If you're in the market for a small, inexpensive speakers, the JBL Clip would be the ideal speaker for your needs. It may not pack any big punches, but it does it's job very well.
Features and Design:
The JBL is designed for portability and obscurity. Most people probably won't notice it's hanging on your book bag or gym bag until you play music out of it, and that's one quality I love about it. It looks like a big, black pocket watch. It measures a circular 4.2 by 3.2 by 1.6 inches (HWD), with the extra inch of height for the handy clip on the top of the circular speaker. The Clip is a manageable 5.6 ounces, which won't weigh anything you attach it to down. The front panel holds a speaker grille branded with the JBL logo that also covers its 40mm driver and small status LED. Along the edge of the speaker are dedicated buttons for Bluetooth pairing, Power, Call Answering/Ending, and Volume Up/Down rockers. The back panel houses a snap-in compartment for a built-in 3.5mm cable. The cable winds once around the speaker, kinda like a yo-yo. The carabiner clip at the top of the speaker is made of a rubberized material, and it's easy to just snap on to a bag or belt. The Clip has a very simple and intuitive design that makes operating it a breeze. JBL estimates the battery life of the Clip at a modest 5 hours of playback, but your volumes levels will be the ultimate judge on that. It doesn't take long to charge either, so if you're going to be a heavy user of the speaker, it won't take long to get the battery back to a full charge.
Quality and Performance: I didn't expect much from the Clip in terms of musical quality, but for it's size, the Clip produces some impressive sounds. I took the clip with me to my local indoor basketball gym, and even with other players in the gym with me, I always heard the Clip playing in the background over loud basketballs. Only when I cranked the Clip and my iPod to their own maximum levels did I hear any distortion, but that's to be expected with a speaker at this size. It's a reliable speaker, and for $50 bucks, it's a steal. With songs that don't push out a ton of bass, the music comes out crystal clear. The speaker can get to surprisingly loud levels when you push it there, and it can serve a lot of different functions. The speakers quality can quickly change depending on your song choices, most hip-hop songs require much more bass than classical music. The bass comes through with enough gusto that you get an idea of how this would sound through a club PA system, but since this isn't even a bookshelf speaker, the bass is more implied than delivered. When you crank up the music to it's peak, the battery will only last about 3 hours. The battery will only fulfill it's 5 hour promise if you keep the speaker's volume at moderate levels.
Final Thoughts:
If you're looking for booming bass in a portable Bluetooth speaker, you're going to need to spend a lot more money, and you're going to need to look elsewhere. The speaker is ultra portable, and it's rugged enough so you can carry it every where you need it. For me, this is an easy pick up.
+Solid Sound Quality +Great Portability +Reasonable Price -Battery Life Fluctuates -Sound Distorts with heavy Bass
S&S Rating: 8/10 @whatsPlay
