JBL Go 5 Review: Pocket Speaker With Balanced Sound

Following the Go 4 launched two years earlier, the Go 5 is one of the most compact speakers in JBL's catalogue. It is no bigger than the Clip 5 and is aimed at anyone who has no use for a carabiner and wants a model that can be placed either flat or on its end.

Faithful to a strategy of evolving in small steps, JBL has revised several aspects of the specification. The Go 5 promises more power, longer battery life and a slightly modernised design. It keeps the Auracast synchronisation of its predecessor while adding simplified stereo pairing: bringing it close to a second Go 5 is enough to create a pair. It also introduces lighting effects, still uncommon within the JBL range.

On paper, then, the Go 5 has all the ingredients needed to establish itself once again as a reference among miniature speakers. It arrived in March 2026 in red, pink, white, camouflage, black, blue and purple. The recorded testing used firmware version 26.11.10 and version 6.9.12 of the JBL Portable app.

A small rectangle wrapped in good-quality mesh fabric with a short strap emerging from one side, the Go 5 looks at first glance like its predecessor. It differs through a slight gain in weight and a marginally larger body, largely because of the new ambient lighting and the wider silicone sections.

Although the Go 5 prioritises a playful design, it is well made for a speaker at this level. Built to be used without much ceremony in all sorts of settings, it will shrug off small knocks on a concrete surface. That points to good durability, even if its right flank, still plastic, remains liable to damage in a fall.

Like the most recent JBL speakers, the Go 5 gains stability when stood upright thanks to a new foot that raises it slightly. Lying flat, it swaps its predecessor's two rubber strips for four well-judged mini-feet, which look neater without compromising grip.

The Go 5 is also the first JBL speaker to adopt a cut-out logo, a choice intended to let the driver express itself more freely. The rubber construction of that logo is a shame, being noticeably less durable than aluminium or plastic would be.

More compact still than the ultra-portable models from Bose, Marshall or Ultimate Ears, the Go 5 is virtually alone in its category in being small enough to be grasped in a full hand. Its non-slip surfaces make it easy to carry over long distances, while the strap, sized to take a finger, is a practical addition for forgetting about it entirely or handling something else at the same time. It is a pity that the strap cannot be swapped for a small carabiner, which would have allowed the speaker to be clipped to a bag or a bicycle handlebar as on the Flip 7.

Either way, the increase in weight to 230 g, against 190 g for the Go 4, is barely noticeable in use. The speaker stays light and compact enough to disappear into a small bag, or even into a very modest container such as a large jacket pocket or a bum bag.

A genuine outdoor speaker, the Go 5 follows the latest JBL portables in moving from IP67 to IP68 certification. In theory it can therefore be immersed for longer and deeper in fresh water, while remaining completely sealed against the most persistent dust.

Even though the speaker is not the most stable when stood on end, its silicone support keeps it in place on a slightly sloping surface. Lying down, it can be placed almost anywhere with no risk of sliding.

The Go 4 was one of the first JBL speakers to support the LE Audio standard, and the Go 5 naturally carries that advantage over. Alongside the usual AAC and SBC codecs it therefore handles the low-latency LC3 codec and can receive an Auracast stream from a compatible transmitter without manual pairing beforehand. As is always the case with JBL, the connection proved quick and stable. Welcome features such as pop-up pairing on Android through Google Fast Pair and multipoint connection are also present.

While it does without a 3.5mm input, the Go 5 now allows wired listening over its USB-C port. That is still a rare attribute at this level. It not only sidesteps a native Bluetooth latency of 290 ms, too high for comfortable viewing of uncompensated audiovisual content, but also delivers lossless playback from any source. Activating the mode simply means holding the play/pause button while connecting to a phone or computer. It is a shame JBL does not supply a USB-C cable, which prevents the feature being used straight out of the box.

Still easy to identify and operate, the Go 5's rubber buttons have not changed since the Go 4. On the top face the speaker provides everything needed for full control: a play/pause button that also handles track skipping through double and triple presses, plus two volume buttons.

On the lower part of the left-hand side, in place of the old indicator light, there is now a small AirTouch logo. The Go 5 is the first JBL speaker able to pair in stereo with a second Go 5 by simple contact, although pairing is also possible through the JBL Portable app. Just above sit the controls for power, Bluetooth pairing and Auracast.

