JBL Flip 7 review – tough, waterproof, Bluetooth speaker excellence

The Flip is again for its seventh run with JBL, which has now included a shocking variety of tweaks to its hottest Bluetooth speaker’s capabilities, in comparison with the Flip 6. The JBL Flip 7 has an extended battery life, safety from deeper dives into water, extra energy output, and a transfer to Bluetooth 5.4.

Crucially, JBL provides all these enhancements for a worth that is nonetheless cheap, even when many consumers will probably be tempted by the now-discounted Flip 6. Because of this, this mixture ensures the JBL Flip stays the most effective Bluetooth speaker choices obtainable, leaping proper to the highest of our information.

Specs

Design

If there is a single defining high quality that units aside the Flip 7 from many competing Bluetooth audio system, such because the Final Ears Increase 4, Bose SoundLink Flex, Minirig 4, or Anker Soundcore Movement 300, it is its toughness. A few of these different choices are waterproof, however the Flip 7 takes its ruggedness to the following stage.

For a begin, the Flip 7 is now IP68 rated, which suggests it is impervious to mud and might stand up to being beneath water to past a depth of 1m for over half-hour. JBL does not specify how a lot deeper it could actually go, nevertheless it marks a slight step up over the IP67 ranking of the Flip 6 and Increase 4, which may solely survive at as much as 1m.

Additionally aiding its toughness are the big rubber bumpers on the ends of the lengthy, cylindrical design. Oddly, although, JBL has chosen to go away the 2 passive bass radiators tucked into these ends unprotected by a grille. As such, whereas a drop onto flat floor should not hurt this speaker, if it lands on a rock or uneven floor, one thing may poke by way of and harm these delicate components.

The remainder of the cylinder is product of robust plastic, and most of it’s coated in a protecting cloth. The material serves a number of functions. For one, it means JBL does not have to fret about manufacturing a wonderfully slick-looking laborious exterior – the material can cowl a variety of design sins. Plus, it ensures that almost all gentle knocks will probably be cushioned barely and any resultant scratches will probably be coated up by the material. It additionally helps a bit to filter out filth from getting deeper into the insides.

The general mixture seems to be like a rough-and-tumble speaker that is prepared for the street, reasonably than a sleeker, extra refined look. It is nonetheless sensible, although, and it is obtainable in a variety of colours.

In the meantime, a bit rubber foot on one aspect of the cylinder stops it rolling round endlessly, maintaining the JBL brand and the drivers beneath dealing with in direction of you, although once more, tough surfaces can journey it up barely. The stabilizing bump is so small that it does not all the time interact on uneven terrain – a bigger stabilizer or flatter design could be extra reliably roll-resistant.

Options

Relating to options, that is largely a quite simple speaker. It has buttons for quantity and play/pause on its prime, in addition to energy, Bluetooth pairing, and multi-speaker pairing additional across the cylinder. The latter enables you to shortly pair the Flip 7 with different Flips to create a stereo pair, or add extra for spreading your sound round. By itself, the Flip 7 is mono, with it downmixing stereo audio tracks to a single sign.

Regardless of being mono, the Flip 7 really has 4 drivers, with an energetic subwoofer (25W) and tweeter (10W) and two passive bass radiators. They mix to ship a complete audio energy output of 35W RMS, which is pretty customary for a Bluetooth speaker this measurement and is far more highly effective than the everyday 5-10W audio system you discover in most gaming laptops or gaming displays.

Even additional across the cylinder are the USB-C charging port, an influence indicator, and a mechanism for attaching a strap or carabiner. A button subsequent to this unlocks a clip that holds the included two-inch diameter loop of cloth that varieties this speaker’s strap, or you may unhook this strap to connect the included carabiner.

Except for this lot, the Flip 7 simply connects to no matter gadget you need by way of Bluetooth 5.4, and away it goes. Nevertheless, you may unlock a number of additional options by way of JBL’s app.

On this app, you may set varied EQ profiles – chill, energetic, vocal, signature – together with a customized EQ with seven frequency bands. There’s additionally a PlaytimeBoost characteristic that goals to spice up total quantity whereas rising playtime – one of many methods it does that is by disabling the equalizer.

You can too setup stereo teams by way of the app, and examine and regulate some options of the speaker – you may change its identify, examine its serial quantity, carry out a manufacturing unit reset, and skim its begin information, for instance.

One preliminary annoyance with this speaker was that powering it on, turning it off, and adjusting sure settings brought on it to make varied surprisingly loud noises to point it was doing one thing. They may very well be helpful for some individuals or in some conditions, however I used to be very glad to seek out you can even flip off these sounds within the app.

Sound high quality

Proper out of the field, the JBL Flip 7’s sound high quality may be very spectacular, providing a exceptional quantity of bass, loads of readability, and a shocking sense of directionality, regardless of it being a mono speaker. Throwing a variety of tunes at it, together with Fleetwood Mac, Charli XCX, Dr Dre, Zetra, Black Sabbath, and far more, it copes effectively, notably at low listening volumes.

Particularly, the speaker does job of supplying you with low-end depth and rumble at a quantity meaning you may nonetheless discuss to a buddy – superb for background tunes whereas lounging by a pool. There’s not one of the shrill, piercing high quality of actually weedy audio system that require you to crank them as much as get any affect, leading to harsh sound.

