Mid-range, high-quality and still worth it: JBL Flip 6 review

JBL has been a big name in the audio industry for decades. Though it may have shifted away from traditional hi-fi, its prestige has carries over to the portable audio industry. Despite this change in focus, JBL still manufactures some of the best speakers in 2024 and has earned a place as one of the most popular and affordable Bluetooth speaker manufacturers. The JBL Flip 6 was introduced in 2021, and while we eagerly await the next instalment, there's no denying the great show from this speaker.

What's the Best has reviewed JBL speakers before, such as the Clip 4 and Authentics 300 so the Flip 6 threads the needle between the budget and high-end offerings we've previously seen. Balancing quality with budget is something not many can do, but JBL appears to have pulled it off. Ranking highly among reviewers, enthusiasts, and users alike, the speaker certainly has a lot of fans out there willing to back it up.

The JBL Flip 6 has a lot of appeal. It's a perfect speaker for students – especially with its ability to pair with other Flip 6 speakers – someone who wants something reliable to play their music in the garage or a durable and rugged speaker to take with them on their next camping trip. Every person here could find what they require with the Flip 6, and more than that, they're getting great sound and bass along the way.

Reviewer Olivia takes a deep dive with the JBL Flip 6 and puts it through its paces to figure out if it can live up to these expectations.

First impressions

The burrito-sized bundle you see when first unboxing is somewhat unassuming. From the look of it, I was reminded of other speakers like the UE Boom or Tribit Stormbox, though a little smaller. Online I assumed it would take up a bit more space due to what people were saying about how loud it got, but it seemed that every assumption I would have about this speaker would be wrong.

Setting up the speaker took maybe a minute, my Samsung S21+ connected quickly and a pop-up prompted me that there was an app associated with the device I'd just connected. I installed it with a tap, and just like that I was able to access everything the speaker had to offer. I'd say this was the smoothest Bluetooth setup I've experienced, aided by the simple button layouts at the back, responsive and quick power up times and the fact that it was fully charged out the box.

I'd put my normal playlist through, I listen to it every day through my 2014 Bose SoundLink Mini (it may be old but it still sounds good). There were times I forgot which speaker was playing the song, I had them side by side and doing a blind listen showed me that even a speaker from one of the biggest names in high-end listening can be matched up by this mid-range gem.

Like most Bluetooth speakers on the market, the Flip 6 promises dust-proofing, waterproofing, and durability alongside great sound. I used this as a shower speaker for a few days, making sure it got a good drink while I would blast Gorillaz out of it, and there were zero issues. The fabric on the outside is water-repellant, and the internals are sealed up inside the tough housing beneath it, ensuring the chances of water damage remain slim. It's a common trend for Bluetooth speakers to ditch the metal grills of yesteryear and use durable fabric in the construction, so while JBL is doing nothing new, I think the execution has been the best I've seen so far this year.

Bass you can feel (and see)

I was really impressed by this speaker from just examining it on the surface level, but it's time to dive deeper or – since we're talking bass – lower.

Bass is one of the big buzzwords when it comes to speakers, especially smaller Bluetooth ones. Consumers want big punchy bass that you'd expect from a full hi-fi setup but contained in a package small enough to stuff in a backpack and go to the park. The way speaker manufacturers have gotten around this is by employing passive bass radiators, essentially reacting to the sound waves projected from the main driver and pushes more sound out through the reflex cones. In non-nerd talk, adding passive radiators ensures a deeper bass and a more rounded listening experience.

JBL employed this technique well, able to keep the compact design while still achieving incredibly deep bass. It has two passive radiators (one at each end), a 16 mm tweeter to handle the high end and a “racetrack shaped” 45 × 80 mm woofer for everything in between. The results of this combination builds on the design of the Flip 5 and ensures that you can get deep bass without having to power a separate subwoofer, draining battery no doubt.

However, this makes the ideal listening angle rather singular, luckily the design of the exterior matches the ingenuity of the internals. A tiny rubber pad means that achieving the ideal listening angle is as simple as chucking it on a table, and it rolls until it hits the pad. That's it. The angle points the woofer and tweeter out at the listener, with the radiators at the side and therefore not overwhelming the sound.

And the sound you get from this speaker – just wow. The speaker can go from soft and intimate to booming and powerful without pushing above 50 per cent volume. To test the total volume of this speaker, I had to leave it in a room and then go about 10 metres away, controlling the volume from my phone. In a small office, I can safely say exceeding about 30 per cent volume isn't advisable if you value your hearing. By my estimate, I could see the full volume being useful for large parties and outdoor spaces, and I could fill up those environments with no bother.

