DXOMARK has announced the results of its three of the newest Bluetooth speakers from JBL, LG, and Sony to determine just how good they really are under controlled tests. Now, for clarity, these are speakers meant for portability rather than AI assistant-speakers. And each of comes in at well above the $100 mark. But are any of them actually worth the money?
JBL Xtreme 3 is the most expensive of the speakers reviewed by DXOMARK
Price doesn’t always equal quality but, for the first of the new speakers tested by DXOMARK, it might come close.
As the company has indicated, JBL Xtreme 3 is the second-best portable speaker it’s tested in its Speaker Audio protocol database. Especially when it comes to movies, podcasts, listening to music outdoors, or listening in complex acoustical environments such as a bathroom or kitchen. Although, the company says that latency-sensitive material should be listened to via the JBL Xtreme 3’s auxiliary 3.5mm jack.
That’s despite what DXOMARK describes as a noticeable lack of low-end midrange audio. There are at least a few other caveats too. For instance, the speaker offers less bass than might be preferred, and low- and high-end frequencies drop significantly at lower volumes. Upper frequencies are slightly overpowering at the highest volumes, while volume stepping isn’t consistent.
But the JBL Xtreme 3 does incredibly well elsewhere, driven by four individual drivers — two 70mm woofers and two 20mm tweeters — and two JBL bass radiators. Particularly when it comes to the timbre of audio from this speaker, high-end extension, and high-mid performance. The audio balance between left and right components is well managed as well, as are the punch and dynamics of the audio. Tonal balance isn’t impacted by switching to battery power and distance rendering and sub-bass are noted as being great too.
Bluetooth 5.1 doesn’t hurt here either. Neither do the 15-hours of claimed battery life, IP67 waterproofing and dust proofing, built-in battery bank features, multi-smartphone pairing, or multi-speaker linking allowing multiple JBL Xtreme 3 speakers to be used in stereo. All of that set at $349.95 in Blue, Black, and Black Camo colorations only help cement this Bluetooth speaker as a great one. Now backed up by a DXOMARK score of 136.
LG XBOOM Go PL7 isn’t the best of the lot but still great for the price
LG XBOOM Go PL7, conversely, didn’t do quite as well as JBL’s gadget in the latest run of DXOMARK’s tests pertaining to Bluetooth speakers. In fact, it scored 105, lacking low-end and high-end extension, according to DXOMARK. That’s with “middling results in nearly every attribute and use case.”
Now, that’s not to say LG’s dual-passive radiator-enhanced, IPX5 water-resistant, 30W speaker performed horribly in the test. And it’s multi-source and multi-speaker linking capabilities and ability to connect to LG TVs are icing on the cake. As are the LED pulse lighting and 24-hours of claimed battery life.
And, as noted by DXOMARK, there are few other pros to consider too. LG teamed up with Meridian for the XBOOM Go PL7. The results of that are a great volume-to-size ratio and audio performance preservation even when using on battery. There are also very few sonic artifacts and clarity, frequency response, and balance remain intact even at loud volume. And disabling the Sound Boost algorithm offers a more natural and balanced sound as well.
All of that makes this a great speaker for portability and less suitable for “audio purists” as DXOMARK notes. But, available in Black or White for $129.99, it’s also not the most expensive speaker here.
LG XBOOM Go PL7 - Amazon + 1 other
Sony SRS-XB43 rounds out the latest DXOMARK speaker tests
Available in a choice of Black, Taupe, or Blue, the final speaker recently reviewed by DXOMARK is the Sony SRS-XB43. And, summarily, that’s a two-woofer, two-tweeter Bluetooth 5.0 speaker with NFC connect options and IP67 water and dust resistance rating. It’s also got multi-mode audio including Clear Audio+, DSEE, LIVE SOUND, EXTRA BASS TM, STAMINA MODE. As well as support for a central music control hub via the Sony Music Center app. But how does it stack up?
Starting with the caveats, DXOMARK says this isn’t the best of the Bluetooth speakers for a party or gathering. That’s because it’s a forward-firing speaker rather than a 360-degree sound speaker. That also tends to level spatial attributes middling and “poor localizability” of sound sources.
Videos are also best watched using the included 3.5mm audio jack rather than via Bluetooth technology.
In terms of where this speaker is strongest, DXOMARK says that the low number of artifacts and good dynamics make this speaker great. Especially for complex acoustic environments. For example, in a bathroom. The timbre rating of this speaker — which scored 122 overall — makes it more than usable in outdoor settings too.
Finally, the company says this speaker does exhibit some problems with high and low-extension. As well as slight bass distortion at loud volumes, although the volume itself was better than average. Moreover, DXOMARK notes that the speaker is a few points below similarly-priced Bluetooth speakers at a cost of $249.99.