Review: JBL Boombox 4

Just two years ago, we concluded that the JBL Boombox 3 Wi-Fi was the best portable speaker around. With both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, it’s as useful in the home as it is outside.

It supports both AirPlay 2 and Chromecast over Wi-Fi, which means it plays high-resolution audio files at 24bit/96kHz over your home network. In other words, we’re talking about a portable, battery-powered speaker that supports high-resolution audio from Apple Music, Tidal, Qobuz and now Spotify.

That’s not all, because inside it has additional devices used for Dolby Atmos surround.

Of course, this is a bit overkill for those just looking for a portable speaker that they can take with them.

JBL Boombox 4

For anyone who doesn’t need Wi-Fi or support for high-resolution 24-bit audio, JBL hasn’t had an alternative among portable speakers. Until now, that is.

The new Boombox 4 is essentially a Boombox 3 without Wi-Fi and everything you don’t need when your main purpose is to turn on the music for your party, dance class or break music between games at the tournament.

The Boombox 4 is a pure Bluetooth speaker, but it’s no less potent than the more expensive Boombox 3 Wi-Fi.

The speakers are almost the same size, but fewer drivers have significantly reduced the weight of the Boombox 4, which has two 12.3 cm woofers and two 2 cm tweeters. As usual for JBL’s larger Bluetooth speakers, the Boombox 4 also has two passive bass radiators on the sides to fill out the bass and give you more punch and dynamics.

AI

JBL states that the Boombox 4 uses AI Sound Boost to analyse the music you play and adjust and balance the sound to minimise distortion when you turn up the volume. What you could describe it as a kind of intelligent volume control.

The JBL speaker is IP68 certified and can play for up to 34 hours on a single charge when power saving, also called Playtime Boost, is enabled in the app.

The speaker’s USB connector can charge your mobile phone, but it can do something else too. It supports lossless audio via USB from a laptop with Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal or Qobuz, for example.

App control

The speaker can be controlled from the JBL Portable app, which also gives you access to pair two speakers in stereo, eq with preset or customised settings and firmware updates when they occur.

It also supports Auracast, which means you can send – broadcast – the sound from one source to multiple speakers and headphones with Auracast support. This means you can link multiple Boombox 4s together by tapping the Auracast symbol that connects the speakers, and suddenly you can cover an even larger area with music. Handy when one speaker is too small to cover a large area.

Massive punch

It must be a very large area. Because the Boombox 4 is more than equal to the more expensive Boombox 3 Wi-Fi. The relatively compact speaker packs a powerful punch while managing to keep distortion relatively low. Of course, we’re not talking about the same sound pressure as a JBL Partybox or a Sony ULT Tower, but it gives most of the portable Bluetooth speakers we’ve tested a run for their money.

Light Me Up by Kungs and PNAU starts quietly, and if you’ve already turned up the volume because you think the music is too low, hold on tight. Because when the song really gets going with percussion and bass, it’s all about holding on to your spectacles. You can feel the bass response of the JBL speaker in your stomach, everything around it vibrates, glasses clink and parquet floors creak. At the same time, the sound is controlled and neither shrill nor sharp.

By playing with the eq settings in the app, Ola Gjeilo’s beautiful Autumn gets a little boost in the treble, improving the timbre and atmosphere of the recording. Everything actually sounds focused and open, and the soundstage actually gets a little clearer when I mute the bass with Bass Boost Light in the app.

Bo Kasper’s looser track, Tillbaka, creates a warm club atmosphere with good dynamics that drive the rhythms forward. Without the bass becoming too woolly and indistinct. Of course, a Bluetooth speaker doesn’t provide a lot of detail or insight, but the most important things are well preserved, and on Boombox 4 the sound is actually relatively open and balanced.

Conclusion

The similarly sized but more expensive Boombox 3 Wi-Fi is a better choice if the speaker will mainly be used at home. But for everything else, the Boombox 4 is a better buy. That is, if you don’t think it’s too big or too expensive. In that case, the smaller JBL Charge or Marshall Kilmore III may be a better choice. But among the larger portable Bluetooth speakers, the JBL Boombox 4 is a very good choice.