Short answer: the JBL Partybox 100. It ranks #6 of 50 party speakers by sound quality at $449.99; the Bose S1 Pro ranks #16 and costs $699, so there is not much of a tradeoff to weigh.
What the JBL Partybox 100 offers: Quite neutral sound, pretty deep bass. Watch for: A slight peak in the upper mids.
What the Bose S1 Pro gets right: Extremely compact and light with flexible placement options. The catch: With full range music, it becomes distorted above ⅔ volume.
Buy the JBL Partybox 100. It ranks higher for sound quality than the Bose S1 Pro and costs less, so there is no real case for the other one.
Specifications Side By Side
| JBL Partybox 100 | Bose S1 Pro | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $449.99 Discontinued | $699.00 Discontinued |
| Ranked | #6 of 50 in Party Size Portable Bluetooth Speakers | #16 of 50 in Party Size Portable Bluetooth Speakers |
| App | No | Yes |
| Aux Input | Yes | Yes |
| Bass Extension (-10dB) | 41Hz | 55Hz |
| Battery Life | 12 hours (Manufacturer specified) | 11 hours (Manufacturer specified) |
| Bluetooth Codecs | SBC | AAC, SBC |
| Bluetooth Version | 4.2 | 5.0 |
| Charging Time | 6.5 hours | 5 hours |
| Dimensions | 11.3" x 21.7" x 11.4" (288 x 551 x 290 mm) | 13.1" x 9.4" x 11" (332.7 x 238.8 x 279.4 mm) |
| EQ | No | Yes |
| Frequency Response | 45Hz - 18kHz (Manufacturer specified) | - |
| Guitar Input | Yes | - |
| IP Rating | None | None |
| Microphone Input | Yes (Karaoke mode with echo effect) | Yes |
| Party Mode | No | Yes (Bose Party mode) |
| Power Bank | Yes (USB-A, 5V/2.1A) | No |
| Power Input | AC Power cord | AC Power cord |
| Stereo | Partially | No |
| Omnidirectional | No | No |
| TWS | Yes | Yes |
| USB Playback | Yes | No |
| Weight | 21.4 lbs / 9.7 kg | 14.3 lbs / 6.5 kg |
| Output Power | 160W | - |
| Drivers | 2x 5.25" (133mm) woofers + 2x 2.25" (57mm) tweeters | 1x 6" (152mm) woofer + 3x 2.25" (57mm) tweeters |
| Discontinued | Yes | Yes |
| Digital Aux Input | No | No |
| XLR Input | - | Yes |
| Max Volume | - | 109dB |
Related Speaker Comparisons
More useful head-to-heads from the same speaker class:
- JBL Partybox 130 vs Soundboks 3
- JBL Eon One Compact vs JBL Partybox 130
- JBL Partybox 110 vs Soundboks Go
- Bose S1 Pro vs Sony SRS-XP500
- Bose S1 Pro vs Mackie Thump Go
The Two Speakers In Full
JBL Partybox 100: $449.99 Discontinued Amazon
Pros: Quite neutral sound, pretty deep bass.
Cons: A slight peak in the upper mids. Slight TWS issue where the 2nd is slightly delayed. Just as loud and slightly deeper bass than a Stormbox Blast which is way smaller with better sound quality. Note, JBL daisychain is not compatible with any other non-JBL speaker and is possibly a fully digital signal. Discontinued.
Full JBL Partybox 100 review and specifications →
| App | No |
|---|---|
| Aux Input | Yes |
| Bass Extension (-10dB) | 41Hz |
| Battery Life | 12 hours (Manufacturer specified) |
| Bluetooth Codecs | SBC |
| Bluetooth Version | 4.2 |
| Charging Time | 6.5 hours |
| Digital Aux Input | No |
| Dimensions | 11.3" x 21.7" x 11.4" (288 x 551 x 290 mm) |
| Discontinued | Yes |
| Drivers | 2x 5.25" (133mm) woofers + 2x 2.25" (57mm) tweeters |
| EQ | No |
| Frequency Response | 45Hz - 18kHz (Manufacturer specified) |
| Guitar Input | Yes |
| IP Rating | None |
| Microphone Input | Yes (Karaoke mode with echo effect) |
| Omnidirectional | No |
| Output Power | 160W |
| Party Mode | No |
| Power Bank | Yes (USB-A, 5V/2.1A) |
| Power Input | AC Power cord |
| Stereo | Partially |
| TWS | Yes |
| USB Playback | Yes |
| Weight | 21.4 lbs / 9.7 kg |
As an eBay Partner, we may be compensated if you make a purchase.
