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- Table of Contents
- Top
- Main Differences
- Design
- Sound
- Active Features
- Connectivity
- Comments
Sony SRS-XB43 vs JBL Charge 5
Side-by-Side Comparison
Products
Sony SRS-XB43
JBL Charge 5
Tested using Methodology v0.8
Updated Sep 04, 2024 07:30 PM
SEE PRICE
Amazon.comTested using Methodology v0.8
Updated Apr 14, 2025 08:40 PM
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
BluetoothYes
Wi-FiNo
SpeakerphoneYes
Voice AssistantYes
Battery PoweredYes
BluetoothYes
Wi-FiNo
SpeakerphoneNo
Voice AssistantNo
Battery PoweredYes
Variants
- SRS-XB43 (Black)
- SRS-XB43 (Blue)
- SRS-XB43 (Taupe)
- 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)
Our Verdict
Sony SRS-XB43
JBL Charge 5
The Sony SRS-XB43 is a slightly better speaker than the JBL Charge 5, though they're similar. The JBL is smaller and has a better-balanced sound profile out of the box. However, like many Sony speakers we've tested, the Sony has a ClearAudio+ feature advertised to adjust the speaker's sound according to your audio content and can get louder than the JBL. It also supports voice assistants through your smartphone, though its performance isn't great.
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Black
SRS-XB43
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Finding storeBlack
JBL Charge 5
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Finding storeBlue
SRS-XB43
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Finding storeBlue
JBL Charge 5
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Finding storeTaupe
SRS-XB43
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Finding storeCamo
JBL Charge 5
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Finding storeGray
JBL Charge 5
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Finding storeGreen
JBL Charge 5
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Finding storePink
JBL Charge 5
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Finding storeRed
JBL Charge 5
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Finding storeTeal
JBL Charge 5
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Finding storeWhite
JBL Charge 5
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Finding storeMain Differences forMusic
Music
Threshold
Music
6.5
6.5
Full Comparison
Design
Style
Style Photo
RGB Lights
Yes
No
Portability
8.8
9.1
Dimensions Photo
Volume
285 in³ (4,677 cm³)
121 in³ (1,982 cm³)
Weight
6.4 lbs (2.9 kg)
2.0 lbs (0.9 kg)
Power Source
Battery & USB
Battery & USB
One-Hand Carry
Yes
Yes
Build Quality
7.9
8.3
Build Quality Photo
Material Quality
Good
Great
Water Resistance
Submersible (IPx7)
Submersible (IPx7)
Dust Resistance
Dust-Proof (IP6x)
Dust-Proof (IP6x)
Impact Resistance
Unspecified
Unspecified
Floats In Water
Unspecified
Unspecified
Controls
8.0
6.6
Controls Photo
Controls Photo 2
Ease Of Use
Great
Great
Feedback
Great
Good
Music Play/Pause
Yes (Physical)
Yes (Physical)
Call Answer/End
Yes (Physical)
No
Volume Up/Down
Yes (Physical)
Yes (Physical)
Track Next/Previous
Yes (Physical)
Forward Only (Physical)
Microphone On/Off
No
No
Additional Controls
Yes
Yes
In The Box
In The Box Photo
Sound
Frequency Response Accuracy
6.6
6.7
Frequency Response Graph
Slope
-0.71
0.29
Std. Err.
3.71 dB
3.90 dB
Low-Frequency Extension
55.8 Hz
58.2 Hz
High-Frequency Extension
10.2 kHz
18.5 kHz
Raw Frequency Response
Raw Frequency Response Graph
Binaural Recording @ 1m
Binaural Recording @ 2m
Soundstage
6.1
5.8
Directivity Graph
Directivity Index
7.34 dB
4.27 dB
Stereo
Yes
No (mono)
Dynamics
6.7
6.5
Dynamic Range Compression
SPL @ Max Volume
91.1 dB SPL
88.9 dB SPL
DRC @ Max Volume
3.19 dB
3.16 dB
Active Features
Battery
8.6
8.7
Battery Life
15.0 hrs
14.5 hrs
Charge Time
4.5 hrs
3.8 hrs
Power Saving
Yes
Yes
Charging Port
USB-C
USB-C
Battery Powered
Yes
Yes
Voice Assistant
2.9
0.0
Alexa
No
No
Google Assistant
Yes (Requires Smartphone)
No
Speakerphone
Yes
No
Siri
Yes (Requires Smartphone)
No
Voice Assistant
Yes
No
Voice Activation
No
No
Microphone Mute
No
No
Far-Field Performance
Poor
No Microphone
Ambient Noise Performance
Poor
No Microphone
App
7.9
7.9
App Picture
App Name
Sony Music Center
JBL Portable
iOS
Yes
Yes
Android
Yes
Yes
EQ
Graphic + Presets
Graphic
Stereo Pair Mode
Yes
Yes
Party Mode
Yes
Yes
Multi-Room
No
No
Connectivity
Wired
Aux Input
Yes
No
USB Audio
No
No
Other Ports
Yes
Yes
Bluetooth
8.7
8.5
Bluetooth
Yes
Yes
Bluetooth Version
5.0
5.1
Bluetooth iOS Latency
63 ms
125 ms
Bluetooth Android Latency
116 ms
102 ms
Bluetooth Range
334.6 ft (102.0 m)
328.1 ft (100.0 m)
Multi-Device Pairing
2 Devices
2 Devices
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
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Black
SRS-XB43
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JBL Charge 5
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Finding storeBlue
SRS-XB43
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Finding storeBlue
JBL Charge 5
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Finding storeTaupe
SRS-XB43
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Finding storeCamo
JBL Charge 5
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Finding storeGray
JBL Charge 5
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Finding storeGreen
JBL Charge 5
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Finding storePink
JBL Charge 5
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Finding storeRed
JBL Charge 5
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Finding storeTeal
JBL Charge 5
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Finding storeWhite
JBL Charge 5
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Sony SRS-XB43
JBL Charge 5
Comments
Sony SRS-XB43 vs JBL Charge 5: Main Discussion
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