THE EMPIRE
So is this just a small form speaker with a carabiner built in? – more or less.
Full Disclosure – this was sent to us by JBL for the purpose of independant review.
General Specifications
Bluetooth® version4.1
SupportA2DP V1.2, AVRCP V1.5, HFP V1.5, HSP V1.2
Transducer1 x 40mm
Output power1 x 3W
Frequency response120Hz – 20kHz (-6dB)
Signal-to-noise ratio>80dB
Battery typeLithium-ion polymer (3.7V/1000mAh)
Battery charge time3 hour @ 5V, 0.5A
Music playing timeup to 10 hours (varies by volume level and audio content)
Bluetooth® transmitter power0 – 9dBm
Bluetooth® transmitter frequency range2.402 – 2.480GHz
Bluetooth® transmitter modulationGFSK, π/4 DQPSK, 8DPSK
Dimensions137 x 97 x 46 (mm) \ 5.4″ x 3.8″ x 1.8″
Weight210g \ 0.46 lbs
So as I opened with – is this just a portable speaker with a built in carabiner? – yeah pretty much, that’s not a negative – infact so many of these speakers could do with some mounting options instead of just ” plop it there ”
If you’re an outdoorsy person and want to take your music with you- this can clip onto a pack or whatever and you’ve got enough volume for you and those around you, please however be mindful of those that might not like the same music you do! But it does represent a smaller form factor than most, a lot of these speakers are going for size and volume, this guy is going for clarity and portability. They want you to take it on an adventure – its IPX7 Waterproof so if you fall on a river crossing or just can’t wait to get into that waterhole, not the end of the world at all. that’s a nice to see a step up in IP rating over many of the others. Clip 3 comes in a tone of colours so should be something to please everyone. Only $99 it’s a reasonable piece of semi wearable tech to take your tunes with you.
But of course all important, how does it sound?
Well… Sitting here at my desk with it playing at me its clear and pumps out decent volume for the size. I found walking with it attached to a shoulder strap was great but you need to keep in mind its firing the sound forward so whoever is tail end charlie should be the one its attached to. The music carries well for its size. The only time I found it a problem was on the bike zooming around – same placement on the shoulder strap. Perhaps it was the speed but the noise punching forward and then catching it up with wind interference gave a patchy sound as you would expect. So long as you’re not going so fast that wind noise is an issue you should be good. I have no idea how it goes for running, I don’t run.. ask someone else. It’s not crazy heavy at all, in fact for what it is its rather light so its not something you notice as extra weight – nor does it flap around a lot – its quite well balanced actually.
It’s not going to overpower a large waterfall or set the tone for an entire watering hole, which is good cause I don’t want to listen to the same music as you. but your group can enjoy the tunes while you’re walking
Claimed 10 hours of playback – we didn’t play with it for that long but we’d believe it
Overall its a great little thing to have with you for a bushwalk or cruise on the bikes, decent sound for the size and well priced.
For more check out – JBL CLIP 3 WEBSITE
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