You're looking for a small speaker that fits in your pocket, backpack, or the corner of your beach towel. You Google it and find two options: JBL Go 4 and Nordell Micro. One is the world's most recognised speaker brand. The other is a 14-person Finnish company funding a Death Star with your money. Which one wins?
Let's find out.
Honest Comparison
Let's start with what both of these are: small, pocket-sized Bluetooth speakers, neither of which will replace your living room stereo system. If you're expecting deep bass from a fist-sized speaker, someone's been lying to you. Physics is physics. A small speaker sounds small. That's just how it is.
But within that smallness, there are differences.
Sound quality: Nordell Micro is tuned by Jasse – that's Jasse "Jazmanaut" Kesti, the man whose ears are insured. In practice, this means the Micro is optimised for clarity. Speech, podcasts, and audiobooks sound the way they're supposed to. JBL Go 4 tries to push more bass, which in a small enclosure mostly means mushy rumbling. For music, both are "perfectly fine pocket speakers", but the Micro sounds cleaner.
Water resistance: Nordell Micro: IPX6. JBL Go 4: IP67. JBL wins this one by a narrow margin – it can theoretically survive being submerged in water. The Micro handles showers, heavy rain, and a beer can tipping over on it, but don't chuck it in a lake. Then again, don't chuck any of your speakers in a lake.
Battery: The Micro offers 3–6 hours, JBL Go 4 about 7 hours. JBL wins on endurance. If you need a speaker that plays all day long, the Micro isn't it. If you need a speaker for an afternoon barbecue, the Micro does the job brilliantly.
Bluetooth: Both use Bluetooth 5.3. No difference here. Range is about 10 metres on both, so you can get a couple of walls away.
Size and weight: Both fit in your pocket. The Micro weighs about 200 grams. The JBL Go 4 is slightly lighter. In practice, you won't notice the difference.
Stereo pairing: You can pair two Nordell Micros together as a stereo pair. Two small speakers in stereo sound surprisingly good – better than one bigger mono speaker. The JBL Go 4 has a similar feature.
Price: The Nordell Micro costs less. The savings will get you at least one grilled sausage from a hot dog stand. Or you can invest the difference in our Death Star fund.
Why Valco?
The Nordell Micro doesn't try to be something it's not. It's a small, honest speaker that sounds remarkably good for its size – especially for speech and clarity. Jasse's tuning makes it sharp where cheap speakers usually turn to mush.
Then there's repairability. If your JBL Go 4 breaks after warranty, it's a paperweight. Valco has its own repair shop in Kajaani. We fix devices, we don't bin them. Henri could buy that Ferrari sooner, but we want to do things right.
And the TF card slot. The Micro plays music straight from a memory card. No phone needed. Pop a card in and listen. The JBL Go 4 doesn't have this.
Who should pick the JBL Go 4?
Let's be honest.
If you need a speaker that survives floating in a swimming pool or all-day battery life, the JBL Go 4 is the better choice. If you're a brand-loyal JBL fan who wants a familiar ecosystem, we're not going to force ourselves into anyone's friend group.
But if you value sound quality, repairability, and the fact that your money isn't going to some faceless corporation's shareholders but instead to a small Finnish company's Death Star budget – the Micro is your speaker.
Summary
- Sound quality and clarity: Nordell Micro wins
- Battery life: JBL Go 4 wins
- Water resistance: JBL Go 4 by a narrow margin
- Price: Nordell Micro is cheaper
- Repairability: Nordell Micro, not even a contest
- TF card slot: Nordell Micro, JBL doesn't have one
- Death Star funding: Only Nordell Micro
Both fit in your pocket. One just sounds better and keeps the world spinning in the right direction. Thanks for your money – it's going to a good cause. Or at least a cause.
