JBL Go 2 vs Go 3
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Differences Summary
Basic Specifications
Audio Quality
Build Quality and Convenience
Verdict
Differences Summary
The JBL Go 3 is a better sounding speaker than the Go 2 as it has stronger bass, clearer mids, and less sharp highs. The Go 3 also has an IP67 rating making it both waterproof and dust resistant vs the Go 2’s IPX7 rating which only provides waterproofing.
However, the Go 3’s form factor makes it unstable on flat surfaces due to how much it vibrates, so mindful placement is important.
Basic Specifications
This will not be a thorough list of all the specs as they can be found for the Go 2 and Go 3 at their respective links on JBL’s website. This is just the most important stuff.
Go 2
The Go 2’s aux and USB ports are covered by a flap.
Dimensions: 3.4 x 2.8 x 1.3 inches
Weight: 0.39 lbs
Frequency Range: 180 Hz – 20 kHz
Connectivity: Bluetooth 4.1 or aux cable
Battery: 730 mAh, rechargeable micro-USB, stated up to 5 hours of battery life.
Waterproof rating: IPX7 (can be submerged in 3.3 ft or 1 meter of water for 30 minutes)
Go 3
Dimensions: 3.4 x 2.7 x 1.6 inches
Weight: 0.46 lbs
Frequency Range: 110 Hz - 20 kHz
Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.1
Battery: no capacity listed, rechargeable USB-C, stated up to 5 hours of battery life.
Waterproof rating: IP67 (dust resistant and can be submerged in 1 meter (3.3 feet) of water for up to 30 minutes)
Audio Quality
The Go 3 speaker is a significant audio quality improvement over the Go 2, but it comes with a drawback that I’ll discuss. Here are a couple audio samples (recorded with the Sony ZV-1) just to give a basic idea.
First for the objective portion. The Go 3 has deeper bass stretching down to the 110 Hz range while the Go 2 only gets down to 180 Hz. Neither device can quite get down the the lowest frequencies of human hearing which is 20 Hz, and you’ll notice in songs with the deepest of sub bass, that some of those sounds are completely missing.
Now for subjectivity (my own listening experience). Both speakers get to about the same volume level. They easily fill up a backyard, garage, or full floor of a house. And the farther away you are from the Go 2, the less the sibilance of that speaker becomes a problem.
Both speakers have a bit of a “disco smile” sound signature. More like a one sided disco smirk really. They emphasize bass, tame the midrange, and have a bit of a bump in the treble. The Go 3’s bass is stronger, deeper, and clearer though. The Go 2 sounds tinnier in comparison and the highs are harsher than the Go 3 without being cleaner.
Neither device has amazing clarity in terms of instrument separation when there’s a lot going on in the mix. For that, you’ll get better results with the JBL Clip lineup which I also will be releasing a review of.
Drawback of the Go 3
The weakness of the Go 3’s sound is due to its build. On the side, it has a striped grip which keeps it upright. But the device sounds much fuller when placed flat where the low frequencies can point down into the surface its on.
Unfortunately the grip bottom of the Go 3 doesn’t hold the device in place so it ends up shaking and rattling on most flat surfaces. It does well on fabric sofas or carpet, but on a table it will literally vibrate itself off the table and onto the floor during certain songs.
The actual movement of the Go 3 itself makes the sound worse, but more importantly it’s easy for it to fall if you put it on the edge of something.
I wouldn’t call this a complete dealbreaker, since the overall sound is still much better than the Go 2, but do be aware of this. The Go 2 moves on surfaces a bit too, but not to the same degree. If you want a more stable device than either of these, again the Clip series has far better inertia.
Build Quality and Convenience
Both the Go 2 and Go 3 are made of plastic. The Go 3 is a bit larger and heavier and it has dust resistance. Both have waterproof designs, and as you can see in the included video, they both function when completely submerged in water with no long term negative effects.
I’d give these both a tie in terms of overall build quality. The dustproofing is nice on the Go 3, but as I mentioned, the lack of a better grip on the bottom of the Go 3 lets the sub bass go uncontrolled which leads it to vibrate and move on its own on flat surfaces.
One thing that confuses me on the Go 3 is the loop. Why is it there? It’s too big to fit on a crowded keychain, and you can’t open it up to put on a backpack like the Clip series. Maybe you can find a use for it though.
Verdict
Go 3 (left) and Go 2.
Out of these two devices, I would pick the Go 3 over the Go 2. It sounds better and it has a slightly better IP rating.
Still, if you can find the JBL Clip 3 or Clip 4 for a similar price, I’d spring for one of those as they sound even better than the Go 3, but they have superior builds to that device.
Product Listings
JBL Go 2: https://amzn.to/3Kp6HG5
JBL Go 3: https://amzn.to/37IeKk9
