Had JBL found a way to improve instrument separation I’d be happier here, but that may not be a realistic expectation to have for any small speaker.ĭespite mentioning distortion twice, I didn’t find it to be a dealbreaker. The sound here is just kind of boring on the whole. They aren’t bad but in A/B testing with other speakers I own the Flip 6 fell behind. On most of the songs I tested vocals were tinny and over-processed. The Flip 6’s biggest weakness other than separation is vocal clarity. The audio left me wanting more, despite all the talk about its upgraded internals. Every strum has the emotional resonance that song requires and the low-end does a better job of supporting the mids and highs. Bo Burnham’s “That Funny Feeling” and its guitar track are resonant and bright. In songs that focus on one particular type of instrument, it’s a bit of a brighter story. A great party track, Skylar Spence’s “Can’t You See,” which incorporates tons of drums, synths, horns, and guitars feels compacted together and it’s hard to pick those individual tracks out. On the whole, most instruments are still clear but they aren’t very well separated. The Flip 6 really struggled to handle the bass here, and got noticeably distorted at high volumes. The intro to that song absolutely hinges on the impact of the low-end and usually sounds best on headphones or a higher-end, larger speaker. My go-to stress test song for low-end is “Sound & Color” by Alabama Shakes. I never got the “wow” effect that the SoundLink gave me during that review. Each of those components does a great job of handling their respective frequency ranges, but it may be too much for a small speaker to properly handle.įor starters, I found the low-end to be lacking. Having a tweeter, woofer, and radiators packed into this small of a package is a bit of a double-edged sword. For all the talk about its upgraded internals, mainly in components that aid in the low-end, my impression of the Flip 6 was “this is pretty good.” I was most let down by the Flip 6’s audio. There are lots of speakers smaller than the Flip 6 that all sound worse, and larger speakers that sound better but may not fit as comfortably into your packed bag. For a crowded campout bag, I can see lots of outdoor enthusiasts picking the Flip 6. The Flex can fit into most everyday bags but it dwarfs the Flip 6. I loved the Bose SoundLink Flex speaker but if you value compactness, the Flip 6 is the winner here. The power button is also responsive and has a satisfying click but the Flip 6 can take a moment to wake up and connect to your phone. They’re super easy to feel out and don’t need to be deeply depressed. The buttons are hard plastic and tucked closer to the back of the Flip 6. If you value compactness, the Flip 6 is the winner. Despite its soft mesh exterior there’s no give or creaking here to be found. At 1.2 pounds, the speaker feels very dense and solid. The Flip 6 can fit into any bag, or you can use its built-in adjustable strap to attach it to anything you can think of. On the battery side you’re getting 12 hours of playback, another win compared to the rest of the compact Bluetooth speaker field. We only include products that have been independently selected by Input's editorial team. Input may receive a portion of sales if you purchase a product through a link in this article. The Flip 6 is certainly loud and clear in most instances, but in my testing, JBL hasn’t done quite enough here to make me fall in love with this speaker like so many have with prior Flip models. The Flip 6 also swaps the orange JBL logo for a bolder front badge that takes up a good chunk of the speaker’s face. It still maintains JBL’s trademark design language with its exposed radiators that you can feel shake as it plays music. The new $129 Flip 6 is more durable than ever thanks to an official IP67 rating (the Flip 5 was IPX7) and a completely new internal design to make it even louder. JBL has not been keen to let the Flip stagnate, sitting now at its sixth iteration and arguably the most dramatic. After the fall of the Jawbone Jambox and the rise of cylindrical speakers, the Flip became the perfect product to embody the vision for a small but loud speaker that can go anywhere. JBL’s Flip speakers are arguably the product synonymous with “Bluetooth speaker” for most people.
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