Earbuds make great travel companions when you're traveling solo, but you need speakers to party with friends and family. Bluetooth has become the de facto standard for streaming music from smartphones and media players such as the iPod touch, and it can actually deliver relatively high-quality sound...

In 2013, JBL's Charge got in on the beginning of the Bluetooth speaker boom and delivered good sound at a reasonable price. Last year, JBL updated the model with the Charge 2, improving the audio quality and adding a speakerphone option.

Rich bass; Splash proof; Reasonable price

Average battery life; No mobile app

Distortion and the track navigation issue aside, the Charge 2+ is a capable speaker for most music genres that can certainly deliver a robust sense of bass when it isn't challenged with the very deepest sub-bass the music world has to offer.

Rich, crisp audio performance ideal for most genres; Splash-proof, outdoor-friendly design; Speakerphone functionality; Can pair with up to three Bluetooth devices simultaneously; Can charge mobile devices

Distorts heavily on tracks with serious sub-bass; On-board track navigation is a bit tricky

Like its Charge predecessors, you can lay this cylindrical speaker down horizontally or stand it up vertically. It charges via Micro-USB and has a built-in 6,000mAh battery for a healthy 12 hours of playback.

The JBL Charge 2+ is a well-designed, water-resistant portable Bluetooth speaker that features good battery life and doubles as an external charger for your portable devices; It also has built-in speakerphone capabilities, and plays loudly with relatively strong bass and top-notch performance for...

While the speaker is water-resistant; it isn't waterproof (its ports remain exposed)

The $150-and-up price range is where portable Bluetooth speakers start delivering robust audio with more powerful bass response. With most genres of music, the $149.99 JBL Charge 2+ delivers a rich, crisp sound with an impressive sense of bass, but tracks with seriously deep lows can make the speaker distort dramatically at top volumes. Whether this is a major issue really depends on what type of music you listen to most often. For those whose libraries don't have lots of deep bass tracks, the splash-proof design of the Charge 2+, along with its ability to connect to three Bluetooth devices at once and charge mobile devices, will outweigh this negative. If you want distortion-free bass, you might want to consider paying $50 more for the Editors' Choice Bose SoundLink Mini II ($170.00 at Amazon) instead. DesignAvailable in a variety of bright colors, the cylindrical, 3.1-by-7.3-by-3.1-inch, 1.3-pound Charge 2+ is on the large end of the spectrum of portable Bluetooth speakers. The ...

The portable, splash-proof JBL Charge 2+ delivers a solid Bluetooth audio experience at moderate volume levels, but distortion can creep in on tracks with intense bass.

Rich, crisp audio performance ideal for most genres; Splash-proof, outdoor-friendly design; Speakerphone functionality; Can pair with up to three Bluetooth devices simultaneously; Can charge mobile devices

Distorts heavily on tracks with serious sub-bass; On-board track navigation is a bit tricky

The JBL Charge 2+ is a wireless Bluetooth speaker that sounds flat-out great -- and can double as a backup battery for your phone, too.

The JBL Charge 2+ is a well-designed, water-resistant portable Bluetooth speaker that features good battery life and doubles as an external charger for your portable devices; It also has built-in speakerphone capabilities, and plays loudly with relatively strong bass and top-notch performance for its size and price class.

While the speaker is water-resistant; it isn't waterproof (its ports remain exposed).

Smaller Bluetooth speakers have worked against this stigma for years: because of their size, they can't be taken seriously by music lovers looking for a loud, rich sound. By and large, these miniature speakers still have a long road ahead of them before that association is dissolved.

Design is easy on the eyes; Excellent sound; Water-resistant

Somewhat unintuitive button layout; A little expensive

We've reviewed the first and second JBL Charge in the market. Now, it's back in our hands with a plus sign next to its name. If you're interested to see what changed on the JBL Charge 2+ , check out our full review after the jump.

Splashproof; High volume; Long battery life; Able to charge other portable devices

The JBL Charge 2+ is quite possibly the best portable bluetooth speaker on the market right now. We felt the same way about the predecessor, the JBL Charge, ...

Sounds great; Colors; Splash-proof; Colors; USB charging; Speakerphone and Microphone; Easy pairing + social mode; Large battery with micro-USB charging; Nice micro-USB cable and USB adapter included

No track controls; No case included (like original Charge

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