So I feel the JBL PartyBox 520 is right in that Goldilocks zone if you’re looking for a portable box speaker. It gets so loud you never wonder, huh I wish I had a little more or you never ask yourself what if you get second speaker… but its also not so overkill where you start thinking that getting it was a mistake like you’ll might think with either the JBL PartyBox 710 or JBL PartyBox Ultimate. But if you’re looking for a big box speaker, today we’re going to compare the JBL PartyBox 520 to the JBL PartyBox Ultimate and see if its worth for you to go big.
Regarding pricing, hold on tight cause its about to get expensive. The JBL PartyBox 520 retails for almost $900, its a lot for sure, but you dont think about it when youre playing music with it. But then there’s the JBL PartyBox Ultimate which has a retail price of $1,900… however, when this speaker first came out in 2023, it had a retail price of $1700. So I really hope the 520 doesn’t creep up to $1,000. Nonetheless if you want to pick either of these two speakers up they’ll be linked down below or you can always press on the YouTube shopping button, and if you want to further support the channel then you can always pick up some merch.
So first we have to talk about the design and portability of these speakers… and most importantly, the built in batteries. The JBL PartyBox Ultimate does not have a built in battery. You can only use this speaker while its plugged in… obviously affecting the portability of this speaker.
Where as with the JBL PartyBox 520, this speaker does have a built in battery. Now the 520 has an advertised battery life of 15 hours, which is very impressive. However this advertised battery life of 15 hours is with this speaker playing at 40% volume which is already a really good listening volume, but with the light feature turned off and the bass boost feature turned off. and in general, battery life on this speaker really varies depending on how you use it. If you use it at a higher volume, or with the light feature turned on or with the bass boost feature turned on, all of that is going to affect your battery life.
But real world use with this speaker playing at 60% volume, with the light feature turned on, and with the bass boost turned on, for me its been good for 8 hours of playback time… and honestly, anything above 60% volume while indoors with either of these two speakers is going to require hearing protection. Any thing above 80% volume is telling your neighbors you really care about them, and max volume is just telling the cops that you need some company.
But the really cool thing about the partybox 520, is that jus like the Ultimate and 120, you can quickly and easily swap out the battery on this speaker. So if you want you can get multiple batteries and keep the party going, or if you ever get to a point where you speaker can no longer hold a charge, you just need to get a new battery instead of having to get a whole new speaker.
However, the battery on the 520 is much larger than the battery on the Ultimate or 120. So no you cant mix and match batteries here, however you’ll might be able to mix and match batteries with the JBL Boombox 4, cause it looks like its going to be using the same removable battery as the Partybox 520.
And to charge this speaker it charges via a double barrel AC port, and when you use this speaker while its plugged in, you are going to get a performance boost out of it, its going to get louder and its going to have more bass. Now its not going to get as loud as the Partybox Ultimate, but it is a boost.
So thanks to the Partybox 520’s built in battery, this speaker is a lot more portable than the Partybox Ultimate. Also the 520 is significantly smaller than the Ultimate, it weighs in at 56 pounds, plus it has built in wheels so you can easily roll this speaker around. And thankfully these wheels are super chunky so the 520 is easy to roll in a parking lot or on the side walk, on the grass or on a thick carpet. Now the ultimate also has built in wheels so you can roll it around just like the 520, however this speaker weighs in at 87 pounds, and I feel that if you’re going to load it in a car or take it up stairs, you’re going to need help. Where as the 520 is a lot more manageable but I also feel that if you’re going to take it up stairs or load it into the car, some help would be preferred.
But durability on both of these speakers is the same, both of these speakers have a mostly plastic body which can get scratched easily. They both have a thin metal grill on the front which can get dented easily and they both have an IPX4 rating. So they’re water resistant, so some water isn’t going to be a problem, but you do want to keep the port panel on the back covered.
But then theres the light feature on these speakers. Now both of these speakers have really good liking light feature on them, but they are a little different. The light feature on the Ultimate is a little more impressive cause the light rings do have a 3D effect to them and the Ultimate also have floor lights, which I really like cause it gives this speaker a larger presence. But nonetheless with both of these speakers you can go into JBL’s app and you can choose from a few different lighting modes and you can cosutmize these light features as well. But overall, I think both of these speakers look great but I do wish the 520 has floor lights like the Ultimate.
But then there are the ports on these speakers, now the port panel on both of these speakers are illuminated which I do feel is a very nice touch, but more importantly, the Partybox 520 is now using XLR combo jacks where as the Ultimate has 3 quarter inch inputs. So with the Partybox 520 you can plug in a mixer if you want which is great for people that might want to work as a DJ. Now dont get me wrong, with the Ultimate, we have been able to use it with a mixer… But you have to use bluetooth, so you’ll might have technical difficulties… where as having a physical connection is bullet proof.
But more importantly with both of these speakers you can plug in two microphones for karaoke, or you can also plug in a guitar, but I feel kakroke is more important. And with both of these speakers you can adjust the sound of your mic directly from the speaker it self.
Now with both of these speakers you can plug in 2 wired mics, or you can plug in JBL’s Partybox Mics and get 2 wireless mics. Now I know JBL’s wireless mics are a lot more expansive compared to wired ones… however these mics do sound better, they do a really good job of focusing on your voice and they also do a really good job of not picking up too much noise when you’re handling the microphones.
