So this is the JBL Encore 2 and there are actually a lot of big upgrades here compared to its predecessors, both on the outside and on the inside. Back then, I thought the original Partybox encore was a little hard to justify cause of its tiny battery and short battery life… but now the battery life on the Encore 2 is more than doubled. So if you’re looking for a super small box speaker then lets checkout the JBL Encore 2 cause this thing is actually pretty sick now.
Now first theres pricing… and unfortunately JBL is doing this dumb thing again where we have the JBL Encore essential 2, which is what we have here cause these are much easier to get… and then there’s the JBL Encore 2 which has an extended light feature and it comes with wireless mics… but this version is harder to get for some reason. I think its dumb. Nonetheless the JBL Encore Essential 2 retails for $330 and the JBL Encore 2, the version that comes with 2 mics retails for $400. So if you want to pick this speaker up it’ll be linked down below or you can always press on the YouTube shopping button, and if you wan to further support the channel then you can always pickup some merch.
So first we have to talk about the design. This new Encore 2 is actually a little smaller than the original, specially this speaker is a little thinner which I personally really like cause it makes it a lot easier to place this speaker on a shelf or table and it weighs in at 13 and a half pounds. And just like before the Encore 2 has a built in carrying handle so its super easy to take this speaker on the go with you. Now the JBL Encore 2 is rocking an IPX4 rating meaning that a little bit of water isn’t going to be an issue fore this speaker… however the Encore 2 does have a mostly plastic body and it does have a thin metal grill on the front… so this speaker can get scratched or dented rather easily. So if you do plan on taking it on the go with you, you’re still going to have to be careful.
But as always, the JBL PartyBox Encore 2 has a built in light feature which I feel looks very good. Now just like the original, we have a light ring in the middle and theres a strobe light up top. But if you were to get the Non essential version, if you can even find one, you’re going to have light bars on the top and bottom similar to the PB120 and so on. But more importantly you have a few different lighting modes to choose from… and since this Encore 2 is using aurcast, you can also connect it to JBL PartyBox Lights like we have here and these light bars and spot light will match the light feature on you r speaker. Now obviously you shouldn’t make a speaker purchase decision cause of the light feature… but JBL does have one of the best looking light features on there. Its very vibrant, dynamic and you can now built it out with their new light products.
But now lets talk about batter life cause this is the biggest upgrade here. The JBL PartyBox Encore 2 has an advertised battery life of 15 hours… where as the original has an advertised battery life of 6 hours. Now I always felt than the original encore was difficult to justify cause of its short battery life cause it wouldn’t be able to last a whole get together or party… but with the JBL Encore 2… this speaker should be able to easily keep up with you on a single charge for a whole day at the lake, party or get together with your friends.
Now this advertised battery life of 15 hours and 6 hours is with these speakers playing at 50% volume and with the light feature turned off and with the bass boost feature turned off. but real world use with the JBL Encore 2 playing at 80% volume, which is feel is a good volume for when you’re with friends, and with the light feature turned on and with the bass feature turned on, for me this speaker has been good for about 7 hours of playback time. And at max volume the Encore 2 is good for about 3 hours of playback time.
But another upgrade on the Encore 2 is that you can now replace the battery yourself. Now replacing the battery on the Encore 2 isn’t as easy as replacing the battery on the Partybox 120, 320 or 520 which just have a spring door on the back so you can easily swap out your batteries. With the encore 2 you need a screwdriver and this battery isn’t meant to be swapped out as often as with these other speakers. But the important thing is, you can replace this battery yourself which is going to extend the overall life of your investment.
And for those curious, the battery on the Encore 2 is as big as the battery on the Partybox 120… 34 watt hours… its just not as pretty, and its twice as big as the original which was just 17.7 watt hours. And to charge this speaker up it charges via a double barrel AC port, and when this speaker is plugged in you are going to get a performance boost out of it. Its going to get a little louder and its going to have a little more bass.
But now we have to talk about the ports… cause this is another big upgrade… the encore 2 now has a USB C port on the back which you can use to charge your own devices… and you can also use this USB C port as a wired connection. But personally im just glad that JBL finally got rid of the USB A port on their speaker and moved to USB C. Now no you cant connect a USB Stick to play music off of it… but in 2025 I think its more important to be able to charge your phone. And also the encore 2 does still have an audio jack as well so you can use it with a wired connection that way.
