Club JBL Amsterdam Launch Event Report
OSCAR CHECKS OUT THE LATEST NEW JBL PRODUCTS AT THE CLUB JBL AMSTERDAM EVENT
JBL unveiled a new lineup of products at Club JBL Amsterdam, led by the JBL Live 4 TWS earbuds with JBL Smart OS 3.0 and an upgraded Smart Charging Case. HiFi PiG’s Oscar finds out all about the new products at the celebrations in Amsterdam.
On the 12th of May, JBL flew out journalists and distributors from across the EU to their EMEA HQ in Amsterdam, for this year’s Club JBL. This wasn’t just a launch event, it was a celebration of 80-years of JBL, let’s take a look at what we saw.
CLUB JBL AMSTERDAM LAUNCH EVENT REPORT
After an extremely early start, we arrived in Amsterdam, and after a quick hotel check-in we made our way to the Harman EMEA HQ just a couple of minutes’ walk down the road. We were treated to a buffet lunch before the press conference, going over what to expect from the day, alongside announcements of their latest kit.
These announcements included the new Go 5 and Xtreme 5 portable speakers, a pair of new PartyBoxes coming later this year in the form of the PartyBox 130 and 330, EasySing microphones in two flavours, and a newly refreshed Live headphone range. They also talked us through some tuning changes that have rolled out across their Tour line of headphones, stating they are trying to appeal to more premium customers who appreciate a slightly more balanced sound compared to the standard JBL headphone tuning curve. It was a great introduction to the new products, and they had a fashion designer kit out people in colours matching the new headphone colourways.
We were split up into groups, and each started on a different floor to explore the new products in further detail. Our first stop was a room with portables and PartyBoxes, with JBL stating they sell around 3 million Go series portable speakers every year. The new Go 5 has a contoured logo which helps improve the sound quality and output, alongside easy pairing into a stereo pair by simply pressing the two speakers together – a neat little feature. We also saw how the new EasySing microphones work with the Xtreme 5, allowing you to remove vocals from tracks at the push of a button for karaoke purposes, you can dial in the level of vocals too should you wish to have some backup from the original track, varying from 25/50/100%. JBL Have quite a high attachment rate for microphones, so it’s logical for them to bring this into the portable speakers, via a small mic with USB-C connector, they also double up as microphones for an Apple or Android device when creating content.
Next up were the PartyBoxes, with the new 130 and 330 having some quite substantial changes including increased power output, revised drivers, tweeters from their professional line of PA speakers, removable batteries to allow for easy swap-outs, a new top wheel for device control, and of course a brand-new lighting show. These are rugged speakers, that are built to take the party with you, the 330 housing 2 x 6.5” woofers, an extendable handle, and revised wheels for ease of transport. The 130 is a slightly smaller and features a smaller carry handle, it can be picked up and carried with ease. The new rounded sides of the 130 make it more comfortable when carrying, and both models feature their usual Auracast to link multiple devices, alongside a new light show with better lighting quality and additional modes. The new control knob on the top is modelled on automotive designs, where a single knob is used to control all the settings, and it is very neatly integrated here. Also to note, is that the metal grille has been revised with a more open pattern, and this is a very neat update to the PartyBox series.
Next up we got a presentation about the history of JBL, from their beginnings right up to the new products being unveiled today. It’s quite interesting to see them go from making movie theatre speakers, to the first in-home stereo speaker system (Paragon), PA speakers for festivals, studio monitors, iPod docks and lastly portables. To this day, some of their older home model still sound fantastic, and listening to some of these heritage models was quite an experience, especially the Paragon.
There was then a colour matching station for the new headphones, where you had stylists test colour patches and help you choose the right colour headphones for your style. As someone who rarely wears colours, I did choose the rather pedestrian black – but it was an interesting concept for those wanting to get involved. We then got to experience the new headphones, and were talked through some of their new features, alongside getting to see all the new colourways close-up. The new models shown were the Live 4 TWS, Live 780NC, and Live 680NC.
After an excellent day being talked through the new products, experiencing them in person, and getting hands on with the headphones, we were treated to a fantastic meal with live music and plenty of chit-chat. Whilst JBL may not appeal to everyone, there’s no doubt that they are a company who understand their customer base and deliver products that cater to them, time after time – which shows in their market share of portables and PartyBox speakers. They also haven’t forgotten about their roots; with the summit series they launched last year – its exciting times at JBL and they are a brand few can ignore.
A big thank you to the whole JBL team for putting on this event, and for inviting us along, they are a company bringing out products that appeal to a new generation of music lovers, and we love to see that.
JBL NEW PRODUCT PRICING & AVAILABILITY
JBL Live 780NC and Live 680NC available now, priced at £179.99 / €179.99 and £129.99 / €149.99 respectively. The JBL Live 4 TWS also available now at £179.99 / €199.99.
The PartyBox 330 and PartyBox 130 will follow in June 2026, priced at £529.99 / €599.99 and £349.99 /€399.99 respectively. The JBL EasySing Mics Mini will also launch at the same time in 2026 at £129.99 / €149.99
Oscar Stewart