Beyond their decorative role, the lights built into the top and bottom edges complement JBL's signature tones to confirm that commands have registered. One stays lit while music is paused to show that the speaker is still switched on, while the other flashes occasionally or repeatedly with each command. The upper light can also act as a progress indicator during an update, though it is a shame JBL has not provided a way to display the remaining battery level temporarily.

Stable and intuitive without being overloaded with functions, the JBL Portable app is more useful than ever thanks to a few welcome changes. The main one concerns the lighting, which can be switched on or off at will and set to one of four dynamic animations, named Bounce, Loop, Switch and Freeze. Their colour cannot be chosen, but their intensity is sufficient without being dazzling.

Other improvements include a slightly more precise seven-band equaliser. The app also allows the AirTouch function and the audible alerts to be disabled when discretion is required. The Playtime Boost mode, which reduces bass intensity to preserve battery life, is present, as are menus for creating a stereo pair and managing JBL speakers synchronised over Auracast. No conventional Bluetooth pairing is required to add a speaker: activating the function with the dedicated button pairs it instantly with the master speaker, and it then appears in the PartyTogether section.

The Go 5 is a mono speaker and carries over its predecessor's acoustic architecture, a 4.5 cm full-range driver paired with a passive radiator. The only novelty is increased amplification power, with JBL promising bass deeper than before.

Few manufacturers take the risk of formats this compact, given the inherent acoustic compromises involved. Almost alone in this niche apart from a few models from Soundcore and Sony, JBL has nonetheless shown that the Go series can deliver balanced, deep sound in the right conditions, and this generation is no exception.

Capable of reaching 85 dB at maximum, the Go 5 is a low-powered miniature speaker, designed above all to provide background music, occasional listening outdoors or intimate listening indoors, rather than genuinely filling a space with sound. Given those limitations, it is best to stay at a moderate volume to enjoy its acoustic qualities.

At around 60% of its volume, which corresponds to 73 dB at 1 kHz measured at 1 m, the Go 5 delivers the controlled tonal balance typical of JBL. With a slight emphasis in the lowest frequencies and a marginally recessed lower midrange, it combines depth and impact surprisingly well. The speaker rolls off below 95 Hz, so the weight of a kick drum and the extension of a subwoofer are out of reach, but the foundation is quite comfortable for a miniature format.

With bass that never spills over into the upper part of the spectrum and good balance through the midrange, the Go 5 renders voices and lead instruments clearly. The lower midrange is present enough to give the sound body, while a subtle dip between 2 and 4 kHz avoids reverberation and other frequency excesses.

A peak in the treble that was absent on its predecessor does not, however, help compensate for the limited bass extension. High percussion is slightly thin and intrusive, and sibilance is somewhat highlighted. That tuning does at least help maintain a decent level of detail at low volume.

Unsurprisingly, the Go 5's limits appear as soon as the volume is raised towards a comfortable listening level. From 79 dB, heavy dynamic compression affects the bass and the response drops away from 150 Hz. The low end loses all depth, kick drums become almost non-existent and the imprecision inherent in the compact format is exacerbated, as are the excesses in the treble.

The sound becomes thin and aggressive, though the satisfactory balance of the midrange and upper bass thankfully stops the presentation becoming completely skeletal. Laying the speaker flat can be a sensible move to soften the directivity of the treble, even if the result then becomes distinctly nasal.

In short, while the Go 5 offers a correct tonal balance at moderate volume, it cannot claim to rival other ultra-compact speakers that cost more but are barely larger. The Ultimate Ears Miniroll, the Marshall Willen II and the Bose SoundLink Micro (2nd generation) manage to keep more credible bass at high volume, even though their maximum level is not much higher. Finally, Playtime Boost is best avoided, since bass disappears completely below 300 Hz in that mode.

JBL quotes up to 8 hours on a charge, or 10 hours with Playtime Boost enabled, slightly longer than its predecessor. As always, battery life depends heavily on listening level, but the manufacturer's claims prove more realistic here than on some other models in the range.

In the recorded testing, the Go 5 lasted close to 11 hours at 50% volume, without Playtime Boost and without the lighting effects. That is a respectable performance, though it corresponds to listening at an extremely low level. At 79 dB, measured at 1 kHz at 1 m, a level that starts to be substantial, battery life logically falls to 4 h 40 min. The Go 5 will therefore only reach the quoted 8 hours at a moderate volume, a limitation that is common for a compact speaker of this type but a little disappointing all the same.