![]() The album continues to Serpe and we note that JBL has not highlighted the treble here, opting for an altogether more integrated, hi-fi sounding product. It’s also an open-sounding mix, with plenty of room for the furiously fast-paced drums, bass, guitar and screamed vocals within Carne to be separate and distinguishable. We cue up Calligram’s The Eye Is The First Circle album on Tidal and there’s a pleasingly even distribution of sound, wherever we stand. It’s a shame for owners who might have looked to add Google Assistant operability at home, but JBL has gone down the Google Home/Apple Home route in terms of multi-room use here. Those looking to use JBL’s PartyBoost feature to create a stereo pair between a Link Portable and, say, a Flip 5, Pulse 4 or new Boombox 2, or to link several of these JBL speakers in mono will be out of luck. Perhaps the only omission of note here is the lack of JBL Connect app support, which will doubtless come as a blow to owners of products from JBL’s current portable line-up. It’s a competent performance and one we struggle to find fault with. The Link Portable’s mics, offset from the volume controls on the top plate of the speaker, never fail to pick up our voice, even during playback. Google’s response (from Bleacher Report) is as detailed and emotive as you could hope for. We ask Google why Luis Figo left Barcelona for Real Madrid, to test its general knowledge. It really is easy, and brings a plethora of options to the table for little money. Link your Spotify account via the Home app, for example, and you can say “Hey Google, play Coheed and Cambria on Spotify”.Īlthough Tidal’s streaming service isn’t supported for voice commands, you can stream Tidal playlists on Chromecast or AirPlay 2 simply by clicking on the Link Portable in the options on the bottom-left of Tidal’s interface. Getting each musical source set up on the Link Portable is a breeze. We press the pairing button on the spine of the Link Portable and pair using Bluetooth 4.2, which arguably gives this little box of tricks an advantage over the Sonos One, which lacks Bluetooth. AirPlay 2 users can also perform set-up using the Apple Home app. You can give your speaker a nickname and it shows up as such over a wi-fi connection. ![]() We set up the JBL Link Portable using the Google Home iOS app on iPhone. It is available in six colours, though our black model fits into any room of the home – its rounded edges blend in happily until we bark “Hey Google” at it. ![]() The Link Portable looks and feels like a premium product. These are nearer the top of the unit and light up through the fabric of the speaker’s body whenever the speaker is active, such as when switching on, altering the volume, or notifying you that Google is listening to your voice. There is a useful little wi-fi indicator light shining out from the fabric of the speaker just below that, and a row of four LEDs above it. You can press this to stop audio, timers, alarms and responses, or hold it down for more than two seconds to activate or deactivate the Google Assistant. On top of the unit, there are volume controls, two mics and the branded Google Assistant button in the centre. As well as the USB-C cradle, there’s a USB-C charging port on the lower spine of the Link Portable – in case you don’t feel like packing the cradle for an overnight trip.Īlso here you’ll find a Bluetooth pairing button, a mic mute button, the power button and a battery level indicator. An IPX7 rating means it’s fully waterproof (to a depth of one metre, for up to 30 minutes) and JBL claims that once fully charged – which takes a maximum of 3.5 hours – you’ll get eight hours of wireless music out of it.
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