Jbl Link 10 Portable Bluetooth Speaker

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Jbl Link 10 Portable Bluetooth Speaker

Jbl Link 10 Portable Bluetooth Speaker

We put JBL’s smallest speaker in its new range of voice-activated Chromecast speakers to the test to find the answer.

Jbl Link 10 On Sale For $60 Portable Bluetooth Speaker With Google Assistant At Best Buy

Executive Editor David Carnoy has been a leading member of the Reviews team since 2000. He covers the range of devices and is a well-known reviewer of mobile accessories and portable audio products, including headphones and speakers. He is also an expert in electronic reading and publishing, as well as the author of the novels Knife Music, The Big Exit, and Lucidity. All titles are available as Kindle eBooks, iBooks, Nook and Audiobooks.

One of the great things about the Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa voice assistant platforms is that they are both very open. It’s easy for third-party companies to create compatible smart home devices that work with both. In fact, companies can also make their own smart speakers to directly compete with those made by Google and Amazon.

The Google Assistant-enabled JBL Link 10 has Google Chromecast built in and can be connected to other Link and Chromecast speakers to create a multi-room setup. It offers good sound for its size, is completely waterproof, and has Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.

While the JBL Link 10 may not deliver as rich sound (or have as much battery life) as the Link 20, it’s still one of the best voice-activated portable Wi-Fi speakers out there.

Jbl Link Portable Wireless Bluetooth Speaker Ipx7 Waterproof Portable Wifi Speakers Powerful Bass Party Speaker Voice Assistant

JBL is the latest company to take on the smart speaker role of Google Assistant. In late 2017, it launched a new range of voice-activated speakers under its new Link sub-brand. The range includes a mix of two fully waterproof battery-powered portable speakers: the JBL Link 10 ($150, £150, AU$230, reviewed here) and Link 20 ($200, £180, AU$300), both as two AC-only models. , Link 300 ($250, £250, AU$350) and Link 500 ($400, £350, not available in Australia). Meanwhile, the upcoming Link View is one of a new wave of Google Assistant-powered devices with an integrated display.

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In addition to using the Google Assistant for your voice commands, all Link speakers are equipped with Google Chromecast, which allows them to connect not only with other Link speakers, but also with any Chromecast-based audio device to create a streaming setup to create. multi-room audio over Wi-Fi. the net. (All Android apps and many iOS apps can send audio to Chromecast speakers at the touch of a button.) The speakers are also equipped with Bluetooth, providing universal compatibility.

The Link 10 and Link 20 look like bulkier cousins ​​of JBL’s cylindrical portable Bluetooth speakers. In fact, from a sound quality standpoint, the smaller Link 10 (reviewed here) is in the same ballpark as the JBL Flip 4 and has an estimated battery life of 5 hours over Wi-Fi. – Fi.

Jbl Link 10 Portable Bluetooth Speaker

The only problem with the Link 10 is that the upgraded Link 20 offers a fuller sound with better bass and double the battery life for $50 more. That doesn’t mean the 1.6-pound (0.73 kg) Link 10 is a mediocre wireless speaker. It’s pretty decent for its size. But its sound seemed a little low to me when I compared it to its big brother, which weighs 2.1 pounds or 0.95 kg.

Jbl Link Portable Initial Review

The 20 is arguably the best-sounding portable voice-activated speaker for the money at launch, but the competition is pretty limited, with UE Blast and Megablast among the only serious contenders along with Amazon Tap (all three of which use Alexa, not Google Assistant not).

Setting up the speaker is relatively simple through the Google Home app on iOS and Android devices. Log in to the speaker with a direct Wi-Fi connection, then log in to the selected network to connect the speaker to the network. You can then assign a tag to a specific room and pair it with other Chromecast-enabled speakers if you have them.

The biggest problem I encountered was the slow start-up time of the speaker. Once you turn it on, it takes 10-20 seconds to connect to your wireless network and prepare to receive voice commands. AC-powered models like the Link 300 and Link 500 are always on (like an Amazon Echo) and don’t have those startup delays.

