The Flip 5 JBL is a medium power portable unit with enough watts to play to a typical size room.
JBL Flip 5 Watts: Intro
But what do the watts a speaker has, tell us about how good it is? Firstly, the watt is a measure of how much power the speaker requires and outputs. Plus, this metric is a nifty comparison measure. Why? Because generally speaking, speakers with more watts of audio output tend to play louder than those with less.
These speakers do cost more and have bigger batteries and chargers along with larger drivers and magnets. Yet they nonetheless offer some big plusses as well. They have more dynamic range, deeper bass, and stereo models offer a bigger soundstage to listeners.
Thus in general, the more powerful the speaker, the better it sounds, even at lower volume. You get better clarity due to higher accuracy reproduction of the bass, midrange, and treble. Plus, more reserve power likely means less clipping distortion too, even at higher volumes. So, the speaker’s maximum watts output is a primary indicator of speaker quality and performance. And as such, this value is of great interest to audiophiles and novice listeners alike.
In this case, the Flip 5 is a decently loud model for all the bigger it is. Its watts can fill a small to medium size party space with clear and full music. See below for details on its power output.
JBL Flip 5 Watts: The Details
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- Battery Capacity: 17.28 watt-hours (3.6 volts, 4.8 amp-hours).
- USB Charger Power: 15 watts (5 volts at 3 amps).
- Power Bank Output Power: Not available on this speaker.
- Play Time Per Recharge: Up to 12 hours.
- Total Audio Output Power on AC (RMS): 20 watts.
- Total Peak Audio Power: 28.28 watts.
- Output Power per Channel: 20 watts RMS (only one channel in this speaker).
Notes
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- The Flip 5 may not get enough power from a low power USB AC adapter (under 15 watts capacity). So though charging, the battery might still run dead with loud music playing. So even with the Flip 5 on the charge, the music still might shut OFF abruptly. Therefore, should this occur, just stop playing the Flip 5 for an hour or two. This allows it to build up some reserve battery power while charging. Then, fire it up again for continued party enjoyment.