JBL Xtreme 4: Review

Portable speakers fall mainly into two categories.

Either extortionately obscenely sized with speakers likely to explode your nearby windows when maxxed out, or pocket-sized to make them more appealing visually, but aurally lacking.

The JBL Xtreme 4 sits somewhere in the middle of this - a speaker that's of a reasonable size but which pumps out a decently impressive sound, it's part of the relatively familiar JBL-designed family.

Whereas the JBL Boombox 3 is one of those speakers that really does announce its presence thanks to audio and the 6kg weight, the Xtreme 4 sits more at a 2.1kg weight. So even though there is less heft, it still more than does what is needed to deliver a solid sound experience.

What's not so great about the Xtreme 4 is some of the visual design elements, which once again concentrate on the more obnoxious elements of the brand. Essentially shaped like a log, the wireless speaker has a major JBL logo on the front and exclamation marks on its speakers. Added to that, the sides have 4 gel corners which have bubbles in which on initial unboxing looked like mould that had got into it.

Given the speaker is designed to be carried around like some boombox-based handbag, it's been grafted with two handles on the top for a convenient strap to be attached. But it's a double-edged sword because visually the metal handle grips sit just about the top of the speaker and yet are not far enough off the top to be lifted with fingers if you so chose; meaning the strap is a necessity if you don't want your arms to get a 2KG workout.

These are minor niggles really - because the sound quality of what comes out of the speakers is as superlative as JBL kit can usually offer.

Connectivity for the wireless is as simple as ever - just press a button and you're away - and with a new app for the system called Auracast and an AI programme Sound Boost, the tech has been upgraded somewhat to keep up with today's music on the go.

Perhaps the weirdest application is the idea that you can - with the push of a button - add other JBL speakers to form some kind of musical version of a Human Centipede. With no other speakers to hand, this was untestable but the idea of having 4 or 5 scattered around a room at an event, all controllable from one app seems appealing. (Though given the Xtreme 4's pricepoint, one does wonder how financially feasible it would be.)

The sound quality is pretty high. Bassy when it needs to be and no distortion when the sound is cranked up as loud as it can go. Much like the Boombox 3, the speakers vibrate as the music pumps out - but the surface the kit is on doesn't shake or resonate like a mini earthquake.

Songs like Darude's Sandstorm, Dario G's Sunchyme, Journey's Don't Stop Believin', Happy Mondays' Step On and The Charlatans The Only One I Know got a testing run through the different genres - and all emerged clearly and easily from the portable speaker. Plus with a long battery life (upto 30 hours), you can easily get a week's worth of listening out of this set.

Ultimately, the JBL Xtreme 4 offers solid sound quality which is what you want out of a portable speaker. Aesthetically, it's less obnoxious than previous entrants due to size, but the JBL range hasn't really deviated on its design front, and has yet to do something radical with the look of a speaker. It offers dust and water proof abilities too, but given it's winter in New Zealand, those can't adequately be tested as nobody sane would leave tech like this outside in unpredictable weather.

Perhaps the biggest setback the Xtreme 4 has is its price. 

There are others on the market that offer cheaper experiences and kit - and certainly if you already own a JBL speaker, there's little need to buy a newer one, unless you're wedded to the range or looking for something smaller. But at nearly $500, it's a nice to have with a pricey in-point.

But it has to be said, when push comes to shove and for portability as well as the ability for it to sit squarely on a shelf or be hidden away at a party rather than dominate, the JBL Xtreme 4 does more than what it says on the box.

A JBL Xtreme 4 was provided on loan for the purposes of this review.