I found that the Charge 5 even manages to hold its own with bassheavy tracks like Link and e62l’s Antacid (The Theory of Evolution) the lower octaves of those analogue synths are given surprising room.Then again, the Charge 5 was designed primarily for those who listen to energetic dance and rock music, its presentation and tonal balance reflecting this. I left the thing playing (viaVLC) music stored on my Pixel 3a and, downstairs in the kitchen making a cuppa, nearly accepted that the noises coming from above were from conventional full-sized speakers! Although not hi-fi in the traditional sense, it certainly makes for enjoyable listening – for long a trait associated with JBL products and sounds far, far bigger than you would expect from something so compact. The button that resembles the BBC Sounds logo flipped sideways engages ‘PartyBoost’, which allows you to use multiple JBL devices, while the ‘arrow’ pauses/resumes playback or skips tracks. They’re flanked by volume adjusters that override your source device’s own controls. The Charge 5’s controls are shaped ‘bumps’ on the waterproof skin, its central Bluetooth and standby buttons being backlit. Check back frequently for the best deals. Up to 40% savings at the Crutchfield Outlet Store. Controls and actions are confirmed by various sound effects. I can imagine that sort of thing going down well at festival campsites. depending on the capabilities of your source equipment, pause playback or skip tracks.Thanks to a feature called ‘PartyBoost’ – enabled or disengaged with a button that resembles the BBC Sounds logo flipped sideways – you can use multiple JBL devices to play the same tracks. Once paired, the Bluetooth device sends audio wirelessly to the Charge 5.The controls can raise or lower volume (the source device’s own volume control is remotely-changed) and. After turning it on, simply hold down the backlit Bluetooth button to initiate pairing. It’s easy to set up for use with Bluetooth-enabled audio sources like smartphones, tablets, computers or even compatible hi-fi products including Project’s Phono Box BT E phono stage. However, it does allow the PC to (albeit slowly!) charge the unit.Another drawback is that the sealed nature of the Charge 5 complicates repair or replacement of the battery.JBL recommends charging the unit “at least every three months…to protect battery lifespan”. I tried plugging the speaker into a PC with the supplied cable, hoping that it would take over audio duties, but Windows refused to recognise it.A pity, as this speaker could have been a potent alternative to a laptop sound system. There’s no analogue input (another socket to worry about letting in water?), while the Charge 5’s second port is a USB-C type purely for charging the internal battery: no charger is supplied. Said playback is available only via Bluetooth – in this instance, version 5.1, with support for the A2DP 1.3 and AVRCP 1.6 profiles. Using the ‘powerbank’ capacity of the Charge 5 to charge devices will impact its running time as a speaker, which is claimed to be up to 20 hours of playback from a 4-hour charge. JBL supplies a USB-C cable for modern phones. The beefy 27Wh lithiumpolymer battery buried within the speaker is able to charge a ‘phone, the base hiding a USB-A port into which a USB charging cable is plugged. Connectors are waterproof or covered by sealed bungs, and the controls are rubberised.A slight flat is incorporated into the base so that the unit sits on a surface with its tweeter facing frontwards. The 960g Charge 5 is evidently pitched at lovers of the outdoor life, if its outer toughness and IP67- rated water resistance are anything to go by. However, it can join forces with another Charge 5 to reproduce your music in glorious stereo. Both of the transducers are nevertheless part of a single channel, fed by an internally-derived mix of left and right channels. According to JBL, they are respectively powered by 30W and I0W on-board amplifiers.
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