Short answer: the JBL Charge 5 for better sound quality, the Tribit Xsound Plus 2 for the lower price. The JBL Charge 5 ranks #26 of 136 medium speakers at $134.95. The Tribit Xsound Plus 2 ranks #32 at $60, $74.95 cheaper.
The case for the JBL Charge 5: Doubles as a power bank (USB-A out) for charging your phone. IP67 rated, survives a 1m dunk for 30 minutes. ~20 hour battery life. Watch for: Not stereo. Warm sound. Shouty upper mids. Boosted bass. Slightly rolled off treble.
What the Tribit Xsound Plus 2 offers: Use this EQ for the best sound quality. The tradeoff: Boosted treble, boosted bass in the factory EQs. Peak at 320hz, dip at 500hz.
Buy the JBL Charge 5 if sound quality matters more than the price. Buy the Tribit Xsound Plus 2 if the price matters more than sound quality.
Specifications Side By Side
| JBL Charge 5 | Tribit Xsound Plus 2 | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $134.95 | $60 |
| Ranked | #26 of 136 in Medium Size Portable Bluetooth Speakers | #32 of 136 in Medium Size Portable Bluetooth Speakers |
| App | Yes | Yes |
| Bass Extension (-10dB) | 53Hz | 55Hz |
| Battery Life | 20 hours (Manufacturer specified) | 24 hours (Manufacturer specified) |
| EQ | Yes (3 band) | Yes |
| Bluetooth Latency | 125ms | SBC 233ms, AAC 240ms |
| Max Volume | 99dB | 99dB |
| Party Mode | Yes (PartyBoost up to 100 speakers) | No |
| Power Bank | Yes (USB-A, 5V/2A) | - |
| Stereo | No | Yes |
| Omnidirectional | No | No |
| TWS | Yes | Yes |
| Weight | 2.1 lbs / 960 g | 1.8 lbs / 798 g |
| Aux Input | No | Yes |
| Bluetooth Codecs | AAC, SBC | - |
| Bluetooth Version | 5.1 | 5.3 |
| Dimensions | 8.8" x 3.8" x 3.7" (223 x 96.5 x 94 mm) | 7.8" x 2.8" x 2.6" (198 x 71 x 66 mm) |
| Drivers | 53mm x 93mm woofer, 20mm tweeter | 2x 45mm neodymium full-range drivers |
| Frequency Response | 60Hz - 20kHz (Manufacturer specified) | - |
| IP Rating | IP67 | IPX7 |
| Power Input | USB-C | USB-C |
| Output Power | 40W | 30W |
| Built in Microphone | Yes (dual microphones) | Yes |
| Digital Aux Input | No | No |
| Aux Latency | - | 16ms |
Related Speaker Comparisons
More useful head-to-heads from the same speaker class:
- Bogasing G4 vs Bose Soundlink Flex 2nd gen
- Soundcore Boom 3i vs Bose Soundlink Flex
- Bose Soundlink Flex 2nd gen vs Soundcore Boost “upgraded” 2021
- JBL Charge 5 vs Tribit Stormbox Flow
- Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 4 vs JBL Charge 5
The Two Speakers In Full
JBL Charge 5: $134.95 Amazon Bhphotovideo
Pros: Doubles as a power bank (USB-A out) for charging your phone. IP67 rated, survives a 1m dunk for 30 minutes. ~20 hour battery life.
Cons: Not stereo. Warm sound. Shouty upper mids. Boosted bass. Slightly rolled off treble. Overly expensive.
Full JBL Charge 5 review and specifications →
| App | Yes |
|---|---|
| Aux Input | No |
| Bass Extension (-10dB) | 53Hz |
| Battery Life | 20 hours (Manufacturer specified) |
| Bluetooth Codecs | AAC, SBC |
| Bluetooth Latency | 125ms |
| Bluetooth Version | 5.1 |
| Built in Microphone | Yes (dual microphones) |
| Digital Aux Input | No |
| Dimensions | 8.8" x 3.8" x 3.7" (223 x 96.5 x 94 mm) |
| Drivers | 53mm x 93mm woofer, 20mm tweeter |
| EQ | Yes (3 band) |
| Frequency Response | 60Hz - 20kHz (Manufacturer specified) |
| IP Rating | IP67 |
| Max Volume | 99dB |
| Omnidirectional | No |
| Output Power | 40W |
| Party Mode | Yes (PartyBoost up to 100 speakers) |
| Power Bank | Yes (USB-A, 5V/2A) |
| Power Input | USB-C |
| Stereo | No |
| TWS | Yes |
| Weight | 2.1 lbs / 960 g |
As an eBay Partner, we may be compensated if you make a purchase.
- Links
- Reviews, Comparisons and Sound Samples
- Alan Ross Reviews: JBL Charge 6 or the JBL Charge 5? don’t go home till you watch this!
- Mateusz Cholewa: JBL Charge 6 🎶👌Unboxing 📦vs Jbl Charge 5 Short Test Audio i Hz.
- GYMCADDY: JBL Charge 6 Review - Worth Upgrading Even If You Have The JBL Charge 5
- Alan Ross Reviews: JBL Charge 5 vs JBL Charge 4 and Charge 3 - best JBL charge 5 review 2021?
