Short answer: the JBL Partybox Encore 2, if you are buying new. The JBL Partybox Encore measures as well as the JBL Partybox Encore Essential 2 (#7 vs #6 of 113 boombox speakers) but is discontinued; its replacement, the JBL Partybox Encore 2, is rated 4.4/5 at $330 and is still sold new.
Battery life is the single biggest difference between these two. The Essential 2 is rated for 15 hours against just 6 hours for the original Encore at medium volume, more than double the runtime for a few dollars more. The original Encore’s pros still describe it as a great sounding, somewhat bass-boosted party speaker, while the Essential 2’s pros note it appears to have better off-axis performance from its move to dome tweeters over the original’s cone tweeters, at the cost of missing a little upper bass according to its cons.
What the Essential 2 adds:
- More than double the battery life, at 15 hours versus 6.
- A 7-band app EQ instead of the original’s 3-band EQ.
- A guitar input and karaoke microphone input, which the original Encore lacks.
- USB-C power bank output instead of the original’s USB-A.
What the original Encore keeps: two included wireless microphones, which the Essential 2 doesn’t come with at all, plus JBL’s PartyBoost linking for up to 100 speakers against the Essential 2’s Auracast.
Everything else matches: both put out 100W RMS, reach 110dB max volume, use the same 135mm woofer and dual 20mm tweeter layout, carry an IPX4 splash rating, and weigh within a couple pounds of each other.
Buy the JBL Partybox Encore Essential 2 for the much longer battery life, better EQ control, and slightly better off-axis dispersion.
Buy the JBL Partybox Encore if the two bundled wireless microphones are worth more to you than double the battery life.
Want more options? Browse the full Portable Bluetooth rankings.
A great sounding stereo party speaker with two wireless mics included and plenty of volume; now discontinued but worth buying used.
A compact party speaker with balanced sound, punchy bass, mic and guitar inputs, and enough volume for a backyard party.
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Specifications Side By Side
| JBL Partybox Encore | JBL Partybox Encore Essential 2 | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $230 Discontinued | $249.95 |
| Ranked | #7 of 113 in Boombox Size Portable Bluetooth Speakers | #6 of 113 in Boombox Size Portable Bluetooth Speakers |
| App | Yes (JBL PartyBox app) | Yes (JBL PartyBox app) |
| Aux Input | Yes | Yes |
| Aux Latency | 17ms | - |
| Bass Extension (-10dB) | 38Hz | 42Hz |
| Battery Life | 6 hours (Manufacturer specified) | 15 hours (Manufacturer specified) |
| Bluetooth | Yes | Yes |
| Bluetooth Codecs | SBC | SBC |
| Built-in Microphone | No | No |
| EQ | Yes (3 band App EQ) | Yes (7 band App EQ) |
| IP Rating | IPX4 | IPX4 |
| Bluetooth Latency | 100ms | - |
| Maximum SPL | 110dB (measured by Alan Ross Reviews) | 110dB (measured by Alan Ross Reviews) |
| Party Mode | Yes (PartyBoost up to 100 speakers) | Yes (Auracast) |
| Power Bank | Yes (USB-A, 5V/1.5A) | Yes (USB-C) |
| Power Input | AC Power cord | AC Power cord |
| Stereo | Yes | Yes |
| Omnidirectional | No | No |
| TWS | Yes | Yes |
| USB Playback | Yes | Yes |
| Weight | 13.9 lbs (6.3 kg) | 13.7 lbs (6.2 kg) |
| Wireless Microphones | Yes 2 Included | No |
| Bluetooth Version | 5.1 | 5.4 |
| Amplifier Power | 100W RMS | 100W RMS |
| Dimensions | 10.9” x 12.9” x 11.5” (276 x 327 x 293 mm) | 12.6” x 13.5” x 10.3” (319.5 x 342 x 260.4 mm) |
| Drivers | 135mm woofer + 2x 20mm tweeters | 1x 135mm (5.25”) woofer + 2x 20mm (0.75”) dome tweeters |
| Digital Aux Input | No | No |
| Guitar Input | - | Yes |
| Microphone Input | - | Yes (Karaoke mode with echo effect) |
| Lights | - | Yes |
| Strap | - | No |
Watch Them Compared
Videos and reviews that test both speakers side by side.
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