JBL has been on a roll with their Bluetooth speakers. Great speakers packed with stunning designs has pretty much been their forte. Add competitive pricing to the list and the deal gets even sweeter. That’s exactly what the JBL Charge 2 does. This particular speaker might look like its predecessor, (the JBL Charge), but it features larger drivers and two passive bass radiators for a better sound. There are a few design changes as well to the design, which have their pros as well as cons. We are curious to find out how much the sound has changed, and if the Charge 2 is a good option to consider at under the Rs. 8,000 price bracket.
Design and Build
The Charge 2 features an impressive design. Kept next to its predecessor, it looks more robust. It still has the same cylindrical design, featuring a heavy mix of metal and plastic. However, compared to the Charge, it features a heavy rubber padding between the two grills.We like this change a lot. It adds to the build and provides a good grip. The tacky plastic buttons on the Charge have also been taken out. Instead, all the buttons are embedded under a heavy rubber padding. It takes a little more effort to press the buttons, but it still feels sturdy.
The Charge 2 is noticeably heavier and larger than the original Charge. However, it doesn’t lose its portability. You might have a little problem adjusting it in your carry bag, but it’ll still fit. The open passive radiators on the sides is a very good touch. You can see them rumbling to the music.
The ports on the JBL Charge 2 are at the back. It looks very neat tight above the rubber padding. A carry case isn’t included as part of the package. Not that the speaker isn’t sturdy, but it would have helped protecting the passive radiators on the side.
Features
One of the few reasons why the Charge 2 is bigger than its predecessor is because of the larger drivers. Under the metal grill, are two 45mm drivers. The power output has also been cranked up to 7.5W over the Charge’s 5W. We’ll find out how much difference that makes to the overall sound. JBL also claims a much better frequency response in the lower range. On paper, it’s about 75Hz – 20KHz, which is pretty good.
For wireless streaming you have Bluetooth connectivity. JBL has include a new Social mode, which allows more than three people to connect to the speaker simultaneously and take turns in playing music. It sounds like a helpful feature to have when using it in the company of your friends. Besides that you can also use this to connect the speaker to all your different audio playback devices at home. So for example, if your phone goes out of charge, you can instantly move to the laptop to play music. Old MP3 players and other devices that do not support Bluetooth, can play music with the help of a 3.5mm auxiliary cable. There is no NFC support.
The Charge 2 like its predecessor can also be used to charge your portable devices with the help of the USB port at the back. It features the same 6,000 mAh battery, which JBL claims can last for a good 12 hours. However, the Charge 2 also takes four hours to charge completely. The battery power is indicated by the LEDs placed at the button.
Performance
The JBL Charge 2 is certainly louder than its predecessor. Even at 30 per cent of the volume, it sounds heavy on the ears. It’s because of the depth and the heavy bass. There is surprisingly very less distortion, but it isn’t going to sound as clean on every song that you’d play on it. One of the first things you’d notice is the heavy bass. There is a lot of it. As a result heavy bass genres like Dubstep and Hip-hop sound good. We played NAS and Damien Marley’s ‘Patience’ on the speakers. The lows sounded exceptionally crisp. We could see the passive reflectors moving to the sound. The thumps sounded great and the vocals sounded pretty clean. Other bassy songs we tried also sounded great.
On the flipside, the heavy bass also ends up being a bad thing. It’s good to have bass, but too much of it can also ruin the experience. The Charge 2, though loud is not clear all the time. At high volumes, it takes over all the mids and trebles, muffles details. It’s best to listen to the speaker at moderate volumes. Besides that, the mids and the highs don’t sound that great either. While playing metal tracks like ‘End of time’ by Lacuna Coil, we noticed guitars sound flat. The cymbal shots are also overshadowed by the heavy bass drumming. Together it all made the song sound a bit subdued. Other heavy metal songs had pretty much a similar output. Heavy instruments like drums and bass guitars seem to standout out. Compared to the older variant, the Charge 2 performs a lot better. Music certainly sounds a lot clearer and sharper. However, when compared to the cheaper Flip 2, the sound isn’t very well balanced. If you want a cleaner audio output the Flip 2 certainly stands above the Charge 2.
Verdict
From what’ve seen in the past few months, it looks like every Bluetooth speaker comes more focused on bass. The JBL Charge 2 however pushed it even further, providing bass equivalent to a speaker twice its size. Agreed it adds depth to a song, but it doesn’t work well with all genres. The output is good, but it’s not great. That said, for people who want a speakers to travel with the JBL Charge is a good option. It’s tough, loud and offers a long battery life with the ability to charge your other portable devices, if needed. You can’t expect exceptionally clarity from it, but you can count on it to set the party mood on outdoor treks and trips.
