JBL Boombox 3 Speaker Review

The JBL Boombox 3 has a similar overall design to its predecessor, the JBL Boombox 2, with some small differences. Its built-in handle is now made of aluminum, unlike the Boombox 2's plastic handle. The grip has also been improved. Like other newer JBL speakers, it sports a large JBL logo on its front. Beneath it, a small LED light acts as a battery life indicator. The speaker comes in 'Black' or 'Squad', which is a camouflage pattern.

The JBL Boombox 3 is very portable. While it's on the larger and heavier side, this battery-powered Bluetooth speaker comes with a built-in handle to help you easily transport it in one hand to your next gathering.

It has excellent build quality. Like the JBL Boombox 2, it has a solid, sturdy feel and is wrapped tightly in fabric. Its rubberized plastic casing is less glossy, making it less prone to attracting fingerprints. Its rubber feet also feel sturdier than those on the Boombox 2. It's rated IP67 for dust and water resistance, meaning it's certified to be dust-tight and immersible in up to a meter of water for 30 minutes. It even floats in water, so you don't need to worry about accidentally knocking it into the pool at your next pool party. That said, its drivers tend to face downwards into the water as it floats, so you can't float the speaker around to listen to music while you swim without holding it upright.

The JBL Boombox 3's controls are straightforward to use. Its power and Bluetooth buttons are backlit, and its other controls are raised and differentiated enough that you won't accidentally press the wrong one in the dark. Its Bluetooth button flashes blue when the speaker is in pairing mode and solidifies once connected. There's a battery indicator light on its front underneath the JBL logo.

• Play button: Play/pause audio. Double press to skip to the next track.
• +/- button: Adjust volume up or down.
• PartyBoost button:Connect with other PartyBoost-compatible JBL speakers like the JBL Charge 5 and the JBL Xtreme 3 and listen to the same music on multiple speakers.

• JBL Boombox 3
• Power cable
• Quick Start Guide
• Safety instruction and warranty card

The JBL Boombox 3's frequency response accuracy is good. Out-of-the-box, it has a balanced overall sound profile with a bit of extra warmth in the high-bass range, making it suitable for listening to a wide variety of music genres. Its balanced mid-range ensures vocals and lead instruments reproduce clearly and accurately in the mix. The overemphasis in the high treble range adds a bit of sparkle to the mix, though it causes higher-pitched voices and sibilants like S and T to sound slightly harsh at times. Overall, its sound profile sounded noticeably fuller and more refined than the older JBL Boombox 2, and its slightly extended low-bass was also noticeable. If you like having extra control over your speaker's sound, you can customize its sound profile thanks to the graphic EQ featured in its companion app.

It has a decent soundstage, similar to the JBL Boombox 2. Since it can play stereo content, you can hear a separation between the left and right channels when listening to music recorded in stereo.

On the other hand, the directivity isn't very good. Because of its design, it mainly projects audio from one side. Compared to speakers with a 360-degree design, audio won't sound the same from every angle around the speaker.

It has a great dynamics. It gets loud enough to fill big spaces with sound, so it's suitable for outdoor parties or large rooms. There's significantly less compression present at max volume than the JBL Boombox 2, resulting in cleaner and clearer audio quality when you blast your favorite tunes.

Note: The sound tests above were conducted with the speaker operating on battery power. There's a slight increase of about 2 dB SPL when connected via AC.

It has an impressive battery performance. It lasts nearly 30 hours on a single charge, exceeding the advertised battery life of 24 hours. There's also a power-saving feature that shuts it off after 20 minutes of inactivity and a battery life indicator light under the JBL logo on the front of the speaker. However, it takes about 4.6 hours to fully charge, so you have to think ahead if you need the maximum battery life.

The JBL Portable app is great. There's a graphic EQ to customize its sound profile to your liking. You can use it to connect it to other PartyBoost-compatible speakers like the JBL Charge 5 and the JBL Flip 6 to create a stereo pair, and you can select which speakers you want to act as the left and right channels. That said, there's no Multi-Room feature to let you simultaneously listen to different audio in different rooms of your home.

Aside from its charging port, there's an AUX input to wire your devices to the speaker. There's also a USB-A out port to use the speaker as a portable charger to charge devices like your phone or earbuds.

It has great Bluetooth connectivity. You can pair two devices to the speakers simultaneously, which is great if you want to quickly and easily switch between your phone and computer. It has an outstanding range, so you don't need to worry about staying close to the speaker. Its latency with iOS and Android devices is low enough that you won't notice audio syncing issues if you use it to watch videos on your phone. However, remember that some apps compensate for latency differently, and your real-world experience may differ.

This speaker doesn't support Wi-Fi. However, you can get a variant that does, the JBL Boombox 3 Wi-Fi.