Tiny speakers get no respect, but they solve a real problem. Your phone’s speaker sounds terrible. Your laptop barely projects past your keyboard. You need music in places where dragging a full-size speaker makes zero sense: the shower, the kitchen counter while cooking, your workbench in the garage, or clipped to your backpack on a winter hike. Amazon just dropped the JBL Go 3 to $29, down from $39, hitting an all-time low price that puts this rugged Bluetooth speaker cheaper than most wired alarm clocks. At this price, you’re paying less than a dollar per hour of battery life for a speaker that can survive getting dropped in a snowbank.
Pocket-Sized Power That Survives Everything
The JBL Go 3 has a width of 3.4 inches by 2.7 inches high and 1.6 inches deep, and a weight of 0.46 pounds. The speaker has a 43 x 47mm driver that produces 4.2 watts of sound: The sound signature of JBL’s Pro Sound design includes bass response from the tiny speaker instead of high-pitched treble on lower-priced models. The frequency response of the speaker includes 110 Hz to 20kHz to encompass the full range of your hearing.
The rating of IP67 water resistant and dust resistant provides that it can withstand being submerged in full water, at a depth of a meter for 30 minutes. Place it in your shower as you rinse off the chill. Use it on your countertop as you clean dishes from dinner. Attach it to your jacket as you walk out into the snow and aren’t concerned as freezing rain begins to fall. The speaker won’t slip from the countertop or smooth surface as it sits there. The attached loop of cloth that comes with it enables you to attach it to your shower hooks or carabiners.
The speaker comes with Bluetooth 5.1 connectivity that connects rapidly to smartphones, tablets, and laptops and provides a constant connectivity connection from 10 to 15 meters away. The five buttons on top of the speaker control power on/off, pair the speaker with devices via Bluetooth connectivity, play/pause music as well as increase and decrease the sound volume.
Battery life goes an estimated five hours on a single charge but it’s been known to extend well beyond that based on overall audio output levels. Charging only takes 2.5 hours via the new USB C port. This leaves behind those days of digging around for a proprietary charging cord only found in your smoking hot new TV or powering a brick-sized micro-USB wall charger.
The internal microphone provides speakerphone capability with noise and echo reduction: This makes it a convenience device for when you want to take your calls while cooking in the kitchen or showering. The speaker design provides mono sound that resonates from the front on one side. The rubber on the back of the speaker prevents it from slipping: This particular design trait appears practical for transportability as opposed to stereo sound that you won’t be needing inside a shower or kitchen.
At $29, the speaker may be purchased for less than the average ticket to a movie and provides years of enjoyment. Budget-friendly Bluetooth speakers usually have to cut back on either sound quality, durability, or battery life. The Go 3 doesn’t scrimp on anything in those departments.
