u/Speaker_Critic777

So this is a screenshot from my JBL authentics 300 eq page after the recent firmware it got on the JBL ONE app.

Yes, we now have presets that we can save. 👀

I believe it will exist for portables and partyboxes, hopefully. [Edit] - just Realized it exists on the encore 2 now. I bet other partyboxes have that too.

Yesss🔥🔥 And HOLY does the 300 sound better now.

On bluetooth, it actually sounds pretty good now, the treble is now more sparkly and cleaner, more balanced sound and eq has better impact on frequencies. Good job JBL.

Been enjoying this mouse for about two years, wirelessly ofcourse.

And today something odd happened, my mouse can't take a charge at this point.

I have connected it to charge from my pc as i usually do, and this time it slowly blinks red, and does not change the color overtime as an indication of being charged.

The software says that it charges but it's at 0% for a while now, i did reset before and it showed the blue color for a second and kept being red.

Iv'e just updated the firmware from 1.2.0 to 2.2.0, and now it shows 1%. Checked AI and they say that the mouse entered a sleep mode because the battery was fully discharged and it needs to charge for a while to get the battery going.

After 7 years of the stockwell 2 being out, this year in august, the stockwell 3 will be out on sale.

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What's known so far - they claim improved IP rating (IP 65), 40+ hours of playtime with a replacable capability, 127 watts of power 🤔, and improved sound.

The driver setup will remain unchanged (1x 3" woofer + 2x 1.75" midrange/tweeters) but with a massive increase in wattage as they claim.

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Based on those specs, it should be a big improvement, hopefully it will be something competitive.

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I'm not a huge fan of marshall's portables as iv'e tried several ones and really didn't see them as top contenders, but i'm always open for improvements of brands that feel like they need to prove something.

Stay tuned✌🏼

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So iv'e had the PL version of the Xtteme 5 all this time. Been enjoying it so far, but i wanted to know if it differs from the GG counterpart, so i bought the GG one too.

[BACKGROUND]🔥-

For those who don't know, different versions of jbl speakers have been a thing for a long time.

Different factories in different locations make the same speaker model, but with a different serial number of the product, and there are differences in internal components and build, including the woofer material, different internal wiring, different screws etc. Those can affect the waterproofing, sound performance and lifespan. Why? Probably local material costing and preferences, can't find another reason.

[🗒]This type of thing is usually neglected by jbl themselves because they don't want us to know about different versions and pretend that it's all the same.

The Xtreme 5 has two known versions,

[GG] (the european version), mostly uses paper cone woofers.

[PL] (mostly in the US), uses a Plastic called polypropylene (a known woofer material as well).

[IS THERE A DIFFERENCE?]🔥-

Now that i have both versions i can share if there's a difference between both. Under the grill, those versions have slightly different looking woofers, but the same size.

Soundwise, iv'e tried to test both side by side on signature EQ, the honestly, the difference exists, but isn't huge.

The woofer materials is the main factor that makes the difference.

The GG version is a softer, more vshaped sound profile,with a less "boxy" kick to it. Also the mids feel a bit more "alive" on the GG.

Plus the low end has a more extended effect when low notes are hitting.

Meanwhile, the PL has a more mid forward profile with a feel of beeing "less relaxed". A tighter bass profile.

In terms of longetivity and waterproofing, they say that plastic cones last longer than paper cones because paper can change its effectiveness and shape overtime, but they're probably using more materials in that paper mixture for the woofer. Both woofers are coated with the proper waterproofing.

[CONCLUSION]🔥-

Even though those differences seem massive, this has to be taken with a grain of salt. I did not measure the frequency of both, i simply went for the critical listening approach.

For most people, this difference might me very minimal to none.

🔈🔉🔊✌🏼🔥cheers.

[BACKGROUND]🔥:

The harman kardon luna 2 is finally here, and i didn't expect harman to make such drastic changes to it. It feels like a completely different series speaker.

[PRICE]💲:

the HK luna 2 appears on the official website for 200 dollars USD, but i saw the price going down to 170 - 180 dollars in various stores across europe and the US.

The luna 1 was around 180$ at release, and has gone down to 150 dollars and even slightly less.

[DESIGN & PORTABILITY]🔥:

The Luna 2 has a completely different design approach this time. Going for the futuristic, mostly metallic design, with no fabric wrap unlike the luna 1, which can attract scratches more easily, on the front and back grills, which brings me to the conclusion is that the original luna is a more durable speaker overall.

The luna 2 will have to be watched more often, even considering a case for it if used outdoors more often.

[🗒]- an important note is that the button layout of the luna 2 does NOT include a play/pause button. A weird decision, maybe because the jbl has it🤣🤷‍♂️.

