JBL Partybox 100 Review

The JBL Partybox 100 portable Bluetooth speaker, following the classic appearance design of the PARTY BOX series, has a built-in battery that can last up to 12 hours. In addition, it supports up to 12 hours of playback time, can deliver a wild and enthusiastic rock party for you at any time, let the free heart that loves music go with you all the way.

For more than 70 years, JBL has focused on pure sound quality and is committed to bringing a rich, delicate, surging, and incredible sound experience to music lovers and professionals.

Relying on its keen market insight, JBL is one step ahead, integrating artificial intelligence with brand iconic sound effects and fashionable appearance design to innovate, impress users with genuine products, and promote new trends in the audio market.

Design

Now first, let’s talk about the design of this speaker. The JBL partybox 100 is just a shrunken-down version of the Partybox 310. We’ve got a primarily plastic body and a grill on the front.

From a portability standpoint, we’ve got two built-in carrying handles, and this speaker weighs in at 21 and a half pounds, which isn’t too bad if you want to take this speaker on the go with you either to different places around the house, to a friends house or a park.

From a durability standpoint, the partybox is using stiff plastics, which can definitely take a beating.

But more importantly, when it comes to water resistance, the Partybox 100 isn’t IPX4 certified like the Partybox 310 and Partybox on the go. That primarily causes the ports on the back to be fully exposed on the Partybox 100. For the Partybox 310, they’re sealed off.

I wouldn’t be too worried if the JBL Partybox 100 Bluetooth speaker gets caught out in a slight drizzle, but you definitely don’t want the exposed ports on the back to get drenched. But the upgrade model Partybox 110 has provided IPX4 certified feature.

It would be great to add wheels and a retractable handle to the JBL Partybox 100. Even though it is frail easy to carry the Partybox 100 around, wheels would make it even easier.

Let’s talk about the light feature on the JBL Partybox 100 speaker. JBL makes a pretty mean-looking light feature. There are a few lighting modes to choose from but keep in mind you can only cycle between these light features by pressing the lighting mode button on this speaker.

Unlike the Partybox 310, the 100 doesn’t connect to JBL’s Partybox app. So first off, you’re not going to be able to control this light feature remotely. You’re also not going to have as many lighting modes to choose from, and you’re also not going to be able to customize this light feature. Nonetheless, the light quality on the Partybox 100 is very impressive.

Let’s talk about tech specs, the Partybox 100 has an advertised battery life of 12 hours, but that’s with this speaker playing at 50% volume, with its light feature turned off, and its bass boost feature turned off as well. So, quite frankly, the battery life on this speaker depends on how you use it.

The Battery

JBL Partybox 100 speaker sounds OK with its bass boost turned off, but it sounds a bit flat. So now the bass boost feature on this speaker has two levels to it. I prefer using this speaker while it’s in bass boost level 1.

But if you want to get the walls shaking, then Bass Boost level 2 might be more your speed. However, keep in mind bass boost level 2 is going to drain your battery faster than bass boost level 1.

With all that being said, real-world use with this speaker playing at 80% volume, with its light feature turned on, and while in bass boost level 1, the Partybox 100 is suitable for around five maybe 6 hours of playback time which is not bad at all just given the amount of sheer bass this guy is pumping out and how loud it gets.

The Connectivity

When it comes to connectivity, the JBL Partybox 100 wireless speaker is using Bluetooth 4.2. Still, more importantly, it can be connected to 2 devices simultaneously, so you and a friend can both be DJ, and this speaker has zero latency across the board when watching movies or videos on your phone, whether you’re using an iPhone or Android device.

For the audio codecs, this speaker is strictly using SBC and AAC. But if we were to look at the ports panel on the back, there’s a mic and guitar input, and you can play around with the gain with the knobs on the back.

The part box 100 also has a USB A port, so you can play music off of a USB drive if you wanted to, but you can also use this USB A port to charge your own devices. Of course, this USB A port isn’t going to fast charge your devices like those newer 20-watt wall adaptors, but at least it’s something.

I hope that with the Partybox 110, JBL throws in a USB C port so that you can charge your own devices cause a lot of phones are starting to come included with USB C cables instead of USB A cables.

Next to the USB A port, you’ll find your Audio in and Audio out jacks. So if you want to use a wired connection, you can use the Audio in jack, pretty straightforward. Also, thanks to the Audio out jack, you can daisy chain any other speaker to this partybox and have them play in sync.

The Driver

Now let’s talk about actually listening to music with this speaker. First, regarding speaker setups, the Partybox 100 has dual frontward firing woofers with an exhaust port shooting out the back and dual frontward firing tweeters up top.

When it comes to output, the JBL Partybox 100 portable speaker has an advertised output of 160 watts, but that’s when this speaker is plugged in. When it is running off of its internal battery, the Partybox 100 has 100 watts.

So if you want to get the most out of this speaker, you’ll want to use it while it’s plugged in. Of course, when it’s plugged in, this speaker will get louder, and its bass will punch harder. But while it is running off of its internal battery, the Partybox 100 still gets impressively loud and has more than enough bass to make most people happy.

Sound Performance

Now we’re going to jump into the sound test. The JBL partybox 100 Bluetooth speaker will be playing off its internal battery with its bass boost turned off and a bass boost set to level 1.

So like you may have just heard, the partybox sounds very flat when it has its bass boost feature turned off. But with its bass boost featured turned on, I think the Partybox sounds excellent. Specifically, it sounds very balanced. Vocalists are well pronounced, there’s a beautiful kick to the bass, and this speaker sounds reasonably open.

The JBL partybox 100 speaker does a much better job of linearly increasing its bass as you increase its volume. So the partybox continues to sound balanced even at those higher volumes.

The only thing to remember here is that JBL still doesn’t allow you to directly customize the EQ on their speakers like you can with other speakers. But I don’t mind it cause I think the Partybox sounds fine while in bass boost level 1. But if you want more bass, you can crank it to Bass boost level 2 and place it up against a wall.

Conclusion

So overall, I really don’t have any complaints about the sound quality of the Partybox 100. It sounds balanced, gets decently loud, and has an ample amount of bass for its size.

The JBL Partybox 100 sounds well balanced while in bass boost level 1 with well-defined vocals, a good kick in its bass, it sounds pretty open, and it gets decently loud. And if you want to get more out of this speaker, you can always use it while plugged in. The real-world battery life on this speaker is decent, but it depends on how you use this speaker. Having bass boost level 2 and the light feature on this speaker turned on will take its toll on the battery.