So this is the new JBL Xtreme 3… its essentially a refined version of the JBL Xtreme 2 but
there are some key improvements and differences to point out. Some of which I like and some
others not so much. But regardless if you’re looking for a portable bluetooth speaker that
you can use at home but also take on the go with you… I don’t think you can go wrong
with the Xtreme 3.
Now when it comes to price, the Xtreme 3 retails for $350 just like the Xtreme 2 and Xtreme
1 when they first came out. But this also means the JBL Xtreme 2 can currently be found
on sale these days. And you can typically find it for around $200 more or less. So if
you’re looking for a bargain and you don’t mind giving up the upgrades found on the Xtreme
3… the Xtreme 2 is definitely still a solid pick. But nonetheless if you want to pick
any of these speakers up they’ll be linked down below.
Now first off let talk about the design of this speaker. Now the Xtreme 3 does look fairly
different from the Xtreme 2 and the Xtreme 1. Now personally I don’t love or hate how
the Xtreme 3 looks but personally I do prefer how the Xtreme 2 looks here. Now just like
previous Xtreme’s the Xtreme 3 is rocking a mostly fabric body so it should stand up
to constant bumps and scrapes without any problems and its also IP67 rated so its not
afraid of a little bit of water or dirt. So just like its predecessors the Xtreme 3 is
still a fairly small and super rugged speaker that you can take on the go with you and not
have to worry about it. However something that I really like about the Xtreme 3 is that
it is noticeably lighter than the Xtreme 2 weighing in at 4.3 pounds. A whole pound lighter
than the Xtreme 2. Now even though this 1 pound difference might not seem like a big
deal… you can really feel it. But also the Xtreme 3 has an improved multicolor shoulder
strap that has these rubber inserters on it that help prevent your shoulder strap from
swinging back and fourth. Again this isn’t a huge deal, but it is nice. But more importantly,
this shoulder strap still has that built in bottle opener that debuted on the Xtreme 2
for your beverages. But over all the Xtreme 3 is still a fairly small and durable bluetooth
speaker that you can either use at home or take it on the go with you and not have to
worry about it one bit. The only difference is that it is rocking a new design language…
and it is a little lighter than the Xtreme 2.
But now lets talk about tech specs… now one of the most crucial upgrades about the
Xtreme 3 is that is now charges via a USB C port and it now has a much sleeker charging
cable. Where as the Xtreme 2 and original Xtreme charge via an AC port and they have
these chunkier charging cables. But the really cool thing about the USB C port on the Xtreme
3 is that you can also use it to charge your own devices. Now there are other speakers
out that charge via a USB C port… but being able to charge your own devices with the same
USB C port is pretty rare right now.
But overall I think this is awesome cause lots of phones these days are starting to
come with USB C cables. But just in case, the Xtreme 3 still has a USB A out port for
charging your own devices as well. However even though you can use this USB C port to
charge your own devices… you still can’t use it as a wired connection. And you also
can’t plug in a USB drive into the the USB A port and play music.
Now when it comes to battery life… performance wise the Xtreme 3 is very similar to the Xtreme
2. Both to these speakers have an advertised battery life of 15 hours… but thats when
these speakers are playing at 50 percent volume. Real world use with these speakers playing
at 80% volume both of these speakers are good for around 8 to nine hours of playback time
which is not bad at all. But the Xtreme 3 does charge up noticeably faster
than the Xtreme 2 which again is nice.
Now when it comes to connectivity… the Xtreme 3 has been upgraded to Bluetooth 5.1 but more
importantly just like the Xtreme 2, the Xtreme 3 can be connected to 2 Bluetooth devices
at the same time so you and a friend can both be DJ. They’re both strictly using SBC,
but if you want to you can still use a wired connection with either of these speakers cause
they both have an easy to reach 3.5 millimeter audio jack. Which I feel is a big deal cause
a lot of speakers these are starting to remove their audio jacks.
But now lets talk about listening to music with these speakers… just like its predecessors
the Xtreme 3 is rocking dual frontward firing woofers, dual frontward firing tweeters and
dual passive radiators that shoot out its side. However, the Xtreme 3 is rated as a
50 watt RMS speaker where as both the Xtreme 2 and original Xtreme are rated at 40 watt
RMS. But these speakers can only hit those numbers when they’re plugged in. When they’re
running off of their built in batteries they don’t get as loud or push out as much bass.
