JBL Xtreme 4 – when an ordinary speaker is not enough

JBL Xtreme 4 – pleases the eye and ear

This design needs no introduction. JBL set the trend in the portable speaker industry, bringing the cut-end “cigar” into the living room and back into the home. The name Xtreme here refers to both extreme performance (up to… 100W total power, on mains power and 70 W on battery) as well as for extreme durability. The equipment is there waterproof and dustproof (IP67)has a characteristic finish made of thick material and spacers and feet made of hard rubber, and we can wear it comfortably on the attached strap.

Works on Xtreme bass 70mm driver duoand there are two transducers 20 mm tweeters and two pulsating passive diaphragms. What is currently fashionable is that AI, or rather technology, is said to be used to fine-tune the sound AI Sound Boost, which analyzes the signal on an ongoing basis, predicts the speaker’s movement and adjusts the sound parameters in real time. Another interesting fact is Playtime Boostwhich extends the maximum operating time of 24 hours to up to 30 hours. It would be enough to turn it down, you say, but no, JBL has a different idea – in this mode, the sound after tuning and optimization is louder and clearer.

Modular battery

Although in my 4 private JBLs I could sooner make a hole in the membrane than damage the battery, the company clearly focuses on an even longer product life. Without disassembling the speaker, you can easily replace the battery with a new one. This is useful when the battery reduces its capacity after many years, but also during longer trips into the wilderness. Instead of looking for a socket, we will quickly connect a new power supply.

What’s worth adding? Just 10 minutes of charging gives you an additional 2 hours listening to music. The 68 Wh battery charges from zero to full in 3.5 hours. The large battery capacity also allows you to use the speaker as a power bank – even when music is played at the same time. Charging is carried out via the USB-C connector, so if you forget about the charger while traveling, you can use the one from your phone.

How much does all this cost?

We will have to pay for the latest JBL PLN 1,499. The price is high, but the manufacturer has not yet fallen into the fog of absurdity. I paid PLN 1,129 for the second generation long before the pandemic. However, what may be questionable is the fact that there is no built-in Chromecast/Airplay here as in JBL Charge 5 Wi-Fi or JBL Boombox 3 Wi-Fi, and we can guess that a higher variant equipped with the above-mentioned devices will soon appear. The manufacturer does not include i on the list of supported codecs you should bet on the basic SBC. The latter is not a particular disadvantage for mobile equipment, Xtreme 4 is primarily intended to deliver bass, and no one doubts this ability.

What else is worth knowing?

The Xtreme series are high-calibre speakers, still more mobile than the two-hundred-watt Boombox, but with reasonable dimensions (297 x 149 x 141 mm) and weight (2.1 kg). It’s more of a device to be carried using a shoulder strap than to be conveniently stored in a backpack. If you are looking for something more portable, it is worth taking a look at the Charge 5 or Flip 6, and if you want something extremely small, but with a fully acceptable sound, the JBL Clip 4.