If you’ve been following along, you may have noticed a pattern JBL speakers have been on sale a lot lately, and I’ve been taking full advantage of that. So when I spotted the JBL Xtreme 4 on sale for $120 off, pulling the trigger was a no-brainer. The other two have delivered excellent all-around performance for their respective sizes, and I had high hopes for this one. Here’s everything you need to know.
What’s in the Box
The unboxing experience is clean and straightforward. Right out of the gate, you get the JBL Xtreme 4 itself, JBL’s signature removable shoulder strap, and yes the built-in bottle opener is still here. You also receive a USB Type-C cable, a wall adapter, and the usual quick start guide and warranty information. Nothing surprising, but everything you need to get started.
Design & Build Quality
If you’re upgrading from the Xtreme 2 or Xtreme 3, you’ll notice right away that the JBL Xtreme 4 is slightly taller. The shape is a little different, especially towards the base but it’s not bad, just takes some getting used to. What I genuinely appreciate is the much sturdier base compared to the Xtreme 3. Those rubber feet on older models had a habit of peeling off over time, and that shouldn’t be an issue here.
The build quality is otherwise exactly what you’d expect from the Xtreme lineup. The mostly fabric-wrapped body handles constant bumps and scrapes like a champ. It’s IP67 rated, meaning it’s fully water and dustproof and it still floats in water. Coming in at 4.63 lbs, it has some weight to it, but the included shoulder strap makes carrying it around pretty easy.
Battery Life
This is probably the most significant upgrade the JBL Xtreme 4 brings to the table. JBL claims 24 hours of battery life at 50% volume, which is already a decent listening level. In my real-world testing at 80% of max volume where you’d likely be for a small gathering I got around 14 hours of playback. At max volume, that dropped to about eight hours.
But here’s where things get really interesting: you can now swap out the batteries. It’s not quite as effortless as the spring-loaded doors on the Party Box speakers, since you do have to unscrew a few screws. JBL went this route to maintain the IP67 water resistance rating, which is a reasonable trade-off. Even better, the JBL Xtreme 4 uses the same batteries as the Party Box 320, so you can buy multiple batteries and keep swapping them out to extend playtime as long as you need.
On the charging front, the speaker uses USB Type-C, so your smartphone charger will work in a pinch. That said, you’ll want to use the included cable and charging brick whenever possible, the speaker gets noticeably louder and has more bass when it’s plugged in.
Features That Were Removed
Let’s be honest about the trade-offs, because there are a few worth mentioning. JBL removed the 3.5mm audio jack, which honestly feels like a mistake for a speaker at this size. The USB-A port is also gone, though you can still charge your devices through the USB-C port. And the JBL Xtreme 4 still does not have a built-in microphone for voice calls, so keep that in mind before purchasing.
Sound Quality
The JBL Xtreme 4 is equipped with dual front-firing woofers, dual front-firing tweeters, and dual passive radiators shooting out the sides. The result is a speaker that gets surprisingly loud for its size. The clarity is solid across the board mids come through loud and clear, and the detail in the highs is genuinely impressive.
That said, there is a fairly steep drop-off in quality above 80% of max volume. You will notice some degradation when you crank it all the way up. For that reason, I typically keep it between 50% and 80%, and in that range, this is one of the better-sounding speakers at this size that I’ve tested. During my testing, it filled up my entire living room at just 80% volume more than enough for a small gathering of around ten people.
Auracast Connectivity: A New World of Possibilities
One of the coolest new features on the JBL Xtreme 4 is Auracast connectivity. This is a big deal because it now allows you to connect the Xtreme 4 to JBL’s larger Party Box speakers that also support Auracas, like the Party Box 120, 320, or even the Ultimate. Previously, you couldn’t connect the smaller Xtreme speakers to the larger Party Box lineup at all, so this opens up a whole new world of possibilities for multi-speaker setups.
The JBL Xtreme 4 can still connect to older Party Boost speakers through the JBL app, but that process is clunky and slow. You may also run into latency and echo issues that sometimes require you to disconnect and re-pair the speakers to fix. Hopefully JBL addresses this in future updates.
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Article Summary
If you’re coming from the Xtreme 2, this is a massive upgrade. You’re getting significantly better sound quality, much longer battery life, and far more connectivity options. If you’re coming from the Xtreme 3, the improvements are more nuanced. The better battery life and swappable battery feature are genuinely game-changing, and the slight improvements in sound quality are a nice bonus but for the average listener, the difference may not justify the higher price. At its retail price of $380, the JBL Xtreme 4 is definitely an investment for a speaker of this size. The combination of 24-hour battery life, Auracast connectivity, JBL’s solid build quality, and impressive sound performance.
Read More: JBL Flip 7 Review: Small Body, Big Energy
