The JBL Go 4 is a ruggedized outdoor speaker that can withstand dirt, sand, water and probably a rugby scrum. (Rick Broida/Yahoo)
Is that a speaker in your pocket or have they finally invented Bluetooth pants? Ah, it's a speaker — the JBL Go 4, which is compact enough that it actually could fit in a (relatively loose) pocket. And if you're thinking size does matter, at least where audio fidelity is concerned, think again: This little fellow sounds remarkably good. Loud, too; you can take it to a park, a pool or even the beach and still enjoy your tunes. Most amazing of all is the price: $50, often discounted to $40. A few small areas could use improvement, but overall JBL has crafted a near-perfect portable Bluetooth speaker. Here's my JBL Go 4 review.
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VERDICT: There aren't many portable speakers that are this tough and sound this good for under $50. Battery life could be better, but that shouldn't stop you from scooping up the Go 4.
Bluetooth speakers aren't especially difficult to set up — power on, pair with your phone, done — but JBL's accordian-style quick-start guide doesn't offer much help to the novice. It's basically just a collection of illustrations, some of which aren't very intuitive. The power button, for example, isn't even identified. That said, I had no trouble getting the Go 4 paired to my iPhone and then detected in the JBL Portable companion app.
True to its name, this speaker can "Go" just about anywhere. Its rubber sides and feet are woven together with a grill that's made of recycled fabric and plastic; just on looks alone, I'd say it could survive a mortar attack. But its actual IP67 rating means it can withstand nearly all manner of dust and water. No need to worry if it gets sand kicked in its face or dunked in the pool.
The Go 4 measures a mere 3.7 x 3.0 x 1.7 inches and weighs just 0.7 pounds. It feels amazingly light in your hand, but also extremely solid. There are three buttons up top — volume down, play/pause and volume up — and three on the side: power, Bluetooth and multi-speaker connection.
My only real design complaint is that these buttons are a bit stiff, though that's not uncommon with ruggedized speakers. I do wish JBL had added the same painted edge around the buttons as you see around the very prominent company logo; they're a bit hard to see otherwise — especially the side ones — unless you're under bright light.
JBL offers nine color combinations, though if you order directly from the company, you can choose your own design elements: color, pattern, text, stickers, even an uploaded image. That's pretty cool, especially if you're looking for a custom gift to give. It costs an extra $10, but I'd say well worth it.
I know from past experience that most JBL speakers sound pretty great, but I can't say I expected much from such a tiny brick — especially a tiny brick priced at $50. Good news: The JBL Go 4 definitely punches above its weight. Music sounded clean and balanced, with a larger helping of bass than I expected.
And despite it packing only 4.2 watts behind its drivers, the Go 4 can get pretty loud. While doing a little gardening recently, I found I could still hear my playlist reasonably well even while digging as far as 20 feet away. (I did have to crank the volume, though.)
That said, I consider this a "close proximity" speaker, something that works best when it stays close. (If you want something bigger and more powerful for the great outdoors, be sure to check our roundup of the best outdoor speakers.)
If you like to tweak your tunes, the JBL app offers four equalizer presets and a custom 5-band option. (I can't say I detected a lot of difference in the presets, but I also didn't think any modification was needed.) The app also lets you manage your "stereo group" if you've paired one or more additional speakers — a feature made possible by JBL's Auracast technology. You can create a stereo pair with a second Go 4 or any other compatible JBL speaker, or connect multiple speakers to really expand the soundstage.
Your day at the beach may last longer than the Go 4, which has a rated battery life of about 7 hours. That's an improvement over the Go 3's 5 hours, but there's a weird catch: To hit that maximum, you must enable PlaytimeBoost within the JBL app.
Doing so, according to JBL, "will boost up the volume of your music but consume less battery," which sounds counterintuitive. (It gets louder, but uses less power?) The app also notes that "Under this mode, [equalizer] is disabled."
The unfortunate reality is that toggling PlaytimeBoost virtually eliminates the bass, resulting in a notable decrease in sound quality. The battery may last longer, but you'll think you're listening to an AM radio — not worth it.
Thus, you can expect something closer to 5 hours, same as the Go 3. While that's not terrible given the size of the speaker, there are others — including the Soundcore Glow Mini — that can last twice as long. If there's a JBL Go 5 in the works, here's hoping for a big improvement in runtime. Of course, you don't have to wait: Stepping up to the Go 4's big brother, the JBL Clip 5, will get you longer battery life and a clippable design. Just keep in mind it's a bit pricier and slightly bigger, too: still portable, but less pocketable.
Battery life and a few other quibbles notwithstanding, this is a great portable speaker. It's built like a tank but priced more like a Matchbox car, and it sounds far better than you'd expect. I especially like the custom-design option, which lets you create a really cool personalized gift for yourself or someone else. For anyone seeking a lightweight, compact speaker you can toss in a bag and barely know it's there, I definitely recommend the JBL Go 4.