JBL Voyager review: A niche within a niche

The market for portable speaker docks was initially propelled by the increasing popularity of the iPod, but now with most people using their phones for music, Bluetooth speakers have taken over. At least in India, Harman promotes its JBL docks aggressively and has options in almost all price bands.

The features of these speakers vary from model to model. While some use proprietary ports for playing music and charging a device, a few others might be combined with a radio or alarm clock. Companies also tend to be extremely creative with the product design.

The JBL Voyager looks like a dock and plays music via Bluetooth, but Harman wants to call it a computer speaker mainly because of the powerful subwoofer. The device itself has two parts: a detachable disc-shaped portable speaker, and the larger dock surrounding it.

A Red Dot Design Award winner, the JBL Voyager is an interesting product. We put it through its paces to sort out the identity crisis it faces.

Design and Features
The JBL Voyager has a design unlike any other product in its league. What makes it even more interesting is the fact that the design is central to the device's functionality.

The Voyager's saucer-like detachable/portable speaker fits inside the subwoofer dock. Together, they resemble a food processor propped up on its side. The portable speaker has a circular wheel bang in the centre, which features all the controls and the Bluetooth module that is used to connect to devices. It can work completely independently for up to five hours on a single charge. The dock needs to be plugged in to a power outlet at all times and works only when the portable speaker is attached to it.

Quoting JBL's marketing communication, the design is "utterly original", and yes, it looks good. However, the white model we got for review had clearly become dirty over a period of time.

The portable speaker weighs around 420 grams and the combined unit has a total weight of 1.2kg. Effectively, consumers get two products in a single package. We can easily imagine people setting up the docking unit in a permanent place in their rooms.

The dock features dual 45mm drivers and a 77mm subwoofer which are standard specifications for a 2.1 speaker set. The signal-to-noise ratio of 80db is what we've come to expect of portable speakers and it is definitely not comparable to full-fledged speakers. What is comparable, however, is the frequency response range of 20 Hz to 20 kHz - more than enough for human ears. For phone calls it features SoundClear noise and echo cancellation technology. Apart from Bluetooth, it also has a 3.5mm jack for wired connections.

Sound Quality
The portable speaker on its own sounds tinny and devoid of any details. We cringed when the bass dropped in Skrillex's Ragga Bomb. However, the moment we plugged the saucer into its dock, the bigger drivers sprang into action and delivered the thump we ached for.

The thumping lows are great but the mids are phenomenal. Vocals are crystal clear and the unique definition of the texture of Lorde's voice in her song Royals was silky smooth. Problems arose when the lows kicked in; this cannibalised the mids and suppressed them to the extent that they sounded non-existent. In all this mess, the treble stands its ground and is well defined.

We couldn't identify any channel separation, which could be because the sound emanates from a single unit. The Voyager is highly unidirectional and throws music in the direction it faces. Don't expect it to fill a large room. It is pretty loud for a device its size and should suffice for a 300 sq.ft room.

Overall, the JBL Voyager is great for listening to music that has pronounced bass or is heavy on vocals. But bring them together and you will understand the definition of a disaster.

We also tested a phone call over Bluetooth and the SoundClear noise and echo cancellation technology works decently.

Overall
The performance is definitely not earth-shattering but the JBL Voyager is one of the better sounding docks, and has a unique look to boot. Moreover, we definitely wouldn't qualify it as a computer speaker, therefore ending the identity crisis debate. This is mainly because there are options in the 2.1 speakers segment with better specifications and performance. The USP of this device is the Bluetooth connectivity and the portability factor.

Priced at Rs. 17,990 (street price), it is one of the more expensive docks in the market. The Bose SoundDock Series II and the House of Marley EM-FA000-MI are a few other options in this price range which have more powerful specifications, but are not exactly portable.