Anker Prime Base: https://geni.us/GC-AnkerPrimeBase
JBL Partybox On The Go 2: https://geni.us/GC-JBLPartyboxOTG2
JBL Partybox Encore 2: https://geni.us/GC-JBLPartyboxEncore2
JBL Partybox 120: https://geni.us/GC-JBLPartybox120
JBL Easy Sing Mics: https://geni.us/GC-JBLEasySingMics
The JBL Partybox On The Go 2 is a great karaoke machine cause this speaker comes included with a wireless microphone and it has an AI Vocal removal tool so you can remove the lyrics from any song that you’re listening to and it does all of this locally on the device. However, the Partybox On The Go 2 sites pretty weird in JBL’s Partybox Lineup… And today we’re going to compare it to the JBL partybox Encore 2… these two speakers are very similar but very diffrent at the same time, so lets see which one is right for you.
Regarding pricing, the JBL partybox Encore 2 has two versions, there’s the essential version which I have here and it has a retail price of $330, and this is the much more common version… and then there’s the JBL Partybox Encore 2 which comes with wireless mics, it has an extended light feature and its battery is more easily removable. But this version retails for $440 and its a lot harder to get. And I really think that this is very dumb on JBL’s part. Where as the Partybox On The Go 2 has a retail price of $420 and its a lot easier to get. So is this speaker replacing the Encore 2? I guess. 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 watch the related videos in the description down below and you can hit the subscribe button, im sorry but YouTube makes me do it.
Now first there’s the design of these speakers. 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, both of these speakers have a mostly plastic body, so these speakers can get scratched up easily, and they have a thin metal grill on the front which can get dented. Now you can take these speakers on the go with you and not worry about it too much cause they do have an IPX4 ratting, meaning that some water will be fine… but overall you do want to be mindful with these 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 then there’s the light feature, and just like always, JBL’s light feature is very dynamic and its very impressive. However these light features are a little diffrent. Now both of these speakers have a light ring in the middle and they both have strobe lights. But with the On the Go 2, it also has light bars on the top and bottom, is it a big deal? No. But with both of these speakers you can go into their apps and choose from a few different lighting modes. And since both of these speakers are using aura cast, you can pair them up with JBL’s Partylight sticks and tend your light feature if you want. Overall both of these speakers look great, but just keep in mind that if you do decide to use these light features, that is going to take its toll on the battery life.
And when it comes to battery life, these speakers are very similar as well. Both of these speakers have an advertised battery life of 15 hours, However these advertised battery lives of 15 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 50% volume on this speaker is a decent listening volume.
But real world use with these speaker playing at 80% Volume, and with the light feature turned on and with the bass boost feature turned on, both of these speakers are good for about 7 hours of playback time, and at max volume they’re both good for about 3 hours of playback time… and these speakers have very similar battery lives cause they have very similar speaker set ups.
But then there are the batteries on these speakers, and they’re very different. Now with the On The Go 2, you can very easily remove this battery, and if you want you can either get multiple batteries and swap them out to keep the party going… or since this speaker is use a 200 battery, you can mix and match batteries between your On The Go 2 and Partybox 120.
Where as with the Partybox Encore Essential 2, which is the one that we have here, you can swap out the battery, but its not the same clean one that you’ll find on the partybox 120 or on the go 2. However if you were to get the Encore 2, the one with the 2 mics, the harder to find on, then you will get the cleaner version that uses the 200 battery… but since its so hard to get, I think you should just ignore it. So battery wise, the JBL Partybox On The 2 has the better battery here cause its easier to swap out. No Need to hunt down the other version of the Encore 2.
Now with both of these speakers, they both charge via a USB C port, and if you were to use these speakers while they are plugged in, you are going to get a performance boost out of them, they’re both going to get louder and they’re both going to have more bass. However keep in mind that their batteries do have to be installed cause if not they will power off.
Now when it comes to ports, these speakers are fairly diffrent. Now both of these speakers have an audio jack, so you can use them with a wired connection, and both of these speakers have a USB C port, which you can use to charge your own devices and you can use them as a wired connection as well.
However, the Encore 2 also has a 3 quarter inch input, so if you want you can plug in a wired mic, or you can plug in a guitar or your can plug in JBL’s Partybox Mic’s and get 2 wireless mics going.
Where as with the On The Go 2, this speaker doesn’t have a 3 quarter inch in put. So you can’t plug in a wired mic and you can’t plug in a guitar. However the On The Go 2 does come included with a wireless mic. And if you want to more mics to the On The Go 2, you can use JBL’s Easy sing mics which plug in via the USB C port… but this set up does get expensive rather quickly.
However, what makes the On The Go 2 special here is it AI Vocal removal tool which works locally on the device. So whatever song you’re playing, you can remove the lyrics and do karaoke. And you can choose how much of the vocals to keep or remove. DEMO
So like you may have just seen, the vocal removal toll on the Partybox On The Go 2 is very impressive. However keep in mind that this goal removal tool only work on the speaker it self. I you were to pair this speaker up to another Partybox using Auracast, then the vocal remove tool will be disabled.
And finally when it comes to bluetooth connectivity, things are pretty simple, both of these speakers 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 with all of that out of the way, lets talk about sound. Regarding speaker set ups, these two speakers are very similar, they both have a frontward firing woofer and dual frontward firing tweeters. There main difference here is, with the Encore 2, this speaker has a rear firing exhaust port, just like with the rest of JBL’s Partyboxes. But the Partybox On The Go 2, this speaker has frontward firing exhaust ports. And bassicly, with the Encore 2, the bass is going to be more physical, more thunderous, where as with the On The Go 2, the bass is smoother and more audible. But so that you can see for yourself we’re going to jump into the sound test. Both of these speakers are playing at 75% Volume and the Encore 2 is playing with its bass boost set to deep, where as the On The Go 2 is going to switch between Deep and Punchy.
Sound Test
So like you may have just heard, these two speakers sound similar, as to be expected. They both have strong vocals and strong bass when it need to come in. But the main difference is going to be the bass. The bass on the Encore 2 has more kick to it, and since its exhaust port shoots out the back, you can always amplify its bass even more by placing it up against a well. Where as with the On The Go 2, since the exhaust port on this speaker shoots out the front, the bass is more on the audible side. And I actually think the On The Go 2 sounds best when its bass is set to punchy, where as with all of JBL’s other party boxes, I think they sound better with their bass boost set to deep, cause with punchy, the bass get over powering. So simply put, I think the Encore 2 sound more violent cause of the harder hitting bass, where as the On The Go 2 gives you better quality sound cause the bass is never over powering.
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 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.
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, both of these speakers are using aura cast so 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, 720 or ultimate and you can get them all to play in sync… but also you can pair your Partybox On The Go 2 or Encore 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 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’re using the mic, 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, both the JBL partybox Encore 2 and JBL partybox On The Go 2 are very similar yet very different. With the On The Go 2, this speaker has the easier to remove battery, it has the better light feature, it comes included with an AI Vocal Removal tool and it comes included with a wireless mic. However if you plan on actually doing kakrokee with friends, its hard to Justfy the On The Go 2 cause if you want to add more Mics, then you have to Get JBL’s Easy Sing Mics, those making this set up very expensive. I think that if you’re planning on doing lots of kakroke, you’ll might as well get the Partybox 120, and you’ll be able to hook up a lot more mics at an affordable price. And if you want the vocal removal tool, then you can get yourself JBL’s Easy Sing mics. But if you’re just looking for a small box speaker, I think you’re better of saving the money and getting the Encore 2. Don’t get me wrong, the JBL Partybox On the Go 2 is imrepssive… but its very confusing.