The JBL PartyBox 1000 is a premium speaker in the PartyBox lineup. As its name implies, it's meant for parties and large events, as it brings a big sound with many features to amp up the energy in the crowd. You'll find everything from customizable RGB lights to microphone and guitar inputs to a DJ pad. Unlike other speakers in the PartyBox lineup, like the JBL PartyBox 710, it lacks a companion app with a graphic EQ for sound customization. Still, you can amp up the bass using its aptly named BassBoost feature.
Our Verdict
The JBL PartyBox 1000 is satisfactory for music. Designed with parties in mind, this speaker brings a big and booming sound. It gets loud, bringing lots of thump and rumble in the bass for genres like EDM and hip-hop. While you're pretty limited in customization features, you can use its Bass Boost EQ for more punch in the mix. Voices and lead instruments are quite clearly reproduced, too. You can even plug in a microphone and guitars to play your own music or use its DJ feature to switch up its sound.
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BassBoost EQ.
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Extended low-bass.
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No graphic EQ.
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Downmixes stereo content into mono.
The JBL PartyBox 1000 is fair for videos and movies. This Bluetooth-compatible speaker falls within good limits regarding latency with paired iOS and Android devices. You don't notice any lip-synching issues as a result. The speaker reproduces clear dialogue and a booming bass for more action-packed scenes. However, its soundstage isn't the most impressive, so you don't get consistent sound from all angles around the speaker.
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BassBoost EQ.
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Extended low-bass.
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No graphic EQ.
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Downmixes stereo content into mono.
The JBL PartyBox 1000 is alright for podcasts. Dialogue is clearly reproduced, so it's easy to follow along with the conversation in your favorite shows. Plus, it gets plenty loud, which is great for listening in larger spaces. It's a big, feature-packed speaker, though, so it's a little much for just this use case alone. Since it isn't the most portable, it's not ideal for moving around to different rooms of your home during longer episodes.
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Gets loud.
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Some compression at max volume.
The JBL PartyBox 1000 doesn't support voice assistants.
The JBL PartyBox 1000 is wired-only, so it's not ideal for listening while you're on the go. It isn't rated for dust or water resistance, so you'll want to use caution if you bring it outdoors. Still, since it gets so loud, it's fine for a backyard party or outdoor event where you can find a plug.
- 7.3 Music
- 6.5 Videos/Movies
- 6.6 Podcasts
- 3.0 Voice Assistant
- 5.3 Outdoors
- Updated Nov 21, 2023: Review published.
- Updated Nov 15, 2023: Early access published.
- Updated Nov 10, 2023: Our testers have started testing this product.
- Updated Oct 02, 2023: The product has arrived in our lab, and our testers will start evaluating it soon.
- Updated Sep 20, 2023: We've purchased the product and are waiting for it to arrive in our lab.
Differences Between Sizes And Variants
The JBL PartyBox 1000 is available in Black, and you can see the label for our tested model here.
If you come across another variant, let us know in the forums, and we'll update our review.
Compared To Other Speakers
The JBL PartyBox 1000 is a large speaker in the PartyBox lineup. It's a predecessor of the JBL PartyBox Ultimate, and it brings a loud sound and a deep and rumbling bass on par with other premium models like the JBL PartyBox 710. While it's pretty feature-packed, it lacks some of the 710's features, like a companion app with a graphic EQ. In exchange, it brings a unique DJ pad to play drums, guitar, and piano, and record and loop.
You can also check out our recommendations for the best party speakers, the best Bluetooth speakers for bass, and the loudest Bluetooth speakers.
The SOUNDBOKS (Gen. 3) and the JBL PartyBox 1000 are both designed with parties in mind, and, depending on your listening habits, you may prefer one over the other. The JBL is bigger and wired-only, which limits its portability a bit. Still, it comes with customizable RGB lights, which the SOUNDBOKS lacks, and its default sound is more neutral. However, only the SOUNDBOKS offers a companion app with a graphic EQ for greater sound customization.
The JBL PartyBox 1000 is better than the Bose S1 Pro System for most uses. For starters, The JBL gets louder and reproduces a more extended low-bass. Plus, its customizable RGB lights and DJ pad may be a draw for some users. That said, it's wired-only, which limits its portability compared to the Bose. Plus, the Bose has many extra features for connected instruments, which some users may prefer.
The JBL PartyBox 1000 and the JBL PartyBox 310 are both designed to soundtrack parties and occasions. While the PartyBox 1000 has a slightly more balanced sound and can get a little louder, the PartyBox 310 represents better value in most other regards. It's more portable, has less compression present at max volume, and there's a companion app you can use to adjust parameters on the fly. The PartyBox 310's main selling point is its excellent 17-hour battery life, meaning it's a great fit for outdoor parties. By contrast, you can only use the PartyBox 1000 with a power supply, so you'll need to ensure you're always close to a power outlet.
The JBL Boombox 3 and the JBL PartyBox 1000 are designed with different use cases in mind. The Boombox 3 is a portable Bluetooth speaker that's battery-powered. Meanwhile, the PartyBox 1000 is a large wired-only speaker designed with parties in mind. As a result, the PartyBox comes with more features like RGB lights, mic and guitar inputs, and a DJ pad. It brings more bass, and it gets louder. However, it can't playback stereo content like the Boombox 3.
