JBL is known for its large, powerful Bluetooth speakers, although the new JBL Go 3 is not one of them. This R2,500 device is as portable as it gets, easily fitting into any bag or even pocket.
This JBL speaker is completely waterproof, making it ideal for outdoor use. Of course, you shouldn't expect powerful bass here, but the lower frequencies are noticeable even at high volumes. I would like to have a more durable battery, but for the price the equipment is very good.
Design
The entire range of colors that JBL uses in its latest products is clearly aimed at a youth audience. Indeed, the colors of the speakers are bright, stylish and toy-like. A bee-bee mood is also present in the design of the hero of today’s article. JBL GO is found in nature in blue colors, as well as black, gray, orange, pink, red, turquoise and yellow. Only the white tint has disappeared somewhere, but, of course, you can live without it and, moreover, very well.
The device control buttons are placed on the top surface and are flush with the body. They flex slightly when pressed and have excellent response.
On the right wall there is a Micro USB connector for charging the device, a microphone hole and a 3.5 mm audio input. It is also strange that the gadget is not equipped with a cable with a mini-jack on both ends for a wired connection of the speaker to the sound source. As a result, the user must purchase such a wire, which, by the way, is an additional hassle. Oh no no no!
On the left side there is an impressive size loop for attaching a lanyard for carrying the speaker. It is recessed into the body, each corner of which, by the way, is straight and not smoothed out in any way.
Now the trend is slightly rounded corners in all places where it can be applied. However, in the case of JBL GO, this design approach that breaks this rule looks very organic. In your hands, the speaker feels like a brick, and coupled with the Soft-Touch surface, you get real pleasure from using the gadget. There is no cheap gloss or plastic angled to resemble specially processed metal, as is found in cheap Chinese crafts.
Everything is stylish, high quality, but at the same time frivolous and relaxed.
Below on the surface are various, uninteresting technical information regarding the product. It does not stand out from the general outline of its appearance.
On the front side we see a metal mesh covering the speaker.
Control and convenience
The top side of the JBL Go 3 has pause/play and volume keys. The first button, when pressed twice, switches the playing audio to the next track, although you cannot return to the previous one, which is not very convenient. On the right side are the power and Bluetooth connection keys.
There is no loudspeaker or speakerphone function, although this is to be expected at this price.
JBL GO Specifications
- Bluetooth 4.1
- supported profiles: A2DP v. 1.2, AVRCP v. 1.4, HFP v. 1.6, HSP v. 1.2
- Bluetooth transmitter power 0 - 4 dB/mW
- frequency range of signal transmission 2 402 - 2480 Hz
- driver (1) 40 mm
- rated power 3 W
- operating frequency range 180 - 20,000 Hz
- signal-to-noise ratio 80 dB
- battery (li-ion) 600 mAh
- connectors, Micro USB, 3.5 mm
- Dimensions 82.7 x 68.3 x 30.8 mm
- weight 130 g
Equipment
The JBL Go 2 speaker comes in a transparent package. At the bottom of the box there is a folded pencil case where the instructions and charging cable are located. The cable is orange, regardless of the color of the speaker.
In the box:
- column Go 2;
- instructions;
- charging cable.
Advantages
- sound;
- bass;
- design;
- compactness of JBL Go 2;
- assembly;
- price;
- convenient to take on trips.
Flaws
- Connection with two or more JBL devices is not supported.
- No case.
- Low autonomy.
- High frequencies are missing.
- No mount or strap.
- At high volumes the sound becomes distorted.
Connection and operating nuances
The gadget is connected in two ways: via Bluetooth or via a regular 3.5 cable at both ends. The operating time from the built-in battery in such cases does not differ much from each other, so it makes no sense to try to save power by connecting the device via wire. Still, the data transmission version is 4.1, which means very low power consumption.
The process of connecting the speaker to a new sound source (smartphone, tablet, computer, etc.) is very quick and simple. No dancing in the tambourine: I turned on the visibility mode on both devices (press the Bluetooth key on the speaker once) and after 10-15 seconds the connection will be established.
During operation, no communication errors or random breaks were noticed. Keep the sound source nearby (up to about 5 meters), do not create obstacles in the signal path (walls, other wireless connections) and everything will be fine.
If the speaker starts to turn off periodically and you have to turn it on again, then most likely this means that the built-in battery will quickly discharge. By the way, this is also accompanied by a flashing red LED under the metal mesh of the speaker on the front side. During playback mode, the indicator lights up solid blue.
Acoustics can also act as a Handsfree device. The subscriber's speech is heard from the main and only speaker, and the built-in microphone with noise reduction function is designed to capture the voice of the owner of the speaker. The microphone perfectly picks up voices at a distance of up to 30 centimeters. You can communicate at a greater distance from the speaker, but the caller will hear the voice worse.
By the way, the gadget is connected to only one sound source. Connecting to two or more devices at the same time is not what JBL GO does.
Photo gallery
JBL Go 3 front
JBL Go 3
JBL Go 3 loop
JBL Go 3
JBL Go 3 top, buttons
JBL Go 3 rear, rubberized stand
JBL Go 3 connection to phone
JBL Go 3 bottom, stand
JBL Go 3 portable speakers
JBL Go 3 and JBL Tune 125 TWS
JBL Go 3 charger
JBL Go 3 charging, indication
JBL Go 3 wireless speaker control
JBL Go 3 portable speaker connect to your phone
Sound quality
The 40mm speaker produces an audio output of 3W. This is quite enough to inform the entire street about your presence if the speaker is with you on a walk or while riding a bike. In addition, sound can fill an entire apartment (not even a room) with a footage ranging from 120 to 150 meters. I can’t vouch for larger rooms, I haven’t tried them.
It is gratifying that at maximum volume there are no wheezes, whistles or other extraneous noises from the significant voltage of the converter.
The speaker is quite good for listening to simple and medium-complex styles of music.
Hard rock, metal or dubstep are not worth listening to. Of course, you won’t be able to hear all the juice of such compositions. In general, this is typical for any device classified as portable.
If you install the speaker on some flat, resonating surface (wooden shelf, parquet, etc.), you can hear something similar to low frequencies. Of course, you won’t be able to extract normal bass, but the JBL GO can still boom a little.
Appearance and build quality
JBL Go 3 arrives to the new owner in a very compact, semi-transparent box, inside of which the speaker is already visible. And besides it, there was a short charging cable and documents rolled up in a cylinder. Not much. But that's all it takes. The length of the wire is a little frustrating, but the connector is on the Type-C speaker, which means it won’t be difficult to find a longer replacement.
The first thing that catches your eye , if you are familiar with the previous generation JBL Go 2, is, of course, a built-in hinge made of dense material and even with a rubberized element on the fold. It is non-removable and not adjustable, but quite soft. Using it, the speaker can be attached to a backpack or hung on some hook. Or even hook it on your finger while holding it in your hand. Previously, such mounts (more precisely, a carabiner) were the hallmarks of another line of compact speakers from JBL - Clip.
JBL Go 3 front JBL Go 3 rear, rubberized stand JBL Go 3 bottom, stand
One brave young man (17 years old), seeing this column for the first time, compared it to vaping. Perhaps he is right in some ways; if you take it in your hand with the loop up, then there are clearly similarities.