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It would also be nice if the speaker had a base option like the UE Blast, Megablast and Amazon Tap. It’s not an essential feature, but every time you want to charge the speaker, you have to uncover the Micro-USB port (there’s a gasket covering it) and connect a USB cable. For those who use the speaker a lot at home, the docking station is a convenient feature.

Jual Original Jbl Link 10 Smart Bluetooth Wireless Speaker

Joining the other Link speakers in the range, the Link 10 has two microphones on the top along with some physical buttons, including volume controls. You can access Google Assistant by pressing the center button on top of the speaker and issue commands without even having to say “Hey Google” or “OK Google.”

Alternatively, you can call the speaker with “Hey, Google” and a set of LEDs, which act as battery life indicators, will light up to tell you the speaker is ready to take your command. Thanks to the dual microphones, I had no problem issuing commands from several feet away (in a medium-sized room) in a normal voice. If the speaker is playing music at a higher volume, you will need to raise your voice to be heard over the music.

You can argue about which voice assistant is the best. Alexa currently dominates the wireless speaker market with Google Assistant, Apple’s Siri, Microsoft’s Cortana and Samsung’s Bixby all catching up. And while the arrival of Apple’s HomePod could change things, that speaker is relatively expensive and feature-poor: You can only access Apple-based music services via voice, and you need an iOS device living on the same network to perform basic tasks. to perform such as reminders

Jbl Link 10 Portable Bluetooth Speaker

Google Assistant works just as well and perhaps better than Alexa for basic tasks like accessing music services (including Google Play Music, YouTube Music, Spotify, Pandora and TuneIn), getting the latest news and weather, and setting timers for cooking. It’s also probably better for answering common questions because it’s linked to the famous Google search engine. Where it falls short compared to Alexa is in the smart home world, where Alexa can control more products. Needless to say, just like Alexa, Google Assistant will become even stronger over time. (This list of Google Assistant commands will give you an idea of ​​all the options for controlling this speaker with your voice.)

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Partybox On The Go

As I said, the Link 10 packs a punch for its compact size. It’s a little bigger than the 1.4-pound (1.17 kg) UE Blast, which is a little slimmer and a little easier to carry around (I like the design of the UE a little better ).

Not surprisingly, the Link 10 doesn’t sound as good as larger, more powerful AC-powered speakers like the Sonos One, Apple’s HomePod and JBL’s Link 300 and Link 500, which deliver fuller, richer sound and hold together better at higher volumes . (It sounds better than Amazon’s second-generation Echo, though.)

Like the Link 20, the Link 10 sounds best at 75 percent volume or less. It can sound loud when cranked up, but you’ll get some distortion if you turn the volume up to maximum levels, especially with more complicated, bass-heavy tracks that play many instruments at once.

Sometimes it sounds better than the UE Blast, which is $50 more. It may sound strange to say, but all of these wireless speakers have digital signal processors (DSPs) that process sound in a specific way. This can cause performance to be uneven.

Jbl Link 10 Voice Activated Portable Speaker (black)

When I heard “Perfect” by Ed Sheeran, I thought the JBL sounded a little warmer and more natural. The Blast has a bit of presence boost (aka treble boost) which can make certain riffs sound a bit harsh at times. However, when I played “That’s What I Like” by Bruno Mars, the Blast had a little more punch and sounded clearer, while the Link 10’s bass had a little less definition.

Unfortunately, these compact cylindrical speakers have their moments where they sound pretty good, and then they have their moments where they show their limitations. (None of these small speakers can handle the Vampire’s Weekend track “Diane Young” at higher volumes, for example.)

It is also worth noting that they sound different inside and outside. I would argue that these types of speakers, like the Link 10/20 and the UE Blast/Megablast, are better suited for outdoor use. They are designed to spread your music in an open area so that your ear doesn’t hear some of its sound quality imperfections. Instead, you just say to yourself, “Wow, that speaker sounds loud for its small size.”

Jbl Link 10 Portable Bluetooth Speaker

I’ll finish by talking about the price of the Link 10. At $150, it’s a

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