Home > Consumer Reviews > JBL OnTour Portable Music Box

Impressive sound compared to other portables. I have a set of Wharfedale Loudman's used for 2 years. They're good value for the $40 I paid, but the "On Tour" has much more "depth" The sound is pure, rich, "on" I've listened to some of the more expensive portable alternatives and didn't think they beat the LoudMan's so didn't buy. Took a chance on these based on a review and the brand name. Doesn't have boom box volume, won't blow you out of the room, but there's plenty of volume without setting on max. And even on max setting, there's no sense that you're on the edge of distortion.

They're heavier than I expected, just less than 14 oz, exceptionally well made, sized more like a hip flask than the 'glasses' case described in one review. This isn't for your pocket, but OK for a brief case or tucked in the corner of a suitcase. I use mine in small group meetings and on travel.

The folks who designed this created a winner.

The OnTour speaker system from JBL is a very nice set of portable speakers. It's best suited in combination with an iPod or other popular MP3 players in the market.

Pros:
* Nice sound, much better than other truly portable and small sized options in the market place.
* Simple, elegant design that is in tune with the regular iPod.
* Can be powered by a a wall outlet or by a set of AAA batteries.
* Good for filling a midsized room or even for some small group outside parties.
* Can be fed from the earphone jack of your iPod or (better) if you use its cable in conjunction with the iPod cradle, which provides "line" output.

Cons:
* The cover slides back and there is no way to fix it so it stays open.
* The typical price of $99 at Apple stores is a bit steep.
* The bass is not as rich as with other larger speaker systems.

Recommended usages:
* In conjunction with your iPod you can easily transport your music within rooms in your house.
* It can help you provide background music to indoor or outdoor parties. Can work independently of a wall plug.
* It can be very easily stored in a suitcase or laptop case to take it on the road.

The flask-shaped JBL on tour combines attractive design with accurate sound in a grab-and-go form factor.

The top of the case slides open to reveal two aluminum-domed speakers with metal grilles and accent rings separated by a JBL logo (the logo is visible through a clear window when the top is closed). To the right are two small LEDs between two volume push buttons. There's also an audio jack (cord included) and a plug for the power supply (also included). Sliding a button underneath the unit releases the front panel, which covers the 4 x AAA battery compartment. The underside of the unit has grippy rubber strips running its length.

Overall build quality is good, with nothing cheap-feeling or looking about the device. The only obvious flaw is that the detent needed to hold the cover open isn't deep enough and it's easy to knock the case halfway shut over the speakers.

HOW DOES IT SOUND?
Unless you are hopelessly jaded, you will be impressed hearing these speakers for the first time. They create a spacious sound field and are happily free of the gross defects common to most small accessory speakers.

Where they really get things right is in the midrange, where most music happens most of the time. They are quite neutral (or "flat" - it's a good thing) from the upper bass to the lower treble. My listening notes indicated a shallow dip somewhere just north of 500 Hz, and measurements with warble tones and SPL meter indicated it's more like 800 Hz and indeed shallow.

The excellent midrange segues to fairly balanced treble. There's some emphasis in the 5 kHz-8 kHz region, which can make for a slightly zingy (though not unpleasant) sound character in near-field listening (sitting very close to the speakers). This slight excess energy melts away with distance.

Speaking of treble and distance, these speakers sound great off-axis, which is a good quality for upward-firing speakers. This means the treble response doesn't fall off the map when they aren't pointing right at your ears. Consider it a real-life benefit -- you will enjoy a more balanced sound as you move about the room than with speakers that beam the treble in a narrower cone of sound.

There is no low bass (consider the size of the speakers). What bass you do get - shelved down mid-bass and smooth upper bass - is relatively clean and stands out in a class of speakers where a distorted one-note "thump" masks lack-o-bass. All speaker designs involve tradeoffs, and I prefer errors of omission to comission.

There is some punch when the music punches and when the music rumbles, you hear the outlines of rumble, though bass-heads will not be in the market for speakers the size of a paperback.

The speakers play reasonably loudly, and I could not drive them into harsh clipping with any source material. Unlike a boom boxes that break up and crackle at high volume, these continue sounding open and uncompressed until they simply don't go any louder.

The combination of low distortion and relatively flat midrange response make these very listenable speakers (they can sound bright unless you sit a few feet back), and their biggest benefit may be lack of listening fatigue; I routinely find myself enjoying music for 30-40 minutes longer with them than with other small speakers. An easy five stars.

When you're dealing with small speakers, somethings gotta give. You can't have full bass, great tone, tight construction, and a decent price. These speakers offer very little bass, but very good midrange and high end. There are never any rattles. This alone is a miracle for small speakers. The price is a little high, but very good when compared to other speakers of this quality.

I have used these speakers for music and podcasts in my house, in a meeting room and in the middle of a park. Since I'm not trying to blow out the windows, they pack more than enough power. With a set of rechargable batteries they make a take anywhere alternative. I have packed them in the inside pocket of my jeans jacket, but they're really a little to heavy for that. A backpack is a far better method.

All of these comments show a balancing act, that was done very well. There are however a couple things that could be changed without having any effect on quality OR manufactoring price. My biggest pet peave and it is not only on this product but on every product with an auto-off feature. When you have an auto-off it does not mean there doesn't need to be an off button. The only way to definately turn off these speakers is to close the case. This means dissconnecting the wires. The auto-off doesn't always work. I come back the next day and the batteries are dead because it was on all night when my iPod shut off after forty seconds. It should be made so that when you turn the volume down all the way it shuts off.

I just got an iPod Nano a month ago and decided to get some speakers. These speakers are very clear, crisp, loud to fill a large room, and compact. What I loved about these speakers is they can run on AC adapter for when I'm home and batteries for travel. It even comes with a small cloth bag to protect it from dust or when traveling. The only problem is the AC adapter plug is on the back of the speaker which means you cannot close it with the plug in. Still a 5 star even though it has one flaw.

pros

+ clear, crisp, and loud
+ battery powered and AC adapter
+ compact for a desk or travel
+ for most MP3 players, CD players, computers, iPod, etc.

cons

- cannot close speaker because plug is in the back of it
- it is white so it will get dusty
- batteries die out quickly if listened to overly

I recommend these speakers for such a great price. Apple sells them for $100 which is $30 more! Wonderful unless if you want to spend $300 on Bose which are pretty much the same. Great buy!