JBL Xtreme Portable Wireless Bluetooth Speaker Red

JBL Xtreme caught my attention because a YouTuber clavinetjunkie was first to upload a video of JBL Xtreme. So I decided why not, it looks like a Bazooka but can it beat the leading competitors Beats Pill XL, Logitech UE MegaBoom, Big Blue Party & never forget the long lost Jawbone Big Jambox (rolling on the floor laughing because it's just that bad). My first impression that looked like bigger version of JBL Charge 2 & Infinity One. Comparison (I own all kinds of Bluetooth from the best to the worst) It really stands out against all odds thinking especially outdoors in a noisy area. Compare to MegaBoom Xtreme is much louder and more bass. Example it sounds like a room with the surround sound bass. As MegaBoom just loud with little to no bass. Then against sad Americans claiming Bose the best (in a million years) this destroyed the Soundlink 3. (Reality Bose Soundlink 3 sounds exactly like 2 just longer battery life.) Big Jambox? I laughed so hard because sounded nothing like it. Finally Beats Pill XL due to Apple recall I sent mine back. (It was claimed that one day the battery could just explode due to huge defect in build of the battery.) Pill XL sounds decent but over whelming in bass that sort of muddy as Xtreme was clean in bass and excelled in Highs and Lows (go wild with your EDM bass heavy tracks) Quality It has good build but they could have made it submerge-able. The grill seems a little weak as it could easily dent if it hit something hard enough. The expose bass radiators seems to be big thing to me because if something gets between it or sharp it could cut it open. Then it become useless leaking all the sound. Battery 10,000mAh is pretty large but could have been larger up to 22,000mAh because inside the battery is like your Laptop battery. It uses special 1 cell battery and inside has 8 of them. Doing the math 10,000 divide by 8 equals 1,250mAh a cell. The largest I've seen these cells go is 3,850mAh. Inside so compact there no room to expand the battery or change it since they purposely did that. Portability It isn't something that would put in your pocket but small enough for a backpack. Or use the strap that looks like a seat belt which makes it easier to carry around. One handing is possible but it put stain on your hand. Features Now we all know that our phones has a small battery and always carrying battery packs to keep it charged. Well this speaker could do same thing but two devices. To charge your phone or tablet you need plug your device in, turn on the speaker once it charging then you can power down the speaker. There also a USB port that's only for servicing like updating the unit firmware and not charging. I've tried and nothing happens. I did try as a USB thumb drive like my Sol Republic Deck. Sorry that doesn't work. What's inside the box? Your usually the speaker, manual, wall charge it's a brick with extension plug (Play Station 3 Slim plug) pretty common plug for power bricks. Accessories Unfortunately there no carrying case or sleeve but I'm sure there be one made and sold on Amazon. There is Connect App (honestly it's useless). There no NFC (Near by Field Commutation) it just faster way to pair but eh not a big deal. Cons 1 second delay when playing music when it stops. But skipping tracks there no lag time. It apply to all JBL Charge speakers. Reason that people don't know why it does that because speaker goes into small power saving mode. When no music playing it cuts power from the drivers so it doesn't make that humming sound (very annoying). Could have used a bigger battery and make a submarine. (Captain: were going under water. Marine: Sir it isn't water proof. *speaker broken* tears start rolling out.) yeah don't have it near the pool or pond. If it falls in well best solution contact customer support. Or leave it out in the sun to dry. That pretty much my slight ramble/review of JBL Xtreme this really all the info you need about it. Aren't convince read ever single review on Amazon. In all it worth the price and could be the best speaker for $300. Update 10/23 (many weeks after using it) This thing is mind blowing and well Xtreme. It can get loud, how loud? Loud enough for half a college campus to hear on normal day with cars and people going by. I was in middle of campus on 4th floor of a building of balcony and cranked it to 75% and people be looking my directions. My friends turned away but I stood there proudly blasting my music and waved as people too pictures and videos. $300 was well spent and never regret. Also once getting use to the speaker the battery will charge faster but still hold your 15 hour battery life. It takes from dead battery 3 hours tops. Half power left? 1 hour charge. So this charges as fast as your phone. It's water resistant but how much can it handle? Rain and pouring water maybe spills it be fine but submerging it is chancing your luck. Read more