[SPECS]🔥:

In terms of dry specs, not much has been changed, still the 40w setup of woofer and tweeter (25w for woofer and 15 for tweeter).

The frequency response🔊 is now at 58hz - 20khz based on harman's specs, compared to the 60hz - 20khz of the luna 1.

Based on that, the luna 2 should have slightly more bass extention.

The battery life🔋 still remains 12 hours, but there is a catch.

The battery of the luna 2 is now 23wh, compared to the original luna's 17wh rating.

The 12 hour battery life rating claim of the luna 2 might include the new lightshow🚦 (will talk about later), and the increase in bass extention and overall volume, so it will be interesting to see how it goes without lights and at moderate volumes or less bass heavy eq settings.

Underneath the speaker there is a nail sized pocket for an easier removal of the bottom cover, i'd say for easier battery replacment which is not typical for harman speakers to have as far as i know.

[FEATURES]🔥:

That's where it gets interesting.

The luna 2 has approched a new era of harman's speakers, right up there with the onyx 9, offering an app support with eq customization, which wasn't a thing with the luna 1. I was expecting harman to keep up with the "right out of the box" kind of experience but they had to show some Quality of life improvements down the line otherwise there wouldn't be a big reason to upgrade. they're getting closer and closer to JBL in terms of that.

The luna 2 supports SBC and AAC (only SBC on the luna 1), the ability to see battery percentage through the app.

Auracast supported as well. The luna 2 can be connected to auracast speakers including the onyx 9 and JBL's, plus other brand speakers that are able to connect using that tech.

In the app we can find light modes, 7 band EQ with a few presets, and some other options like feedback sounds, auto turn off timer, etc.

[LIGHTSHOW]🚦:

On the base of The luna 2 there's a round transparent rubber ring that has LED lights underneath, and those lights are used for reflecting a ring of light on the surface around the speaker, making it a nicer more emotional experience. The app offers some effects and color choosing.

[SOUND]🔥:

Still having the classic mono approach, the new woofer is less oval, and has more surface area than the luna 1 woofer (5k square milimeter vs 4.3k.)

The tweeter is now more located towards the middle which is nice in my opinion.

The passive radiators have been moved to the front and back, instead of the traditional side passives which in total had less surface are.

The sound profile here reminds me a bit of the charge 6. The fimiliar proccessing effect from stereo to mono that leads to a unique treble texture that some might call "distortion", but it's less noticeable on the luna 2 compared to the charge 6 and flip 7.

[BASS PERFORMANCE]🔊:

with the luna 2, harman is going for a different tuning in the bass - less boomy and punchy, more deep and vshaped.

The bass is surprisingly smooth and deep for the size, might also be the cause of less upperbass, and when holding the vibration is felt quite a bit.

The default tuning is quite bass forward, to the point that i had to use the eq to lower it down a bit, and added some extra 250hz on eq.

Overall, a more indoor friendly approach with the bass this time. Easier to disappear in noisy conditions outdoors.

The luna 1 had a boomy nature which was more outdoor suitable to my taste.

[MIDS PERFORMANCE]🔉:

The mids are well pronounced on the luna 2, without a noticeable lack in the vocals and instruments. Still adding some extra 1khz on the slider won't hurt.

The 500hz slider is kept neutral on my eq, because it creates a larger vshape curve between bass and lower mids.

[TREBLE PERFORMANCE]🔈:

The treble is quite smooth at low - mid volumes, quite pleasant and clear but still has some of the charge 6 artifacts in certain songs. At high volumes it pushes the treble and the 2khz region, making it a bit too sizzly. not as much as the charge 6, but definitely brighter and more ear piercing than the luna 1 which remains warmer at all volumes.

Eq can definitely make the luna 2 warmer by loweing the 8khz slider.

At low volumes it might need some 2khz increasing, before it starts boosting the higher the volume goes.

[CONCLUSION]🗒:

The luna 2 is a refreshing upgrade, adding more relevancy and life to the luna series, with the app support and the features it brings along with it.

To me the sound has moved to the right direction.

even though it moved closer towards the JBL tuning approach, it still remains more balanced and smoothed out, to bring a more indoor friendly experience.

The eq does quite a bit as well here,maybe  more so after the latest firmware.

Thanks for watching my review🔈🔉🔊🙏🏼.

Been playing with the jbl X5 for sometime, and found my sweetspot for the PL (US) version of the xtreme 5. Not sure how the european version sounds compared to the GG, it might sound different on that version but worth trying.

This EQ balances out the uppermids and upperbass to have some extra clarity sense.

