The JBL Boombox 2 is a mid-sized speaker that's fairly suitable for most uses. Its mid and treble ranges are fairly well balanced, so it can clearly reproduce vocals and lead instruments. However, it lacks a bit of low bass, so you may not feel the deep thump and rumble of bass-heavy genres like EDM. Although it's fairly bulky, it's quite portable thanks to its carrying handle. Its battery also lasts almost 24 hours, and it has an IPX7 rating for water resistance, though we don't currently test for this. It can get quite loud, but there are some compression artifacts present at max volume. Unfortunately, it doesn't have voice assistant capabilities.
Our Verdict
The JBL Boombox 2 is decent for music. Although it lacks a bit of low-bass, its mid and treble ranges are well-balanced, so vocals and lead instruments reproduce clearly. There's a graphic EQ in its companion app, which you can use to tweak its sound to your liking. It can also get quite loud, although there are some compression artifacts present at max volume. It can play stereo content without downmixing it to mono, resulting in an immersive-sounding soundstage.
- Well-balanced sound profile.
- Can get quite loud.
- Graphic EQ.
- Lacks a bit of low-bass.
- Somewhat narrow soundstage.
- Compression artifacts present at max volume.
The JBL Boombox 2 is unremarkable for videos and movies. Its latency with iOS and Android devices is low, so it's suitable for watching videos. Unfortunately, it lacks some low-bass, so you might not feel the thump and deep rumble in action-packed movie scenes. However, it has a well-balanced mid-range that can clearly reproduce dialogue.
- Low latency with Bluetooth.
- Graphic EQ.
- Lacks a bit of low-bass.
- Compression artifacts present at max volume.
The JBL Boombox 2 is good for podcasts. It has a well-balanced mid-range that can clearly reproduce dialogue. This speaker can get quite loud, although there are some compression artifacts present at max volume. Its soundstage is also somewhat directional, so audio is perceived as a bit narrow. That said, it's very portable, so you can bring it with you from room to room.
- Well-balanced sound profile.
- Very portable.
- Supports multi-device pairing.
- Graphic EQ.
- Somewhat narrow soundstage.
- Compression artifacts present at max volume.
The JBL Boombox 2 doesn't have voice assistant support.
The JBL Boombox 2 is decent for outdoor use. It has an IPX7 rating for water resistance, though we don't currently test for this. Its battery can also last for almost 24 hours, which is very useful if you want to take it on longer excursions where you don't have access to an outlet. Although it can get quite loud, there are some compression artifacts present at max volume, and the soundstage can be perceived as narrow, so it doesn't feel very immersive.
- 24-hour battery life.
- Well-balanced sound profile.
- Very portable.
- IPX7 rating for water resistance.
- Can get quite loud.
- Lacks a bit of low-bass.
- Somewhat narrow soundstage.
- Compression artifacts present at max volume.
Changelog
- Updated Dec 19, 2022: Changed Track Next/Previous from No to Forward Only (Physical).
- Updated Oct 21, 2022: Added a comparison to the next generation JBL Boombox 3 in the 'Frequency Response Accuracy', 'Dynamics', and 'Compared To Other Speakers' boxes.
- Updated Aug 11, 2022: Added a comparison with the Sony SRS-XG300 in the 'Portability' box.
- Updated Jul 14, 2022: Retested the speaker after updating the firmware (v.0.5.3.0). Updated the test result for 'EQ' from 'No' to 'Graphic' in the 'App' Box.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
The JBL Boombox 2 comes in 'Black' and 'Camo' color variants. The 'Camo' variant has a green handle, and the fabric around the speaker's body has a camouflage pattern. We tested the 'Black' variant, and you can see the label for the model we tested here. We expect both variants to perform similarly in tests.
If you come across a version not listed here, let us know in the discussions so we can update our review.
Popular Speaker Comparisons
The JBL Boombox 2 is a mid-sized speaker that's well-suited to playing music. It has a fairly well-balanced sound profile, although it lacks a bit of low-bass, and doesn't produce as deep a bass as the next-generation JBL Boombox 3. It has an exceptionally long battery life, and it can play stereo content without downmixing it to mono. While it can get quite loud, there are some compression artifacts present at max volume. It has an IPX7 rating for water resistance, though we don't currently test for this. Thanks to its carrying handle on top, It's very portable, although it's somewhat heavy.
See also our recommendations for the best home speakers, the best Bluetooth speakers, and the best Bluetooth speakers for bass.
The JBL Boombox 3 is a better speaker than the JBL Boombox 2. The Boombox 3 produces a noticeably deeper bass than its predecessor and offers a more balanced sound profile overall. While it doesn't get as loud, it has significantly less compression present at max volume, resulting in cleaner and clearer-sounding audio when you max out the volume. It also has a longer-lasting battery life of almost 30 hours from a single charge, and it's better built.
