So now that the JBl Xtreme 3 here… naturally people want to know how it stacks up to the
JBL Boombox 2. Now obviously since the boombox 2 is bigger its going to get louder and have
more bass. But to make this video more interesting… we’re also going to be comparing both the
Xtreme 3 and Boombox 2 to JBL’s newest portable bluetooth speaker the JBL Partybox On The
Go. So if you’re looking for a large portable bluetooth speaker… lets see which one is
right for you.
Now when it comes to pricing… believe it or not the Partybox on the go is the cheapest
speaker here retailing for $300. Where as the Xtreme 3 retails for $350 and the JBL
Boombox 2 retails for $500. Now im willing to bet that some people are going to think
that hey they should just go with the Partybox cause its the largest and cheapest speaker
here. Now even though the Partybox does have some very unique features… it might not
be the best for everybody. And you’ll might be better off with the Xtreme 3 or Boombox
2. Regardless if you want to pick either of these speakers up they’ll be linked down
below and if you want to learn more about either of these speakers please watch their
full reviews cause we’re only going over their main differences.
Now first off we’ve got to talk about design cause these speakers are very different from
one another. Now obviously the biggest difference between these speakers is just their sheer
size. The Partybox absolutely dwarfs both the Boombox 2 and Xtreme 3. Now the partybox
is just larger than these other two speakers… but its also significantly heavier weighing
in at 22.4 pounds. Where as the Boombox 2 weighs in at 13 pounds and the Xtreme 3 weighs
in at 4.3 pounds. Now even though the Partybox does have a shoulder strap… lugging this
speaker around is a pain in the neck when compared to these other two speakers. But
also, if portability is a big deal to you then material choice is very important. Since
the Partybox has a mostly plastic body it can be a scratch magnet. Where as both the
Xtreme 3 and Boombox 2 are rocking fabric bodies so they’re going to be able to stand
up to constant bumps and scrapes much better than the Partybox. And it also doesn’t hurt
that both the Xtreme 3 and Boombox 2 are waterproof so if they get wet you don’t have to worry
about it. Where as even though the Partybox is IPx4 rated meaning that it is water resistant…
personally I would avoid getting this speaker wet just to be safe. So overall even though
you can definitely take the Partybox on the go with you… lugging this speaker around
is nowhere near as easy as taking either the Boombox 2 or Xtreme 3. So if portability is
big deal to you then you’ll definitely be better off with either of these two speakers.
But if you want maximum portability then you’ll definitely want to go with the Xtreme 3.
However, something that the Partybox really has going for it is its built in light feature.
And in general this light feature looks really good and you even have a few different lighting
modes to choose from. However, just keep in mind that you can’t remotely adjust or customize
this light feature like you can with the JBL Partybox 310 which was announced along side
this speaker.
But now let talk about tech specs. When it comes to battery lives these speakers are
very different from one another. Now the Partybox has an advertised battery life of 6 hours
but thats when this speaker is playing at 50% volume, with its light feature turned
off and with its bass boost feature turned off as well. Now at 50% volume this speaker
gets more than loud enough for indoor use but with its bass boost feature turned off
this speaker sound rather flat. Making it sound rather unimpressive for its sheer size.
Now the bass boost feature on this speaker has two levels to it. And I assume most people
are going to use this speaker with its bass boost set to two. But with real world use
with this speaker playing a 80% volume, with its light feature turned on, and with its
bass boost set to 2 we’re looking at a battery life of around an hour and a half to 2 hours
of playback time. Which is not all that impressive especially considering its size and weight.
Now you could squeeze out a little more battery life out of this speaker if you use it with
its bass boost set to level 1… but if you’re trying to get the most out of this speaker
you are going to sacrifice battery life. And keep in mind if you use this speaker past
80% volume its going to run out even faster.
So even though JBL is trying to market this speaker as an ultra portable partybox… the
reality is this speaker is going to mostly live on the charger and can only be unplugged
for brief periods of time.
But then there are the Boombox 2 and Xtreme 3 which have an advertised battery battery
life of 24 hours and 15 hours respectively. But again thats when these speakers are playing
at 50% volume. Real world use with both of these speakers playing at 80% volume the Boombox
2 is good for around 7 hours of playback time and the Xtreme 3 is good for around 8 to 9
hours of playback time. Both much better than what the Partybox has to offer. And again,
if you’re looking for maximum portability then you are going to be better off with the
Xtreme 3.
Now when it comes to connectivity… all three of these speakers can be connected to two
Bluetooth devices at the same time so you an a friend can both be DJ and they all still
have an audio jack so you can use a wired connection with any of these speakers.
Now when it comes to ports… something that I think is really cool is that the Xtreme
3 now charges via a USB C port where as these other speakers charge via an AC port. But
the really cool thing about the USB C port on the Xtreme 3 is that you can also use it
to charge your own devices. Now I think this is awesome cause a lot of phones these days
are starting to come included with USB C cables. But all of these speakers also have a USB
A out port which you can use to charge your own devices.
However… the USB A port on the Partybox also allows you to plug in a USB Drive and
play music off of it. Where as the USB A port on these other speakers are strictly used
for charging your own devices.
Another unique about the Partybox is that it has a microphone and guitar input and it
also comes included with a wireless microphone. So the partybox can be very useful for hosting
an event or karaoke or something. Now just keep in mind, the dials that are on top of
this speaker are strictly used for adjusting the echo, treble or bass of any microphone
or guitar you might have hooked up to this speaker. These dials are not used for adjusting
the sound of your music.
