JBL Boombox 2 vs PartyBox Encore Essential

Which Speaker Is Better?

Products

JBL Boombox 2
JBL PartyBox Encore Essential

Tested using Methodology v0.8

Updated Sep 23, 2025 07:42 PM

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Amazon.com

Tested using Methodology v0.8

Updated Aug 08, 2025 05:13 PM

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BestBuy.com
  1. Recommended in 1 article:
  2. JBL

Our Verdict

JBL Boombox 2

JBL PartyBox Encore Essential

The JBL PartyBox Encore Essential is a better speaker than the JBL Boombox 2 for parties. The Encore Essential can produce a more extended low-bass with its Bass Boost feature set to 'Deep', and has party features like a mic input with its own gain knob and a customizable RGB light ring. It's also compatible with the JBL PartyBox app you can use to access extra sound effects and light show effects of the speaker. If you're looking for a portable Bluetooth speaker to take outdoors with you, the Boombox 2 is a bit lighter and is better built with an IPX7 rating for water resistance. It also has a significantly longer-lasting battery life of almost 24 hours. It gets a touch louder, with slightly less compression at max volume, and has a slightly wider-sounding soundstage, though these slight differences aren't too noticeable.

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Variants

  • Boombox 2 (Black)
  • Boombox 2 (Camo)
  • Partybox Encore Essential (Black)

Check Price

Black
Boombox 2
Amazon.com
Black
Partybox Encore Essential
SEE PRICE
BestBuy.com
Camo
Boombox 2
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Black
Partybox Encore Essential
SEE PRICE
Walmart.com
 
Black
Partybox Encore Essential
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
 
Black
Partybox Encore Essential
B&H

Main Differences for
Music

Threshold 

0.10

Music 

7.3
7.4

Frequency Response Accuracy 
 

7.2
7.8

Soundstage 
 

7.2
6.6

Full Comparison

Design

Style  

Style Photo  

RGB Lights  

No
Yes
Show Text 

Portability 
 

8.2
8.1

Dimensions Photo  

Volume 
 

1,529 in³ (25,053 cm³)
1,580 in³ (25,893 cm³)

Weight 
 

13.0 lbs (5.9 kg)
13.2 lbs (6.0 kg)

Power Source 
 

AC & Battery
AC & Battery

One-Hand Carry 
 

Yes
Yes
Show Text 

Build Quality 
 

7.5
7.0

Build Quality Photo  

Material Quality 
 

Great
Good

Water Resistance 
 

Submersible (IPx7)
Water-resistant (IPx4)

Dust Resistance 
 

Unspecified
Unspecified

Impact Resistance 
 

Unspecified
Unspecified

Floats In Water 
 

Unspecified
No
Show Text 

Controls 
 

6.6
7.0

Controls Photo  

Controls Photo 2  

Ease Of Use 
 

Great
Great

Feedback 
 

Good
Great

Music Play/Pause 
 

Yes (Physical)
Yes (Physical)

Call Answer/End 
 

No
No

Volume Up/Down 
 

Yes (Physical)
Yes (Physical)

Track Next/Previous 
 

Forward Only (Physical)
Yes (Physical)

Microphone On/Off 
 

No
No

Additional Controls 
 

Yes
Yes
Show Text 

In The Box 
 

In The Box Photo  

Show Text 
Sound

Frequency Response Accuracy 
 

7.2
7.8

Frequency Response Graph  

See details
See details

Slope 
 

-0.20
-0.15

Std. Err. 
 

3.25 dB
2.59 dB

Low-Frequency Extension 
 

49.0 Hz
39.4 Hz

High-Frequency Extension 
 

19.1 kHz
18.0 kHz
Show Text 

Raw Frequency Response 
 

Raw Frequency Response Graph  

See details
See details

Binaural Recording @ 1m 
 

Binaural Recording @ 2m 
 

Soundstage 
 

7.2
6.6

Directivity Graph  

See details
See details

Directivity Index 
 

5.25 dB
6.38 dB

Stereo 
 

Yes
Yes
Show Text 

Dynamics 
 

7.5
7.0

Dynamic Range Compression  

See details
See details

SPL @ Max Volume 
 

96.5 dB SPL
95.0 dB SPL

DRC @ Max Volume 
 

3.01 dB
3.63 dB
Show Text 
Active Features

Battery 
 

8.9
7.6

Battery Life 
 

23.9 hrs
8.6 hrs

Charge Time 
 

3.9 hrs
2.6 hrs

Power Saving 
 

Yes
Yes

Charging Port 
 

AC
AC

Battery Powered 
 

Yes
Yes
Show Text 

Voice Assistant 
 

0.0
0.0

Alexa 
 

No
No

Google Assistant 
 

No
No

Speakerphone 
 

No
No

Siri 
 

No
No

Voice Assistant 
 

No
No

Voice Activation 
 

No
No

Microphone Mute 
 

No Microphone
No Microphone

Far-Field Performance 
 

No Microphone
No Microphone

Ambient Noise Performance 
 

No Microphone
No Microphone
Show Text 

App 
 

7.9
7.9

App Picture  

App Name 
 

JBL Portable
JBL PartyBox

iOS 
 

Yes
Yes

Android 
 

Yes
Yes

EQ 
 

Graphic
Graphic

Stereo Pair Mode 
 

Yes
Yes

Party Mode 
 

Yes
Yes

Multi-Room 
 

No
No
Show Text 
Connectivity

Wired 
 

Aux Input 
 

Yes
Yes

USB Audio 
 

No
No

Other Ports 
 

Yes
Yes
Show Text 

Bluetooth 
 

8.3
8.9

Bluetooth 
 

Yes
Yes

Bluetooth Version 
 

5.1
5.1

Bluetooth iOS Latency 
 

146 ms
57 ms

Bluetooth Android Latency 
 

121 ms
94 ms

Bluetooth Range 
 

334.6 ft (102.0 m)
334.6 ft (102.0 m)

Multi-Device Pairing 
 

2 Devices
2 Devices
Show Text 

Wi-Fi 
 

0.0
0.0

Wi-Fi Version 
 

No Wi-Fi
No Wi-Fi

Wi-Fi Frequency Band 
 

No Wi-Fi
No Wi-Fi

Wi-Fi 
 

No
No

Apple AirPlay 
 

No
No

AirPlay Latency 
 

N/A
N/A

Google Chromecast 
 

No
No

Chromecast Latency 
 

N/A
N/A
Show Text 

Check Price

Black
Boombox 2
Amazon.com
Black
Partybox Encore Essential
SEE PRICE
BestBuy.com
Camo
Boombox 2
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Black
Partybox Encore Essential
SEE PRICE
Walmart.com
 
Black
Partybox Encore Essential
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
 
Black
Partybox Encore Essential
B&H

JBL Boombox 2

JBL PartyBox Encore Essential

Comments

  1. Comparison

JBL Boombox 2 vs JBL PartyBox Encore Essential: Main Discussion

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