Also the Partybox Encore 2 has a 3 quarter inch input so that you can plug in a microphone for karaoke or you can now plug in a guitar… but I think a mic for karaoke is more important. And through JBL’s app you can adjust the sound of your mic…
Now with the Encore essential 2 you can only use it with one wired mic… or you can always get JBL’s Partybox Mic and use it with two wireless microphones… Now I know the JBL’s Partybox mics might be a little pricy… but these mics do give you better sound quality because they do a good job of just piking up your voice and they also dont pick up a lot of noise when youre handling the mic… and on the plus side, you can use the USB C port on this speaker to charge your mic and receiver…but keep in mind, if you get the Encore 2, you’re going to get these mics included.
But with all of that out of the way lets talk about sound. Regarding speaker set up, but of these speakers have a frontward firing woofer with an exhaust port that shoot out the back, and they both have dual frontward firing tweeters… expect on the Encore 2 therye a little smaller. And like I mentioned earlier, if you were to use these speakers while they’re plugged in you are going to get a performance boost out of them. They’re going to get louder and they’re going to have more bass. And through JBL’s app you can either choose from a few premade EQ’s or you can make your own. And theres also the bass boost feature. Deep is going to give you more kick and rumble is going to give you more resonance. But now w’re going to jump into the sound test… both of these speakers are playing at 75% volume, they’re using their stock EQ’s and we’re also going to use the Encore 2 while its plugged in.
Soundtest
So when it comes to sound quality, I honestly dont think these speakers sound too different from one another… they have very similar instrument separation and openness. However what is different is the loudness and how much bass these speakers put out. While they are both unplugged, the JBL Encore 2 gets noticeably louder and it has noticeably more bass than the original JBL Encore. And when the JBL Encore 2 is plugged in, this speaker does get a performance boost, it gets louder and it has even more bass. And overall I think that the JBL Encore 2 is going to be good for like a 15 person party, the same as lets say the JBL Boombox 3… but with a lot more kick in its bass. So overall, the JBL Encore 2 does get louder and it has more bass than the original Encore cause it manages to get louder… but it doesn’t sound all that different, which isn’t a problem cause the original encore sounds good. The main upgrade on the Encore 2 is max volume and battery life improvements.
But finally lets talk about pairing these speakers up with other speakers. Now with both og these speakers if you have two of the exact same speakers then you can wirelessly pair them together and get them to play in left and right stereo mode. But they have to be two of the exact same speakers. Now you can wirelessly pair an original encore with an encore 2 through the app… but they’re only going to play in sync.
But more importantly, the Encore 2 is now using aura cast… so like I mentioned earlier, you can pair this speaker up with JBL’s new Partybox lights so they’ll all sync up… but more importantly you can pair your JBL Encore 2 to any of JBL’s newer party boxes that are also using Auracast like either a Partybox 120, 320, 520, or ultimate and you can pair up to 100 speakers together and get them to play in sync. But also you can wirelessly pair your JBL Encore 2 to any of JBL’s smaller speakers that are also using aura cast like either a charge 6, xtreme 4, flip 7, clip 5 or go 4 and get them to play in sync as well.
And also, with the Encore 2, through the app you can still pair it up to an older partybox thats using TWS like either an original Encore, or partybox110, 310, or 710 and you can get them to play in sync. The difference here is, with these older party boxes you can only have a total of 2 speakers wirelessly connected to one another… where as with these newer aura cast speakers, you can have multiple speakers playing together. But just keep in mind, you can not connect your JBL Encore 2 to any of JBL’s older speakers that are using Partyboost.
But overall, with the JBL Encore 2… you have a lot of options as to what you can connect it with. You can connect with it JBL’s Partybox Lights, you can connect it to JBL’s larger Partybox speakers or JBL smaller Speakers that are using Auracast, and you can even connect it to JBL’s older Partybox Speakers using TWS… the JBL Encore 2 gives you a lot of flexibility… accept no Partyboost speakers.
But with all of that being said… I am actually pleasantly surprised and impressed by the JBL Encore 2. If you need a small box speaker and a lot bass… I think the JBL Encore 2 is the best option. This speaker sounds good, it gets decently loud and it has a lot of bass… but more importantly this speaker is a lot easier to justify now cause it has a much longer battery life compared to its predecessor so its now going to be able to las you a whole day of hard listening on a single charge. I also really like that Aura cast allows this speaker to connect to both JBL’s newer speakers, large or small… but it still has some backwards compatibly just in case you have an older partybox. I just wish that it was easier to remove the battery on this speaker similar to the JBL PartyBox 120 or 320… but I still like that you can easily service it yourself.