Review on JBL Xtreme Portable Wireless Bluetooth Speaker (Red) by Jerry Frey

I loved this speaker so much I bought a second JBL Extreme to pair with my first JBL Extreme which I bought for Christmas. Volume and clarity are fine for me. The bass is loud but doesn't drown out the highs like the Bose Soundlink Mini. I have two UE Megabooms and they can't compete with these JBL Extremes. The UE Megabooms should play ambient music in my house and they do a pretty good job. These extremes fill my house with music and sound. Satisfactory bass and clear highs, as well as good mids. Battery life. Battery life was good too. They need to be charged after 72 hours of continuous playback at mostly 1/5 volume. Charging time: about 2 hours, sometimes less. JBL Connect: These speakers are daisy-chained together using the JBL Connect system. I've also paired Extreme with Charge 2+ and Flip3. If only JBL implemented unlimited wireless connectivity, that would be great. At the moment, the only option you have is to connect two JBL wireless speakers using the Connect system. Something better? Maybe, but they entertain and satisfy me. However, I've heard of a system called MiniRig that uses two small satellite speakers that can stand alone or be connected to a subwoofer for a 2.1 system. In addition, satellites can be chained for an unlimited number of pairs. Update April 14, 2016: Well I've since bought a Marshal Kilburn, a couple of Libratone Zipps and a Zipp Mini, and a Bang and Olufsen Beolit 15. They all sound way better than Xtreme. What the JBL Xtreme lacks is a well-formed low-end bass envelope. It does not exist. The Xtreme also has ample bass boost, muddying the sound and overwhelming in one fell swoop. It can be easily attenuated with an external equalizer. As for me, I have an iPod touch 7 and I use Bass Reducer in the equalizer settings. Note that this isn't always necessary, but it is on certain songs/albums where the lower bass is dominant, like Madonna's old Fever. I still keep it. They make me smile when I connect my two Xtremes and select the stereo output via the JBL Connect app. These are my outdoor music speakers when I work in the garden, in my car, in the bar and other outdoor activities. They feel right at home pulling tunes from the back door of my pickup without fear of exposure to the elements. Cons: If only JBL would provide a hand strap in addition to the included shoulder strap. I rarely, if ever, carry a speaker over my shoulder, so a wrist strap makes it easy to pick up and move the speaker around. To solve this problem, my friend cut and sewed a laptop strap to make an arm strap for one of the Xtremes. quite happy with them. However, I will admit that I have other portable Bluetooth speakers that outperform these JBLs in terms of sound quality. I particularly like my Libratone Zipp and Zipp Mini. Both have better balance and their bass is slightly deeper than that of the extremes. However, a big plus for JBLs over any other portable Bluetooth speaker I own is that these JBLs are very comfortable for outdoor use. They are water resistant and durable compared to my other portable speakers. So you won't be disappointed if your primary sound environment is outside by the pool, in the kitchen, or just at a family gathering in the backyard. If you're missing another speaker for reference, the sound coming from these JBLs won't bother you. I can't underestimate the idea of having two of these. When connected via the JBL Connect app and in stereo you have a pretty amazing sound system for your outdoor event. Well I would even say inside. For your health!