Subj : I reviewed the JBL Charge 6 Bluetooth speaker, and if you want bi To : All From : TechnologyDaily Date : Tue Sep 30 2025 11:30:09 I reviewed the JBL Charge 6 Bluetooth speaker, and if you want big, high-quality sound for a great price, it's unbeatable Date: Tue, 30 Sep 2025 10:26:09 +0000 Description: What JBL doesnt know about outstanding portable Bluetooth speakers doesnt seem to be worth knowing. So with the latest JBL Charge does lightning strike [checks notes] a sixth time? FULL STORY ======================================================================JBL Charge 6: Two-minute review The JBL Charge 6 portable wireless speaker isnt as closely related to the outgoing JBL Charge 5 as it might first appear. Oh, in physical terms theyre closely related but the Charge 6 adds some nice new specification upgrades, as well as a very useful carry handle, in an effort to maintain the Charges position as the pre-eminent mid-priced option among the best Bluetooth speakers . So as well as 45 watts of power and an impressive frequency response of 54Hz - 20kHz, the JBL Charge 6 can be hard-wired via USB-C in order to deliver true hi-res audio. It will run for 24 hours from a single charge longer if you dont mind sacrificing some bass response and can act as a charger for your smartphone. Two JBL Charge 6 units can form a stereo pair, and it can connect to any Auracast-enabled speakers for as numerous a speaker system as you fancy. An IP68 rating and a predictably robust standard of build and finish means it is happy in pretty much any environment. And in action, the Charge 6 is a deft and assertive listen with a whole lot of positives about the way it deals with your audio files. Over Bluetooth, its punchy and detailed in equal measure, with a nice tonal balance and fairly even frequency response. Up the ante with some hi-res stuff via USB-C and it gains additional dynamism, insight and rhythmic positivity. Really, only lowering volume to background levels can upset it quite a lot of its direct and expansive nature goes astray when you try to listen quietly. This thing is made for fun. So yes, Charge 6 turns out to be a little more than just Charge 5 +1, and it's as good as speakers this size, at this price, get right now. JBL Charge 6 review: Price and release date Released in April 2025 Officially priced at $149 / 129 / AU$179 The JBL Charge 6 is on sale now, and in US you can find it for $159, in the the United Kingdom it sells for 169 (unless you decide you fancy the rather lively purple or red finishes, which for some reason are 5 less expensive), while in Australia it goes for AU$229. That's a similar price to the JBL Charge 5 at its launch, though the older model can now be found in the $120-$140 region regularly, or is 119 in the UK at the time of writing. The Charge 6 is a good price for this kind of speaker for example, it's priced similarly to the Sonos Roam 2 , which is much smaller and less powerful than this, but the JBL doesn't have the multi-room Wi-Fi skills of the Sonos. (Image credit: Future) JBL Charge 6 review: Specs Weight: 1.37kg Dimensions: 229 (W) x 99 (H) x 94 (D) mm Battery life (quoted): Up to 24 hours (28 with boost mode) Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.4 with SBC and AAC codecs Drivers: 53 x93 mm mid/bass 'racetrack' driver, 20mm tweeter Aux-in: No (USB-C audio passthrough) Charger port: USB-C Microphone: No Waterproof rating: IP68 JBL Charge 6 review: Features 45 watts of power 54Hz - 20kHz frequency response 24 hours of battery normally, can be boosted to 28 hours When it comes to a wireless connection, the Charge 6 uses Bluetooth 5.4 (good) and is compatible with SBC and AAC codecs (less good, but normal). Unlike a lot of nominal rivals, though, the JBL has a USB-C slot that can be used for data transfer as well as for charging its battery, meaning that if you connect it to an appropriate source, hi-res audio of up to 24bit/96kHz can be yours (very good indeed). The battery itself will run for around 24 hours (as long as youre not absolutely blasting the volume), and if you switch playtime boost on, that number rises to 28 hours in exchange for a rather obvious curtailing of low-frequency presence. This is basically as long as battery life gets for portable speakers certainly for speakers that are actually easy to carry around. The JBL will even act as a power bank, so you can connect your phone to the USB-C port to charge it if push comes to shove but this will, of course, eat into the Charge 6s own battery life. From flat to full, by the way, takes a fairly leisurely three hours. No matter how the audio information makes it onboard, its attended to by 45 watts of Class D power driving a 20mm tweeter and a racetrack mid/bass driver. It's basically the same speaker setup as the JBL Flip 7 , but with bigger speakers in all cases and more power lovely. In conjunction with the passive radiator at each end, JBL claims this arrangement is good for a frequency response of 54Hz up to 20kHz. Features score: 4.5/5 (Image credit: Future) JBL Charge 6 review: Sound quality Big and punchy (but also deft and detailed) sound Capable of significant volume Loses interest at lower levels You might think you know what youre getting, sound-wise, when you look at the Charge 6. And in some ways, youd be right give it a stream of Outkasts The Way You Move and the JBL delivers it with scale and considerable substance. Its sound is big and weighty, and theres plenty of drive and momentum to ensure the rhythm is expressed with real positivity. But the Charge 6 is no blunt instrument. It retrieves and reveals plenty of detail, is more than capable of handling the transient or minor events in the recording, and is just as adept at describing the harmonic variations as it is the broad dynamic strokes of quiet and loud. Sure, its an energetic and quite forceful listen but it pays just as much attention to the light and shade of a recording as it does the attack. Its frequency response is fairly even; theres a slight skew to the bottom end, sure, but its nothing fatal. And its tonal balance is equally well-judged, so theres crisp presence at the top end to balance the punchy lower frequencies and in the midrange, the JBL makes the character and technique of a vocalist pretty apparent. Switch to a 24-bit/96kHz FLAC file of The Past is a Grotesque Animal by of Montreal, served to the