With its enhanced portability (Xtreme for scale), more balance in basses, and lower price, the 110 (see image) seems to be the better buy overall.
JBL's Party Box 110 and 310 are good but are definitely not high fidelity.
However, if you’re looking for a portable, one-piece stereo speaker to listen to music to on the go that can double as a small PA system for small events, you will definitely want to have a look at the JBL Party Box 110 and 310.
While usable as a PA system, that is not their primary niche either. Portability is the forte here.
In summary, the JBL PartyBox 110 is more compact and portable than the JBL PartyBox 310 but needs more time to charge. The 310, on the other hand, offers longer battery life and sounds more powerful, but doesn’t come with the handy pole-mount the smaller sibling does.
The 310 is the more expensive of the two (by about $150). Both sound reasonably good in their price range, but the bass can get muddy on the 310.
Also, do make sure to check out the side-by-side spec comparison of JBL PartyBox 110 vs 310 on Crutchfield.
Related JBL posts:
Now let’s have a closer look.
Design
Both these speakers come with a light show that some will love while others might find tacky. The good news is that you can always turn them off, depending on the kind of atmosphere you want to create. They definitely do add to a fun vibe to things, though! The otherwise black exteriors look pretty standard and include the signature JBL logo in the middle.
They feel rugged, heavy-duty, and like the kind of thing that would be just fine outdoors at a barbeque or beach party, just as much it would work indoors with guests over for dinner or a mid to small social event.
JBL PartyBox 110
Weighing in at 23 lbs (10.84 kg), the JBL PartyBox 110 is the smaller and more portable of the two. It also comes with a pretty neat pole mount. This gives you more flexibility to position it so it sounds (and looks!) it's best in the specific environment you're in.
- Dimensions: 22.5 x 11.6 x 11.8 inches
JBL PartyBox 310
The bigger sibling of the two is very similar in design. But, sitting at 38.5 lbs (17.5 kg), it's about 15.5 lbs (7 kg) heavier. So while technically still portable, it’s definitely not the winner in this department, even though the carrying handles make it easy enough for the average adult.
Additionally, the pole mount feature is not available on it either. So you’ll have to place it like most other wireless one-piece speakers. On a flat surface, vertically or horizontally.
- Dimensions: 27 x 13 x 14.5 inches
Note: Neither of the two is weatherproof.
Battery Life
The 310 (see image) offers longer battery life and sounds more powerful but doesn’t come with the handy pole-mount the smaller sibling does.
JBL PartyBox 110
The smaller sibling gives you 12 hours of battery life when fully charged, which takes about 6-7 hours to complete.
JBL PartyBox 310
The JBL PartyBox 310, on the other hand, outshines its smaller sibling by a considerable bit here with 18 hours of battery life on a full charge. Which takes about 5 hours.
Sound
Have you ever noticed that there often tends to be quite the opposite opinions about a speaker?
I can understand this for more "personal taste" kinda products like clothing, for example.
But for engineering products like speakers? Personal tastes and preferences probably still play a role. But shouldn't it be less?
Why is it that we can't set a universal metric for sound quality?
First time I asked this question to myself has been a pivotal day.
Because it turns out that in the mid 90's, Electrical Engineer PhD Floyd Toole came up with a method called Spinorama. This is exactly what he accomplished with this. Turns out that his book Sound Reproduction is like the bible of audiophiles.
Put it simply, Spinorama is a set of measurements that gives a comprehensive overview of a speaker's performance from various angles.
It allows you to compare the performances of different speakers before even laying your ears hands on them.
Isn't that amazing?
This is why Spinorama was apparently groundbreaking news for audio industry. Hence in the mid-late 2010's, most brands and magazines began publishing Spinorama measurements, despite the challenges of making such measurements.
Fortunately, now we have the Spinorama data for a bunch of quite popular speakers. Pierre Aubert put all this untidy data together and put it into https://www.spinorama.org/. This is a stunning source. Pretty valuable stuff from him right there.
All good up to this point.
Now there comes a caveat.
Since the sound speakers propagate are in the form of omnidirectional waves, all measurements are obtained in anechoic or semi-anechoic chambers (a super-quiet room where soundwaves don't bounce back, here's how different that room sounds [a mind blowing time-adjusted video]).
