JBL Charge 5 vs Sony SRS-XB33: Which Speaker Is Better? - RTINGS.com

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Sony SRS-XB33

JBL Charge 5

Tested using Methodology v0.8

Updated Jul 10, 2024 01:23 PM

Tested using Methodology v0.8

Updated Aug 08, 2025 05:04 PM

Sony SRS-XB33 Picture

JBL Charge 5 Picture

Bluetooth Yes

Wi-Fi No

Speakerphone Yes

Voice Assistant Yes

Battery Powered Yes

Bluetooth Yes

Wi-Fi No

Speakerphone No

Voice Assistant No

Battery Powered Yes

Recommended in 1 article:
JBL

Our Verdict

Sony SRS-XB33

JBL Charge 5

The Sony SRS-XB33 is a slightly better speaker than JBL Charge 5. The JBL has a better-balanced sound profile and slightly longer battery life, though battery life can vary depending on usage, so your experience may differ. However, the Sony comes with a ClearAudio+ feature advertised to automatically adjust its sound according to your audio. It also supports voice assistants through your smartphone, though its performance isn't very good.

Variants

SRS-XB33 (Black)
SRS-XB33 (Coral Red)
SRS-XB33 (Light Blue)
SRS-XB33 (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)

Review

See Sony SRS-XB33 Review

See JBL Charge 5 Review

Check Price

Black

SRS-XB33

Black

JBL Charge 5

Coral Red

SRS-XB33

Blue

JBL Charge 5

Light Blue

SRS-XB33

Camo

JBL Charge 5

Taupe

SRS-XB33

Gray

JBL Charge 5

Green

JBL Charge 5

Pink

JBL Charge 5

Red

JBL Charge 5

Teal

JBL Charge 5

White

JBL Charge 5

Main Differences for

Music

Threshold

0.10

Music

6.1

6.5

Frequency Response Accuracy

6.0

6.7

Soundstage

6.3

5.8

Full Comparison

Music

6.1

6.5

Videos/Movies

5.7

5.8

Podcasts

6.6

7.5

Voice Assistant

3.3

2.8

Outdoors

7.5

7.6

Design

Style

Style Photo

Sony SRS-XB33 Style Photo

JBL Charge 5 Style Photo

RGB Lights

Yes

No

Show Text

Portability

9.0

9.1

Dimensions Photo

Sony SRS-XB33 Dimensions Photo

JBL Charge 5 Dimensions Photo

Volume

125 in³ (2,043 cm³)

121 in³ (1,982 cm³)

Weight

2.4 lbs (1.1 kg)

2.0 lbs (0.9 kg)

Power Source

Battery & USB

Battery & USB

One-Hand Carry

Yes

Yes

Show Text

Build Quality

8.5

8.3

Build Quality Photo

Sony SRS-XB33 Build Quality Photo

JBL Charge 5 Build Quality Photo

Material Quality

Good

Great

Water Resistance

Submersible (IPx7)

Submersible (IPx7)

Dust Resistance

Dust-Proof (IP6x)

Dust-Proof (IP6x)

Impact Resistance

Yes (IK rating unspecified)

Unspecified

Floats In Water

Unspecified

Unspecified

Show Text

Controls

8.0

6.6

Controls Photo

Sony SRS-XB33 Controls Photo

JBL Charge 5 Controls Photo

Controls Photo 2

Sony SRS-XB33 Controls Photo 2

JBL Charge 5 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

Show Text

In The Box

In The Box Photo

Sony SRS-XB33 In The Box Photo

JBL Charge 5 In The Box Photo

Show Text

Sound

Frequency Response Accuracy

6.0

6.7

Frequency Response Graph

Slope

-0.46

0.49

Std. Err.

5.37 dB

3.75 dB

Low-Frequency Extension

58.2 Hz

59.1 Hz

High-Frequency Extension

9.3 kHz

18.5 kHz

Show Text

Raw Frequency Response

Raw Frequency Response Graph

Binaural Recording @ 1m

Binaural Recording @ 2m

Soundstage

6.3

5.8

Directivity Graph

Directivity Index

6.89 dB

4.27 dB

Stereo

Yes

No (mono)

Show Text

Dynamics

6.2

6.6

Dynamic Range Compression

SPL @ Max Volume

86.2 dB SPL

90.2 dB SPL

DRC @ Max Volume

3.00 dB

3.15 dB

Show Text

Active Features

Battery

8.6

8.7

Battery Life

12.3 hrs

14.5 hrs

Charge Time

4.0 hrs

3.8 hrs

Power Saving

Yes

Yes

Charging Port

USB-C

USB-C

Battery Powered

Yes

Yes

Show Text

Voice Assistant

1.7

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

Bad

No Microphone

Ambient Noise Performance

Bad

No Microphone

Show Text

App

7.9

7.9

App Picture

Sony SRS-XB33 App Picture

JBL Charge 5 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

Show Text

Connectivity

Wired

Aux Input

No

No

USB Audio

No

No

Other Ports

Yes

Yes

Show Text

Bluetooth

9.2

8.5

Bluetooth

Yes

Yes

Bluetooth Version

5.0

5.1

Bluetooth iOS Latency

37 ms

125 ms

Bluetooth Android Latency

76 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

Check Price

Black

SRS-XB33

Black

JBL Charge 5

Coral Red

SRS-XB33

Blue

JBL Charge 5

Light Blue

SRS-XB33

Camo

JBL Charge 5

Taupe

SRS-XB33

Gray

JBL Charge 5

Green

JBL Charge 5

Pink

JBL Charge 5

Red

JBL Charge 5

Teal

JBL Charge 5

White

JBL Charge 5

Sony SRS-XB33

JBL Charge 5

Comments

Comparison

• Posted 1 year ago

Sony SRS-XB33 vs JBL Charge 5: Main Discussion

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