However, I do prefer the 520 over the Ultimate here cause it has a USB C port that you can use to charge your phone, and you can also use it to charge your wireless mics. And you can also use this USB C port as a wired connection if you want. Where as with the Partybox Ultimate, this speaker has a USB A port… so chargning your phone isn’t as convenient as the 520.
But with both of these speakers you can use them with a wired connection cause they both have an audio jack, but more importantly, both of these speakers do have an audio out jack so if you want to cab daisy chain any speaker to either of these two speakers, and get them to play in sync.
And finally when it comes to bluetooth connectivity, both of these speakers can be connected to 2 devices at the same time so you and a friend can both be DJ. Latency is not an issue for either of these two speakers so you can use them to watch videos with on your phone, and when it comes to audio codecs both of these speakers have support for SBC and AAC. However, the Ultimate also has Wifi so you can stream music to it with Airplay 2, and you can get it to play in sync with all of your other smart speakers.
But with all of that out of the way, lets talk about sound. Regarding speaker set up, the JBL PartyBox 520 has dual frontward firing woofers with an exhaust port that shoots out the back, and dual frontward firing tweeters. Where as with the Partybox Ultimate, this speaker has dual frontward firing woofers with an exhaust port that shoots out the back and dual frontward firing tweeters just like the 520… but what makes the ultimate stand out here is that it also has dual mid range drivers to give you better definition in the mids. And with both of these speakers you can go into their apps and you can adjust their EQ to your liking and they both have their bass boost. Now peronsally I prefer deep cause you get more kick in your bass, where as with punchy, you get more resonance but I feel that it muddles the rest of you music. But now we’re going to jump into the sound test. Both of these speakers are playing at 75% with their bass boost set to deep and we’re going to use the 520 while its unplugged and plugged in.
Sound Test
So when it comes to sound, the JBL PartyBox Ultimate has slightly better definition in the mids and highs than the partybox 520 thanks to those additional mid range drivers. With the Ultimate, your music is going to sound a little more open. But regardless the Partybox 520 still sounds very good cause it still has good definition in the mids and it still sounds very open… just not as open as the Ultimate… but I dont think the difference is going to be a big deal. But what is going to be a big deal is the bass and max volume performance with these speakers. Now both of these speakers get super loud. Anything about 60% volume is going to require hearing protection while in doors. And I feel that both of these speakers are going to be good for commercial us. Think small DJ gigs or events. But obviously the JBL PartyBox Ultimate is going to get louder and its going to have more bass than the Partybox 520 cause its a 1100 watt speaker where as the 520 is a 400 watt speaker. Now with the 520, if you use it while its plugged in you are going to get a performance boost out of it, its going to get louder and its going to have more bass… but still the Ultimate is going to gets louder and its going to have more wall shaking bass. But if you’re looking for a speaker for your man cave or for something to use at the house… I think the 520 is perfect, you never find yourself wanting more. Where as with the Ultimate, this thing is epic, but for at home us you always end up asking yourself if it was a mistake.
But finally lets talk about pairing these speakers up with other speakers. Now if you have two of the exact same speakers then you can wirelessly pair them up and get them to play in left and right stereo mode, so your music is going to sound more open and its going to get louder. But you have to have 2 of the exact same speakers.
But also, since both of these speakers are using aura cast you can pair them up to other speakers that are also using aura cast like lets set the JBL Partybox Encore 2, 120, 320, 520, or ultimate and you can get them all to play in sync… but also you can pair your Partybox 520 or Ultimate up to any of JBL’s smaller speakers that are also using aura cast like lets say a charge 6, xtreme 4, flip 7, clip 5, or go 4 or the up coming JBL Boombox 4.
But also, you can pair your Partybox 520 or Ultimate up to any of JBL’s older Partybox Speakers that are using TWS like either an original partybox encore, or 110, 310, or 710… however you can only have a total of 2 speakers wirelessly paired to one another. And another thing is, lets say you have your 520 paired up to any other speaker… if you have a mic plugged in into your 520, then your mic audio is only going to come out of the partybox 520. The audio isn’t synced up across all other speakers.
And like I mentioned earlier, the Partybox 520 and Ultimate both have that audio out jack so you can always daisy chain them up to any other speaker regardless of size or brand, and get them to play sync. And since these speaker are using aura cast, you’ll also be able to pair it up to other non JBL speakers that are also using aura cast. Just keep in mind that you cant pair these aura cast speakers to any of JBL’s older speakers that are using Partyboost like either a JBL Boombox 3, Boombox 2, Xtreme 3, Charge 5, Pulse 5, Pulse 4, Flip 5 or Flip 6.
But with all of that being said, both the JBL PartyBox 520 and JBL PartyBox Ultimate are great box speakers to consider, but they do have their key differences. Both of these speakers are great for large crowds and they are both good options for commercial use… but the Ultimate is going to get louder and its going to have more bass…but also the Ultimate does sound a little more open thank to its additional mid range drivers. Regardless the Partybox 520 still sounds great and I think its the prefect size if you’re looking for something for at home use. It gets more than loud enough, but you never feel like you made a mistake. But if you also plan on being a DJ… the 520 is the better option cause of the XLR inputs. Also the 520 does have that built in battery and its more portable than the Ultimate. I think the Ultimate is amazing… but for me its a little too much, But the 520, its perfect.