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  1. Table of Contents
  2. Top
  3. Main Differences
  4. Design
    1. Pictures
    2. Style
    3. Portability
    4. Build Quality
    5. Controls
    6. In The Box
  5. Sound
    1. Frequency Response Accuracy
    2. Raw Frequency Response
    3. Soundstage
    4. Dynamics
  6. Active Features
    1. Battery
    2. Voice Assistant
    3. App
  7. Connectivity
    1. Wired
    2. Bluetooth
    3. Wi-Fi
  8. Comments

JBL PartyBox Encore Essential vs ION Pathfinder 320

Side-by-Side Comparison

Products

JBL PartyBox Encore Essential
ION Pathfinder 320

Tested using Methodology v0.8

Updated Jun 07, 2024 02:40 PM

SEE PRICE
Amazon.com

Tested using Methodology v0.8

Updated Sep 05, 2024 07:28 PM

SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
JBL PartyBox Encore Essential Picture
ION Pathfinder 320 Picture
  1. Recommended in 2 articles:
  2. JBL
  3. Bluetooth For Bass
  1. Recommended in 1 article:
  2. Parties

Variants

  • Partybox Encore Essential (Black)
  • Pathfinder 320 (Black/Red)

Our Verdict

JBL PartyBox Encore Essential

ION Pathfinder 320

Depending on your listening habits, you may prefer either the ION Pathfinder 320 or the JBL PartyBox Encore Essential. They're both party-oriented speakers, and you can find graphic EQ in their respective companion apps to customize their sound. However, the JBL comes with microphone and guitar inputs for karaoke, unlike the ION. It's also able to reproduce a more extended low-bass. However, the ION's battery life lasts much longer.

0

Check Price

Black
Partybox Encore Essential
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Black/Red
Pathfinder 320
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Black
Partybox Encore Essential
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Black/Red
Pathfinder 320
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Black
Partybox Encore Essential
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Black/Red
Pathfinder 320
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Black
Partybox Encore Essential
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Black/Red
Pathfinder 320
Amazon.com
 
Black/Red
Pathfinder 320
Amazon.com

Main Differences for

Threshold 

0.10

Music 

7.4
6.7

Frequency Response Accuracy 
 

7.8
6.5

Full Comparison

Design

Style  

Style Photo  

JBL PartyBox Encore Essential Style Photo
ION Pathfinder 320 Style Photo

RGB Lights  

Yes
Yes

Show text

Portability 
 

8.1
6.7

Dimensions Photo  

JBL PartyBox Encore Essential Dimensions Photo
ION Pathfinder 320 Dimensions Photo

Volume 
 

1,580 in³ (25,893 cm³)
3,478 in³ (57,000 cm³)

Weight 
 

13.2 lbs (6.0 kg)
22.7 lbs (10.3 kg)

Power Source 
 

AC & Battery
AC & Battery

One-Hand Carry 
 

Yes
Yes

Show text

Build Quality 
 

7.0
7.0

Build Quality Photo  

JBL PartyBox Encore Essential Build Quality Photo
ION Pathfinder 320 Build Quality Photo

Material Quality 
 

Good
Good

Water Resistance 
 

Water-resistant (IPx4)
Waterproof (IPx5)

Dust Resistance 
 

Unspecified
Unspecified

Impact Resistance 
 

Unspecified
Unspecified

Floats In Water 
 

Unspecified
Unspecified

Show text

Controls 
 

7.0
7.0

Controls Photo  

JBL PartyBox Encore Essential Controls Photo
ION Pathfinder 320 Controls Photo

Controls Photo 2  

JBL PartyBox Encore Essential Controls Photo 2
ION Pathfinder 320 Controls Photo 2

Ease Of Use 
 

Great
Great

Feedback 
 

Great
Great

Music Play/Pause 
 

Yes (Physical)
Yes (Physical)

Call Answer/End 
 

No
No

Volume Up/Down 
 

Yes (Physical)
Yes (Physical)

Track Next/Previous 
 

Yes (Physical)
Yes (Physical)

Microphone On/Off 
 

No
No

Additional Controls 
 

Yes
Yes

Show text

In The Box 
 

In The Box Photo  

JBL PartyBox Encore Essential In The Box Photo
ION Pathfinder 320 In The Box Photo

Show text

Sound

Frequency Response Accuracy 
 

7.8
6.5

Frequency Response Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Slope 
 

-0.15
-1.41

Std. Err. 
 

