1.   Try searching by:
    1. Category (Best $100 Headphones, Best 50 Inch TVs, …)
    2. Brand (Sony, Samsung, LG, Bose, …)
    3. Model (S405, QC 35 II, …)
    4. Etc...
Get insider access
Get insider access
Preferred store
Notice: Your browser is not supported or outdated so some features of the site might not be available.
Best
Bluetooth Portable Outdoor Bose Loud Home Shower Parties Alexa Small JBL Brands Budget And Cheap Bluetooth For Bass Waterproof Bluetooth Golf Bluetooth For Sound Smart iPhone Karaoke
Tools
Compare Table Review List Review Index Graph Custom Ratings
Popular
JBL Boombox 3 JBL Charge 5 JBL Authentics 500 JBL Flip 6 Bose SoundLink Max Bose SoundLink Flex (2nd Gen) Harman/Kardon Go + Play 3 Sonos Move 2 Ultimate Ears WONDERBOOM 4 JBL PartyBox Stage 320 Sonos Era 100 JBL PartyBox 310 Sony SRS-XB100 Ultimate Ears MEGABOOM 4 JBL PartyBox Club 120 Ultimate Ears HYPERBOOM Sonos Era 300 Ultimate Ears EPICBOOM JBL Xtreme 4 Bose SoundLink Flex
166
Speakers bought and tested
Supported by you via insider access, and when you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.
Driven by data, run by a passionate team of engineers, testers, technical writers, developers, and more.
We are hiring!
  1. Home
  2. Speaker
  3. Compare
Notice: Big Spring Sale Deal: The Amazon Echo Pop has dropped by 25% on Amazon.com. See all Speaker Big Spring Sale deals.
  1. Table of Contents
  2. Top
  3. Main Differences
  4. Design
    1. Pictures
    2. Style
    3. Portability
    4. Build Quality
    5. Controls
    6. In The Box
  5. Sound
    1. Frequency Response Accuracy
    2. Raw Frequency Response
    3. Soundstage
    4. Dynamics
  6. Active Features
    1. Battery
    2. Voice Assistant
    3. App
  7. Connectivity
    1. Wired
    2. Bluetooth
    3. Wi-Fi
  8. Comments

Harman/Kardon Onyx Studio 6 vs JBL Charge 5

Side-by-Side Comparison

Products

Harman/Kardon Onyx Studio 6
JBL Charge 5

Tested using Methodology v0.8

Updated Dec 05, 2024 05:38 PM

SEE PRICE
Amazon.com

Tested using Methodology v0.8

Updated Apr 14, 2025 08:40 PM

SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Harman/Kardon Onyx Studio 6 Picture
JBL Charge 5 Picture
Bluetooth
Yes
Wi-Fi
No
Speakerphone
No
Voice Assistant
No
Battery Powered
Yes
Bluetooth
Yes
Wi-Fi
No
Speakerphone
No
Voice Assistant
No
Battery Powered
Yes
  1. Recommended in 1 article:
  2. JBL

Variants

  • Onyx Studio 6 (Black)
  • Onyx Studio 6 (Blue)
  • Onyx Studio 6 (Gray)
  • JBL Charge 5 (Black)
  • JBL Charge 5 (Blue)
  • JBL Charge 5 (Camo)
  • JBL Charge 5 (Gray)
  • JBL Charge 5 (Green)
  • JBL Charge 5 (Pink)
  • JBL Charge 5 (Red)
  • JBL Charge 5 (Teal)
  • JBL Charge 5 (White)

Review

See Harman/Kardon Onyx Studio 6 Review
See JBL Charge 5 Review
0 
0 

Our Verdict

Harman/Kardon Onyx Studio 6

JBL Charge 5

The JBL Charge 5 is a better speaker than the Harman/Kardon Onyx Studio 6. The JBL is better built with an IP67 rating for dust and water resistance, meaning it's dust-tight and immersible in up to a meter of water for 30 minutes. It's smaller, is more portable, and has a longer-lasting battery life than the Harman, though battery life can depend on your usage habits, and your experience may differ. That said, the Harman can produce a slightly more extended low-bass than the JBL.

