Like most cordless speakers, the JBL Charge 3 Bluetooth speaker seems to have it all: an agreeable design, powerful sound reproduction and a mobile base that lets you blast your favorite tunes wherever you are. But does it do enough to beat out the competition, especially considering its somewhat steep price?

The JBL Charge 3 Bluetooth speaker and its fearsome ‘Volume Up’ button

A simple case which can act as an amplifier

We did say that the Charge 3’s design is agreeable, but it isn’t going to revolutionize the market: the black-colored model painfully accentuates that the Charge 3 is little more than a lengthy cylinder. Things get a little better with the alternate colors – the blue and red variants are bright and definitely won’t go unnoticed no matter what sort of environment the speaker is in. The standard features you’d expect from a Bluetooth speaker are all there, accompanied by a higher-than-usual volume output. JBL clearly wanted the Charge 3 to play louder than its predecessor, although this came at a price – at higher volumes, the sound is considerably less crisp.

Still, you probably only need to crank the volume up to maximum in the sort of noisy environment where loss of sound quality isn’t a big issue. Indeed, considering that the device is waterproof and comes in several bright-colored variants, one would think JBL made this speaker with pool parties and beach gatherings in mind. The price of around $13o isn’t spectacular – you can definitely find competent and attractive Bluetooth speakers for half the money – but if you need a loud speaker with equally-as-loud coloring, the Charge 3 is worth considering.

How to make the JBL Charge 3 speaker louder?

There are two solutions to the problem in regards to the question “why isn’t my JBL charge 3 loud” . The first is that you’re positioning it wrong, regardless if you’re within a closed room or outside, and we’re going to explain you how to fix it – and the second thing (which is less likely) is that you’re having a defective device, and you should just go and exchange it within the warranty. So, let’s get to the first solution, positioning.

If your JBL Charge 3 isn’t loud within a closed space, try to put it in a corner or with the back towards a wall, that will bounce back some of the sound towards you, and you will have better hearing experience. If you’re having a drawer, just take the drawer out and place the speaker within it, as long as there is a “closed space” to hold in the music, it will sound louder.

If you’re JBL Charge 3 isn’t loud within an open space, try to again position him in that way so that it can cover your area, in most cases people put the speaker facing back to the portable refrigerator or any possible “obstacle” which would keep the music bouncing back towards you, I have seen some creative solutions like plain plastic or wooden buckets, and people would just place the speaker in it and it would be more then enough to keep the party going. And in case you’re on an open beach, the only solution which you would have is to put it in a case, which can act as a “small amplifier” due to the fact that the speaker is in a shell.

And in case you’re not happy with the speaker overall, we would definitely recommend to go with the Bose Soundlink Mini II as the next option.

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