💲Xtreme 5 retail price - 399 USD

💲Xtreme 4 retail price - 350 USD,

🗒nowadays sold for around 250 - 300 USD

[BACKGROUND]:

The release of the Xtreme 5 was quite fast and "rushed", after less than two and a half years of the xtreme 4 being out.

And i believe it's because the Xtreme 4 was a bit underwhelming as a predecessor to the 3, especially soundwise. Hardware was limited, only SBC support on bluetooth, still has the older partyboost pairing chip. The battery was a massive, but a single significant upgrade from the xtreme 3.

Obviously it's also linked to the competition that has been getting closer than ever, which even surpassed the xtreme 4 in some categories (soundcore boom 2, bose SL Max ,tribit SB LAVA, etc.)

the new xtreme 5 came to close that gap, and finally give the xtreme series the respect it deserved, being a middleground between the charge and boomboxes, bringing its full potential, features and hardware.

🔥[Design] - in terms of design, overall it hasn't drastically changed. Still the similar shape with a bulky bottom, but there are a few key differences: SIZE🦣 - the xtreme 5 is slightly LARGER than the xtreme 4.

The difference is definitely seen if put side by side.

Width ↔️ went from 297 mm to 346,

Height ↕️ went from 149 mm to 165,

Depth 🔄 went from 141 mm to 155,

And Weight 🪨 went from 2.1KG to 2.9KG.

(the woofer still uses a neodymium magnet so i guess the extra size, maybe thicker cabinet materials have caused that increase in weight.

The constuction of the speaker is a bit different, looking more "polished", with thick rubber pannels on top and bottom, giving a more "Tanky" feel to it. (the xtreme 4 has most of its body fabric wrapped).

🤔Overall, i personally like the new design more, it looks more finished than the xtreme 4 design, plus the two front LED stripes i'll talk about later on.

Let's move on to the differences in specs:

The main spec that makes this change so significant, is the:                                       

🔥[DRIVER SETUP] -                                        

So instead of two 70mm woofers on the xtreme 4 (totalling 7700 square milimeters) + two tweeters🔉🔉,

The xtreme 5 now presents a single larger 145 by 98 mm woofer in the middle (totaling over 11,000 square milimeters), + two tweeters.🔊

In terms of wattage, the xtreme 5 on battery🔋 claims 60 watts on woofer and 15x2 on tweeters,

Mains power🔌 - 90 watts on woofer, 20x2 on tweeters (note - some units come with a dedicated 80W charger that can boost the power and volume unlike weaker or unbranded chargers, and it seems to be a big L for jbl. I got a charger for ordering from the US, but it doesn't seem to appear on the GG european version).

In terms of losing "stereo sound" due to the single woofer,

🤔remember that the woofers on the previous xtreme models were simply too close to each other to be able to notice the seperation in mids and bass, but for certain people with critical front facing type of listen, it might be a slight concern.

Based on the cone sizes, on paper the xtreme 5 should not only be more power efficient (less power needed for a single coil to move one bigger cone instead of 2 seperate cones), but we should also get more air pressure inside the speaker cabinet, leading to more bass extention, and more overall impact.

As the frequency response shows, 4-5Hz deeper on the X5 is quite significant.

🔥[Battery Life] - nothing tricky here, same replacable JBL battery 400 (partybox 320 supporter) with a capacity of 68 wh.

The battery life seems to be rated the same, with slightly more playtime boost hours on the xtreme 4 according to JBL, but the single woofer theory needs to be tested IRL later on before proven to be more power efficient.

🔥[Features] - so we got some new refreshing upgraded features that most of them we've seen on the latest charge/flip/boombox models (7 band eq, AAC support, Lossless audio Via USB C cable, "claimed smart EQ capabilities")

-And As always the AI soundboost claims that are based on an algorithm that tweaks certain frequencies in real time to supposedly reduce distortion and intermodulation.

-🚦Another interesting addition is the LED strips on the top and bottom parts of the front panel of the speaker, which also act as battery and volume indicators, including firmware update loading.

The lighting includes several customizable colors and animations through the app, which are synced to the music played, which is refreshing and adds a bit of a vibe to the overall experience. The lights overall are pretty minimal, but i prefer them over having no lights at all.

🔥[SOUND PERFORMANCE] - 

[BASS] - so far, i'm impressed. This new woofer configuration has definitely brought some power to the table that surpassed the limits of any xtreme model, including most competitors at this size.

Unlike the xtreme 4, the xtreme 5 can now EASILY play down to 40 hz with authority.

Soundstage and headroom in terms of bass are now on a new level.