But out put aside all of these speakers sound very different from one another. Now we’re
going to be jumping into a sound test… all of these speakers are playing at around 80%
volume and therye all running off of battery power.
So first off I wanna say that both the Xtreme 2 and Xtreme 3 sound much more open and they
have much harder hitting bass than the original Xtreme. The original Xtreme does sound rather
tinny with not all that much bass. Now with that out of the way lets focus on the big
boys. The biggest and most notable difference between the Xtreme 2 and Xtreme 3 is that
the Xtreme 3 does put a little more emphasis on the highs than the Xtreme 2. Making the
Xtreme 3 sound louder than the Xtreme 2. But when it comes to bass… I gotta say that
the Xtreme 3 has the same amount of bass as the Xtreme 2. So the fact that the Xtreme
3 puts more of an emphasis on the highs with the same amount of bass makes it sound brighter
than the Xtreme 2. Now over all the Xtreme 3 sounds good and should play nice with most
music genres… but personally I do prefer the Xtreme 2’s warmer sound signature. Cause
at max volume the Xtreme 3 can get a little ear piercing while indoors. And unfortunately
JBL still doesn’t allow you to directly adjust the EQ on their speakers. However,
I will point out that the slightly brighter EQ on the Xtreme 3 does make it a little better
to use while out doors. Since the highs are a little more emphasized… its sound is going
to travel out a little farther and its going to sound louder.
Now when it comes to max volume… the Xtreme 3 gets more than loud enough when its playing
off of its internal battery. However like I mentioned earlier if you want to get the
most out of the Xtreme 3 you gotta use it while its plugged in. And that’s also the
case with the other Xtreme’s here. They’re going to get a little louder and push out
a little more bass. However, the fact that the Xtreme 3 still gets a performance bump
when you use it while its plugged in… is currently a little rare cause not a lot of
other speakers that charge via a USB C port get a performance boost. But over all the
Xtreme 3 doesn’t get too much louder than the Xtreme 2 and they both have the same amount
of bass. Really the main difference between these two speakers sound quality wise is that
the Xtreme 3 is a little brighter than the Xtreme 2.
But finally lets talk about Partyboost. Now the Xtreme 3 has been upgraded to Partyboost
meaning that you can wirelessly pair it up to other JBL party boost speakers like a Boombox
2, another Xtreme 3, a flip 5, or a pulse 4. Where as the Xtreme 2 is using JBL connect
plus meaning that you can wirelessly pair it up to an original boombox, an Xtreme 2,
a charge 3, a charge 4, a flip 4, or a JBL pulse 3.
But you can not pair a JBL connect plus speaker to a JBL Partyboost speaker. Meaning that
you can’t wirelessly pair an Xtreme 2 to an Xtreme 3. Now even though im not happy
about this fragmentation… I have found that Partyboost does have much better range and
can go through more walls than JBL Connect plus. And also for those wondering… no you
can not wirelessly pair a Partyboost speaker to a Partybox speaker.
But with all that being said, if it aint broken don’t fix it. If you’re looking for a
portable bluetooth speaker that you can use at home and also take on the go with you then
you really cant go wrong with the Xtreme 3. The Xtreme 3 sounds good, it gets plenty loud,
and it has decent real world battery life. Now at first glance it might not seem to different
from the Xtreme 2 but there are some key upgrades here. First of which is that it now charges
via a USB C port and you can also use this USB C port to charge your own devices. But
the Xtreme 3 also now charges a little faster than the Xtreme 2. And then there’s also
party boost. Now from a design standpoint im rather indifferent about how the Xtreme
3 looks… but I do like that its a little lighter. But when it comes to sound, even
though the Xtreme 3 sounds good… I do wish you could dial the highs back a little bit.
But with all that being said, if it aint broken don’t fix it. If you’re looking for a
portable bluetooth speaker that you can use at home and also take on the go with you then
you really cant go wrong with the Xtreme 3. The Xtreme 3 sounds good, it gets plenty loud,
and it has decent real world battery life. Now at first glance it might not seem to different
from the Xtreme 2 but there are some key upgrades here. First of which is that it now charges
via a USB C port and you can also use this USB C port to charge your own devices. But
the Xtreme 3 also now charges a little faster than the Xtreme 2. And then there’s also
party boost. Now even though the Xtreme 3 does have a new design to it which I am indifferent
about… I do like that its a little lighter.