TechRadar Verdict
JBL’s Tuner 2 is a useful radio/speaker to take with you on trips or to the beach, but it’s convenient rather than potent.
DAB/FM radio with Bluetooth built-in
Easy to set up
Durable
Weak sound
Limited battery indicator
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JBL Tuner 2: two-minute review
JBL offers a plethora of useful speakers and earphones. We’re not just talking options that sound good either, but robust party speakers that can sit by the pool (or be flung into it) without a problem. These are the kinds of devices that marketing spin would call ‘kit for keeping up with your active lifestyle’, (omitting the fact that sometimes you want to slob out next to your speaker. It’s OK, us too).
That trend continues with the JBL Tuner 2, which is vying for a place in ourbest DAB radioroundup. It’s incredibly practical. It’s robust, it has rubber feet on the bottom to stay secure, it works as two types of radio, and it can easily be paired up with your phone to listen to your choice of music.
The catch? It’s not exactly powerful. Whatever you listen to will sound acceptable, but nothing more. This is far from one of thebest Bluetooth speakersyou can currently buy.
When listening to talk radio, the leanness and flatness isn’t a problem, but the moment you switch over to your favorite songs, you’ll wonder just why Foo Fighters’All My Lifesounds so tame.
Priced at £79.99/AU$169.95 (which is around $95), the JBL Tuner 2 is well and truly aimed at the go-getter market; people who want plenty of options while they hike, swim, or head outside. Up to 12 hours of battery life means you won’t need to worry about power so often, and that’s where the JBL Tuner 2 feels a decent deal.
It’s a little heavy, but that gives it the sense of robustness you need when heading outdoors. There’s no strap or carabiner, which would have been convenient, but it’s still easy enough to grip in one hand, even with small palms.
The JBL Tuner 2 looks fairly unremarkable, but it doesn’t take up too much room. Only the aerial will get in your way, but no more so than a regular radio would.
For anyone looking for a simple-to-use DAB/FM radio that also doubles up as a Bluetooth speaker, the JBL Tuner 2 does exactly what’s needed. However, with weak bass and a whole lot of other issues sonically, it won’t suit audiophiles keen to get the most from their lossless music collection, but we’re not convinced something with a DAB radio built-in is designed for those people.
Take it with you on vacation, place it in the hotel room, by the pool, or by your holiday home and you’ll appreciate how the JBL Tuner 2 saved you packing a few devices, even if it could sound richer.
JBL Tuner 2: price and release date
The JBL Tuner 2 isn’t the newest device out there, having launched back in 2020, but then listening to the radio – even DAB radio – isn’t the newest concept on the market, and there are times when sticking the original ‘wireless’ on still cannot be beaten.
Since its release, the JBL Tuner 2 has seen a modest price drop, bringing it down to £79.99/AU$169.95.
It’s available in two color schemes – white or black.
JBL Tuner 2: design and features
The JBL Tuner 2 feels nice and sleek in your hands. While its core purpose means you’ll be placing it down either horizontally or vertically, carrying it around feels smooth, even if it lacks a strap to hold.
On its bottom are two chunky rubber grips that keep the speaker level when you place it pretty much anywhere. You can place it vertically too if you prefer.
At the top is the aerial that needs pulling out if you want to listen to the radio, while the back offers a USB-C port along with a 3.5mm audio port.
The front is the most interesting part of the JBL Tuner 2 because it offers up a small display that says hello when you start it up, then tells you which mode it’s in and the radio station you’re listening to.
It’s also home of the battery indicator, which is fairly woeful. It’s just a single bar that goes down in a vague fashion where a series of bars would have been so much more helpful. Still, the battery lasts about 10 hours so at least you won’t have to worry too often.
Up top are the controls. There are two big buttons for volume along with a series of numbers for radio presets, as well as a scan button for finding everything that’s out there. Scanning is pretty quick, although we did have to delve into the manual to figure out how to find even more stations.
