The JBL Boombox 2 is a speaker that is about the right size for most situations. It has pretty even midrange and treble ranges, so it can play vocals and lead instruments clearly. But it doesn’t have enough low bass, so it might not have the deep thump and rumble of bass-heavy genres like EDM. Even though it’s pretty big, you can move it around easily because it has a handle. It also has a battery life of almost 24 hours and an IPX7 rating for water resistance, but we don’t test for this right now. It can get pretty loud, but when it does, there are some compression artifacts. It doesn’t have a voice assistant, which is too bad.
On the back of the speaker, there is a rubber seal that covers the ports. There is a microUSB port for updating the firmware, a USB Type-A port for charging other devices, a 3.5mm AUX input, and the power port. One of the best things about the first Boombox was that it could charge two devices at once. It’s not clear why this one only has one socket. In a perfect world, I would have liked to see both a USB-A port and a USB-C port to cover all my needs.
Specifications
- Dimensions: 7.9 x 19.1 x 10.1 inches
- Weight: 13 pounds
- Bluetooth: 5.1
- Battery Capacity: 10,000 mAh
The size and weight of the Boombox 2 are also almost the same. It weighs 13 pounds and is 10.1 inches by 19.5 inches by 7.9 inches. The big cylindrical shape is held together by the same strong material that makes up the handle. The insides are the same as well. Two passive radiators are on each end, and two 20mm tweeters and two 4-inch woofers are inside to make a big sound. Aside from the newer Bluetooth transmitter, which we’ll talk about later, it doesn’t look like JBL used any other parts.
The JBL Boombox 2 has an IPX7 rating, which means that a small splash of water won’t hurt it. Also, this speaker floats, so you don’t have to worry about it if you drop it in a pool by accident. Because it has an IPX7 rating, the JBL Boombox 2 can be submerged in water up to 1 meter deep for 30 minutes. The JBL Boombox 2 still has the same speakers: two dual front-firing transducer speakers, two dual front-firing tweeters, and two passive radiators.
Still, if you already have the original Boombox, it’s hard to recommend such an expensive upgrade. You’ll get PartyBoost, a more stable Bluetooth connection, a better handle, and a slightly louder speaker with better audio quality overall, but £400 is a lot to pay when you already have something at home that does the same thing.