0 

Check Price

Black
Onyx Studio 6
Searching
Finding store
Black
JBL Charge 5
Searching
Finding store
Blue
Onyx Studio 6
Searching
Finding store
Blue
JBL Charge 5
Searching
Finding store
Gray
Onyx Studio 6
Searching
Finding store
Gray
JBL Charge 5
Searching
Finding store
 
Camo
JBL Charge 5
Searching
Finding store
 
Green
JBL Charge 5
Searching
Finding store
 
Pink
JBL Charge 5
Searching
Finding store
 
Red
JBL Charge 5
Searching
Finding store
 
Teal
JBL Charge 5
Searching
Finding store
 
White
JBL Charge 5
Searching
Finding store

Main Differences for
Music

Threshold 

0.10

Music 

6.6
6.5

Frequency Response Accuracy 
 

7.2
6.7

EQ 
 

No
Graphic

Full Comparison

Design

Style  

Style Photo  

Harman/Kardon Onyx Studio 6 Style Photo
JBL Charge 5 Style Photo

RGB Lights  

No
No
Show Text 

Portability 
 

9.0
9.1

Dimensions Photo  

Harman/Kardon Onyx Studio 6 Dimensions Photo
JBL Charge 5 Dimensions Photo

Volume 
 

637 in³ (10,439 cm³)
121 in³ (1,982 cm³)

Weight 
 

6.4 lbs (2.9 kg)
2.0 lbs (0.9 kg)

Power Source 
 

AC & Battery
Battery & USB

One-Hand Carry 
 

Yes
Yes
Show Text 

Build Quality 
 

7.5
8.3

Build Quality Photo  

Harman/Kardon Onyx Studio 6 Build Quality Photo
JBL Charge 5 Build Quality Photo

Material Quality 
 

Great
Great

Water Resistance 
 

Submersible (IPx7)
Submersible (IPx7)

Dust Resistance 
 

Unspecified
Dust-Proof (IP6x)

Impact Resistance 
 

Unspecified
Unspecified

Floats In Water 
 

Unspecified
Unspecified
Show Text 

Controls 
 

5.9
6.6

Controls Photo  

Harman/Kardon Onyx Studio 6 Controls Photo
JBL Charge 5 Controls Photo

Controls Photo 2  

Harman/Kardon Onyx Studio 6 Controls Photo 2
JBL Charge 5 Controls Photo 2

Ease Of Use 
 

Great
Great

Feedback 
 

Good
Good

Music Play/Pause 
 

Yes (Physical)
Yes (Physical)

Call Answer/End 
 

No
No

Volume Up/Down 
 

Yes (Physical)
Yes (Physical)

Track Next/Previous 
 

No
Forward Only (Physical)

Microphone On/Off 
 

No
No

Additional Controls 
 

Yes
Yes
Show Text 

In The Box 
 

In The Box Photo  

Harman/Kardon Onyx Studio 6 In The Box Photo
JBL Charge 5 In The Box Photo
Show Text 
Sound

Frequency Response Accuracy 
 

7.2
6.7

Frequency Response Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Slope 
 

-0.28
0.29

Std. Err. 
 

3.21 dB
3.90 dB

Low-Frequency Extension 
 

49.0 Hz
58.2 Hz

High-Frequency Extension 
 

18.2 kHz
18.5 kHz
Show Text 

Raw Frequency Response 
 

Raw Frequency Response Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Binaural Recording @ 1m 
 

Binaural Recording @ 2m 
 

Soundstage 
 

5.5
5.8

Directivity Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Directivity Index 
 