This is a problem because it means that Spinorama alone, unfortunately, won't give us all we need. Placement and reflections play an equally important role there too.
This is why most A-class brands (like SVS, Bang & Olufsen, etc) often come up with room correction features, adjusted either manually or automatically. The EQ adapts itself to the placement (room, corner, center, etc) for a better (deeper and more accurate) sound. Which is great.
Additionally they often emphasize the importance of placement, here is an example: https://www.svsound.com/blogs/subwoofer-setup-and-tuning/75365187-the-art-of-subwoofer-placement
Anyways...
The source code under Pierre Aubert's work is licensed under GPL (General public license). He didn't perform any of the measurements himself, and instead he compiled all of them into one place, so that makes sense.
At this point, I thought that if there was a tool that combined both the Spinorama with the room acoustics data, it'd be extremely useful.
Unfortunately, it turns out that there wasn't any.
This is where I stepped in and partnered with an Acoustics and Audio Engineering PhD in order to achieve this.
We combined Spinorama data with room acoustics and came up with Soundton. A very simple, 2D online tool that allows you to:
- Reveal optimal speaker positions in a room,
- Test with real speakers from real brands,
- Compare different speakers and different positions in the room.
It can be very valuable for the vast majority.
The colormap provides you the locations with the best (green) and worst (red) listening experience.
It works the best with subwoofers since Soundton processes low frequency response waves only.
- Soundton is going to be, say, 80% accurate. Not 100%.
- Because, other parameters such as the age/materials of the building, furniture/windows in place also have an impact on room acoustics.
- If you want absolutely the most detailed room analysis, then what you need is an acoustics consultant. Mind you that's going to require deep pockets and patience though... assuming you find the right person and they get the job done.
Anyways...
Like I mentioned earlier, these are not high-fidelity speakers. But they do give you enough volume and clarity to get the party spirit rollin’. Both offer a nice, balanced sound with surprising clarity on all frequency ranges.
JBL PartyBox 110
With two 5.25" woofers and two 2.5" tweeters, this gives you a total output of 160 Watts. The frequency response range of 45 Hz – 18 kHz you get is pretty impressive for a party-speaker this portable as well.
JBL PartyBox 310
The bigger of the two does deliver more power and volume (240 Watts). And this without compromising sound quality. That being said, as is often the case with a speaker this size which is neither really small nor really big, the bass can get a little muddy.
Strange enough, while the sizes of the tweeters remain the same, the 310 offers slightly larger woofers (2x6.5" instead 2x5.25").
Lastly, do make sure to check out the side-by-side spec comparison of JBL PartyBox 110 vs 310 on Crutchfield.
Connectivity
Weighing in at 23 lbs, the 110 (see image) is the smaller and more portable of the two. It also comes with a pretty neat pole mount.
This is where both speakers really blend the old with the new and have lots to offer.
Both the JBL PartyBox 110 and JBL PartyBox 310 come with:
- Bluetooth connectivity
- A USB input
This means you can connect your devices in either manner to play your playlist.
Additionally, it also offers :
- A jack/aux input to plug in musical instruments like electric guitars/keyboards.
- A mic input for your microphone.
These open up a whole different world of possibilities making it an ideal fit for a karaoke party, or even small-scale, intimate concerts with live musicians. Buskers might find this to be a great solution as well.
List prices
PartyBox 310.
Prices are so dynamic that it mostly doesn't make sense
- JBL PartyBox 110: $399.95
- JBL PartyBox 310: $549.95
Verdict
In conclusion, this is how the JBL PartyBox 100 and JBL PartyBox 300 stack up against each other:
- Design: The JBL PartyBox 110 is more portable.
- Battery Life: JBL PartyBox 310 wins.
- Sound: Close tie. But the JBL PartyBox 110 seems to be more compact in bass frequencies. The JBL PartyBox 310 is way more powerful though.
- Connectivity: Tie.
- Price: JBL PartyBox 110 wins.
With its enhanced portability, more balance in basses, and lower price, the JBL PartyBox 110 seems to be the better buy overall. The JBL PartyBox 310, however, is better suited for larger venues due to its higher power.
Lastly, do make sure to check out the side-by-side spec comparison of JBL PartyBox 110 vs 310 on Crutchfield.