Charge 6 via USB-C, and the entire presentation steps on. The soundstage opens up yet further, detail levels enjoy a big uptick, and the amount of space available to each element of the recording makes for greater overall scale. Dynamic headroom increases, the unity of the frequency range is made more apparent, and the control of low-frequency activity makes for a rhythmically positive and articulate sound. Its worth noting that many of these uncomplicatedly enjoyable aspects of music-making are rather diminished should you decide to listen to the Charge 6 at volumes levels of modest or below. The JBL is not especially tolerant of being treated as a background listening device, and a fair amount of its directness and assertiveness deserts it in the circumstance. No one puts Baby in the corner, so it seems Sound quality: 4.5/5 (Image credit: Future) JBL Charge 6 review: Design IP68-rated for dust and waterproofing Seven finishes, and useful carry handle Reasonably compact at 229 x 99 x 94mm In broad terms, its JBL Charge business as usual here. The speaker is almost cylindrical, with a flattened area on the bottom for it to rest on. Each end of the almost-cylinder features some sturdy rubberization to protect the passive radiator (and its rather alarming ! branding) at each end. A few physical controls are arranged across the top, at the rear theres a USB-C slot, and the entire thing is wrapped in hardwearing fabric. Changes in design over the outgoing Charge 5 are very few but theyre all significant. Those rubber end caps are now even more robust than before. The material that covers almost the entire speaker is now 100% recycled material. The controls are in two rows for even greater ease of operation. The IP rating has risen from a very acceptable IP67 to IP68 which indicates the Charge 6 is virtually impregnable. And theres now a flexible, branded carry-handle that fits to the top of the speaker and means its more easily portable than before. A choice of seven different finishes runs from a business-like black to a camo number JBL calls squad. No matter the color you choose, though, youll be in possession of a carefully designed and beautifully built portable speaker. Design score: 5/5 (Image credit: Future) JBL Charge 6 review: Usability and setup JBL Portable control app A few physical controls Auracast and stereo pairing The two rows of physical controls on the Charge 6 cover volume up/down, play/pause, power on/off, Bluetooth pairing and Auracast pairing as long as the other speakers in your prospective group are Auracast-enabled, theres no practical limit to the number of speakers you can join together or the amount of space you can cover. Each of the controls is reliable, and very positive in its action and the ability to pair two Bluetooth devices at a time is very welcome too. The companys Portable control app is a useful little number too. Heres where you can form a stereo pair with another Charge 6, check out a number of EQ presets or establish some of your own, check on battery life, and turn on playtime boost. Its a clean and stable app thats a cut above the sort of thing some rival portable speakers are accompanied by. Usability and setup: 5/5 (Image credit: Future) JBL Charge 6 review: Value If you want it for background listening, look elsewhere for your Bluetooth speaker, and spend less money while youre at it the five-star JBL Flip 7 would work nicely. But if you decide to let it do its thing, the JBL Charge 6 has more than enough sonic talent to justify its asking price and the fact that its so well made, so hardy and so very usefully specified only seals the deal. Value score: 5/5 Should I buy the JBL Charge 6? JBL Charge 6 Attributes Notes Rating Features Can't fault the battery life, USB-C connectivity, or Auracast option higher-res wireless would be nice, though 4.5/5 Sound quality Powerful, well-balanced and more detailed than you expect especially in its USB-C mode 4.5/5 Design Tougher than ever, made from more recycled material, and with a useful handle 5/5 Usability and setup Very easy, with just the right amount of controls on the device, and a good app 5/5 Value Reliable, long-lasting, great-sound feels like a superb option for the price 5/5 Buy it if You want balanced and vigorous sound from your speaker The Charge 6 may look a bit of a bruiser, but its a deft and insightful (as well as bruising) listen. You like a bit of hi-res audio Hard-wired via USB-C to an appropriate source, the JBL can be a genuinely hi-res device. You want portable to mean portable That new carry-handle makes more of a difference than you might think. Dont buy it if You are likely to do your listening at modest levels The JBL gives away quite a lot of its sonic animation at low volume. JBL Charge 6 review: Also consider Sonos Roam 2 This hits the Charge 6 more-or-less head-on where price is concerned, and in its own way it's just as adaptable a listen, with multi-room over Wi-Fi on offer instead of USB-C audio and Auracast. Its battery life is relatively miserly, though, and it doesnt have the outright scale of sound to compete either. Read more in our Sonos Roam 2 review Bose SoundLink Plus This is just as robust as the JBL Charge 6, both in the way its constructed and the way it sounds. It doesnt lose interest at lower volumes, either but its not quite as deft a performer as the JBL, and its a little more expensive too. Read more in our Bose SoundLink Plus review How I tested the JBL Charge 6 (Image credit: Future) Tested for over a week Tested in a variety of real-world locations Connected wireless and wired, with a variety of file types I connect the JBL Charge 6 via Bluetooth to an Apple iPhone 14 Pro, an Apple MacBook Pro and a FiiO JM21 digital audio player. I also connected it to the laptop via USB-C, where the Colibri software on the machine allowed the Charge 6 to play authentically hi-res content. I listened indoors and outdoors, at a variety of volume levels and to a variety of types of music. And I did all this for well over a working week (and sometimes at the weekend too). Read more about how we test First reviewed: September 2025 ====================================================================== Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/audio/wireless-bluetooth-speakers/jbl-charge-6-revie w --- Mystic BBS v1.12 A49 (Linux/64) * Origin: tqwNet Technology News (1337:1/100) .