Audio = Ground Zero: JBL PartyBox series
When it comes to powerful, sleekly designed, booming Bluetooth speakers, over the last couple of years JBL has singlehandedly raised the bar to new heights with its dedicated portable, durable battery-powered speaker systems, recently peaking with the launch of the PartyBox 310.
Equipped with the capability for programmable nuanced, refined and fun RGB light show, which takes it far beyond novelty territory and instead makes it an additional engaging feature, the Partybox 310 allows one to finetune and customize all your desired outputs, no matter if it is meant to channel your vocal delivery or instruments with its dual-mic and guitar inputs.
The bass, echo and treble controls are easy-to-use and geared towards intuitively dialling it in, with EQ settings tailored specifically toward catering to music performance needs, with the added benefit of the Karaoke setting allowing to toggle the input on- and off.
Needless to say, the booming and crisp performance comes with a veritable weight, however, enhanced with built-in wheels and a retractable haul handle, it can conveniently be moved around no matter if the destination is an impromptu outdoor karaoke session or if roving live performance for small gigs are your jam. The fact that it is backed by a fantastic battery performance, allowing up to eighteen hours of continuous playback time, does not hurt either.
Ready to play right out of the box without any complicated connections, the compatibility with the JBL PartyBox app not only accommodates for remote controlling the audio output but also allows for linking multiple speakers together if needed.
While JBL is known for providing the goods when it comes to a rich bass performance with solid mids even at higher volumes, this little number is a veritable beast providing a tremendous amount of value as it not merely carpet bombs whatever environment it is placed in with immersive beats but can be flexibly used as a PA, mic, guitar amplifier and battery.
Now, for those who do not have the capacity to deal with the size, power and weight of JBL’s bold PartyBox 310, the lighter, smaller portable format JBL Party Box-On-The-Go is, well, as the telling name suggest, the way “to go” with its adjustable shoulder strap.
While in terms of size, JBL has operated in similar territory before, the Party Box On-The-Go adds an array of new features that considerably enhance the listening experience.
Made of durable, sturdy high-end plastics and equipped with a well-built microphone for karaoke as well as an input option to plug in an instrument, it is good to see old school, tactile, physical buttons making an appearance which is rare in a world of touch interfaces. As a result, playback controls are easy to use.
Up to eight devices can be easily connected to the speaker via AUX port, Bluetooth, or even a USB drive
As the telling name suggests, PartyBox On-The-Go is designed for, well, parties and in that aspect does exactly what it is meant to do with the LED light ring adding a visually appealing quality to the allure of the 100W of Pro Sounds it provides, which despite being bass-heavy never runs danger of overpowering other frequencies.
A battery life of six-hours of playtime is not exactly optimal for an all-nighter and probably constitutes the only niggle, so it is recommendable to leave it connected to a power source.
Summa summarum, the JBL Party Box On-The-Go is a versatile and competitively priced, portable speaker that ticks all the right boxes, no matter if you use it for partying or a small gig.
