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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 Xtreme 3 vs JBL PartyBox Encore Essential

Side-by-Side Comparison

Products

JBL Xtreme 3
JBL PartyBox Encore Essential

Tested using Methodology v0.8

Updated Aug 20, 2024 12:46 PM

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Tested using Methodology v0.8

Updated Jun 07, 2024 02:40 PM

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JBL Xtreme 3 Picture
JBL PartyBox Encore Essential Picture
  1. Recommended in 2 articles:
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  3. Bluetooth For Bass

Variants

  • Xtreme 3 (Black)
  • Xtreme 3 (Blue)
  • Xtreme 3 (Camo)
  • Partybox Encore Essential (Black)

Our Verdict

JBL Xtreme 3

JBL PartyBox Encore Essential

The JBL Xtreme 3 and the JBL PartyBox Encore Essential are speakers designed for different purposes. The Xtreme 3 is designed with portability in mind, and its rugged construction and IP67 rating against water and dust means that it can survive the elements. It also has a wider soundstage with better directivity and a longer continuous battery life. However, the PartyBox Encore Essential is the better speaker for playing music, thanks to its ability to better reproduce low-bass and its more balanced treble range. It can also get quite a bit louder, though there are more compression artifacts present at max volume than with the Xtreme 3. 

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Black
Partybox Encore Essential
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Black
Partybox Encore Essential
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Black
Partybox Encore Essential
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Black
Partybox Encore Essential
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Black
Partybox Encore Essential
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Main Differences for

Threshold 

0.10

Music 

6.7
7.4

Frequency Response Accuracy 
 

6.5
7.8

Soundstage 
 

7.2
6.6

Dynamics 
 

6.4
7.0

Full Comparison

Design

Style  

Style Photo  

JBL Xtreme 3 Style Photo
JBL PartyBox Encore Essential Style Photo

RGB Lights  

No
Yes

Show text

Portability 
 

8.9
8.1

Dimensions Photo  

JBL Xtreme 3 Dimensions Photo
JBL PartyBox Encore Essential Dimensions Photo

Volume 
 

250 in³ (4,093 cm³)
1,580 in³ (25,893 cm³)

Weight 
 

4.2 lbs (1.9 kg)
13.2 lbs (6.0 kg)

Power Source 
 

Battery & USB
AC & Battery

One-Hand Carry 
 

Yes
Yes

Show text

Build Quality 
 

8.3
7.0

Build Quality Photo  

JBL Xtreme 3 Build Quality Photo
JBL PartyBox Encore Essential Build Quality Photo

Material Quality 
 

Great
Good

Water Resistance 
 

Submersible (IPx7)
Water-resistant (IPx4)

Dust Resistance 
 

Dust-Proof (IP6x)
Unspecified

Impact Resistance 
 

Unspecified
Unspecified

Floats In Water 
 

Unspecified
Unspecified

Show text

Controls 
 

6.6
7.0

Controls Photo  

JBL Xtreme 3 Controls Photo
JBL PartyBox Encore Essential Controls Photo

Controls Photo 2  

JBL Xtreme 3 Controls Photo 2
JBL PartyBox Encore Essential Controls Photo 2

Ease Of Use 
 

Great
Great

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 
 

Forward Only (Physical)
Yes (Physical)

Microphone On/Off 
 

No
No

Additional Controls 
 

Yes
Yes

Show text

In The Box 
 

In The Box Photo  

JBL Xtreme 3 In The Box Photo
JBL PartyBox Encore Essential In The Box Photo

Show text

Sound

Frequency Response Accuracy 
 

6.5
7.8

Frequency Response Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Slope 
 

-0.09
-0.15

Std. Err. 
 

4.67 dB
2.59 dB

Low-Frequency Extension 
 

55.0 Hz
39.4 Hz

High-Frequency Extension 
 

13.9 kHz
18.0 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 
 

7.2
6.6

Directivity Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Directivity Index 
 

5.21 dB
6.38 dB

Stereo 
 

Yes
Yes

Show text

Dynamics 
 

6.4
7.0

Dynamic Range Compression  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

SPL @ Max Volume 
 

91.0 dB SPL
95.0 dB SPL

DRC @ Max Volume 
 

3.87 dB
3.63 dB

Show text

Active Features

Battery 
 

9.0
7.6

Battery Life 
 

12.7 hrs
8.6 hrs

Charge Time 
 

2.1 hrs
2.6 hrs

Power Saving 
 

Yes
Yes

Charging Port 
 

USB-C
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 Xtreme 3 App Picture
JBL PartyBox Encore Essential App Picture

App Name 
 

JBL Portable
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 
 

8.2
8.9

Bluetooth 
 

Yes
Yes

Bluetooth Version 
 

5.1
5.1

Bluetooth iOS Latency 
 

134 ms
57 ms

Bluetooth Android Latency 
 

122 ms
94 ms

Bluetooth Range 
 

190.3 ft (58.0 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

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Black
Partybox Encore Essential
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Partybox Encore Essential
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Partybox Encore Essential
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Partybox Encore Essential
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Partybox Encore Essential
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JBL Xtreme 3

JBL PartyBox Encore Essential

Comments

  1. Comparison

JBL Xtreme 3 vs JBL PartyBox Encore Essential: Main Discussion

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