Short answer: the Cleer Audio Scene. It ranks #31 of 150 medium speakers by sound quality, rated 3.9/5, at $74.99; the JBL Charge Essential 3 SE ranks #40, rated 3.7/5, and costs $199.95, which makes this an easy call rather than a real tradeoff.
What the Cleer Audio Scene does well: Quite neutral frequency response, almost indistinguishable from the very neutral Flip 6 besides the worse bass extension. Watch for: Less bass extension than a Flip 6.
What the JBL Charge Essential 3 SE does well: Gets louder than the Bose SoundLink Flex 2nd Gen and digs deeper in the bass, with a separate 20mm tweeter, two passive radiators and 40W of amplification in the familiar Charge body. Watch for: In side-by-side listening against the Charge 6, its bass is weaker and less stable and distorts on bass-heavy tracks even with the bass turned down in the app, while a narrow boost in the upper mids makes it sound less natural.
Buy the Cleer Audio Scene. It is rated higher for sound quality than the JBL Charge Essential 3 SE and costs less, which makes it the one to get unless you need something the other one does better.
Still deciding? The full Portable Bluetooth rankings cover every ranked option.
Specifications Side By Side
| Cleer Audio Scene | JBL Charge Essential 3 SE | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $74.99 | $199.95 |
| Ranked | #31 of 150 in Medium Size Portable Bluetooth Speakers | #40 of 150 in Medium Size Portable Bluetooth Speakers |
| App | No | Yes |
| Aux Input | Yes | No |
| Bass Extension (-10dB) | ~62Hz | - |
| Battery Life | 12 hours (Manufacturer specified) | 20 hours (Manufacturer specified) |
| Built-in Microphone | Yes | No |
| EQ | No | Yes |
| IP Rating | IPX7 | IP67 |
| Power Input | USB-C | USB-C (5V/3A) |
| Stereo | Yes | No |
| Omnidirectional | No | No |
| TWS | No | Yes (Auracast) |
| Weight | 1.6 lbs (742 g) | 2.1 lbs (960 g) |
| Bluetooth | Yes | Yes |
| Bluetooth Codecs | AAC, SBC | SBC, AAC, LC3 |
| Bluetooth Version | 5.0 | 5.4 |
| Dimensions | 8.5” x 3” x 3.5” (217 x 76 x 89 mm) | 8.8” x 3.8” x 3.7” (223 x 96.5 x 94 mm) |
| Drivers | 2x 48mm neodymium dome drivers + 2x passive radiators | 52mm x 90mm racetrack woofer, 20mm tweeter, two passive radiators |
| Frequency Response | 50Hz - 20kHz (Manufacturer specified) | 60Hz - 20kHz (Manufacturer specified) |
| Digital Aux Input | No | No |
| Amplifier Power | 20W | 40W total (30W woofer + 10W tweeter) |
| Party Mode | - | Yes (Auracast) |
| Power Bank | - | Yes (USB-C) |
| Strap | - | No |
Related Speaker Comparisons
More top alternatives to Cleer Audio Scene:
- Earfun Uboom L vs Cleer Audio Scene
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- JBL Charge 6 vs Cleer Audio Scene
- JBL Flip 6 vs Cleer Audio Scene
- JBL Flip 7 vs Cleer Audio Scene
Prices on this page were last checked September 30, 2026 at 2:57 PM UTC. Product prices and availability are accurate as of that date/time and are subject to change; the price and availability shown on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
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The Two Speakers In Full
Cleer Audio Scene: $74.99 Amazon eBay
Pros: Quite neutral frequency response, almost indistinguishable from the very neutral Flip 6 besides the worse bass extension. Measured bass extension of ~62Hz (-10dB).
Cons: Less bass extension than a Flip 6. No app, EQ, stereo pairing, or multipoint. Sound is fairly directional: best right in front of it. Bigger and heavier than most speakers this size.
Full Cleer Audio Scene review and specifications →
| Amplifier Power | 20W |
|---|---|
| App | No |
| Aux Input | Yes |
| Bass Extension (-10dB) | ~62Hz |
| Battery Life | 12 hours (Manufacturer specified) |
| Bluetooth | Yes |
| Bluetooth Codecs | AAC, SBC |
| Bluetooth Version | 5.0 |
| Built-in Microphone | Yes |
| Digital Aux Input | No |
| Dimensions | 8.5” x 3” x 3.5” (217 x 76 x 89 mm) |
| Drivers | 2x 48mm neodymium dome drivers + 2x passive radiators |
| EQ | No |
| Frequency Response | 50Hz - 20kHz (Manufacturer specified) |
| IP Rating | IPX7 |
| Omnidirectional | No |
| Power Input | USB-C |
| Stereo | Yes |
| TWS | No |
| Weight | 1.6 lbs (742 g) |
- Links
- Reviews, Comparisons and Sound Samples
- Head-to-Head Comparisons
- Cleer Audio Scene vs Soundcore Boom 3i
- Cleer Audio Scene vs Tribit Xsound Plus 2
- Cleer Audio Scene vs JBL Charge 5
- Cleer Audio Scene vs Bose Soundlink Flex 2nd gen
- Cleer Audio Scene vs JBL Charge 5 Wifi
- Cleer Audio Scene vs Bose Soundlink Flex
- Cleer Audio Scene vs JBL Charge Essential 2
- Cleer Audio Scene vs Bogasing G4
- See all 31 comparisons
JBL Charge Essential 3 SE: $199.95 JBL eBay
Older models: the JBL Charge Essential 2 (ranked higher, rated 3.8/5) and the JBL Charge Essential (ranked lower, rated 3.2/5).
Pros: Gets louder than the Bose SoundLink Flex 2nd Gen and digs deeper in the bass, with a separate 20mm tweeter, two passive radiators and 40W of amplification in the familiar Charge body. IP67 water and dust protection, a claimed 20 hours of battery life, a USB-C power bank output, Auracast stereo pairing and multi-speaker linking, Bluetooth 5.4 with AAC, and app EQ.
Cons: In side-by-side listening against the Charge 6, its bass is weaker and less stable and distorts on bass-heavy tracks even with the bass turned down in the app, while a narrow boost in the upper mids makes it sound less natural. Against the Bose SoundLink Flex 2nd Gen it sounds muddier and more strident, with less detail and a smaller soundstage. At full price it costs as much as the Charge 6, which is the better speaker.
Full JBL Charge Essential 3 SE review and specifications →
| Amplifier Power | 40W total (30W woofer + 10W tweeter) |
|---|---|
| App | Yes |
| Aux Input | No |
| Battery Life | 20 hours (Manufacturer specified) |
| Bluetooth | Yes |
| Bluetooth Codecs | SBC, AAC, LC3 |
| Bluetooth Version | 5.4 |
| Built-in Microphone | No |
| Digital Aux Input | No |
| Dimensions | 8.8” x 3.8” x 3.7” (223 x 96.5 x 94 mm) |
| Drivers | 52mm x 90mm racetrack woofer, 20mm tweeter, two passive radiators |
| EQ | Yes |
| Frequency Response | 60Hz - 20kHz (Manufacturer specified) |
| IP Rating | IP67 |
| Omnidirectional | No |
| Party Mode | Yes (Auracast) |
| Power Bank | Yes (USB-C) |
| Power Input | USB-C (5V/3A) |
| Stereo | No |
| Strap | No |
| TWS | Yes (Auracast) |
| Weight | 2.1 lbs (960 g) |
- Links
- Reviews, Comparisons and Sound Samples
- Head-to-Head Comparisons
- JBL Charge Essential 3 SE vs Earfun Uboom Slim
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