty good. It makes a nice invisible sound source. I like it that this speaker comes in some vibrant colours in addition to your basic tech-tactical black. I chose the red version because I like bright colours. Two things about this speaker need to change. But of course since this is an older model, it isnt going to change. I understand the newer Charge 4 has these same issues, though. One is that it makes stupid beep-beep-boop-boop noises when you power it on and off. And theres no way to disable these sounds. Its irritating as hell and serves no purpose. The power light lights and turns off when the speaker is powered down...the customer doesnt need dumb noises to prove the speakers on or off. The other thing is that theres no back button. You cant scan backwards to previously played songs. Sure, you can scan backwards with your phone controls, but if the phone and speaker are located in different areas, that function goes out the window. Bottom line? Maybe you could do better for a hundred bucks, but if you arent in the mood to shop around and you get this with free Prime shipping, youll be okay.

It sounds better than I expected, especially considering its size. JBL should be proud as it lives up to its brags.

Great quality speaker! Sounds good/loud and is still going strong after years! I definitely recommend it!

I typically love my JBL products, but I’m very underwhelmed by this speaker. I had a FLIP prior to this and absolutely loved it. Unfortunately, it ended up on the bottom of the Ozark lake last summer. I thought I would “upgrade” by getting the bigger version, but I don’t think its worth the extra money. It has a very muddy sound. The MIDs are set way too high. I’ve been using an equalizer through Spotify that helps some, but I still don’t love the sound. The highs get completely drowned out. Pros are that it feels very durable, it’s loud, and the battery seems to last quite awhile.

I had been using an old Rigid job site type boom box with an AUX cord in the garage and yard, but my latest Android phone upgrade finally did away with the headphone jack, so it was time for something new. I chose the JBL Charge 3 as it was compact, rugged, and users said it had great sound, and I have to agree. The fact that its waterproof and can charge my phone as an external battery is an added bonus. You would think I had a big setup playing, but its just this one little speaker with dynamic highs, solid mids, and rich bass. I liked it so much that instead of just relegating it to my outside activities, Ive started using it in my home office, as it sounds so much better than my desktop system with separate speakers and a dedicated subwoofer. My wife likes it as I can set it right in front of me on the desk and play it at louder volume levels without being able to hear it all over the house, a problem with my desktop speaker system. All told, this one is definitely recommended, and will not dissapoint.

This is my second Charge 3. I loved my first one. After major abuse on my part for a couple years it was finally time to replace it. I went with the Charge 4 thinking I would like it even more because well it was a newer version. I was very wrong. The 3 is simply better sounding in my option. For one it is simply louder with much more bass. They are both water proof and very durable. The Charge 4 is a more balanced sound with a bigger battery, but i definitely prefer the smooth bass that comes out of the Charge 3. I ended up losing my Charge 4 so i was pleasantly surprised to find the Charge 3 still available and at a much reduced price from the first time i purchased. For the price I dont know of anything better.

I was given one of these as a gift many years ago. It just finally stopped working. I did lots of research to decide which JBL would be the best replacement. I was very happy to see this model offered again. Its excellent quality, reliable and holds its charge for a long time. It really is water & dust proof. I used my older one while doing all sorts of projects indoors and out where moisture and dust were everywhere....it continued to work very well.