Review: The JBL PartyBox Stage 320 Is the Only Speaker I Want for My Parties

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JBL’s PartyBox Stage 320 is a robust 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 identify implies, it is a speaker made for events, which means it is loud and enjoyable but additionally has options made to reinforce a celebration environment. You may 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 evaluate, and although it is not low-cost ($599.95), after spending a while with it, I feel it is price each penny.

Execs and cons of the JBL PartyBox Stage 320

Execs

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

• A conveyable design that makes it straightforward 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 twine (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 assist

• 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 complete

• Water resistance: IPX4 (splashproof)

• Measurement: 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, though they have been round for a while. I have to admit that I wasn’t significantly enthusiastic about this speaker. The flashy pulse-beating lights appeared gimmicky to me, and the speaker simply appeared unnecessarily costly. However as I realized extra in regards to the speaker, took it out to the soccer subject, and messed with the app and options, I grew to become obsessive about it.

I used to be capable of comfortably roll the speaker by way of asphalt with its telescope handles and up a grassy hill to get 20 soccer gamers outside to get pleasure from some FIFA music. Like all JBL audio system, it comes with the JBL signature EQ, which sounds nice out of the field. However you possibly can 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 appropriate is the Auracast button, which lets you pair two JBL TWS appropriate audio system collectively or a number of JBL Aurocast audio system. The Bass Increase button on the appropriate is a bass enhancer with a “deep” and a “punchy” choice.

Then you have got the three emoji-looking buttons within the heart, and that is the place the (admittedly tacky) enjoyable begins. They’re the “get together buttons” and every performs a special sound on the speaker that you would be able to hear clearly over the music with out interrupting it. You may 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 classic DJ “horn.” And eventually, 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 recreation.

The sliders on the high of the panel management the EQ of a microphone. You may 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 enables you to go even deeper into most of those options.

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 capable of management the lights in additional element and customise which lights I needed to make use of. However the place I feel JBL actually set itself other than moveable get together audio system was with the “Impact Lab.”

The Impact Lab is basically a mini DJ mixer. I’ve by no means DJ-ed earlier than, so it took a while to grasp what every operate does and methods to use it correctly, however I had a number of enjoyable studying on-the-go with trial and error. There are not any instructions within the app on methods to use it, however you possibly can simply study what every thing does with the web and after 10 minutes of enjoying round with it, I acquired a very good dangle of it. Mix this with some microphones for karaoke, and I’ve myself a lethal mixture to hype up, embarrass, or impress my pals at my subsequent home get together.

Particulars achieved proper

The PartyBox Stage 320 does the little issues proper that make an enormous distinction to a celebration speaker. The battery is replaceable, which suggests the speaker’s longevity shouldn’t be depending on the battery’s lifespan. I like that you should use the speaker with only a energy twine as effectively, so I can depart the speaker on for very lengthy durations of time and nonetheless have my totally charged battery if I wish to be utterly moveable. The speaker additionally will get a noticeable audio enhance 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. Once I set the quantity to 70% (which I do not advocate doing indoors), with the lights on and the Bass Increase on, the battery lasted about seven hours.

One other spectacular element is that JBL made it very troublesome to create that ultra-whiny suggestions sound when you have got a microphone plugged into the speaker. I’ve to basically rub the microphone on the speaker to listen to some type of suggestions. JBL appears to be utilizing expertise to suppress the suggestions sound, supplying you with as a substitute a extra space-ship-zooming-by sound fairly than the high-pitch suggestions sound all of us hate. (Once I turned the echo, treble, and enhance sliders up on the mic settings, I used to be extra more likely to get suggestions, although.)

The again panel additionally has an LED mild that’s helpful when attempting to plug issues in at at night time. As talked about, you possibly can 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 apply 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

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 straightforward to maneuver round in several terrains. It’s disappointing it is not waterproof, with solely an IPX4 score, and that the speaker does not embrace a microphone.

Though it has a robust bass, the sound is well-balanced and does 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 liked having the choice to have as much as two microphones or an electrical guitar plugged in, giving me a number of prospects on methods to arrange. With the ability to change the battery and use the speaker with simply the ability twine additionally offers the speaker quite a lot of longevity and dependence for lengthy periods.

I’d advocate the JBL PartyBox Stage 320 to those that love internet hosting home events or karaoke periods. Whereas the speaker is costly at $599.95, I feel it is price the price for somebody searching for an excellent get together speaker full of enjoyable options.