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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 On-The-Go vs ION Pathfinder Go

Side-by-Side Comparison

Products

JBL PartyBox On-The-Go
ION Pathfinder Go

Tested using Methodology v0.8

Updated Mar 04, 2024 05:14 PM

SEE PRICE
Amazon.com

Tested using Methodology v0.8

Updated Aug 31, 2023 01:05 PM

SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
JBL PartyBox On-The-Go Picture
ION Pathfinder Go Picture

Variants

  • PartyBox On-The-Go (Black)
  • PartyBox On-The-Go Essential (Black)
  • Pathfinder Go (Black)

Our Verdict

JBL PartyBox On-The-Go

ION Pathfinder Go

The JBL PartyBox On-The-Go and the ION Pathfinder Go are both party speakers designed with portability in mind. The ION is the smaller of the two, and it comes with some additional sound customization features through its app, including a 3-band graphic EQ and presets. Others may prefer the JBL, which comes with microphone and guitar inputs so you can play along with your favorite songs. The JBL also brings a touch better low-frequency extension, and it can play stereo content, unlike the ION.

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Black
PartyBox On-The-Go
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Finding store
Black
Pathfinder Go
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Black
PartyBox On-The-Go Essential
Searching
Finding store
Black
Pathfinder Go
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
 
Black
Pathfinder Go
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
 
Black
Pathfinder Go
SEE PRICE
Walmart.com
 
Black
Pathfinder Go
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com

Main Differences for

Threshold 

0.10

Music 

6.6
6.4

Frequency Response Accuracy 
 

7.0
6.4

EQ 
 

No
Graphic + Presets

Full Comparison

Design

Style  

Style Photo  

JBL PartyBox On-The-Go Style Photo
ION Pathfinder Go Style Photo

RGB Lights  

Yes
Yes

Show text

Portability 
 

7.9
8.3

Dimensions Photo  

JBL PartyBox On-The-Go Dimensions Photo
ION Pathfinder Go Dimensions Photo

Volume 
 

1,620 in³ (26,544 cm³)
1,153 in³ (18,897 cm³)

Weight 
 

16.8 lbs (7.6 kg)
7.7 lbs (3.5 kg)

Power Source 
 

AC & Battery
Battery & USB

One-Hand Carry 
 

Yes
Yes

Show text

Build Quality 
 

7.0
7.0

Build Quality Photo  

JBL PartyBox On-The-Go Build Quality Photo
ION Pathfinder Go 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 
 

6.9
6.9

Controls Photo  

JBL PartyBox On-The-Go Controls Photo
ION Pathfinder Go Controls Photo

Controls Photo 2  

JBL PartyBox On-The-Go Controls Photo 2
ION Pathfinder Go Controls Photo 2

Ease Of Use 
 

Great
Good

Feedback 
 

Good
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 On-The-Go In The Box Photo
ION Pathfinder Go In The Box Photo

Show text

Sound

Frequency Response Accuracy 
 

7.0
6.4

Frequency Response Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Slope 
 

-1.15
-0.07

Std. Err. 
 

3.76 dB
5.23 dB

Low-Frequency Extension 
 

49.7 Hz
55.8 Hz

High-Frequency Extension 
 

18.2 kHz
17.5 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 
 

6.1
5.7

Directivity Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Directivity Index 
 

7.24 dB
4.33 dB

Stereo 
 

Yes
No (mono)

Show text

Dynamics 
 

6.7
7.0

Dynamic Range Compression  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

SPL @ Max Volume 
 

94.1 dB SPL
92.2 dB SPL

DRC @ Max Volume 
 

3.92 dB
2.76 dB

Show text

Active Features

Battery 
 

5.2
8.4

Battery Life 
 

4.5 hrs
10.4 hrs

Charge Time 
 

2.6 hrs
2.8 hrs

Power Saving 
 

Yes
Yes

Charging Port 
 

AC
USB-C

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 
 

0.0
6.3

App Picture  

JBL PartyBox On-The-Go App Picture
ION Pathfinder Go App Picture

App Name 
 

No App
ION SOUND CONTROL

iOS 
 

No
Yes

Android 
 

No
Yes

EQ 
 

No
Graphic + Presets

Stereo Pair Mode 
 

No
Yes

Party Mode 
 

No
No

Multi-Room 
 

No
No

Show text

Connectivity

Wired 
 

Aux Input 
 

Yes
Yes

USB Audio 
 

No
Yes

Other Ports 
 

Yes
Yes

Show text

Bluetooth 
 

7.7
7.1

Bluetooth 
 

Yes
Yes

Bluetooth Version 
 

4.2
5.0

Bluetooth iOS Latency 
 

267 ms
183 ms

Bluetooth Android Latency 
 

187 ms
175 ms

Bluetooth Range 
 

334.6 ft (102.0 m)
315.0 ft (96.0 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 On-The-Go
Searching
Finding store
Black
Pathfinder Go
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Black
PartyBox On-The-Go Essential
Searching
Finding store
Black
Pathfinder Go
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
 
Black
Pathfinder Go
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
 
Black
Pathfinder Go
SEE PRICE
Walmart.com
 
Black
Pathfinder Go
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com

JBL PartyBox On-The-Go

ION Pathfinder Go

Comments

  1. Comparison

JBL PartyBox On-The-Go vs ION Pathfinder Go: Main Discussion

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