This portable speaker delivers amazingly smooth sound with little distortion - and it's $130 off

Jack Wallen/ZDNET

ZDNET's cardinal takeaways

• The JBL Xtreme 4 Bluetooth speaker is connected merchantability now at Amazon for 34% off, bringing the terms down to $249.
• This football-sized talker produces monolithic dependable and truly shines successful the metallic genre.
• It's a spot pricey, and the app lone offers 3 EQ settings (none of which are customizable).
  

Sometimes, you conscionable request much powerfulness and measurement than a emblematic Bluetooth talker tin provide. Say, for instance, you're moving successful your gait oregon throwing a enactment outdoors oregon successful a ample space. For those occasions, you privation dependable that's large capable to clasp its ain against a assemblage of people, oregon to capable up your full house.

Also: One of the loudest Bluetooth speakers I've tested is besides the smallest

That's wherever the JBL Xtreme 4 comes into play. This football-sized Bluetooth talker delivers a amazingly large dependable susceptible of being heard rather intelligibly indeed, adjacent from a distance. In different words, this babe goes beyond Spinal Tap's 11.

Maybe adjacent 13. But what benignant of dependable does the Xtreme 4 produce? Let's speech astir that.

JBL Xtreme 4 Bluetooth talker tech specs

• 2 ¾" JBL Bass Radiators
• 2 ¾" tweeters
  
• 2 x 30W RMS woofer + 2 x 20W RMS tweeter (AC powerfulness mode), 2 x 20W RMS woofer + 2 x 15W RMS tweeter (Battery mode)
  
• Frequency response: 44 Hz - 20k Hz
  
• Dimensions (inches): 11.69 x 5.87 x 5.55
  
• Weight (lbs): 4.63
  
• Max playing clip from afloat charge: 24 hours
  
• Charging time: 3.5 hours
  
• Colors: Black, Blue, Camo
  
• Price: $379 connected Amazon 
  

Given the chonky size of this Bluetooth speaker, 1 of the archetypal things I wanted to bash was crank it up to spot conscionable however large it could get. So aft connecting it, I opened Spotify, launched my go-to opus ("Analog Kid" by Rush), and tapped the measurement fastener until it reached its limit. 

My bureau is astir 20' by 20' with 15' ceilings. When the Xtreme 4 was astatine its loudest, it was uncomfortable; truthful overmuch so, that I thought, "If it's excessively loud, you're excessively old." If you were to inquire my wife, she'd happily archer you that I ever (as Gene Simmons erstwhile sang) "love it loud." So, erstwhile I accidental a talker tin get uncomfortably loud, you tin spot me.

Also: One of the astir immersive speakers I've ever heard is not made by Sonos oregon JBL

To my surprise, adjacent astatine ear-defying decibels, the dependable was inactive beauteous clean. No, this isn't a talker that audiophiles volition drool over, but it's definite to delight anyone looking for much measurement than indispensable with that emblematic JBL sound. And adjacent though the JBL Portable app lone offers 3 antithetic EQ settings (none of which are customizable), the dependable is connected par with astir Bluetooth speakers I've tested. Here's the database of songs I tested (and my reactions to them):

• "Analog Kid" by Rush: Plenty of punch astatine the bottom, mids that were somewhat excessively pronounced, and highs that were contiguous but not rather arsenic sparkly arsenic I prefer.
• "Rule of Nines" by Spiritbox: This opus truly shined connected the Xtreme 4, with the indispensable powerfulness astatine the debased end, a midrange that perfectly suits Courtney Laplante's gorgeous (and sometimes frightening) voice.
  
• "The Long Road" by Eriks Esevnalds: A opus that conscionable stills my heart, it came disconnected with conscionable capable abstraction betwixt the voices to marque them clear. It could get a spot distorted erstwhile the voices became excessively dissonant.
  
• "Kingdom" by Devin Townsend Project: This is the opus to beryllium played astatine my funeral, and it came disconnected with capable punch to support up with the brutal rhythms of the guitar and drums. Devin's dependable was arsenic devilishly angelic arsenic always.
  
• "Lune: by Periphery: I loved however good the Xtreme 4 handled the mids connected this tune, and the footwear drum was much than capable to springiness maine the feels.
  

ZDNET's buying advice

As I said, this isn't going to cheque each the boxes for existent audiophiles, but for anyone that wants large dependable without distortion, the JBL Xtreme 4 is simply a large option. It's besides built to last, and includes a enarthrosis strap for casual carrying. With summertime astir here, if you're looking for a "party successful a box," this Bluetooth speaker's got you covered. 

One last happening I'll accidental is that of each the genres I tested with the Xtreme 4, it handled metallic best. So, if you're looking for a headbanger of a speaker, this is the one.