4.69 dB
4.27 dB

Stereo 
 

No (mono)
No (mono)
Show Text 

Dynamics 
 

6.7
6.5

Dynamic Range Compression  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

SPL @ Max Volume 
 

87.9 dB SPL
88.9 dB SPL

DRC @ Max Volume 
 

2.48 dB
3.16 dB
Show Text 
Active Features

Battery 
 

5.0
8.7

Battery Life 
 

4.7 hrs
14.5 hrs

Charge Time 
 

4.1 hrs
3.8 hrs

Power Saving 
 

Yes
Yes

Charging Port 
 

AC
USB-C

Battery Powered 
 

Yes
Yes
Show Text 

Voice Assistant 
 

0.0
0.0

Alexa 
 

No
No

Google Assistant 
 

No
No

Speakerphone 
 

No
No

Siri 
 

No
No

Voice Assistant 
 

No
No

Voice Activation 
 

No
No

Microphone Mute 
 

No Microphone
No

Far-Field Performance 
 

No Microphone
No Microphone

Ambient Noise Performance 
 

No Microphone
No Microphone
Show Text 

App 
 

0.0
7.9

App Picture  

Harman/Kardon Onyx Studio 6 App Picture
JBL Charge 5 App Picture

App Name 
 

No App
JBL Portable

iOS 
 

No
Yes

Android 
 

No
Yes

EQ 
 

No
Graphic

Stereo Pair Mode 
 

No
Yes

Party Mode 
 

No
Yes

Multi-Room 
 

No
No
Show Text 
Connectivity

Wired 
 

Aux Input 
 

Yes
No

USB Audio 
 

No
No

Other Ports 
 

Yes
Yes
Show Text 

Bluetooth 
 

7.7
8.5

Bluetooth 
 

Yes
Yes

Bluetooth Version 
 

4.2
5.1

Bluetooth iOS Latency 
 

264 ms
125 ms

Bluetooth Android Latency 
 

163 ms
102 ms

Bluetooth Range 
 

334.6 ft (102.0 m)
328.1 ft (100.0 m)

Multi-Device Pairing 
 

2 Devices
2 Devices
Show Text 

Wi-Fi 
 

0.0
0.0

Wi-Fi Version 
 

No Wi-Fi
No Wi-Fi

Wi-Fi Frequency Band 
 

No Wi-Fi
No Wi-Fi

Wi-Fi 
 

No
No

Apple AirPlay 
 

No
No

AirPlay Latency 
 

N/A
N/A

Google Chromecast 
 

No
No

Chromecast Latency 
 

N/A
N/A
Show Text 

Check Price

Black
Onyx Studio 6
Searching
Finding store
Black
JBL Charge 5
Searching
Finding store
Blue
Onyx Studio 6
Searching
Finding store
Blue
JBL Charge 5
Searching
Finding store
Gray
Onyx Studio 6
Searching
Finding store
Gray
JBL Charge 5
Searching
Finding store
 
Camo
JBL Charge 5
Searching
Finding store
 
Green
JBL Charge 5
Searching
Finding store
 
Pink
JBL Charge 5
Searching
Finding store
 
Red
JBL Charge 5
Searching
Finding store
 
Teal
JBL Charge 5
Searching
Finding store
 
White
JBL Charge 5
Searching
Finding store
Back to Top

Harman/Kardon Onyx Studio 6

JBL Charge 5

Comments

  1. Comparison
 • Posted 1 year ago

Harman/Kardon Onyx Studio 6 vs JBL Charge 5: Main Discussion

What do you think of these products? Let us know below.


Looking for a personalized buying advice from the RTINGS.com experts? Insiders have direct access to buying advice on our insider forum.

Follow Discussion0 followingSee All Soundbars & Speakers DiscussionsCopy link
0 
PreviewBack to editorFormat guide
No comments yet, refresh to see new ones
We make money directly from you via insider access (which gives you access to extra features) and when you buy a product after clicking a link to a retailer. Learn more about how we work.
We buy our own products, just like you, mostly from the United States. When a product is discontinued or no longer popular, we sell the review units locally. You can see what products we currently have for sale here.
© 2025 9298-5266 Quebec Inc. All Rights Reserved. Visit our corporate site.