PORTABLE PARTY Rockin’ share

In case you’re looking for a speaker that doesn’t need to be tethered to a power socket at all times, this bunch like nothing better than hitting the road

JBL CHARGE 5 £180 / stuff.tv/charge5

It’s not difficult to find a speaker the size of a grapefruit (and with similar sonic properties), but when you need something with a bit more bass it’s time to call in the heavies. Enter JBL’S Charge 5, a 960g cylinder that’s not only IP67 rated against water and dust but is also as tough as Simone Biles’ toes, complete with grippy rubberised base.

And that extra heft isn’t just to make it harder to lose in your rucksack. The slightly larger dimensions mean there’s space inside for a long-excursion driver, a separate tweeter and 65mm passive bass radiators at each end, which sometimes make the Charge 5 look like it’s bopping along to your tunes. In total it has 10W more output power than its predecessor, and offers rich bass and vocals that are as crisp as lunch round Gary Lineker’s house. It also has space for a 20hr battery, although it takes a full 4hrs to charge up, which isn’t ideal if you need to play some tunes in a rush.

Controls on the speaker are kept to a minimum, with just a power button, volume, Bluetooth pairing, play/pause and Partyboost (which allows you to connect one or more compatible JBL speakers together wirelessly when a single Charge 5 just isn’t enough). You can also deploy Partyboost from your phone via the JBL Portable app, while making sure you’re up to date with any firmware upgrades, although anything fancy like EQ optimisation is out of the question.

Bluetooth 5.1 is onboard, which means you can connect a couple of phones or tablets at once and fight over who gets to play DJ, although there’s no 3.5mm port so you can’t go old-school and whip out the aux cable.

Other options might be more feature-packed, but you won’t find another speaker at this price that nails the basics as well as the Charge 5.

Key specs

● 3.5x2in bass driver, 0.8in tweeter, 2x passive bass radiators, 40W ● Bluetooth 5.1, USB-C charging, USB-A out ● 223x97x94mm, 960g

STUFF SAYS A no-nonsense portable speaker for audio fans who won’t settle for a sonic lightweight ★★★★★

The Charge 5 is juiced via a USB-C socket on the side, which sits next to a rubber flap protecting a USB-A port for charging your phone.

Glower pair The JBL logos on both sides have subtle orange accents; the other one sits above a vertical LED bar to show how much battery power is left.