It’s taken me a good hour and a half to start writing this because when I start playing music I get right into it, find a spot in that playlist and just enjoy it – and if I’m alone, I enjoy it loud. I’ve tested the full volume capabilities of a few speakers in my time. Today, at 4am alone in the office it’s the JBL Xtreme 4 speaker that’s sitting in the middle of the room pumping out tunes.
And before you go all “but all you listen to is John Farnham” on me – yes, there was some Farnham. But there’s also the Chilli Peppers, The Sharp, Jimmy Barnes, Oasis, Simply Red, The Bee Gees, Metallica and Extreme – fitting really, Extreme on the Xtreme 4 but in the end it’s not More than Words I needed, it’s just these words.
So I think my narrow yet varied music tastes help me find different ranges of sound to test and hear. Plus, by not discovering new music, It’s new elements of my existing catalogue that I often hear better or more on one speaker versus another.
First and foremost, let’s look at the new JBL Xtreme 4 alongside it’s predecessor the Xtreme 3. This beast has been our family “need a speaker” go-to for a while now. Some music in the backyard, down the park or just in another room – grab the “big blue speaker” from the cupboard.
And it’s a cracker. Now three years old, there’s very little to improve on with the Xtreme, and I think what JBL has done here is considered the real daily use cases for the Xtreme and narrowed the scope into what has become the Xtreme 4.
I have observed one thing which I initially thought could be a criticism, the removal of the USB port which was great for charging devices when you were out. But DUH! The new USB-C port is now the charging port for the JBL Xtreme 4 and it’s the place you can plug in your smartphone. Of Course!
And that minimalises the layout of the Xtreme 4 too. Just a simple port instead of a whole area needed for that. Simple, but effective.
There is no 3.5mm input on the Xtreme 4 though, so if that’s something you were using, grab an Xtreme 3 – not sure who’s still using 3.5mm inputs though:)
That charging port is perfect for a day at the beach or down the park, because everyone can juice up their phones during the day no problems.
And don’t worry about that impacting your music play time either – this thing has a 24 hour battery life – 9 hours more than the last version, so unless you’re literally in for a bender on the music there’s plenty of battery for both your music enjoyment and some juice for the phone.
Design wise it’s remarkably similar, just a more defined base now, perhaps more stable at a punch. There’s Post Consumer recycled materials in 70% of the plastic and 100% of the speaker grill and the packaging is all FSC-certified.
Auracast compatible Bluetooth means you’re future-proofing your listening for a multi-speaker setup.
JBL has enhanced the sound with what they call AI Sound Boost which is basically their way of saying they’ve built some additional processing to understand what music you’re pumping in to try to get the most from it. I can’t say I noticed a vast difference, but I will say at a 60% volume I think this is at it’s best with a real crisp feeling to the sound. At 100% volume you really get a chunk of the hefty bass on offer which doesn’t take away from the experience, but I think its most suited to a busy crowded space. One on one with the Xtreme 4 I think that 40-70% volume range is ideal.
Any less you’re better off just value for money wise having a smaller JBL model. If you’re using higher levels more then move to a Partybox. 100% capable at the low and high volumes for sure, I’m just talking about your consideration for where you spend most of your time on the volume scale.
My Apple Watch has warned me twice about the Loud environment I’m in just while writing this:)
The JBL Portable app allows you to choose from a preset list of EQ’s or customise your own
And there’s an additional feature called “Playtime Boost” which allows you to get even more playtime from the battery, but forgo any EQ settings should you choose to:
The Xtreme is the second from the top of the “portable” speaker range for JBL with the Boombox being the bigger, though If you’re in Boombox territory I’d be considering a Partybox personally, but that’s JBL’s benefit with a solid range crossover at every price point.
At $429.95 there’s a heck of a lot of speakers that fall into that price range, and a fair few even at this price point. But what favours JBL is really their overall quality both of speaker design, construction and of course sound. JBL knows sound, and that’s evident when you enjoy your favourite music – whatever it is, on the JBL Xtreme 4.
Fantastic speaker with big booming sound and a cracking battery life!
Trev is a Technology Commentator, Dad, Speaker and Rev Head.
He produces and hosts two popular podcasts, EFTM and Two Blokes Talking Tech. He also appears on over 50 radio stations across Australia weekly, and is the resident Tech Expert on Channel 9’s Today Show each day and appears regularly on A Current Affair.
Father of three, he is often found down in his Man Cave.