- Alan Ross Reviews: JBL Charge 5 vs Motion Plus and Sony XB33 - ultimate travel speaker 2021 🤗
- Alan Ross Reviews: Bose Soundlink Flex Review! vs JBL Flip 6 and JBL Charge 5. Travel heaven?? 🤞
- Alan Ross Reviews: Tribit Xsound Mega vs the world! (JBL Charge 5, Bose Flex, Sony XB33, LG PL7) 👍
- Oluv Patreon: JBL Charge 5 - unboxing & first impressions
- Alan Ross Reviews: Bogasing M4 Review - vs JBL Charge 5 & Motion Plus - a new contender?
- The Tech Files: JBL CHARGE 5 Vs. CHARGE ESSENTIAL 2 #shorts
- Alan Ross Reviews: Huawei sound joy vs JBL Charge 5 and Flip 6 - top mono speaker! 🤓
- New Stuff TV 2: Sony ULT Field 1 vs JBL Flip 6, JBL Charge 5 & Soundcore Motion 300
- Techder Audios: JBL PULSE 5 VS JBL CHARGE 5 “LIGHTS VS BASS?!”
- Storytripper HD: Klipsch Nashville vs JBL Charge 5
- Flossy Carter: JBL Charge 5 vs JBL Charge 4 vs JBL Charge Essential
- Storytripper HD: KEF MUO vs JBL Charge 5
- KULAS TECH SHOW: JBL Charge 5 vs Tronsmart Mirtune S100 - Sound Comparison💥🔥
- Alan Ross Reviews: UE Megaboom 3 review vs JBL Charge 5 & Motion Boom! how bad can it be??
- New Stuff TV: Sony SRS-XE300 vs JBL Charge 5
- GYMCADDY: JBL Charge 5 Vs Sony XE300 - How Can You Mess Up This Bad?
- Alan Ross Reviews: Marshall Stockwell 2 Review and huge sound test! - vs JBL Charge 5! 💯
- Alan Ross Reviews: JBL Charge 5 vs Motion Boom vs Sony XB43 - a step to far? 🤪
- DIGI-EARS: Xdobo X8 Max vs. JBL Charge 5 vs. Anker Soundcore Motion+ vs. Tribit Stormbox Pro Sound Test Battle
- Reddit Search for JBL Charge 5 Review
- Head-to-Head Comparisons
- JBL Charge 5 vs Soundcore Boom 3i
- JBL Charge 5 vs JBL Charge 5 Wifi
- JBL Charge 5 vs Bogasing M4
- JBL Charge 5 vs Harman Kardon Luna
- JBL Charge 5 vs Tribit Maxsound Plus V1/V2/Thunderbox Plus
- JBL Charge 5 vs Teufel Rockster XS
- JBL Charge 5 vs Tribit Xsound Mega
- JBL Charge 5 vs Xiaomi Sound Party
- See all 29 comparisons
Tribit Xsound Plus 2: $60 Amazon
Pros: Use this EQ for the best sound quality
Cons: Boosted treble, boosted bass in the factory EQs. Peak at 320hz, dip at 500hz. Bass is slappy and distorted in xbass mode
Full Tribit Xsound Plus 2 review and specifications →
| App | Yes |
|---|---|
| Aux Input | Yes |
| Aux Latency | 16ms |
| Bass Extension (-10dB) | 55Hz |
| Battery Life | 24 hours (Manufacturer specified) |
| Bluetooth Latency | SBC 233ms, AAC 240ms |
| Bluetooth Version | 5.3 |
| Built in Microphone | Yes |
| Digital Aux Input | No |
| Dimensions | 7.8" x 2.8" x 2.6" (198 x 71 x 66 mm) |
| Drivers | 2x 45mm neodymium full-range drivers |
| EQ | Yes |
| IP Rating | IPX7 |
| Max Volume | 99dB |
| Omnidirectional | No |
| Output Power | 30W |
| Party Mode | No |
| Power Input | USB-C |
| Stereo | Yes |
| TWS | Yes |
| Weight | 1.8 lbs / 798 g |
As an eBay Partner, we may be compensated if you make a purchase.
- Links
- Reviews, Comparisons and Sound Samples
- Alan Ross Reviews: Tribit Xsound Plus 2: Upgrade Your Sound With Maxsound Eq Preset! New firmware tested
- Alan Ross Reviews: Goodbye Maxsound Plus hello Tribit Xsound Plus 2! neutral heaven or bass for the masses?
- Alan Ross Reviews: Bogasing G4 spot cheap speaker - I was NOT expecting this!
- Oluv Patreon: Tribit XSound Plus 2 - first impressions
- Reddit Search for Tribit Xsound Plus 2 Review
- Head-to-Head Comparisons
- Tribit Xsound Plus 2 vs Bose Soundlink Flex 2nd gen
- Tribit Xsound Plus 2 vs Teufel Rockster XS
- Tribit Xsound Plus 2 vs Bose Soundlink Flex
- Tribit Xsound Plus 2 vs Cleer Audio Scene
- Tribit Xsound Plus 2 vs JBL Charge Essential 2
- Tribit Xsound Plus 2 vs 1More S1001bt
- Tribit Xsound Plus 2 vs Soundcore Boom 3i
- Tribit Xsound Plus 2 vs JBL Charge 5 Wifi
- See all 13 comparisons