Based on hearing it side by side with a boombox 4, at low volumes the xtreme 5 gets pretty close in terms of bass performance, tho the boombox 4 takes over at higher volumes.

Bass limiting is not a problem as it was with the xtreme 4.

[MIDS] - the main concern about this kind of driver setup, lies on the performance of the mid frequencies.

Now that the woofer plays deeper, it will obviously have more recessed mids to focus on bass performance, but i personally don't find them lacking that much especially after adding some levels to the 250hz slider, while keeping the 500hz slider low to prevent boxy sound.

Even though there is a clear reduction in mid tones, the vshaped nature makes it a more exciting, fun experience with better "sense" of clarity. There is definitely a dip in the mids to some extent, but it can be improved a bit using the EQ.

It does lack in the 2khz region as well, therefore a quick fix on the eq can give the lower treble/upper mids more body.

[TREBLE] - in terms of treble performance, the treble has more definition and sparkle to it, feeling more seperated from the mids, unlike the xtreme 4 which felt more "bland" and maybe even a little boring after long listening sessions. Better instument seperation and slightly more detailed than the xtreme 4 to my ears.

It is a bright sounding speaker overall, but it doesn't feel too earpiercing as the charge 6 did at high volumes.

At max volume it does prioritize mids and treble, but those can be tamed down using the eq.

🔥[SOUND CONCLUSION]- Overall, it is a pretty significant upgrade across the board. With more depth, better soundstage and an xtreme feeling, and it keeps its bass at those high volumes pretty well.

It also goes louder and has more intensity and more presence of the bass indoors across the rooms.

- is it worth 400 dollars? I'd say yes. It is an increase in price from the xtreme 4, but this time you get what you pay for. A speaker that performs better than any speaker iv'e tested at this size category.

- is it worth upgrading from the 4? If money isn't a problem and you're looking for the most performance, then yes.

But the xtreme 4 is still a decent speaker which can provide enough power for its size.

Thanks for taking a look at my review!!🔈🔉🔊

Finally got my hands on the new Tribit stormbox micro 3, and i'll share my thoughts about how it performs against the previous micro 2 and in a future post, some of the competitors you'll want me to comapre (Bose SL micro Gen 2, soundcore select 4 go, and the JBL clip 5).

[PRICE]💲 - The M3 is priced around the M2,60-70 dollars. Sold with a discount in some placed including aliexpress and the official tribit website.

[Specs & Features]🔥 - The micro 3 has been packed with few refreshing upgrades, including a new bluetooth 6.0 (vs 5.3), ip68 rating (vs ip67), 24 hour battery life rating (vs 12 hours), 13 watt driver (vs 10 watt), AAC support (vs SBC only).

🔌Device charging, TWS pairing, Microphone and EQ are included as the previous model.

[DESIGN]🔥 - The design of the micro 3 has got a slight refresh, looking more modern, more rounded, the logo looks and feels a bit more premium. Button layout has slightly changed, a new xbass button has been added, and a dedicated TWS button. The strap seems to be slightly more versatile and a bit easier to stretch.

[SOUND]🔥 - Using the music preset on the M2 and signature mode on M3, i can already sense an improvement in tuning, especially in the low volumes.

More pleasant, more exciting and v - shaped kind of tuning.

[BASS] - the M3 seems to reach deeper, with a similar level of punch. On xbass mode the bass increase is quite significant, but might start slightly limiting loudness at max volume.

[MIDS] - the mids are just a little bit more recessed on the M3, but i personally find it nicer to the ear with some slight seperation between the treble and mids.

Overall, similar mids performance.

[TREBLE] - in terms of treble, some will say that there's more clarity on the M2, but i personally think the treble sounds nicer on the M3, also thanks to the AAC support.

The M2 has some treble artifacts that many SBC only speakers have, and i find it quite noticeable.

The treble of the M3 has slightly more coloration and detail to it in my personal opinion.

[CONCLUSION] 🗒- Overall, the M3 is an improvement overall, and not only in design and features, but also a slightly better and more "fun" tuning and bass extention.

Worth upgrading from the M2?🤔 - For most people the difference will not be massive probably, but it is definitely worth getting over the M2 if you have to get one of them.

Thanks for taking a look✌🏼🔈🔉🔊

Knowing that it's not gonna reach my country soon, i ordered one from the US, and asked them to provide me with the serial number to check the version.

We know that the GG version is sold in europe, and looks to be quite successful in terms of sound and performance.

And apparently the version i'm getting, is PL.

I was a bit concerned, and thought about canceling the order, but iv'e decided to go with it still.

Hopefully it's not a mid lacking plastic woofer that struggles with vocals and has distortion, similar to what happened to the boombox 4.