Short answer: the Vifa Helsinki for midrange and treble, the JBL Xtreme 5 for practicality. The Helsinki ranks #1 of 78 on the strength of its midrange and treble, generally regarded as the best of any battery powered Bluetooth speaker, but it has no TWS pairing and needs a hacked Android-only Vifa app for night mode. The Xtreme 5 is #2 of 78 with a removable battery and a high price.
What the JBL Xtreme 5 gets right: Removable battery. The tradeoff: High priced.
On the Vifa Helsinki side: Generally regarded as the best midrange and treble sound quality of any battery powered Bluetooth speaker. The tradeoff: No TWS pairing, looks like a purse, requires a hacked Vifa app (Android only post #48) to enable night mode to sound good.
Buy the JBL Xtreme 5 if the price is the priority over sound quality, or the Vifa Helsinki if sound quality is the priority over the price.
There is a real battery-life gap here: the JBL Xtreme 5 is rated for 28 hours, the Vifa Helsinki only 8 hours.
Water resistance is not close: the JBL Xtreme 5 is rated at IP68 (extended submersion), well ahead of the Vifa Helsinki at no water resistance.
Want more options? Browse the full Portable Bluetooth rankings.
Specifications Side By Side
| JBL Xtreme 5 | Vifa Helsinki | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $399.95 | $449.00 |
| Ranked | #2 of 78 in Large Size Portable Bluetooth Speakers | #1 of 78 in Large Size Portable Bluetooth Speakers |
| App | Yes | No (official app is broken, 3rd party android app only) |
| Aux Input | No | Yes |
| Battery Life | 28 hours (Manufacturer specified) | 8 hours (Manufacturer specified) |
| EQ | Yes (7 band) | No |
| IP Rating | IP68 | None |
| Maximum SPL | 110dB (measured by Alan Ross Reviews) | - |
| Party Mode | Yes (Auracast) | No |
| Power Bank | Yes (USB-C, 5V/3A) | No |
| Power Input | USB-C | AC Power brick |
| Removable Battery | Yes | - |
| TWS | Yes | No |
| Weight | 6.4 lbs (2.9 kg) | 3.1 lbs (1.4 kg) |
| Bluetooth Codecs | SBC, AAC, LC3 | aptX, SBC |
| Built-in Microphone | No | Yes |
| Stereo | Partially (1 woofer) | Partially (shared woofer) |
| Omnidirectional | No | No |
| Bluetooth Version | 6.0 | 4.1 |
| Dimensions | 13.6" x 6.5" x 6.1" (346 x 165 x 155 mm) | 6.1" x 8.3" x 2.8" (156 x 210 x 70 mm) |
| Drivers | 98x145mm woofer, 2x 20mm tweeters + 2x passive radiators | 2x 50mm fullrange, 2x 66mm woofers + 2x passive radiators |
| Frequency Response | 40Hz - 20kHz (Manufacturer specified) | 58Hz - 18kHz (Manufacturer specified) |
| Amplifier Power | 1 x 90W RMS Woofer + 2 x 20W RMS Tweeter (AC power mode) 1 x 60W RMS Woofer + 2 x 15W RMS Tweeter (Battery mode) | 50W |
| Digital Aux Input | Yes (USB-C) | No |
| Bass Extension (-10dB) | - | 48Hz |
Related Speaker Comparisons
How Vifa Helsinki compares with other leading options:
- Tribit Stormbox Lava vs Vifa Helsinki
- Brane X vs Vifa Helsinki
- Minirig 4 with subwoofer vs Vifa Helsinki
- Soundcore Boom 2 vs Vifa Helsinki
- Marshall Stockwell 2 vs Vifa Helsinki
Prices on this page were last checked September 22, 2026 at 5:11 AM 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
JBL Xtreme 5: $399.95 Amazon B&H Photo Video eBay
Pros: Removable battery. Quite deep bass, reaching well below 40Hz. A fantastic sounding speaker with excellent off-axis dispersion, a big step up from older JBL portables. Beats the Soundcore Boom 2 and Tribit Stormbox Blast on bass depth and clarity. Plays clean at volume, unlike the JBL Boombox 4.
Cons: High priced. Some bass boost. A hole in the mid-upper bass which can’t be EQ’d out. Default EQ presets are weak (Signature is boring, Chill and Vocal are close to unusable) - needs the custom EQ to sound its best. Bigger and heavier than the Xtreme 4.
