Deciding between these two. Mostly going to be using them in a room/house, for everyday listening. Prefer a good quality sound that is balanced, and good quality bass is also a very nice bonus.

Have read reviews and comparisons and still unable to decide

People say you can listen to Bose longer than you can to other non-Bose speakers. How is this so? Will my ears get tired after listening to a non-Bose speaker after 1 hour or so?

EDIT: Watched this comparison video, and isnt it clear that the JBL Charge 5 wins?

Thanks in advance

I’m buying my daughter a speaker for her birthday. Normal use will by typical teenage girl stuff: beach days, park, go to friends homes etc. it would need to be portable for her to toss in a bag.

I have landed on either the Bose Soundlink Flex or JBL Flip 6 due to size and my perceived overall quality for both (I have both Bose Soundock II for my home office and JBL Boombox 2 for cottaging etc so am familiar with overall sound quality for both).

These are both about the same price.

So, I’m looking for feedback on:

• size / portability

• sound quality

• features

• any other thoughts

Thanks!

I received a Bose SoundLink Flex 2nd Gen as a gift. Being fairly invested in the JBL ecosystem already, I thought it would be fun to compare. Perhaps this will be useful to people cross shopping the brands.

Sound comparisons were made before I looked at the price of the Bose. I kept the Bose at 75% volume and adjusted the others to compare. I liked the Bose 3-band EQ (in the app) at +8/-4/+2, so that's what I used (the EQ effect is pretty subtle on this speaker overall). Note, I can only compare to the last-gen Flip 5 that I have. Supposedly the newer Flip 6 is significantly improved.

In terms of physical size, the Bose (20.7 oz) comes in just slightly larger than the Flip 5 (19.6 oz), and much smaller than the Charge 5 (34.3 oz). The Xtreme3 dwarfs them all at 74.4 oz (including carry strap).

Bose SoundLink Flex 2nd Gen vs. JBL Flip 5

The Bose is just better. It gets louder, stays clearer at high volume, produces more and clearer bass, and sounds more detailed and refined across the board. If you can afford the extra cost of the Bose ($119 at time of writing) over the JBL ($100 for the Flip 6 at time of writing), I think it is well worth the cost. I can't imagine the extra 1 oz weight would ever really make a meaningful difference. Frankly, before looking at the price of the Bose, I thought the price difference would be significantly more.

Bose SoundLink Flex 2nd Gen vs. JBL Charge 5

The Bose punches above its weight here. It produces a similar quantity of bass to the JBL, while staying tighter and less boomy. The Bose produces rich, warm mids and highs, and the JBL shows a noticable "tinny-ness" when compared side by side. I distinctly prefer the sound quality of the Bose ($119 at time of writing) over the JBL ($140 at time of writing). That said, the JBL does get significantly louder overall, so if you plan to use it primarily in large spaces like gymnasiums or outside, then the JBL would probably be worth the extra cost.

Bose SoundLink Flex 2nd Gen vs. JBL Xtreme 3

The Bose just gets outclassed here. In some sense, you could still say the Bose is a bit more detailed and refined... but that argument kind of falls apart when the JBL can comfortably fill your living room with deep bass notes that the Bose can't really reproduce at all. Perhaps if you were planning to exclusively listen to technical classical music at modest volumes you'd still prefer the Bose. But for the rest of us, if the size and cost ($250 at time of writing) of the JBL are not a problem for you, then it's a clear choice.

Conclusion

The Bose impressed me in a big way. I have traditionally considered Bose products to be a bit overpiced, but in this case I think it's highly competetive. I think the Bose will replace the Charge 5 as my dedicated bathroom/shower speaker.