But now lets talk about actually listening to music with these speakers. Regarding speaker
setups, both the Xtreme 3 and boombox 2 are rocking dual frontward firing woofers, dual
frontward firing tweeters and they both have dual passive radiators shooting out the side.
Now the good thing about the speaker sets ups on both the Xtreme 3 and Boombox 2 is
that you can always up their bass by placing them in a corner so that their bass has something
to bounce off of. Where as the Partybox on the go has a single frontward firing woofer
with frontward firing exhaust ports and dual tweeters up top. But since the exhaust ports
on this speaker shoot out the front you can’t easily raise it bass like you can with other
speakers out there. Now when it comes to out put… the Xtreme 3 is rated at 50 watts RMS,
the Boombox 2 is rated at 80 watts RMS and the Partybox is rated at 100 watts RMS. But
the thing is all of these speakers can only hit those numbers when they’re plugged in.
And just keep in mind that while running off of battery power the Boombox 2 is rated at
60 watts RMS where as the Partybox is Rated at 50 watts RMS. But now we’re going to
be jumping into a sound test. Now the Xtreme 3 is playing at max volume, where as both
the Boombox 2 and Partybox are playing at 80% volume. But also the Partybox is playing
with its bass boost feature set to level 2.
So
when it comes to sound signatures the Xtreme 3 does like to but more of an emphasis on
the highs than the Boombox 2 and the boombox 2 puts a little more of an emphasis on the
highs than the Partybox OTG. And when it comes to bass the Partybox has more bass than the
Boombox 2 and the Boombox 2 has more bass than the Xtreme 3. But when it comes to sound
stage and instrument separation… I gotta say the Boombox 2 sounds more open than the
partybox. But something all three of these speakers do have in common is how their bass
behaves as you raise their volume. With all of these speakers, their bass really only
increases up until 80% volume and after that then really only their mids and highs get
louder, making them sound a little nasally. But over all sound quality wise… even though
the Partybox might be more fun to listen to cause of all of the wall shaking bass… I
do think the Boombox 2 is the better sounding speaker here cause it sounds more open. Now
even though the bass on the Boombox 2 doesn’t shake walls nearly as much as the Partybox…
it still resonates a good deal. And when it comes to max volume… again
the Boombox 2 does come out on top again. Keep in mind that while on battery power this
speaker is rated at 60 watts RMS where as the Partybox is rated at 50 Watts. But also
the Boombox 2 just sounds louder than the Partybox cause it does put a little more emphasis
on the mids and highs. And then there’s the Xtreme 3 which does a good job of keeping
up with the Boombox 2 but its just not going to sound as full. But like I mentioned earlier
if you were to use these speakers while they’re plugged in they are going to get a little
louder and push out more bass. But still even while its plugged in the Boombox 2 still get
louder than the Partybox mainly cause its does put a little more emphasis on the mids
and highs. So over all when it comes to sound the Partybox is the warmest sounding speaker
here and it has the most wall shaking bass here. But I do feel the Boombox 2 sounds better
than the Partybox cause it sounds more open. But you’re not going to have nearly as much
wall shaking bass. And then there’s the Xtreme 3 which sounds open… but it is a
brighter sounding speaker cause it does put even more emphasis on the mids and highs.
But finally lets talk about speaker pairing protocols. Now both the Xtreme 3 and Boombox
2 have been upgraded to JBL Partyboost meaning that you can pair any of these speakers to
other JBL Partyboost speakers like another Boombox 2, an extreme 3, a flip 5, or a JBL
pulse 4. But you can’t pair either of these speakers to older JBL speakers using JBL connect
plus like either an original Boombox, an Xtreme 2, a charge 3, charge 4, flip 4, or a JBL
Pulse 3.
Where as with the Partybox on the go… you can wirelessly pair it up to one other Partybox
on the go and get left and right stereo sound going. But you can not pair a Partybox On
the go to any other Partyboxes and you can’t pair a Partybox on the go to a JBL Partyboost
speaker. So JBL does have a bit of fragmentation going on right now.
So with all that being said… here’s my break down. If you are looking for an ultra
portable Bluetooth speaker to constantly take on the go with you then you’ll definitely
want to go with the JBL Xtreme 3. The Xtreme 3 has a good real world battery life of about
8 to 9 hours… its sheer small size, light weight, and shoulder strap makes it super
easy to take on the go with you… and the fact that you can use its USB C port to charge
your own device is a very nice touch especially if you have a newer phone. And over all it
sounds good. But if you want something louder, that sounds wider, and has more bass but you
still want to easily take it on the go with you then you’ll might want to go with the
Boombox 2. But then there’s the Partybox on the go which I feel is a very niche speaker.
Even though yes it is battery powered and it has a shoulder strap just like the Xtreme
3… carrying this speaker around can be a pain in the neck. Literally. And the fact
that this speaker has a very short battery life doesn’t bode well for its portability.
And even though this speaker does have the most wall shaking bass here… it doesn’t
sound very open. But like I mentioned in the full review… the Partybox OTG might be a
good option if you plan on constantly either using the included wireless microphone or
the microphone or guitar inputs on this speaker either to host events or or for karaoke. But
this isn’t a speaker I would pick up for its portability. This is a speaker that you’re
better off using mostly while its plugged in and only occasionally using it with its
battery power for short periods of time. But I can’t deny that this speaker would look
sick in like a small man cave thanks to its light feature.