- Links
- Reviews, Comparisons and Sound Samples
- KULAS TECH SHOW: JBL Partybox 310, 100, on the Go Sound comparison
- DLX Willington: 🥰🙄SONY SRS XP500 vs JBL Partybox 100 Sound battle with sound sample love and hate this
- HQ AUDIO Exchange: Bose S1 Pro vs. JBL PartyBox 100 Bass Sound Test 😱💥🔥
- DLX Willington: JBL Partybox 100 vs UE Hyperboom SoundBattle Does Size Matter🤔
- Stereo Specs: 🔥JBL PARTYBOX 100 vs PANASONIC SC TMAX10🔥BIG BASS Sound🔊Best 2021 Deep Sound Speakers👑USA
- DLX Willington: 🤣JBL Partybox 100 vs Sony GTK XB60 Sound Battle You Asked For It
- Oluv Patreon: Earfun UBoom X vs JBL Partybox 100
- Vua2hand: Solo Braven XXL/2 vs JBL Partybox 100 Sound test l Braven hay Jbl ?!!
- Reddit Search for JBL Partybox 100 Review
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Bose S1 Pro: $699.00 Discontinued Amazon
Pros: Extremely compact and light with flexible placement options. Full sound with no lack of low-end output, crystal-clear audio quality. Three-channel mixer (2 mic/line + 1 line/Bluetooth). Auto EQ adjusts sound based on orientation. Multiple angled surfaces for various positioning including tilted portrait mode. Up to 11 hours battery life. Professional build quality. High efficiency drivers reach 2-3x the volume of typical speakers for the same wattage.
Cons: With full range music, it becomes distorted above ⅔ volume. Better suited for voice amplification. Not as much deep bass as the Everse 8, midrange sounds reasonably balanced. Treble is pretty boosted. Not stereo. Designed for more loudness than deeper bass. Discontinued.
Full Bose S1 Pro review and specifications →
| App | Yes |
|---|---|
| Aux Input | Yes |
| Bass Extension (-10dB) | 55Hz |
| Battery Life | 11 hours (Manufacturer specified) |
| Bluetooth Codecs | AAC, SBC |
| Bluetooth Version | 5.0 |
| Charging Time | 5 hours |
| Digital Aux Input | No |
| Dimensions | 13.1" x 9.4" x 11" (332.7 x 238.8 x 279.4 mm) |
| Discontinued | Yes |
| Drivers | 1x 6" (152mm) woofer + 3x 2.25" (57mm) tweeters |
| EQ | Yes |
| IP Rating | None |
| Max Volume | 109dB |
| Microphone Input | Yes |
| Omnidirectional | No |
| Party Mode | Yes (Bose Party mode) |
| Power Bank | No |
| Power Input | AC Power cord |
| Stereo | No |
| TWS | Yes |
| USB Playback | No |
| Weight | 14.3 lbs / 6.5 kg |
| XLR Input | Yes |
As an eBay Partner, we may be compensated if you make a purchase.
- Links
- Reviews, Comparisons and Sound Samples
- Precision Drive Audio: Music test for BOSE S1 PRO& PD K8 & JBL EON ONE COMPACT
- Precision Drive Audio: Bose S1 pro VS PD K8 VS JBL EON ONE COMPACT
- HQ AUDIO Exchange: Bose S1 Pro vs. JBL PartyBox 100 Bass Sound Test 😱💥🔥
- briansredd: Electro-Voice Everse 8 VS Bose S1 Pro - Side By Side Shoot-Out (Attempt)
- briansredd: Q&A - Electro-Voice Everse 8 Vs Bose S1 Pro AND (Warning) My Opinion
- True Techy: BOSE S1 Pro vs JBLPartybox ENCORE This Comparison SHOCKED me!!!
- JPW Pro: EV Everse 8 vs JBL EON One Compact Review
- W. Weiss: Part 3 Shootout MACKIE THUMP GO vs BOSE S1 PRO vs JBL EON ONE COMPACT Max Volume Demo A New Winner!
- James from Canada: SOUND TESTS - Soundboks, Minirig 3, dB Technologies, Bose S1 Pro, etc - RAVE TEST
- Reddit Search for Bose S1 Pro Review
- Head-to-Head Comparisons