Anker Nano: https://geni.us/GC-AnkerNano
JBL Partybox On The Go 2: https://geni.us/GC-JBLPartyboxOTG2
JBL Partybox Easy Sing Mics: https://geni.us/GC-JBLEasySingMics
So this is the JBL Partybox On The Go 2, and this is an amazing karaoke machine because thanks to AI, this speaker can remove the vocals from any song, locally on the device it self. Plus it also comes included with a wireless microphone. However, the JBL Partybox On the Go 2 sits pretty weird in JBL’s rapidly growing Partybox lineup. Its larger than the JBL partybox Encore 2, but its roughly the same size as the JBL partybox 120, but more portable. And the wiredest thing is, this is the only partybox with frontwards firing exuhst ports, which means it has a different sound signature from every other partybox out there. Nonetheless today we’re going to check out the JBL Partybox On The Go 2 and lets see if its right for you.
Regarding pricing, the JBL partybox on the go 2 has a retail price of $420, nice… and it comes included with a wireless mic. And for comparison sake, the Encore 2 has a retail price of $330 and the Partybox 120 has a retail price of $450, but it does like to go on sale. Nonetheless 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 want to further support the channel then you can always watch the related videos in the description down below and you can hit the subscribe button.
Now first there’s the design of this speaker. The JBL partybox On the go 2 is larger than the Encore 2, and its roughly the same size as the Partybox 120. The JBL Partybox On the go 2 weighs in at 14 pounds, where as the Encore 2 weighs in at 13 and a half pounds ask the 120 weighs in at 24 and a half pounds. However the On the Go 2 is more portable than both of these speakers cause first off, it does have a built in carrying handle… but more importantly, this speaker also comes included with a should strap. And this shoulder strap clips on to your speaker, and the should strap it self is vey high quality. So traveling around with this speaker is relatively easier. Plus this shoulder strap also has a built in bottle opener making it super easy to open your drinks if you’re out on the beach with your rented friends.
But when it comes to durability, things are very standard when it comes to JBL’s Partyboxes, the On the Go 2 has a mostly plastic body, so this speaker can get scratched up easily, and it has a thing metal grill on the front which can get dented. Now you can take this speaker on the go with you and not worry about it too much cause it does have an IPX4 ratting, meaning that some water will be fine… but overall you do want to be mindful with this speaker. If you want something more durable you’ll might want to look at the JBL Boombox 4, or maybe even the Soundboks mini.
But also, just like with most other Partybox’s, the On The Go 2 has an impressive looking light feature. We’ve got an RGB light ring in the center, we’ve got light bars on the top and bottom, and we’ve got some integrated strobe lights as well. But more importantly you have a few different lighting modes to choose from… and since this On the Go 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 your 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. However I do want to quickly point out that this Partybox doesn’t use the partybox App like with all of the Partyboxes before it, this one is now using JBL’s One app… which isn’t a big deal.
However just keep in mind that if you do decide to use this light feature, that is going to take its toll on the battery life. Now the JBL Partybox On the Go 2 has an advertised battery life of 15 hours, just like the Encore 2. However just like the Encore 2, this advertised battery life of 15 hours is with this speaker playing at 50% volume and with the light feature turned off and with the bass boost feature turned off. but 50% volume on this speaker is a decent listening volume.
But real world use with this speaker playing at 80% Volume, and with the light feature turned on and with the bass boost feature turned on, the On The Go 2 is good for about 7 hours of playback time, and at max volume its good for about 3 hours of playback time… very similar numbers to the Partybox Encore 2 cause these two speakers have very similar speaker set ups.
And just like with most other current Partyboxes, the On the go 2 has a removable battery. So this way you can get multiple batteries and keep the party going, or if you want you can mix and match batteries with your other speakers cause the On the Go 2 is using at 200 battery… so you can mic and match batteries between your 120, encore 2 the premium one that comes with 2 mics, or the on the go 2. And overall, even if you’re not going to get a spare battery right now, the important thing is, is that its super easy to swap out your battery cause this is going to extend the overall life of your investment.
And to charge this speaker, it chargers via a double barrel AC port. However do keep in mind that in order for this speaker to work, the battery does have to be installed. However if you were to 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 when it comes to ports, its actually very simple, the On the go 2 has an audio jack so you can use it with a wired connection… but more importantly it has a USB C port… and with this USB C port you can also use it as a wired connection with your phone, and you can also use it to charge your phone. Which I really like, or you can also use this USB C port to charge the included microphone.
Now when it comes to the included mic on this speaker… this mic is wireless, and it has a rechargeable battery of 10 hours, not bad. But unfortunately, the On the go 2 doesn’t have a quarter inch input or XLR combo jacks like with other Partyboxes, so you can’t add an other wired mics or guitars to this speaker like you can with other Partyboxes out there. However, you can add JBL’s new easy sing mics which plug in via your speaker’s USB C port and you can get a total of 3 wireless mics going… however I do feel that that is a very expensive set up.
