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How good is the JBL Clip portable Bluetooth speaker?

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How good is the JBL Clip portable Bluetooth speaker?

JBL has established itself in the speaker segment. They have a product for almost every use, be it for indoors or outdoors. Their Bluetooth speakers not only have nice designs, but also unique features. A few examples of this are the JBL Pulse and the Charge. Joining the list now is the JBL Clip. It’s one of their most portable speakers and around Rs. 3,000*, and also one of the lightest. The speaker comes equipped with a clip that allows you to carry it with ease. It looks like a very nice product to tag along on hiking trips.

Now having a standout product can be a problem sometimes: put out one great thing, and everybody expects more from whatever you release next. Fair or not, that is exactly the situation the JBL Clip was in when we brought it in for review. So, did it hold up to our expectations?

How good is the JBL Clip portable Bluetooth speaker?

Build & Design

While we’re looking at the classy black model, the JBL Clip is available in a few different colors: blue, gray, purple and red are all options. The speaker’s design is interesting, but this isn’t the first time we’ve seen it. The Logitech x100 boasted a similar design, though there are a few differences that set the JBL Clip apart. First is the somewhat more understated color options.

Features

Underneath the metal grill, lies a 1.5-inch driver. It has power output of 3.2W. It sounds loud enough for outdoors. JBL also mentions a frequency response of 160Hz — 20KHz, which looks good on paper for a speaker of this kind. However, we’ll find out how well it does, when we start testing it with music. Apart from the auxiliary port, you also have Bluetooth connectivity. On the official website, JBL only claims compatibility with Android and iOS devices. The speaker also comes with a built-in microphone that lets you answer phone calls when connected to the speaker. There is a dedicated button on it that lets you pick-up incoming calls.

How good is the JBL Clip portable Bluetooth speaker?

Connectivity

Bluetooth is so common in portable speakers these days that you just assume it’s there and, indeed, it is here. Pairing is fairly simple: power the speaker on for the first time and it immediately enters pairing mode. Once it’s on, just pair from the device of your choice. Bluetooth range is standard at around 30 feet and not once did I run into any stuttering or breakups during testing, as long as I stayed within range.

An interesting touch is that the speaker has its very own built-in 3.5 mm cable. Forget to bring a cable for your old, non-Bluetooth iPod? No problem, the JBL Clip has you covered. This, as you might imagine, is very handy. Another interesting touch is that JBL has included a 3.5 mm out jack on the side, meant for daisy-chaining the Clip with another speaker.

Despite the small size, JBL didn’t skimp on the buttons. On the right side, you’ll find the volume buttons, white the left size holds the power, Bluetooth and call buttons. Speakerphone quality was fairly decent, with both incoming and outgoing voices loud and clear.

Performance

It’s surprising how loud the JBL Clip is for its size. You won’t have much problem having the Clip around when you’re on the move. It’s like a small boom-box by itself. But like any portable speaker, the JBL Clip doesn’t handle high volumes too well; some distortion can be heard when you crank up the volume. While playing heavy metal bands like Iron Maiden, Tesseract and Tool we could only hear distortion. It was mostly the guitar riffs and drums that sounded unclear. Mids and vocals though sounded very good.

The JBL Clip also lacks a little when it comes to bass. Thumps in bassy songs just sounded flat. However, it doesn’t take away the feel out of the song. What the Clip loses in depth, it makes up in sharpness. Overall every song we played on the speaker sounded crisp, especially the acoustic songs. Details in songs can easily be heard. We found the speaker performing really well while playing slow melodic songs like ‘Dream On’ from Aerosmith. Everything sounded balanced, starting from the guitar riffs to the amazing vocals. Connecting the speaker using Bluetooth is simple. We were able to play music from a distance of 25-feet without any glitches. We also had a few phone conversations with the built-in microphone. It’s possible to have a good conversation even when sitting at a distance of 5-feet but we recommend sitting closer if you don’t want the other person to hear any of the background noise that might be present.

How good is the JBL Clip portable Bluetooth speaker?

Concluson

We really liked the JBL Clip. When it comes to portability combined with good audio, it’s one of few options that won’t cut a huge hole in your pocket. It’s also stylish and the carabiner clip, although not a great feature, can come very handy in certain situations. The wide range of funky colours also makes it quite attractive option for outdoorsy youngsters.

Any of our winning options are quality speakers that will serve you well, but selecting the perfect one is about your preferences and ideal price point.Want more recommendations for the best Bluetooth speaker ? Check out our guides to the DinDinModern.

Why choose DINDINMODERN

● A variety of high-quality Bluetooth speakers are available.
● Delivery from the local warehouse, within 3 days.
● Manufactured in our own factory, cost-effective.
● Excellent pre-sales and after-sales service.
● Free returns
● Excellent materials, safe and durable.
● Pursue innovation and optimize design
● We listen to customer needs and feedback.

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