Setup: Try this Oluv EQ for the most neutral sound
Full JBL Xtreme 5 review and specifications →
| Amplifier Power | 1 x 90W RMS Woofer + 2 x 20W RMS Tweeter (AC power mode) 1 x 60W RMS Woofer + 2 x 15W RMS Tweeter (Battery mode) |
|---|---|
| App | Yes |
| Aux Input | No |
| Battery Life | 28 hours (Manufacturer specified) |
| Bluetooth Codecs | SBC, AAC, LC3 |
| Bluetooth Version | 6.0 |
| Built-in Microphone | No |
| Digital Aux Input | Yes (USB-C) |
| Dimensions | 13.6" x 6.5" x 6.1" (346 x 165 x 155 mm) |
| Drivers | 98x145mm woofer, 2x 20mm tweeters + 2x passive radiators |
| EQ | Yes (7 band) |
| Frequency Response | 40Hz - 20kHz (Manufacturer specified) |
| IP Rating | IP68 |
| Maximum SPL | 110dB (measured by Alan Ross Reviews) |
| Omnidirectional | No |
| Party Mode | Yes (Auracast) |
| Power Bank | Yes (USB-C, 5V/3A) |
| Power Input | USB-C |
| Removable Battery | Yes |
| Stereo | Partially (1 woofer) |
| TWS | Yes |
| Weight | 6.4 lbs (2.9 kg) |
- Links
- Reviews, Comparisons and Sound Samples
- Joy & Oluv’Sone🔈3DAudio🎧& Music: JBL Xtreme 5 - universal EQ for best sound overall More from Oluv’Sone →
- Joy & Oluv’Sone🔈3DAudio🎧& Music: JBL Xtreme 5 - Best Bluetooth Speaker 2026 award
- Joy & Oluv’Sone🔈3DAudio🎧& Music: JBL Xtreme 5 vs Studio Monitors: too V-shaped or not to V-shaped, that’s the question!
- Joy & Oluv’Sone🔈3DAudio🎧& Music: JBL Xtreme 5 - outdoor test
- Joy & Oluv’Sone🔈3DAudio🎧& Music: Minirigs 4 with Sub 4 vs JBL Xtreme 5 - 1st impressions
- Oluv Patreon: VIFA Helsinki & JBL Xtreme 5 - listening test
- Oluv Patreon: JBL Xtreme 5 - 1st detailed impression with custom EQs
- Oluv Patreon: JBL Xtreme 5 - outdoor test
- Alan Ross Reviews: Brane X vs JBL Xtreme 5: Maximum Bass, No Mercy More from alanrossreviews →
- Alan Ross Reviews: JBL Xtreme 5 2026, massive upgrade over JBL Xtreme 4! Full tests!
- Alan Ross Reviews: JBL Xtreme 5 vs JBL Xtreme 4 in 2026
- Alan Ross Reviews: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5ImoaGw3t0
- Alan Ross Reviews: JBL Xtreme 5 or the amazing Tribit Stormbox Blast? 🤔
- Head-to-Head Comparisons
Vifa Helsinki: $449.00 Amazon eBay
Pros: Generally regarded as the best midrange and treble sound quality of any battery powered Bluetooth speaker. Measured bass extension of 48Hz (-10dB).
Cons: No TWS pairing, looks like a purse, requires a hacked Vifa app (Android only post #48) to enable night mode to sound good. This one is hard to recommend generally these days: the Uboom L has 98% of the sound quality with more features and a much cheaper price. There are mentions that the 2022 “new” version of this speaker doesn’t sound as good as Vifa was purchased by a Chinese company and laid off all the great sound engineers in the Austria office.
Full Vifa Helsinki review and specifications →
| Amplifier Power | 50W |
|---|---|
| App | No (official app is broken, 3rd party android app only) |
| Aux Input | Yes |
| Bass Extension (-10dB) | 48Hz |
| Battery Life | 8 hours (Manufacturer specified) |
| Bluetooth Codecs | aptX, SBC |
| Bluetooth Version | 4.1 |
| Built-in Microphone | Yes |
| Digital Aux Input | No |
| Dimensions | 6.1" x 8.3" x 2.8" (156 x 210 x 70 mm) |
| Drivers | 2x 50mm fullrange, 2x 66mm woofers + 2x passive radiators |
| EQ | No |
| Frequency Response | 58Hz - 18kHz (Manufacturer specified) |
| IP Rating | None |
| Omnidirectional | No |
| Party Mode | No |
| Power Bank | No |
| Power Input | AC Power brick |
| Stereo | Partially (shared woofer) |
| TWS | No |
| Weight | 3.1 lbs (1.4 kg) |
- Links
- Reviews, Comparisons and Sound Samples
- Head-to-Head Comparisons
- Vifa Helsinki vs Tribit Stormbox Lava
- Vifa Helsinki vs Brane X
- Vifa Helsinki vs Minirig 4 with subwoofer
- Vifa Helsinki vs Soundcore Boom 2
- Vifa Helsinki vs Marshall Stockwell 2
- Vifa Helsinki vs Soundcore Motion Boom
- Vifa Helsinki vs Bose SoundLink Max
- Vifa Helsinki vs JBL Xtreme 3
- See all 39 comparisons