This is the English edition of a review from my Japanese YouTube channel, iestaLife. I review gadgets from my home studio in Japan, so product links go to Amazon Japan.
Quick take
For roughly the same money, you can buy one JBL FLIP 7 or two small JBL GO 5s and pair them in stereo. The FLIP 7 is far louder and only needs one charge, so it is the one to take outdoors. Two GO speakers placed apart give a much wider, more immersive sound for films or music in a room. For the bathroom, the FLIP 7 is simply too loud; one GO 5 is enough.
What I tested
- JBL FLIP 7 (Funky Black), bought for this comparison
- Two JBL GO 5 units in stereo, which I already use in the bath
- Two JBL GO 4 units in stereo, the previous, now cheaper model
- JBL Portable app on an iPhone, including Auracast “Party Together” with all five speakers
What I found
- The FLIP 7 weighs 556 g on my scale — about the same as a 500 ml bottle of water, and heavier than two GO 5s together.
- It is about 17–18 cm long and about 67 mm across at its widest. The GO 5 is 100.9 mm wide and about 76 mm tall, so the FLIP 7 is roughly twice its size.
- JBL rates the FLIP 7 at 25 W (woofer) plus 10 W (tweeter). At full volume it was almost too loud in my room, and even at 70–80% it was too much for a bathroom.
- The charging port has no cover. Like the GO series, the USB-C port is open (IP68), which makes charging much easier.
- There is no charging cable in the box. You get a hook-style strap and a carabiner that you can swap between.
- The GO 5 pair sounded better than I expected. The FLIP 7 wins on volume and on centred vocals, but the physical separation of two speakers gives a spread that one box cannot match.
- The GO 4 pair was close to the GO 5 pair; the GO 5 goes a little louder.
- All five speakers connected at once through the app’s Party tab. Pausing on the main speaker stops everything; pausing on another one stops only that unit.
Comparison
| FLIP 7 (one unit) | GO 5 (stereo pair) | GO 4 (stereo pair) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weight per unit (my scale) | 556 g | about 230 g | 196 g |
| Volume and punch | By far the loudest; vocals stand out | Plenty for a room | Slightly quieter than GO 5 |
| Stereo spread | Sounds like one box | Wide, because the units sit apart | Wide, as with GO 5 |
| Charging | One device | Two devices | Two devices |
| Rough price in Japan at recording | about ¥15,000 on sale (about ¥20,000 normally) | about ¥7,000 each | ¥4,000–5,000 each |
Who it’s for
- FLIP 7: outdoor use, car trips, or one speaker left in the corner of a large room — and anyone who doesn’t want to charge two devices.
- A GO 5 or GO 4 pair: watching films on a small tablet, or listening from a fixed seat where stereo makes a difference. A GO 4 pair is the cheapest way into stereo.
- Not the FLIP 7: if you mainly want a bath speaker or something tiny for hotel rooms.
Watch the review
The video is in Japanese; YouTube’s auto-generated captions can be translated into English. The full-volume listening comparison of all three setups starts at about 21:00, and the five-speaker Party Together test at about 8:30.
Limitations
Sound impressions are mine, recorded in my own room and bathroom, not lab measurements. The volume in the video recording may clip at maximum. Prices are rough figures I mentioned for Amazon Japan at the time of recording, in yen.
Products
JBL FLIP 7: on Amazon Japan
JBL GO 5: on Amazon Japan
JBL GO 4: on Amazon Japan
The Amazon Japan links above are affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Check the listing for the exact model, current price and shipping availability in your region.
More reviews in English
All Earbuds, Speakers & Audio (35) →Browse all English reviews →
This review is also available in Japanese.