The JBL Boombox 2 is a better speaker than the JBL Xtreme 3. The Boombox 2 has a better-balanced sound profile and built-in voice assistant support for Alexa and Google Assistant, and you can tweak its sound using the bass/treble adjustment sliders on its companion app. It also supports Wi-Fi. However, the Xtreme 3 has lower Bluetooth latency on iOS and Android.
The JBL Boombox 2 is a better speaker than the JBL Charge 5. The Boombox 2 can produce deeper bass and can get louder than the Charge 5. It can also play stereo content without downmixing it to mono. The Charge 5 is smaller and more portable than the Boombox 2. It's also better built with an IP67 rating for dust and water resistance, meaning it's dust-tight and immersible in up to a meter of water for 30 minutes.
The JBL Boombox 2 is a better speaker than the JBL Xtreme 2. The Boombox has a more balanced sound profile with a more extended low-bass. It can also get louder than the Xtreme, and its treble range sounds less dull and veiled. Although both speakers have an exceptionally long battery life, the Boombox can last almost 24 hours on a single charge. However, only the Xtreme 2 supports voice assistant.
Test Results
The JBL Boombox 2 is a mid-sized speaker meant to sit horizontally. It's mostly wrapped in a tight fabric, and it sits on a plastic base. Its large plastic handle has a grip pad on top for easy carrying. It has lights that indicate the battery level and whether it's connected to Bluetooth. You can also get it in two color variants, 'Black' or 'Camo'. For a portable speaker with a similar design, check out the Sony SRS-XG500.
This speaker is very portable. It's a bit bulky, but there's a top handle that lets you carry it with one hand. It also has a battery, so you can bring it outside without having to plug it into an outlet. For a smaller, more portable Bluetooth speaker, check out the Sony SRS-XG300, which comes with a retractable handle built-in.
It has a good build quality. It has a solid feel, and most of the speaker is wrapped in a tight fabric. The speaker sits on a small plastic base, and its large plastic handle has a grip pad along the top to make it easier to carry. It has an IPX7 rating for water resistance, although we don't currently test for this. The buttons located on the top of the speaker are texturized, making them easier to find by touch.
The JBL Boombox 2 has sub-par controls. Although you can skip tracks by pressing the play/pause button twice, you can't go to the previous track, which may be disappointing for some users. However, the buttons are all located on top of the speaker's body and they're easy to press. In addition to the play/pause button, there are volume buttons, Bluetooth pairing button, and PartyBoost button, which lets you pair two speakers to make a stereo pair. There's also a light that indicates the Bluetooth signal and a light at the bottom of the speaker that indicates the battery life.
The JBL Boombox 2 has a decent frequency response accuracy. Its sound profile is fairly neutral, so it's well-suited to playing most audio content. It has well-balanced mid and treble ranges, so vocals and lead instruments reproduce clearly. However, it struggles a bit to produce low-bass, although there's a bit of extra boom in the high-bass. Fortunately, there's a graphic EQ featured in its companion app you can use to tweak its sound to your liking. Check out the next generation JBL Boombox 3 for a similar speaker that can produce a deeper bass. That said, if you're looking for a similarly-sized speaker with a graphic EQ and additional presets, check out the Sony SRS-RA5000 instead. It isn't as portable as the JBL Boombox 2 due to its wired design.
It has a decent soundstage. It can play stereo content, which creates a more immersive listening experience. However, its soundstage may be perceived as somewhat narrow and directional. The treble range varies more than the bass depending on where you're standing, so it may sound uneven.
It has good dynamics. It can get pretty loud, which makes it suitable for playing in large rooms or outdoors. However, there are a lot of compression artifacts present at max volume. Check out the next generation JBL Boombox 3 for a speaker with less compression present at max volume. That said, it doesn't get quite as loud as the Boombox 2.
It has an excellent battery performance. It lasts almost 24 hours off a single charge, so you don't need to charge it every day. However, battery life can vary according to usage, so user experience may vary. This speaker also saves power by automatically turning off after around 20 minutes of no use. However, it takes almost 4 hours to charge from an empty battery, which may require some extra planning before use.
This speaker doesn't support voice assistant technology. Consider the JBL Xtreme 2 if you're looking for a speaker with voice assistant support.
The JBL Portable app is very good. There's a graphic EQ you can use to tweak its sound to your liking. You can use the Party Mode feature to pair your speaker with another JBL Boombox speaker to amplify the sound across large rooms. There's also a stereo pair mode, which lets you link two JBL Boombox speakers to create a more immersive stereo sound.
It has several wired inputs. There's a 3.5mm AUX port for connecting your phone directly to the speaker. It also has a micro-USB port for servicing the speaker and a USB-A port that lets you charge other devices.
This speaker has impressive Bluetooth connectivity. You can pair two devices to it at the same time, which is useful if you want to frequently switch your audio source between your phone and your laptop. Thanks to its low latency with iOS and Android devices, it's well suited to watching videos. However, some apps compensate differently for latency, so user experience may vary. It also has an excellent range, so it can stay connected even if your device is far away.