Mostly though, the JBL Tuner 2 takes only a few minutes to set up to your preference. Also, it’s waterproof so you’re fine to use it in almost any scenario.
JBL Tuner 2: sound quality
Let’s not mince words: the JBL Tuner 2 doesn’t sound great. It doesn’t sound awful, but you shouldn’t go anywhere near it if you want great-sounding audio.
When listening to FM or DAB radio, it does a job. Voices sound clear if not quite super crisp, and you don’t have to turn up the volume too high to hear this.
Switch over to Bluetooth mode and it’s a weaker performance. We tried out one of our favorites, Foo Fighters’All My Life, and we were soon dismayed at how weak and soulless it sounded. Switching over to David Bowie’sUnder Pressurein the hope of some detailed mids and sparkly trebles also did not yield the performance we had hoped for.
The music is there, of course, but it all lacks the wow factor we know these recordings are capable of, by quite a substantial margin. It’s not even that the bass sounds muddy, it’s just too weak to be noticeable. There’s a bit of grain to the trebles once we listened to Pink Floyd’sDark Side of the Moonbut still, we were not fans of the audio chops here.
Cranking up the volume creates some distortion, too, so this is far from one of thebest party speakers. When considering the sound quality, the JBL Tune 2 is a relaxing by the pool kind of speaker at best, nothing more.
JBL Tuner 2: value
The JBL Tuner 2 is fairly well priced for what you get. Saving one the need for a Bluetooth speaker and a DAB radio, it’s certainly useful if you’re not too fussed about great audio quality but you want plenty of options at your disposal.
Whether that’s you ultimately depends on how you plan on using your new purchase.
JBL Tuner 2: should you buy it?
Buy it if…
You prioritize the featuresIf you regularly listen to the radio and you like listening to music over Bluetooth from your phone too, the JBL Tuner 2 offers all that in one neat package.
Audio quality isn’t your prioritySimply like music but wouldn’t know where to start with knowing what sounds good or not? The JBL Tuner 2 is fine.
You love being poolsideAn IPX7 waterproof rating is vital if you love listening to music or the radio by the pool, and the JBL Tuner 2 has all the right robust qualities.
Don’t buy it if…
You crave great audioThe JBL Tuner 2 doesn’t sound great, other than through the radio, and it’s really going to bug you if you want to get the best from your music collection.
You want something supremely travel-friendlyWe’d have really liked for the JBL Tuner 2 to have a carabiner or strap. It would have been great when hiking, and this feels like a missed opportunity.
You don’t need a radioAn obvious point perhaps, but if you hardly ever listen to the radio, there are far better speakers out there.
Also consider…
Think the JBL Tuner 2 might not be the DAB/FM radio with built-in Bluetooth for you? That’s OK, here are three alternatives that could offer just the design, feature-set and sound quality you’re looking for.
Sony XDR-P1 DAB RadioBasic but highly portable, the Sony XDR-P1 isn’t as stylish or as robust as the JBL Tuner 2, but it’s surprisingly loud and offers better battery life.
Roberts Revival PetiteThe ridiculously cute and retro Roberts Revival Petite, which combines both Bluetooth and DAB just as the Tuner 2 does, is cleverly designed, easy to use, and features a surprisingly good bass response.
JBL Charge 5For a Bluetooth speaker rather than radio too, the JBL Charge 5 offers balanced sound, great battery life, but no aux jack.
Jennifer is a roving tech freelancer with over 10 years experience. Having graduated from Swansea University with a degree in Media and Communication Studies, and later with a diploma from Staffordshire University with a post graduate diploma in Computer Games Design, she’s written for a huge number of publications, including T3, FitandWell, Top Ten Reviews, Eurogamer, NME and many more.
Her main areas of interest are all things B2B, smart technology, wearables, speakers, headphones, and anything gaming related, and you’ll find her writing everything from product reviews to buying guides and hunting down the latest coupon codes to save you money. In her spare time, she enjoys the cinema, walking, and attempting to train her pet guinea pigs. She is yet to succeed.
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