JBL named this product well: Macworld The Boombox booms and EDITORS' CHOICE then some. It's easily the loudest portable Bluetooth speaker I've tested and, even better, one of the best sounding. Considering that it employs waterproof materials and carries an IPX7 rating, something I've found often inhibits successful sound reproduction, color me impressed.
DESIGN AND FEATURES
As you might expect from its moniker (assuming you're old enough to get the reference), the Boombox is on the large side: 19.48 inches long, 7.69 inches high, and 10.01 inches deep, to be exact. It also weighs a rather hefty 11.57 pounds. Fortunately, the thick and comfortable handle makes that less of a burden than you might expect.
The buttons are on the upper front of the Boombox. In the center are the power button and pairing status light. Surrounding those are the Bluetooth pairing, volume up and down buttons, as well as a multifunction play/pause/next button (double-click). While the image above shows the non-power buttons in a lighter gray, on my shipping version they were the same black as the rest of the speaker and from certain angles the volume-down button was very difficult to make out. Lower down on the face of the Boombox is a battery status indicator.
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Mac 911
Solutions to your most vexing Mac problems.
Bowers & Wilkins Pi8: Great-sounding headphones that support aptX
B&W's new top-of-the-range Bluetooth earbuds sound great and include an innovative smart case that supports aptX technology for high-quality audio-even on Apple devices.
AirPods versus AirPods Pro: How they compare
Don't know whether to buy the AirPods 4, AirPods 4 with ANC, or AirPods Pro 2? Here's how they stack up.
Apple's true hit of 2024 isn't the iPhone 16
Apple's unsung hero of the fall is the AirPods 4.
Ugreen Revodok Pro 210: Decent speeds at a nice price
A hub for users who don't need top performance from their connections.
Anker Prime 100W GaN Wall Charger: Clever and compact
Anker proves that with a clever design, you can also achieve compact dimensions suitable for traveling.
Wombat Willow: A solid typing tool with some quirks
This isn't a keyboard that lets you simply plug in and go-you need to read the manual.
pdfFiller: An overpriced, half-baked PDF editor for macOS
A basic PDF editor that doesn't fulfill its promises and costs too much.
iPHONE 16 & 16 PLUS REVIEW: THE PHONE FOR EVERYONE CREEPS INTO PRO TERRITORY
APPLE'S BEST ALL-AROUND PHONE IS BETTER AND ALL-AROUNDER.
APPLE WATCH SERIES 10 REVIEW: MODEST IMPROVEMENTS TO A PROVEN FORMULA
IF YOU'VE BEEN WAITING FOR A BIG APPLE WATCH REVAMP, THIS ISN'T IT, BUT IT'S STILL THE BEST SMARTWATCH AROUND.