The JBL PartyBox 710 is a better speaker for most uses than the JBL PartyBox 1000. These are large wired-only party speakers with many of the same features and functions, but there are a few key differences. First, the 710 can playback stereo content, and it comes with a companion app and a graphic EQ for easier sound customization. However, only the 1000 has a DJ pad on hand, which some users may prefer.
The JBL PartyBox 1000 is a more premium speaker than the JBL PartyBox 300. While each have similar designs, only the 1000 comes with a DJ pad. It's a larger speaker, too, getting louder and reproducing a more extended low-bass. However, it's not quite as portable as the 300 since it's wired-only.
Test Results
The JBL PartyBox 1000 is a large wired speaker that retains a similar look and feel to other models in the PartyBox lineup. It features RGB lights in the front of the speaker that are reactive to the music you play. You can also turn them off if you prefer. You can position this speaker either horizontally or vertically. It has wheels and a carrying handle for easier transport. You can position your phone on its built-in stand, which is a nice touch.
This large, heavy speaker is meant to be wheeled from one location to the next. Due to its elongated design, it's not the easiest to transport, as it tends to wobble when you roll it over uneven ground. You need to be careful to make sure it doesn't tip over. It's wired-only, too, so you must keep it plugged in to use it, limiting its portability. You can see an image of the full speaker in our dimensions box here.
This speaker has a decent build quality. It's not the most premium feeling, but the materials feel good overall, giving it a solid and sturdy construction. It's mostly made of plastic, with metal grilles to help protect the drivers inside. Rubberized feet on the bottom of the speaker help hold it in place. The wheels roll well, too. The carrying handle isn't texturized, though, which makes it more difficult to grip, and it isn't the most comfortable to hold, especially if you're wheeling the speaker over a longer distance. Also, this speaker isn't rated for dust or water resistance, so exercise caution if you plan to use it near a water source.
Since this speaker doesn't come with a companion app, it's designed to be controlled mainly from its physical controls. There are lots of buttons to access a wide array of different features. All of them are illuminated for easier use in the dark.
There are also buttons to control the lighting, switch the audio source, and activate Bluetooth. You can turn on the Smart DJ feature here, too, which enables automatic mixing of sound effects in songs (though it's not for everyone, as it can make audio sound busy and cluttered.) Key, Echo, and Gain control knobs are available alongside the microphone and guitar inputs. These buttons are well-labeled, responsive, and easy to use. The front RGB lights also show the volume level as you adjust it.
DJs can check out the DJ pad on top of the speaker. It has four different presets, each of which changes the light color of the panel itself. You can even set up a customizable preset by importing your own mp3 sound effects through USB. You can check out a video of the DJ pad here.
Also, this speaker comes with a wristband that lets you control the device through gestures. For example, you clap twice to play effect 1 and shake four times to play effect 2. The effects are the last inputted on the DJ pad, so you can set them accordingly. This feature is responsive, though it can sometimes register the wrong input, so you'll want to be deliberate in your movements. You can see it in action through the video linked here.
- JBL Partybox 1000 speaker
- Air gesture wristband
- 2x Batteries (for gesture wristband)
- Quick start guide
- Power cable (length: 6.4 ft / 1.96 m)
The JBL PartyBox 1000's frequency response accuracy is great. Out-of-the-box, it offers a pretty even, balanced sound suitable for many different music genres. Voices and lead instruments are reproduced with clarity, and there's plenty of thump and rumble in the bass for more bass-centric genres like EDM. Note that we tested the speaker with its Bass Boost EQ set to 1. You can see a comparison of the frequency response with its Default EQ and its Bass Boost EQ set to 2 at the link here. As expected, Bass Boost 2 brings more punch to the mix.
Unlike the JBL PartyBox 710, this speaker has to downmix stereo content into mono to play it back. Its directivity is middling, too, so you don't get consistent sound from all around the speaker.
Since this speaker gets plenty loud, it's more than suitable for listening in larger and more open rooms. There's some compression when you push it all the way to max volume, though.
While there's no battery, this speaker still goes to sleep after twenty minutes without an audio signal. You can wake it up by pressing the power button or playing audio from a paired device.
While there's no app, you can control some of the features commonly found in companion apps through the speaker itself. For example, using the controls, you can switch between the Default and Bass Boost EQ modes. Also, you can hold the Bluetooth button for five seconds to enable True Wireless Stereo pairing with another PartyBox 1000 speaker.
This speaker has a lot of different connectivity options to make the most of your listening experience. Musicians can use the mic and guitar ports to connect their instruments. You can also playback audio over an AUX input or USB. Line-in and line-out ports are available, too. While its USB port is designed for servicing the speaker, you can also use it to charge connected devices like smartphones.
You can pair this Bluetooth-compatible speaker to up to three devices simultaneously, making switching your audio source between different phones and laptops easy. Its latency with Android and iOS devices falls around good limits, too, so you can stream videos and movies without lip-synching issues.