Ultimate Ears HYPERBOOM vs JBL PartyBox Encore Essential 2

Which Speaker Is Better?

Products

Ultimate Ears HYPERBOOM
JBL PartyBox Encore Essential 2

Tested using Methodology v0.8

Updated Aug 08, 2025 05:13 PM

SEE PRICE
Amazon.com

Tested using Methodology v0.8

Updated Aug 19, 2025 11:02 PM

SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
  1. Recommended in 3 articles:
  2. Brands
  3. Parties
  4. Ultimate Ears
  1. Recommended in 1 article:
  2. Bluetooth For Bass

Our Verdict

Ultimate Ears HYPERBOOM

JBL PartyBox Encore Essential 2

The JBL PartyBox Encore Essential 2 and the Ultimate Ears HYPERBOOM are both good speakers for soundtracking indoor and outdoor parties, but they have different strengths. The Ultimate Ears doesn't have a fully 360-degree design, but it still sounds more similar from different angles than the JBL. Its 24-hour battery life also far surpasses the JBL's 12. On the other hand, the JBL offers mic and guitar inputs. If you're a karaoke fan or like to jam along with your favorite tunes, the JBL is the obvious choice, while if you envisage taking this speaker away for a weekend camping trip, the Ultimate Ears is the way to go.

0 

Variants

  • HYPERBOOM (Black)
  • HYPERBOOM (White)
  • PartyBox Encore Essential 2 (Black)

Check Price

Black
HYPERBOOM
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Black
PartyBox Encore Essential 2
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
White
HYPERBOOM
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Black
PartyBox Encore Essential 2
SEE PRICE
Walmart.com
 
Black
PartyBox Encore Essential 2
SEE PRICE
B&H
 
Black
PartyBox Encore Essential 2
BestBuy.com

Main Differences for
Music

Threshold 

0.10

Music 

7.6
7.5

Frequency Response Accuracy 
 

7.1
8.0

Dynamics 
 

9.0
6.5

Soundstage 
 

7.7
6.9

Full Comparison

Design

Style  

Style Photo  

RGB Lights  

No
Yes
Show Text 

Portability 
 

8.4
8.1

Dimensions Photo  

Volume 
 

864 in³ (14,165 cm³)
1,495 in³ (24,495 cm³)

Weight 
 

15.0 lbs (6.8 kg)
13.9 lbs (6.3 kg)

Power Source 
 

AC & Battery
AC & Battery

One-Hand Carry 
 

Yes
Yes
Show Text 

Build Quality 
 

7.0
7.0

Build Quality Photo  

Material Quality 
 

Good
Good

Water Resistance 
 

Water-resistant (IPx4)
Water-resistant (IPx4)

Dust Resistance 
 

No
Unspecified

Impact Resistance 
 

No
Unspecified

Floats In Water 
 

Unspecified
No
Show Text 

Controls 
 

5.8
6.9

Controls Photo  

Controls Photo 2  

Ease Of Use 
 

Good
Great

Feedback 
 

Good
Good

Music Play/Pause 
 

Yes (Physical)
Yes (Physical)

Call Answer/End 
 

No
No

Volume Up/Down 
 

Yes (Tactile)
Yes (Physical)

Track Next/Previous 
 

No
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 
 

7.1
8.0

Frequency Response Graph  

See details
See details

Slope 
 

-0.23
0.02

Std. Err. 
 

2.84 dB
2.16 dB

Low-Frequency Extension 
 

55.0 Hz
38.9 Hz

High-Frequency Extension 
 

17.5 kHz
18.2 kHz
Show Text 

Raw Frequency Response 
 

Raw Frequency Response Graph  

See details
See details

Binaural Recording @ 1m 
 

Binaural Recording @ 2m 
 

Soundstage 
 

7.7
6.9

Directivity Graph  

See details
See details

Directivity Index 
 

4.36 dB
5.73 dB

Stereo 
 

Yes
Yes
Show Text 

Dynamics 
 

9.0
6.5

Dynamic Range Compression  

See details
See details

SPL @ Max Volume 
 

98.3 dB SPL
96.4 dB SPL

DRC @ Max Volume 
 

0.39 dB
5.05 dB
Show Text 
Active Features

Battery 
 

9.2
9.0

Battery Life 
 

23.9 hrs
12.7 hrs

Charge Time 
 

2.5 hrs
2.2 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

App 
 

7.9
7.9

App Picture  

App Name 
 

Ultimate Ears
JBL PartyBox

iOS 
 

Yes
Yes

Android 
 

Yes
Yes

EQ 
 

Graphic + Presets
Graphic + Presets

Stereo Pair Mode 
 

Yes
Yes

Party Mode 
 

Yes
Yes

Multi-Room 
 

No
No
Show Text 
Connectivity

Wired 
 

Aux Input 
 

Yes
Yes

USB Audio 
 

No
Yes

Other Ports 
 

Yes
Yes
Show Text 

Bluetooth 
 

9.5
8.0

Bluetooth 
 

Yes
Yes

Bluetooth Version 
 

5.0
5.4

Bluetooth iOS Latency 
 

25 ms
144 ms

Bluetooth Android Latency 
 

53 ms
212 ms

Bluetooth Range 
 

334.6 ft (102.0 m)
328.1 ft (100.0 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

Check Price

Black
HYPERBOOM
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Black
PartyBox Encore Essential 2
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
White
HYPERBOOM
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Black
PartyBox Encore Essential 2
SEE PRICE
Walmart.com
 
Black
PartyBox Encore Essential 2
SEE PRICE
B&H
 
Black
PartyBox Encore Essential 2
BestBuy.com

Ultimate Ears HYPERBOOM

JBL PartyBox Encore Essential 2

Comments

  1. Comparison

Ultimate Ears HYPERBOOM vs JBL PartyBox Encore Essential 2: Main Discussion

What do you think of these products? Let us know below.


Looking for a personalized buying advice from the RTINGS.com experts? Insiders have direct access to buying advice on our insider forum.

PreviewBack to editorFormat guide
No comments yet, refresh to see new ones