This little speaker sounds great. It’s got a good amount of bass. It has a warm sound. The battery last a good amount of time also Read more

I liked this speaker so much, I bought this second JBL Extreme to pair up with my first JBL Extreme I bought myself for Christmas. The loudness and clarity factor are very satisfactory to me. Bass is loud but doesn't drown out the treble as it would for the Bose Soundlink Mini. I own two UE Megabooms and they can't hold a candle to these JBL Extremes. The UE Megabooms have been relegated to playing ambiance music in my house, and doing a good job at it. These Extremes, well, the fill my house with music and sound. Satisfying bass and clear trebles and a good mid range. Battery Time: The battery life has been good too. They've needed to be recharged after 72 hours of continuous playing at 1/5 volume level for the most time. Recharging Time: About 2 hours, sometimes less. JBL Connect: These speakers consistently connect up with each other using JBL's connect system. I've also paired an Extreme with a Charge 2+ and Flip3. If only JBL would implement an unlimited wireless pairing, that would be great. For now, you only have the ability to connect two JBL wireless speakers together that use the Connect system. Anything Better? Probably, but for me, they are keeping me entertained and satisfied. However, I've heard of a system called MiniRig, that uses two small satellite speakers that can be standalone, or mated up with a subwoofer for a 2.1 system. Also, the satellites can be daisy chained for an unlimited amount of pairings. Update 14 April 2016: Well, I've since acquired a Marshal Kilburn, pair of Libratone Zipps and Zipp Mini's and a Bang and Olufsen Beolit 15. All of them sound much better than the Xtreme. What the JBL Xtreme lacks is a well shaped Bass envelope into the low bass range. It's none existent. The Xtreme also has a fair amount of bass boost that muddies and overpowers the sound with a punch. It can be muted some through some external EQ. For me, I have an Ipod Touch 7 and I apply the Bass Reducer in my EQ options. Mind you, it's not needed all the time, but on certain song/albums where lower Bass is predominate, like an oldie Fever by Madonna. Verdict? I'm still keeping these. They bring a smile to my face when I pair my two Xtreme's and select stereo output via JBL's Connect App. They're my outdoor music speakers when I do yard work, washing my car, bar-b-q'ing and other outdoor thingys. They feel at home pushing tunes from the tailgate of my pickup with little fear from me of being exposed to the elements. Con: If only JBL would provide a hand strap in addition to the shoulder strap they've included. I rarely if ever through the speaker over my shoulder, so a hand strap would make it easier to just pick up and move the speaker around. To solve this, I had a friend cut and sew a laptop strap down to size to make a hand strap for one of Xtremes. Added 3 Sep 2016 - It's been a better part of a year that I've had these and I am still quite satisfied with them. I will admit though that I have other bluetooth portable speakers that surpass these JBL's in sound quality. I'm particularly keen on my Libratone Zipp's and Zipp Mini's. They both have a better balance and their bass response goes quite a bit lower than these Extremes. However, the big plus JBL's have over any other bluetooth portable speaker that I own are that these JBL's are very outdoor friendly. Water resistant and rugged they are in comparison to my other portable speakers. So, you would not be disappointed with these if your main sound environment would be outdoors by a pool, cookout, or just a family gathering in the backyard. If you lack any other speaker for reference, then you wouldn't really mind the sound that comes out of these JBL's. I cannot undersell the idea of having two of these. When paired through JBL's connect app and linked in a stereo mode, you will have a pretty awesome sound system for your outdoor event. Well, I would even say indoors as well. Cheers! Read more