JBL Clip 5 Review

Our JBL Clip 5 Experience

Connecting this speaker is effortless, taking us less than 10 seconds. We appreciate that the Clip 5 makes two different sounds for powering on and off, and comes with an indicator light so we can ensure that it's not left on, which can drain the battery.

We loved listening to audiobooks and watching movies in the tub with this speaker clipped to the showerhead. The vocals and sound effects in “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire” by JK Rowling sound natural and full.

Analysis and Test Results

Sound Quality

While not as refined or detailed as larger speakers, Clip 5 has a particularly punchy sound that travels far and can even play music for up to 10 or so people. We're particularly impressed by the clear vocals.

The bass clarity is good as far as most speakers go, but we wouldn't go so far as to call it pristine. It's more boomy than many speakers, almost like it's overcompensating for its small size. Drums sometimes sound a little blown-out, particularly in the blast drum beat at 2:07 of “Let Me In” by GROUPLOVE. While some may enjoy the emphasized, rumbly bass, some may find it a bit annoying. We found the mids to be rich and clear most of the time, and more forward and present than other speakers, which is what makes it so great for movies and books.

The trebles can veer into harsh territory at high volumes and with difficult “s” consonants, but offer more detail than the other speakers of this size. But when listening at more moderate volumes, it handles most of these tones without edging into harsh territory or sounding too busy.

The sound comes from the front and back of the mesh, making it sound fuller. Though most of the sound comes out of the front. The orientation is very important for this speaker's soundstage, as it must be upright and clipped to something; otherwise, if it lies on its back, the sound becomes muffled.

Portability

The Clip 5 is extremely lightweight and portable. It weighs only 0.6 pounds and fits in the palm of our hand, and easily fits in our pocket.

We clipped it to our purse and backpack and hardly noticed any extra weight, making it one of the most portable speakers we've ever tested. We also appreciate that the clip is pretty wide and opens up a little over an inch, so it can clip onto almost anything, compared to the tiny carabiner clips we're used to on mini speakers.

Volume

This tiny speaker gets up to 87.3 decibels, which is similar to a blender on high.

The higher the volume, the more blown out this speaker sounds. When the volume is above 80%, the bass becomes pretty muddled and boomy, and the treble becomes quite harsh. Luckily, the Clip 5 has adjustable sound settings in the JBL app, which helped curb the boominess. That said, like many compact speakers, the Clip 5 sounds best at mid volume.

Durability

After taking a few tumbles, the Clip 5 continued to work and play music just as before without any issues. So, if you have a cat (or a kid) who enjoys knocking things to the ground, fear not.

The speaker has an IP67 rating, making it plenty water-resistant to handle trips to the lake or the inside of a shower. We showered with it several times, even dropping it in the tub after unclipping it, and we had no issues with the sound or connectivity afterward.

Battery

The Clip 5 has one of the more lackluster battery lives at 8 hours and 50 minutes (several hours less than the manufacturer's claimed 12-hour battery life). It was enough to get us through a day of tailgating, but it will require more frequent charges than most speakers.

Ease of Use

We don't love that the bottom of the speaker is rounded, so we weren't able to set it upright, and it either needs to be clipped or propped up against something. So, when we were using it at our desk, it sat flat, and it sounded much more compressed. But when clipped and sitting upright, Clip 5 sounds quite good and delivers clear vocals for podcasts and books.

The buttons on the front and sides are a little harder to press than those on most other speakers, particularly the pause button, which wasn't the most responsive.

The Clip has one of the shortest connectivity distances, up to 108 feet. That said, we think this is still plenty, since the speaker is designed for close usage. When playing music at home in a 2000-square-foot house, we left it downstairs in the living room and walked upstairs, and it stayed connected.

We tried using the “Auracast” feature to connect the Clip to other JBL speakers for a surround-sound experience, but after 10 minutes, we still couldn't pair it with the other speakers.