JBL Go 5 Launched in China with Bluetooth 6.0, IP68, and Harman Tuning

JBL recently launched the Go 5 in China, and a global rollout seems to be expected soon. It's the successor to the Go 4, that improves on fews that might interest you as well. Let’s get into this article, where I will discuss everything about the latest JBL Go 5, including its price in Nepal, specifications, and availability.

JBL Go 5 Overview

Design and Build

The Go 5 keeps the same compact, blocky form factor as its predecessor, and weighs 230g. It's slightly larger and about 40g heavier than before, which is going to be a noticeable difference, especially when you're holding them side by side. 

The more significant design addition is the Ambient Edge Lighting strips, which JBL calls WINK. These are LED strips running along the top and bottom edges of the speaker that react to the music being played. You can customize them through the JBL Portable app. This is definitely a matter of personal preference, which some might not like as well, but it does add something visually distinctive that the Go 4 didn't have.

Similarly, the IP68 rating featured in the new Go 4, which is a new step up from the Go 4's IP67. The difference is full submersion tolerance versus splash resistance. You can now drop the Go 5 in a pool, the sink, or take it into the shower as well. Other than that, the speaker comes in six color options, including Black, Red, Sky Blue, Pink, Orange, and Deep Blue (Cloisonné).

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Sound Quality

JBL says the Go 5 was tuned by the Harman Acoustics team, the same group behind JBL's higher-end products. Whereas the speaker has an output power rated at 4.8W RMS, up from 4.2W, which is roughly a 14% increase. The driver is still a 45mm unit, and the frequency response runs from 100Hz to 19kHz.

In real terms, the Harman tuning and extra power push the Go 5 toward clearer mids and highs compared to the Go 4, which had a tendency toward a muddier mid-heavy sound. But keep in mind that the bass is still going to be limited by the physics of a 45mm driver in a small enclosure. But for personal listening or even a small group outdoors, it is more than enough and you will also get much more balanced sound than its predecessor. Moreover, the signal-to-noise ratio is rated above 85dB.

Connectivity

For connectivity, it uses Bluetooth 6.0, and it supports the usual SBC and AAC codecs, plus LC3. LC3 is the codec used for Bluetooth Low Energy Audio, which basically means it can keep good sound quality even while using less bandwidth. One interesting thing here is Auracast support. That lets you broadcast audio to multiple compatible devices at the same time, so in theory a lot of people could listen to the same audio stream together.

There’s also something called AirTouch pairing. If you have two Go 5 speakers, you can just tap them together, and they’ll automatically connect as a stereo pair, without needing to open an app. And if you have more than two, you can wirelessly link several of them for a multi-room setup.

For wired use, the speaker also supports USB-C audio. You can plug it directly into a computer or a phone, and it has a built-in DAC to handle digital audio playback. So instead of just using Bluetooth, you can actually get lossless audio through the USB-C connection. 

Battery

The Go 5 comes with a 1000mAh battery, and it’s rated for about 8 hours of playback if you keep the lights on. There’s also a Playtime Boost mode, which slightly reduces the bass to save power, and that can stretch the battery up to around 10 hours. For comparison, the Go 4 was rated for about 7 hours in normal use, so this is no doubt an improvement.

Charging happens through USB-C, and it takes roughly 3 hours using a 5V/1A charger. Like with most portable speakers, though, the actual battery life can change depending on things like your volume level, whether the lighting is turned on, and the kind of audio you’re playing.

 JBL Go 5 Specifications

• Dimensions: 101 x 77 x 43 mm
• Weight: 230g
• Driver: 45mm
• Output Power: 4.8W RMS
• Frequency Response: 100Hz - 19kHz (-6dB)
• Bluetooth: 6.0
• Codecs: SBC, AAC, LC3
• IP Rating: IP68
• Battery: 1000mAh, up to 8 hours (10 hours with Playtime Boost), USB-C, ~3 hours
• Colors: Black, Red, Sky Blue, Pink, Orange, Deep Blue (Cloisonné)

JBL Go 5 Price in Nepal and Availability

The Go 5 launched for pre-order in China at CNY 399 with sales beginning March 19. A global rollout is expected in the coming weeks, but it hasn't been officially confirmed with a date. There's no Nepal launch yet, but once it arrives here through authorized stores, it will start at no less than NPR 8,999.