By Chris Gannon
I’ve been using the JBL Flip 2 portable wireless speaker for a few weeks now, and the first word that comes to mind is “Wow!” If you’re in the market for a powerful Bluetooth speaker at a reasonable price, the JBL Flip 2 is where you should look first — especially since the price has been reduced from $99.95 to $69.99.
First, and most importantly as with any speaker, is how it sounds. It sounds good, really good. (“I like it a lot” to quote Lloyd Christmas.) I’m not an expert when it comes to speakers, but I’m probably like most people reading this and can tell the difference between something that sounds bad, something that sounds good, and something that sounds great. This little speaker sounds great.
I can hear all my music the way I think it is supposed to be appreciated. The highs and lows are both very crisp. The Flip 2 is not going to blow you away with the bass and distort the audio in any way. Don’t get me wrong; if you like bass, you’ll still hear it but it’s not going to “bump” (the JBL Charge 2 can do this for you if you want to pay a little more).
The volume on this little thing is one of the most pleasant surprises. I could not believe how loud the volume of this speaker, which is not much bigger than a can of Coke, could get. With volume turned up half-way, the JBL Flip 2 will fill most any room with music. At near full volume, it’s really lout and still sounds good.
One small gripe (and I do mean small) is that even with the volume turned down on the first level, it’s still a little louder than I would prefer for “easy listening.”
The advertised battery life is 4-5 and that seems to be the case. Sure, that battery life isn’t the most impressive in this department, but it’s not bad was plenty sufficient for my needs.
The Flip 2 is designed to sit on its side in a horizontal position or on it’s end in a vertical position. I’ve found myself sitting it in the vertical position more often because the controls (which are very simple and look nice) are on top and easily accessible from this position. I tried to see if I noticed any difference at all it sound based on how it was sitting, and I didn’t.
The Flip 2 is a Bluetooth system. I had no problems at all setting that up to my iPhone, iPad or Mac – it was all very simple and quick. The Flip 2 comes with a nice carrying case to carry the speakers in without the charging cords.
As I said, if you are in the market for a small Bluetooth speaker system for your iOS or other device, you can’t go wrong with the JBL Flip 2.
Apple World Today Rating (out of 5 stars): ★★★★