It achieves this sound regardless of solely having a frequency vary that kicks off at a claimed 60Hz, so it could actually’t reproduce actually pounding sub-bass frequencies. Certain sufficient, should you hearth up extremely low bass testing tracks resembling this one, there’s little or no feel-it-in-your-chest thump. However, that is to be anticipated for a small, moveable speaker resembling this one, and it nonetheless copes effectively with loads of extra bass-oriented tracks.

What’s extra, it delivers this energy whereas nonetheless having loads of top-end readability, thanks in appreciable half to the usage of a separate tweeter. For example, the Minirig 4 can go decrease and louder, nevertheless it lacks a bit of the top-end sparkle that the Flip 7 delivers.

The place this speaker struggles a bit extra is when cranking it up. It could actually get loads loud, nevertheless it begins to get a bit shrill and forced-sounding once you’re actually making an attempt to fill a bigger room with sound. It is nice for a small kitchen social gathering or entertaining a huddle of some buddies round a barbecue, nevertheless it struggles a bit to stretch its legs additional. The Cost 6, Minirig 4, and Anker Soundcore Movement 500 all have higher total depth and energy, whereas a devoted outside social gathering speaker, such because the JBL PartBox 120, is the step up you will wish to make for larger party-duty quantity ranges.

What’s extra, whereas it’s fairly completed for many musical genres, it lacks a bit little bit of decrease mid-range heat and energy, so it could actually sound a contact shrill when pushed to middling volumes with rock, metallic, and classical piano too. The Minirig 4’s single giant driver is usually higher for these genres.

There’s additionally the apparent incontrovertible fact that this speaker is not stereo, regardless of its horizontal stance and twin bass radiators making it appear to be it must be able to stereo output. It really works fairly effectively as an improve to a laptop computer’s audio system for watching YouTube and listening to music – it is higher than the 360° sound of the Increase 4 for this – nevertheless it lacks the true expertise that stereo output can present on the subject of watching a film or gaming. The Anker Soundcore Movement 300 is a significantly better wager for these makes use of, because it has correct stereo sound.

Battery life

JBL’s claimed 16 hours of battery life at 50% quantity for the Flip 7 is correct and pretty typical for many comparable type/measurement Bluetooth audio system. You’ll be able to simply get a day’s listening out of it at medium volumes. Nevertheless, its most life does drop significantly at larger quantity. We would not actually ever suggest working it at 100% quantity, however at 80% quantity, its life drops to just about half its claimed most.

Finally, the battery life all is determined by the way you assume you are probably to make use of your speaker. If you are going to be taking it to music festivals and making an attempt to drown out the neighboring campsite along with your speaker at most quantity, it may run out shortly, however for typical at-home listening, it should final its claimed time.

The one comparative outlier for Bluetooth speaker battery life comparability is the Minirig 4, which claims as much as 100 hours of battery life and lives as much as these claims at smart listening ranges. That is why it is our best choice for backpacking and longer-distance journey.

Value

The JBL Flip 7 worth is formally $149.95, however the speaker is available for beneath $130. At that worth, it is decently aggressive. Anker’s aggressive pricing on the Soundcore Movement 300 undercuts it fairly a bit, nevertheless it’s a much less rugged possibility. In the meantime, most opponents sit at across the identical worth.

Options

Anker Soundcore Movement 300

If you’d like your sound improve to incorporate stereo output, the Soundcore Movement 300 is your finest wager. It is a bit larger, it lacks the Flip 7’s toughness, and its bass presence is not fairly as robust, so it is not pretty much as good a journey/social gathering speaker. Nevertheless, for hooking as much as a laptop computer and getting nice video audio, in addition to stereo presence, for beneath $70, it is a fantastic purchase. Take a look at our Anker Soundcore Movement 300 evaluate for extra data.

Minirig 4

If you’d like the last word actually compact, go-anywhere, last-forever backpack speaker that may ship actually highly effective audio, the Minirig 4 is the one. Its single massive driver can go extremely loud, and offers numerous heat, mid-rangey sound and stable bass too. It is a bit heavier than the Flip 7 and is even much less fitted to getting directional sound for watching video – its one speaker fires straight up within the air – however for filling an area with nice sound for days on finish, it is unbeatable. It would want importing from the UK, although.

Verdict

The JBL Flip 7 is massively in style for a motive. Its mixture of compact, rugged design, easy controls, respectable battery life, and impressively highly effective sound makes it a massively versatile speaker. It could actually flip its hand to being a fairly compact journey speaker for backpacking, but nonetheless crank out sound that may fill a small room with clear and highly effective sound.

It is undoubtedly a disgrace it does not provide stereo sound, particularly when the likes of the Final Ears Increase 4 can handle it, nevertheless it nonetheless works surprisingly effectively for enhancing audio when watching video on a laptop computer, as an illustration. There are undoubtedly options that excel at sure different makes use of – as highlighted above – however as an all-rounder, it is laborious to beat.

For extra methods to boost your listening life, why not take a look at our greatest pc audio system information or our information to one of the best gaming headset, each of that are filled with equipment we have really examined and to swimsuit all budgets.