Tribit Stormbox Blast vs JBL Partybox Encore 2 (August 2026)

Short answer: the Stormbox Blast for listening, the Partybox Encore 2 for hosting. The Blast ranks #2 in the 68-speaker boombox class at $180; the Encore 2 ranks #4 at $330.

Battery and weather are the Blast’s clearest wins. 30 hours against 15, and IPX7 against IPX4 — meaning the Blast survives submersion while the Encore 2 handles splashes only. For a speaker you take to a beach, a campsite or a pool, that is close to decisive.

Sound. The Blast measures better and reaches 43 Hz, with bass almost as deep as a Partybox 100 from a much smaller box. It is quite neutral in default and XBass modes, and very good indeed with a reviewer EQ — Oluv’s preset became the factory default in firmware 3.5. Its weaknesses are a dip at 5.5 kHz and slightly less detail than the best speakers in other size classes. The Encore 2’s main measured complaint is a little missing upper bass.

Where the Encore 2 is genuinely the right tool:

Microphone and guitar inputs. The Blast has none. For karaoke, speeches or a busking set this ends the argument immediately — see karaoke setups.
Auracast, pairing with the wider JBL range. The Blast has no multi-speaker mode at all.
A light show, if you want one, and 100 W RMS against 90 W.

Both are genuinely carryable, 5.45 kg against 6.4 kg, which is the point of the boombox class.

Buy the Blast for sound per dollar, battery life and weatherproofing.

Buy the Encore 2 if you need microphone inputs or JBL pairing.

Last updated: August 07, 2026

Specifications Side By Side

	Tribit Stormbox Blast	JBL Partybox Encore 2
Price	$179.99	$330
Ranked	#2 of 68 in Boombox Size Portable Bluetooth Speakers	#4 of 68 in Boombox Size Portable Bluetooth Speakers
App	Yes (Tribit App)	Yes (JBL PartyBox app)
Aux Input	Yes	Yes
Aux Latency	0ms	—
Bass Extension (-10dB)	43Hz	—
Battery Life	30 hours (Manufacturer specified)	15 hours (Manufacturer specified)
Bluetooth Codecs	SBC	SBC
Built in Microphone	No	No
EQ	Yes (10 band)	Yes (7 band App EQ)
IP Rating	IPX7	IPX4
Bluetooth Latency	66ms	—
Max Volume	108dB	110dB
Party Mode	No	Yes (Auracast)
Power Bank	Yes	Yes
Power Input	AC Power cord	AC Power cord
Stereo	Yes	Yes
TWS	Yes	Yes
Weight	12 lbs / 5.45 kg	14.1 lbs / 6.4 kg
USB Playback	No	Yes
FM Tuner	No	—
Microphone Input	No	—
MicroSD	No	—
Bluetooth Version	5.3	5.4
Output Power	90W RMS (140W peak)	100W RMS
Dimensions	15.75" x 6.3" x 9.06" (400 x 160 x 230 mm)	12.58" x 13.33" x 10.35" (319.5 x 338.6 x 263 mm)
Driver	2x ~107mm (4.2") woofers + 2x ~25mm tweeters	1x 135mm (5.25") woofer + 2x 20mm (0.75") dome tweeters
Removable Battery	—	Yes
Wireless Microphones	—	Yes 2 Included

The Two Speakers In Full

Tribit Stormbox Blast: $179.99 Amazon

Pros: Amazing speaker given its size, competes well with some speakers in the Party size class, bass almost as deep as a Partybox 100. Quite neutral in the default and xbass modes, but try Oluv’s EQ or Alan Ross’s EQ for a slightly more neutral sound. Oluv has mentioned v3.5 now uses his EQ as the defaults and sounds extremely good. 2 different light modes or can be turned off.

Cons: Lacks a bit of detail compared to the top ranked speakers in other size categories, dip at 5.5khz. Without the above EQ this speaker would rank around #4 in the rankings. The curved underside of the handle makes it a little harder to grip and can be uncomfortable to carry long distances.

App	Yes (Tribit App)
Aux Input	Yes
Aux Latency	0ms
Bass Extension (-10dB)	43Hz
Battery Life	30 hours (Manufacturer specified)
Bluetooth Codecs	SBC
Bluetooth Latency	66ms
Bluetooth Version	5.3
Built in Microphone	No
Dimensions	15.75" x 6.3" x 9.06" (400 x 160 x 230 mm)
Driver	2x ~107mm (4.2") woofers + 2x ~25mm tweeters
EQ	Yes (10 band)
FM Tuner	No
IP Rating	IPX7
Max Volume	108dB
MicroSD	No
Microphone Input	No
Output Power	90W RMS (140W peak)
Party Mode	No
Power Bank	Yes
Power Input	AC Power cord
Stereo	Yes
TWS	Yes
USB Playback	No
Weight	12 lbs / 5.45 kg

Check current price at Amazon ($179.99) →

JBL Partybox Encore 2: $330 Samsclub

Pros: Appears to have better off axis performance due to the move to dome tweeters over cone. A little less rolled off in the highs than the first Encore. Goes slightly deeper than the old Encore. Includes 2 wireless microphones. Better battery life than the first Encore.

Cons: Missing a little bit of upper bass.

App	Yes (JBL PartyBox app)
Aux Input	Yes
Battery Life	15 hours (Manufacturer specified)
Bluetooth Codecs	SBC
Bluetooth Version	5.4
Built in Microphone	No
Dimensions	12.58" x 13.33" x 10.35" (319.5 x 338.6 x 263 mm)
Driver	1x 135mm (5.25") woofer + 2x 20mm (0.75") dome tweeters
EQ	Yes (7 band App EQ)
IP Rating	IPX4
Max Volume	110dB
Output Power	100W RMS
Party Mode	Yes (Auracast)
Power Bank	Yes
Power Input	AC Power cord
Removable Battery	Yes
Stereo	Yes
TWS	Yes
USB Playback	Yes
Weight	14.1 lbs / 6.4 kg
Wireless Microphones	Yes 2 Included

Check current price at Samsclub →

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Product prices and availability were last checked August 7, 2026 at 5:43 AM UTC and are subject to change; the price and availability shown on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.