The JBL PartyBox 100 is a large speaker with an eye-catching design thanks to the circular RGB lights. Its sound profile is quite neutral and balanced with a little extra boom in the bass range, so it's suitable for lots of different types of audio content. It can get loud, and there's a Bass Boost feature that can please fans of bass-heavy music genres like EDM. Unfortunately, it's quite large and bulky, and it doesn't support voice assistant technology. However, it has inputs for microphones and guitars, which is suitable for musicians.
Our Verdict
The JBL PartyBox 100 is satisfactory for music. This speaker has a neutral, balanced sound profile with a touch of extra bass, making it suitable for listening to lots of different music genres. It has a good soundstage, and it can get loud, though there are some compression artifacts present at max volume. Unfortunately, there isn't an EQ to customize its sound, but the Bass Boost feature gives you some control over its bass reproduction.
- Gets loud.
- No EQ.
The JBL PartyBox 100 is fair for videos and movies. Its neutral sound profile can reproduce dialogue clearly, and the extra touch of bass helps bring action-packed scenes to life. It gets loud, too, though there's some compression at max volume. While its latency with Android devices is likely too high to be suitable for watching videos, fortunately, it performs a bit better with iOS devices. Also, some apps compensate for latency, so your experience may vary.
- Gets loud.
- High latency, especially with Android devices.
The JBL PartyBox 100 is very good for podcasts. Its sound profile is quite neutral and balanced, especially in the mid and treble ranges where voices are reproduced. It can get very loud, and while there are some compression artifacts present at max volume, you may not notice it while listening to your favorite podcasts.
- Gets loud.
- 10-hour battery life.
- Not very portable.
The JBL PartyBox 100 doesn't support voice assistants.
The JBL PartyBox 100 is satisfactory for outdoor use. It has a solid and durable build, but it isn't water or dust resistant. Its sound profile is quite neutral, and while there's a little extra boom in the bass range, it's suitable for listening to lots of different types of audio content. It can get loud, and its 10-hour battery life should be enough to get you through long days outside.
- Gets loud.
- 10-hour battery life.
- Not dust or water resistant.
- Not very portable.
Changelog
- Updated Aug 21, 2023: Updated the Portability picture for greater clarity and consistency between reviews.
- Updated Mar 01, 2023: Added market comparison with the ION Pathfinder 320 to the Frequency Response Accuracy box.
- Updated Dec 20, 2022: Changed Track Next/Previous to Yes (Physical).
- Updated Dec 08, 2022: Added a market comparison with the Sony SRS-XP500 in the Frequency Response Accuracy box.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
The JBL Party Box 100 comes in one color variant, 'Black'. You can see the label for the model we tested here. JBL also sells several other party speakers, including the JBL PartyBox 200, the JBL PartyBox 300, and the JBL PartyBox 1000. These speakers have similar designs, but they may not perform similarly.
If you come across another variant of this speaker, let us know in the discussions so we can update our review.
Popular Speaker Comparisons
The JBL PartyBox 100 is a speaker with eye-catching RGB lights. It has a similar design to the JBL PartyBox 300, but it's a bit smaller, and its battery life isn't quite as long. It isn't water or dust resistant, so it may not be ideal to use outdoors. It also doesn't support voice assistants, and it isn't Wi-Fi compatible. However, its balanced, neutral sound profile makes it suitable for listening to lots of different audio content.
The JBL PartyBox 100 is a better speaker than the JBL Xtreme 2 overall, though you may prefer one over the other depending on your listening habits. The PartyBox 100 is has a better-balanced sound profile that can produce a more extended low-bass when set to 'Bass Boost 1'. It can also get much louder with less compression at max volume, resulting in cleaner audio at louder volumes. However, the Xtreme 2 is significantly smaller, making it more portable. It's also better built with an IPX7 rating for water resistance, though we don't test for this.
The JBL PartyBox 100 and the Sony SRS-XP500 are both party speakers that meet different needs. Both come with RGB lights as well as mic and guitar inputs for musicians. However, the JBL gets louder, and it has a better soundstage. It lacks a companion app, though, so you don't have much control over its sound like you do with the Sony. Sony's apps give you access to more party features, which is neat.
The JBL PartyBox 100 is a better speaker for most uses than the JBL Xtreme 3. The PartyBox 100 has a better-balanced sound profile, has a larger soundstage, and can get much louder with fewer compression artifacts at max volume. However, the Xtreme 3 is more portable and feels better built. It's also compatible with the JBL Connect app and has lower Bluetooth latency on Android and iOS.
The JBL PartyBox 100 is a better speaker than the JBL PartyBox 300. The PartyBox 100 is better-built and more portable thanks to its smaller size. It also has a more balanced sound profile and a better soundstage performance. However, the PartyBox 300 has less compression at max volume, and its battery life is longer. It comes with a 'Karaoke Function' as well, but we don't test for this.
Test Results
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