I tested it with a few different genres but wanted to really push its bass capabilities. I looked to more traditional testing songs like Fleetwood Mac's The Chain and Muse's Hysteria, but I also put it through some songs I know to challenge speakers, the bass causing lesser speakers to distort and become “fuzzy”. These songs are Blaster by Andrew Huang and i miss my sandman by emily jeffri. The JBL chewed on both these songs, no distortion, all bass.

I'm a picky person when it comes to speakers and headphones, but I can honestly say the Flip 6 surprised me. Able to handle a wide range of genres, frequencies, and environments, it feels like there's nothing this speaker can't conquer. You could say my opinions on the speaker flipped through the course of testing.

Any downsides?

I'm hard-pressed to find anything to fault about this speaker without getting very nitpicky. The bass is punchy, the soundscape is well-balanced, and it has great battery life, a sleek and stylish design, and a compact form factor. It's an all-around great speaker; I suppose I have some "wish list" features that I'd hope to see in the Flip 7, but that's all the negatives I can ascribe to.

The app used to adjust EQ could do with some more options in the future; right now, there are only options to boost or reduce bass, mids, or top end, and no fine-tuning is possible. The app for the Tribit line of speakers offers a really wide spectrum of EQ adjustments, and though only some users will be fussed about EQ, it makes a big difference to picky listeners like myself.

One more thing is something that is already in the JBL line-up, but only at higher price points. The JBL Charge 5 has a built-in power bank feature, an increasingly common trend among many Bluetooth speakers. It would be nice that since the Flip 6 is more portable that it lends itself more to the portable ideology by allowing you to power your device as you listen on the go. The Flip 6 did come out at the end of 2021, so hopefully now battery technology has advanced just that bit more, it can be a feature we look forward to in the next JBL line-up.

Price and competition

There's no getting past it, there's a lot of competition in the Bluetooth speaker market at this price point, we even list some of them at the bottom if you wanted to shop around. Bluetooth speakers are one of the irreverent things that will always do for birthdays and holidays – they're always in demand in one way or another. This means that there are several companies all vying for your attention, offering different features like RGB lighting, portable charging, waterproofing and so on.

I found that it's easy to fall into complacency with these portable speakers, just get what's cheap and looks the best is a lot of people's mentality, and that's totally cool. Before I got really into audio I was a frequent visitor of the speaker sale section at HMV and have plenty of old £10 speakers cluttering my drawer somewhere. But it means that when a speaker that has great sound comes along, that doesn't break the bank, you sit up a bit. It's no lie that the JBL is not a budget option, but it's worth every penny, and that's what matters.

Who is it for?

A more accurate question is: who isn't it for? Bluetooth speakers have a reputation for being almost essential for days out in the summer, a must have in the luggage for holidays away or even just for smashing tunes out of in the shed. The JBL delivers on all of these fronts, and what it delivers is damn good. Not only is the sound spectacular, but the size and weight keep it small enough to stuff in a bag and take wherever you need to go.

It's probably best suited for people who feel the need to take it around with them, only because there are larger units that would work better if you weren't worried about size as much. Wherever you take it though, it'll work great.

Would we recommend it?

Absolutely, definitely, yes.

I've had a good share of good and bad speaker experiences, and this was by far the best one I've ever had. As someone who focuses more on sound, that is where a lot of my praise stems from, as the sound profile is simply superb. The features alongside it, the design, the volume, the ruggedness, just convince me further that this is one of the best mid-tier speakers out there. I will be closely watching JBL in future, as I can't wait to see where it goes next in the Flip series.

But in the meantime, if you're looking to up your listening experience, need a reliable party speaker or even just want a present idea for the metalhead in the family, this speaker is for you.

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Who tested it?

Olivia Sheed is a tech writer for What’s the Best, specialising in gaming technology, computers and portable audio. A self-identified audiophile, she has started to dip her toes in the realm of high-fidelity listening, thus making her a perfect fit for speaker testing. She listens to music in one way or another every day, if not every minute.

How we tested

For the duration of testing, the JBL Flip 6 was kept at my desk, I'd plug my music in and listen whilst working, meaning this speaker has seen at least 50 hours of testing. The music used was all from Tidal for high-quality streaming, and crossed a range of genres that seek to push the speaker's frequency response to the limits. It was used across various rooms in the house, including as an outdoor speaker. It had a generous dunking in water and worked perfectly fine.

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Olivia Sheed is a Tech Writer and Reviewer at What’s The Best. Here she writes reviews, how-to guides and articles across all things technology.

Her interests align with “anything nerdy.” Olivia is an avid fan of TTRPGs, board games, miniature painting, and video games. Outside of that, she loves to discuss horror films, campy classics such as those from Hammer Film Productions in the 70s are her favourite for a comfy watch. An avid hiker, she visits the Lake District often, for both walking and wild swimming.