2.59 dB
4.21 dB

Low-Frequency Extension 
 

39.4 Hz
54.2 Hz

High-Frequency Extension 
 

18.0 kHz
12.0 kHz

Show text

Raw Frequency Response 
 

Raw Frequency Response Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Binaural Recording @ 1m 
 

Binaural Recording @ 2m 
 

Soundstage 
 

6.6
6.3

Directivity Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Directivity Index 
 

6.38 dB
3.18 dB

Stereo 
 

Yes
No (mono)

Show text

Dynamics 
 

7.0
7.5

Dynamic Range Compression  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

SPL @ Max Volume 
 

95.0 dB SPL
96.1 dB SPL

DRC @ Max Volume 
 

3.63 dB
2.89 dB

Show text

Active Features

Battery 
 

7.6
7.0

Battery Life 
 

8.6 hrs
117.9 hrs

Charge Time 
 

2.6 hrs
12.9 hrs

Power Saving 
 

Yes
No

Charging Port 
 

AC
AC

Battery Powered 
 

Yes
Yes

Show text

Voice Assistant 
 

0.0
0.0

Alexa 
 

No
No

Google Assistant 
 

No
No

Speakerphone 
 

No
No

Siri 
 

No
No

Voice Assistant 
 

No
No

Voice Activation 
 

No
No

Microphone Mute 
 

No Microphone
No Microphone

Far-Field Performance 
 

No Microphone
No Assistant

Ambient Noise Performance 
 

No Microphone
No Assistant

App 
 

7.9
6.3

App Picture  

JBL PartyBox Encore Essential App Picture
ION Pathfinder 320 App Picture

App Name 
 

JBL PartyBox
ION Sound XP

iOS 
 

Yes
Yes

Android 
 

Yes
Yes

EQ 
 

Graphic
Graphic + Presets

Stereo Pair Mode 
 

Yes
Yes

Party Mode 
 

Yes
No

Multi-Room 
 

No
No

Show text

Connectivity

Wired 
 

Aux Input 
 

Yes
Yes

USB Audio 
 

No
No

Other Ports 
 

Yes
Yes

Show text

Bluetooth 
 

8.9
7.4

Bluetooth 
 

Yes
Yes

Bluetooth Version 
 

5.1
5.0

Bluetooth iOS Latency 
 

57 ms
157 ms

Bluetooth Android Latency 
 

94 ms
124 ms

Bluetooth Range 
 

334.6 ft (102.0 m)
331.4 ft (101.0 m)

Multi-Device Pairing 
 

2 Devices
No

Show text

Wi-Fi 
 

0.0
0.0

Wi-Fi Version 
 

No Wi-Fi
No Wi-Fi

Wi-Fi Frequency Band 
 

No Wi-Fi
No Wi-Fi

Wi-Fi 
 

No
No

Apple AirPlay 
 

No
No

AirPlay Latency 
 

N/A
N/A

Google Chromecast 
 

No
No

Chromecast Latency 
 

N/A
N/A

Check Price

Black
Partybox Encore Essential
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Black/Red
Pathfinder 320
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Black
Partybox Encore Essential
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Black/Red
Pathfinder 320
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Black
Partybox Encore Essential
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Black/Red
Pathfinder 320
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Black
Partybox Encore Essential
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Black/Red
Pathfinder 320
Amazon.com
 
Black/Red
Pathfinder 320
Amazon.com

JBL PartyBox Encore Essential

ION Pathfinder 320

Comments

  1. Comparison

JBL PartyBox Encore Essential vs ION Pathfinder 320: Main Discussion

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