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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 JBL PartyBox Club 120

Side-by-Side Comparison

Products

JBL PartyBox Encore Essential
JBL PartyBox Club 120

Tested using Methodology v0.8

Updated Jun 07, 2024 02:40 PM

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Amazon.com

Tested using Methodology v0.8

Updated Mar 21, 2025 05:02 PM

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Amazon.com
JBL PartyBox Encore Essential Picture
JBL PartyBox Club 120 Picture
  1. Recommended in 2 articles:
  2. JBL
  3. Bluetooth For Bass
  1. Recommended in 2 articles:
  2. Loud
  3. Karaoke

Variants

  • Partybox Encore Essential (Black)
  • PartyBox Club 120 (Black)

Our Verdict

JBL PartyBox Encore Essential

JBL PartyBox Club 120

The JBL PartyBox Club 120 and the JBL PartyBox Encore Essential are party speakers within the same product line with slightly different uses. The Encore Essential is great for those who want a more affordable, portable party speaker with karaoke features. However, its small frame and lower price point come with some compromises. It can't get as loud as the PartyBox Club 120, and there's more compression at max volume. It also can't deliver as much bass, and its continuous battery life isn't as long. It does have lower audiovisual synchronization errors with both iOS and Android devices, though, so it's a better choice for those who need a larger Bluetooth speaker for movies.

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Check Price

Black
Partybox Encore Essential
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Black
PartyBox Club 120
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Black
Partybox Encore Essential
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Black
PartyBox Club 120
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Black
Partybox Encore Essential
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
 

Main Differences for
Music

Threshold 

0.10

Music 

7.4
7.7

Soundstage 
 

6.6
7.5

Dynamics 
 

7.0
7.7

Full Comparison

Design

Style  

Style Photo  

JBL PartyBox Encore Essential Style Photo
JBL PartyBox Club 120 Style Photo

RGB Lights  

Yes
Yes
Show Text 

Portability 
 

8.1
6.9

Dimensions Photo  

JBL PartyBox Encore Essential Dimensions Photo
JBL PartyBox Club 120 Dimensions Photo

Volume 
 

1,580 in³ (25,893 cm³)
2,875 in³ (47,111 cm³)

Weight 
 

13.2 lbs (6.0 kg)
23.7 lbs (10.8 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
JBL PartyBox Club 120 Build Quality Photo

Material Quality 
 

Good
Good

Water Resistance 
 

Water-resistant (IPx4)
Water-resistant (IPx4)

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
JBL PartyBox Club 120 Controls Photo

Controls Photo 2  

JBL PartyBox Encore Essential Controls Photo 2
JBL PartyBox Club 120 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
JBL PartyBox Club 120 In The Box Photo
Show Text 
Sound

Frequency Response Accuracy 
 

7.8
7.8

Frequency Response Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Slope 
 

-0.15
0.05

Std. Err. 
 

2.59 dB
2.51 dB

Low-Frequency Extension 
 

39.4 Hz
39.4 Hz

High-Frequency Extension 
 

18.0 kHz
19.1 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
7.5

Directivity Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Directivity Index 
 

6.38 dB
4.80 dB

Stereo 
 

Yes
Yes
Show Text 

Dynamics 
 

7.0
7.7

Dynamic Range Compression  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

SPL @ Max Volume 
 

95.0 dB SPL
98.8 dB SPL

DRC @ Max Volume 
 

3.63 dB
3.16 dB
Show Text 
Active Features

Battery 
 

7.6
8.4

Battery Life 
 

8.6 hrs
10.2 hrs

Charge Time 
 

2.6 hrs
2.3 hrs

Power Saving 
 

Yes
Yes

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 Microphone

Ambient Noise Performance 
 

No Microphone
No Microphone

App 
 

7.9
7.9

App Picture  

JBL PartyBox Encore Essential App Picture
JBL PartyBox Club 120 App Picture

App Name 
 

JBL PartyBox
JBL PartyBox

iOS 
 

Yes
Yes

Android 
 

Yes
Yes

EQ 
 

Graphic
Graphic

Stereo Pair Mode 
 

Yes
Yes

Party Mode 
 

Yes
Yes

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
8.0

Bluetooth 
 

Yes
Yes

Bluetooth Version 
 

5.1
5.4

Bluetooth iOS Latency 
 

57 ms
154 ms

Bluetooth Android Latency 
 

94 ms
193 ms

Bluetooth Range 
 

334.6 ft (102.0 m)
334.6 ft (102.0 m)

Multi-Device Pairing 
 

2 Devices
2 Devices
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
PartyBox Club 120
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Black
Partybox Encore Essential
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Black
PartyBox Club 120
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Black
Partybox Encore Essential
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
 

JBL PartyBox Encore Essential

JBL PartyBox Club 120

Comments

  1. Comparison

JBL PartyBox Encore Essential vs JBL PartyBox Club 120: Main Discussion

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