But more importantly, JBL’s wireless mics are actually very good cause these mics have a very tight cardiod pattern, so this mics will do a very good job of picking up just your voice… and this mic also does a good job of rejecting noise pollution when you’re handling this mic. Plus, this speaker also has a built in holder for your mics which is nice.
But the biggest feature on this speaker is its AI vocal removal tool. Now this feature works locally on the device, so it just works, which is good. And you can remove the vocals from any song that your playing. And you can also adjust how much of the vocals are removed. So if you want you can remove them a little bit so that you can still sing along if you don’t know all of the words… or you can remove them completely. DEMO
So like you may have just seen, the JBL Partybox On The Go 2 is a great karaoke machine cause it comes included with a wireless, rechargeable mic. It can also remove the vocals from any song that you’re playing and it does all of this locally on the device. My only issue is, if you want more than one mic cause karkoe is only fun with friends… then you are going to have to get JBL’s Easy sing mics cause this is no wired option.
And finally when it comes to bluetooth connectivity, things are pretty simple, this speaker can be connected to any two bluetooth devices so you and a friend can both be DJ and latency is not an issue for this speaker so you can use it to watch videos with on your phone.
But now lets talk about sound. When it comes to speaker set up, the On the Go 2 has a single frontward firing woofer with dual frontward firing tweeters, just like with the Encore 2… but what’s very diffrent here is that this speaker has frontward firing exhaust ports instead of rear firing exhaust ports just like with JBL’s other party boxes. Believe it or not, the On The Go 2 is more similar to the Sony ULT tower speaker cause the bass on this speakers is much cleaner and smoother than JBL;s other speakers. Now you can still go in and adjust the sound of the this speaker and it also has its bass boost feature… but still the bass on this speaker is diffrent from JBL’s other box speakers. But now we’re going to jump into the sound test, this speaker is playing at 75% volume while unplugged and we’re going to cycle between the diffrent bass boost modes.
Sound test
Now when it comes to sound quality, the JBL partybox On the go 2 sounds well balanced and its has strong vocals. But like I mentioned earlier, what’s really different on this speaker is that it has frontward firing exhaust ports, so the bass on this speaker is very diffrent from other party boxes. Cause with other party boxes, their bass has a lot of kick to it. And personally I think that with other party boxes, they sound best when their bass is set to deep, cause with punchy, the bass gets too over powering. Where as with the on the go 2, the bass is more on the neutral and audible side… yes there is some kick to it, but not as much as with other party boxes. And personally I think this speaker sounds best when its set to punchy cause you’re going to get more bass out of it. But unlike with punchy on other party boxes, punchy on on the go 2 still sounds balanced. So overall, the JBL partybox On the go 2 sounds good, but the bass is diffrent, and I feel that for the best sound quality you should use this speaker with its bass boost set to punchy.
Now when it comes to max volume performance, the Partybox on the go 2 gets decently loud for its size, it gets a little louder than the Encore 2… but just by a tiny hair… but it doesn’t get as loud as the Partybox 120 cause the 120 does have a whole on extra woofer. But overall the Partybox on the go 2 is going to have no problem with lets say a 15 person party. And like I motioned earlier, if you were to 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.
But finally lets talk about pairing this speaker 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, the Partybox On The Go 2 is using aura cast so you can pair it up to other speakers that are also using aura cast like lets set the JBL Partybox Encore 2, 120, 320, 520, 720 or ultimate and you can get them all to play in sync… but also you can pair your Partybox On The Go 2 to any of JBL’s smaller speakers that are also using aura cast like lets say a Boom box 4, a charge 6, an xtreme 4 Xtreme 5, flip 7, clip 5, Go 5 or go 4.
But also, you can pair your Partybox 720 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 On The Go 2 paired up to any other speaker… if you have a mic plugged in into your On The Go 2, then your mic audio is only going to come out of the partybox On The Go 2.
Also keep in mind, if you have your partybox on the go connected to any other speaker using aura cast, you won’t be able to use the AI Vocal removal tool. Your music is going to play through all of your connected speakers, but you can’t turn on the AI Vocal removal tool and your mic audio is only going to come out of your On The Go 2.
But with all of that being said the JBL partybox On The Go 2 is a great karaoke machine that sits pretty weird in JBL’s Fast Growing Partybox Line up. Its larger than the Encore 2 but smaller than the Partybox 120… but its more portable thanks to the included shoulder strap. It also get a touch louder than the Encore 2 but not as loud as the 120. But more importantly, the bass is diffrent, its not as thunderous, but it is cleaner, and some people will might like that. The JBL partybox On the go 2 is a great option to if you are planning on doing Solo karaoke cause it comes with a mic and thanks to its vocal removal tool, you can sing along with any song that you want. However with the On The Go 2, if you want to add more mics you are going to have to get JBL’s easy sing mics, which can drive up the cost pretty high. And keep in mind that when you gave this speaker paired to other speakers, the AI Vocal removal tool is disabled. Personally I think the Partybox On The Go 2 is only worth considering if you’re planning on only using one Mic… but if you want to do kakroke with more than one mic, then I recommend that you just spring for the 120 and get a pair of easy sing mics which are sold separately.