Assessment: The JBL PartyBox Stage 320 Is the Solely Speaker I Need for My Events

JBL’s PartyBox Stage 320 is a strong speaker with a well-balanced sound and punchy bass, with many options that make me wish to host home events simply to have an excuse to make use of the speaker.

Because the title implies, it is a speaker made for events, that means it is loud and enjoyable but in addition has options made to reinforce a celebration environment. You possibly can dabble in being a DJ with the Impact Lab, join as much as two microphones for karaoke, and even play over your music with an electrical guitar. I used to be despatched the PartyBox Stage 320 by JBL to evaluation, and although it isn’t low-cost ($599.95), after spending a while with it, I believe it is value each penny.

Professionals and cons of the JBL PartyBox Stage 320

Professionals

• 240 Watts of output energy or about 100 decibels of sound

• A conveyable design that makes it simple to hold

• Highly effective bass

• Adjustable EQ

• Can have as much as two microphones (or one microphone and one electrical guitar)

• Replaceable battery

• Can play with simply the ability wire (with out the battery)

• Enjoyable in-app options for events

Cons

Specs

• Battery life: As much as 18 hours (3 hours cost time)

• Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.4 with Auracast help

• Inputs: 2 ¼-inch jacks, 3.5mm aux enter and USB-A port

• Drivers: Two 6.5-inch woofers and two 25 mm dome tweeters

• Energy output: 240 W whole

• Water resistance: IPX4 (splashproof)

• Dimension: 26.3 inches by 15.2 inches by 13.2 inches

• Weight: 36.3 kilos

First Impressions of the JBL PartyBox Stage 320

That is the primary PartyBox I’ve reviewed, despite the fact that they have been round for a while. I need to admit that I wasn’t significantly enthusiastic about this speaker. The flashy pulse-beating lights regarded gimmicky to me, and the speaker simply appeared unnecessarily costly. However as I discovered extra in regards to the speaker, took it out to the soccer area, and messed with the app and options, I grew to become obsessive about it.

Credit score: Daniel Oropeza picture.

I used to be in a position to comfortably roll the speaker via asphalt with its telescope handles and up a grassy hill to get 20 soccer gamers outdoor to take pleasure in some FIFA music. Like all JBL audio system, it comes with the JBL signature EQ, which sounds nice out of the field. However you may customise the low, mid, and highs with 5 levers within the app.

Options of the JBL PartyBox Stage 320

The place the PartyBox Stage 320 shines for me is in its options, which you’ll management on the highest of the speaker by way of an interactive management panel. The triangle-looking button to the precise is the Auracast button, which lets you pair two JBL TWS suitable audio system collectively or a number of JBL Aurocast audio system. The Bass Enhance button on the precise is a bass enhancer with a “deep” and a “punchy” choice.

Credit score: Daniel Oropeza

Then you could have the three emoji-looking buttons within the middle, and that is the place the (admittedly tacky) enjoyable begins. They’re the “get together buttons” and every performs a distinct sound on the speaker which you can hear clearly over the music with out interrupting it. You possibly can change what every button does or says within the app, however for essentially the most half, the primary is the “voice,” or a tacky get together voice that you’d hear a DJ say over a mic to hype the get together up. The thumbs-up is the “Vibe Tone” which has my private favourite sound, the traditional DJ “horn.” And at last, the yellow disc is named “DJ sound” and is usually various kinds of DJ scratches. I used many combos of those sounds when internet hosting my Road FC video games and had a blast messing with my gamers, relying on what was taking place in the course of the sport.

Credit score: Daniel Oropeza

The sliders on the high of the panel management the EQ of a microphone. You possibly can change the bass and treble and add echo to the sound, making it enjoyable to imitate sure lead singer sounds throughout karaoke. The speaker app helps you to go even deeper into most of those options.

Credit score: Daniel Oropeza

The JBL PartyBox app

The JBL PartyBox app is simple to make use of, though it may be sluggish to connect with the speaker typically. Right here, I used to be in a position to management the lights in additional element and customise which lights I wished to make use of. However the place I believe JBL actually set itself other than moveable get together audio system was with the “Impact Lab.”

Credit score: Daniel Oropeza

The Impact Lab is actually a mini DJ mixer. I’ve by no means DJ-ed earlier than, so it took a while to know what every operate does and use it correctly, however I had a whole lot of enjoyable studying on-the-go with trial and error. There are not any instructions within the app on use it, however you may simply be taught what every part does with the web and after 10 minutes of taking part in round with it, I received grasp of it. Mix this with some microphones for karaoke, and I’ve myself a lethal mixture to hype up, embarrass, or impress my associates at my subsequent home get together.

Credit score: Daniel Oropeza

Particulars accomplished proper

The PartyBox Stage 320 does the little issues proper that make an enormous distinction to a celebration speaker. The battery is replaceable, which implies the speaker’s longevity isn’t depending on the battery’s lifespan. I like that you should use the speaker with only a energy wire as nicely, so I can depart the speaker on for very lengthy durations of time and nonetheless have my absolutely charged battery if I wish to be utterly moveable. The speaker additionally will get a noticeable audio increase when plugged in. The battery itself lasts as much as 18 hours at 50% quantity, which is loud sufficient for an indoor home get together. After I set the amount to 70% (which I do not suggest doing indoors), with the lights on and the Bass Enhance on, the battery lasted about seven hours.

Credit score: Daniel Oropeza

One other spectacular element is that JBL made it very troublesome to create that ultra-whiny suggestions sound when you could have a microphone plugged into the speaker. I’ve to primarily rub the microphone on the speaker to listen to some form of suggestions. JBL appears to be utilizing know-how to suppress the suggestions sound, supplying you with as a substitute a extra space-ship-zooming-by sound quite than the high-pitch suggestions sound all of us hate. (After I turned the echo, treble, and increase sliders up on the mic settings, I used to be extra prone to get suggestions, although.)

Credit score: Daniel Oropeza

The again panel additionally has an LED gentle that’s helpful when attempting to plug issues in at at night time. As talked about, you may join as much as two microphones to the speaker or one microphone and an electrical guitar. There’s additionally an AUX in if I wish to observe my karaoke singing or DJ scratching with out disturbing my canine. I haven’t got different audio system I can daisy-chain collectively, however the choice is there if I wish to join the speaker with one other one.

Closing ideas

Credit score: Daniel Oropeza

The JBL PartyBox Stage 320 exceeded my expectations as a celebration speaker. Though the speaker is on the heavy facet at about 36 kilos, the deal with and thick wheels make it simple to maneuver round in numerous terrains. It’s disappointing it is not waterproof, with solely an IPX4 score, and that the speaker would not embody a microphone.

Though it has a strong bass, the sound is well-balanced and would not overtake the vocals or treble. The interactive DJ options on the speaker and within the app take the speaker to a different degree of enjoyable for events and karaoke periods. I beloved having the choice to have as much as two microphones or an electrical guitar plugged in, giving me a whole lot of prospects on arrange. Having the ability to change the battery and use the speaker with simply the ability wire additionally offers the speaker an excessive amount of longevity and dependence for lengthy periods.

I might suggest the JBL PartyBox Stage 320 to those that love internet hosting home events or karaoke periods. Whereas the speaker is expensive at $599.95, I believe it is value the price for somebody searching for an important get together speaker full of enjoyable options.