Here’s another Bluetooth speaker that I’ve had the pleasure of using. The JBL Flip 2.
JBL have been around in the audio industry for a very long time. Some of the first subwoofers I bought way back in the day for my car were 12″ JBL’s… that’s like 12 years ago.
Take a look at the picture. You don’t need me to tell you that it’s a good looking piece of hardware. It’s shiny logo and silver trim adds a little elegant contrast against the glossy black speaker cover.
It’s sleek compact design allows for easy portability; there is a micro-USB port to allow charging with the included wall charger. Don’t worry though, you don’t need to be around a plug too much. With around 5 hrs battery, it gives you more than enough time to have a boogie while you’re outside and cooking on the BBQ in the sun.
There’s a number of ways you can get music through the speaker. There’s Bluetooth, and with the Bluetooth you also get one-touch pairing with NFC, and then you have the Aux-In. With a standard 3.5mm jack and cable included you’re set to plug an MP3 player, tablet or any other device with a headphone socket it and bang out those tunes.
Sound quality is very good. It produces a high volume output with little to no distortion. Playing Drum and Bass at full volume does distort it a little, but the usual chart music and piano concerto sound fantastic.
All the buttons are bunched on the side: the volume buttons control the volume through the device, not just on the speaker itself like some. The on and off button is slap bang in the middle of the side panel, easy to use without looking. I’ve found one annoyance; when you’re turning it on and off, it gives off a short low-toned bleep. Given that there are status LED’s, is there really any need?
An added bonus with this – designed into the silver trim is a battery level indicator. This isn’t all that common but is a nice touch. With others, the status LED changes colour as charge runs out, but you have no indication of when that will be. Additional extras don’t stop there. Also in the box is a carry case. Along with the speaker, you can fit the aux cable and the USB to Micro-USB, but you can’t fit the wall plug in.
Overall the sound quality is good. It’s light and easy to carry around and the battery level indicator is a welcomed added extra. Yes, it’s the small things that make a difference. You can get one from JBL directly or there are other retailers that will stock it locally too.