JBL Flip 6 Review: Our Full Review – Bluetooth Speakers – Frandroid

Beneath its no-touch appearance, the JBL Flip 6 portable speaker marks a clear break from the Flip 5, thanks to a revised acoustic formula. JBL has installed an extra speaker and amplifier to make it more musical, especially at high volume. Small, rugged and easy to transport, the JBL Flip 6 has big advantages to win in its category.

Just as compact, the JBL Flip 6 Bluetooth speaker is one you take everywhere to listen to music or enjoy quality sound while watching a show on a smartphone or tablet. Solid, waterproof, not afraid of being pushed, submerged in water or placed on the sand. For this sixth vintage, JBL has made only minor cosmetic changes, but has doubled the number of drivers and amplifiers to better separate the frequency registers. The Flip 6 is therefore a 2-way model and this is considerable progress.

JBL Flip 6 Specifications

This test was performed with a loudspeaker loaned by the manufacturer.

JBL Flip 6 Design

The JBL Flip 6 evolves relatively little compared to the Flip 5, except for the brand logo, which ranges from the small red square to the large raised JBL letters in the same color as the speaker’s clothing. The Flip 6 therefore comes in the form of a cylinder approximately 18cm long and 8cm in diameter, largely covered in Kvadrat fabric. The gray hue of our model is obtained by weaving black, anthracite and light gray meshes, which give it discreetly sophisticated reflections. The fabric curves at the level of the contact area with the side reinforcements of the enclosure, which it covers from the front.

The speaker’s silicone base prevents it from tipping or rolling when placed, and points it slightly upwards for more direct diffusion toward the listener. On the top are the silicone control buttons, while on the back are the backlit power and Bluetooth pairing buttons, as well as the USB-C charging port and an LED bar that indicates the battery status. . Finally, the JBL Flip 6 speaker has a wrist strap for hanging or carrying.

The JBL Flip 6 oozes toughness, is fully waterproof and dustproof with IP67 certification and impresses with its design and build quality.

Use and application of the JBL 6

The JBL Flip 6 is designed to be used in the privacy of a room from a few feet away, placed on a bed or nightstand, as well as on a picnic blanket, pool deck, or even sand. a beach. . Throughout the many weeks that this test lasted, it was always comfortable: easy to carry, easy to put on and even hang or hold thanks to its strap. There’s always a place for it, hanging from the armrest of a camper van seat or attached to the luggage rack of a bike.

The control buttons are simple to operate and their relief makes them easy to identify, even with your eyes closed. The volume increments are quite numerous and allow you to adjust the volume quite precisely, more than using the buttons on a smartphone. The play/pause button allows you to skip to the next track with a double press. However, there is no possibility to go back to the previous track.

By default, the speaker sounds a tone when it is turned on and when it is connected to a Bluetooth source. However, it is possible to disable all interaction sounds.

An app with equalizer

JBL still offers the same basic app to manage your Bluetooth speakers. JBL Portable provides access to some useful features, as well as updating the firmware, such as a three-band equalizer (bass/middle/treble) or Party Boost mode. The latter can combine several JBL speakers (up to 100 in theory) to offer a more immersive and powerful sound.

Bluetooth multipoint

The built-in Bluetooth 5.2 controller supports multipoint connection, allowing the JBL Flip 6 to be used with two Bluetooth sources simultaneously. The connection is very stable and the advertised range of 10 meters is respected, even through a wooden floor. When powered on, the speaker reconnects to the last paired device very quickly.

Audio JBL Flip 6

The JBL Flip 6 marks a major evolution in the Flip range as, unlike the Flip 5 which only featured a wideband speaker, the Flip 6 inherits a soft dome tweeter, like the JBL Charge 5 and JBL Extreme 3. Necessarily, the addition of a 16mm transducer, dedicated exclusively to high frequencies, modifies the behavior of the Flip 6 in the upper part of the spectrum and makes treble sounds more audible in the midrange. But that’s not all in theory, as the 8 x 4.5 cm mid-bass driver, which now works in a narrower frequency range, should gain in efficiency and precision.

This loudspeaker is associated with two passive radiators, which mechanically amplify low frequencies below 80 Hz and reduce the excursion of the main transducer membrane. After testing, the speaker produces rich bass down to 55 Hz and clearly cuts off below. This is good performance for such a small speaker and good news, as the effective reproduction of bass around 60 Hz gives the impression of full listening.

The amplification also evolves with now two amplifiers instead of one: the first 20 W, for the mid-bass speaker, and the second 10 W, dedicated to the tweeter. So we can legitimately expect a better transient for each speaker and a better sound overall. Finally, only the SBC codec is supported, which is not a problem as the quality of the amplification and transducers take precedence over the wireless sound transmission method.

Test setup

I listened to the JBL Flip 6 speaker with an Apple Music iPhone 13 Pro Max, in various conditions: indoors, from a distance of 50 cm to several meters, as well as outdoors, in quiet nature and on the beach, with the sea ​​waves in the background. Either way, the speaker performed wonderfully, delivering a consistently nice and balanced sound. Note that, like many Bluetooth speakers, the little JBL Flip 6 reduces the volume of low frequencies beyond 40% of its volume, to preserve its amplification and the membrane of its speakers.

It’s a little less than a Charge 5 which reduces the aerodynamic profile by more than 60%, but in absolute terms it’s not very annoying, because the Flip 6 sounds very loud at 40% and can be heard without difficulty for several meters.

characteristic sound

The JBL Flip 6 is simply excellent for my ears, clearly superior to version 5. It offers a generous sound in the bass, smooth and analytical in the mids, thin and bright in the highs. The balance between the different registers is skilful and the recipe totally successful. Despite its small volume, it packs quite a punch and quite low (55 Hz) and does not leave the listener hungry.

The Flip 5 didn’t seem to go as low, its mids harsher and its highs less fluid. In short, this sixth iteration is very nice.

• Bass: smooth and generous down to 55 Hz, often surprising with its presence and low drag (passive radiators generate little inertia)
• Medium: Precise and textured, its balance can appeal to many ears. The voices are very well performed.
• Treble: thin and airy thanks to the new tweeter

Dynamic behavior and soundstage.

This is a strong point of the JBL Flip 6: its macrodynamic capability is good and the speaker is also capable of significant dynamic differences, without giving in to aggressiveness. So the sound is very much controlled, no matter what you give it to play with. Voice reproduction is entirely satisfactory, and in this game the Flip 6 does just as well, if not better, than the Charge 5. You have to listen to the Extreme 3 for more detail and refinement. The small JBL Flip 6 works very well with movies and series played from a laptop, smartphone or television.

Monophony obliges, the sound stage may not be wide, but it surprises with its depth. The good dynamic behavior allows a pleasant staggering of the sound planes, without annoying compaction. In practice, the sound of the transmission is well articulated and the voices stand out well. In this game, it does better than the JBL Flip 5 and the JBL Charge 5.

JBL Flip 6 Microphone

No microphone on the JBL Flip 6, as was the case with the previous model. So we can’t make calls with her.

JBL Flip 6 autonomy

JBL advertises up to 12 hours of battery life and I measured 13 hours after using the speaker at around 10-30% volume, listening to my usual playlists. It is a little less than a Flip 5, but logical since two amplifiers are now integrated. As for the battery, it recharges in about 2h30.

JBL Flip 6 price and release date

The JBL Flip 6 speaker is available in black, white, grey, red and blue, priced at €139 VAT included. It is not the least expensive of the small mobile speakers, but it is one of the best in its category.