So CES 2025 is going on and JBL has announced the new JBL party box 520 and they also announced the JBL Partybox encore 2 and the JBL party box encore 2 essential. Now the JBL Partybox 520 is a supped up JBL Partybox 320 that also has a built in battery. So lets see what the JBL Partybox 520 is all about, lets see where the party box 520 lands in JBL’s ever growing party box line up… lets see if you should wait for the Partybox 520… and if you’re someone that took advantage of the huge JBL Partybox 320 sale over the holidays, should you return your party box 320? And also let’s talk about the new Encore 2 as well.
So first theres pricing and availability. The party box 520, party box encore 2 and party box encore 2 essential are all supposed to be released in June of 2025… the Partybox 520 has a retail price of $800, the Partybox encore 2 has a retail price of $400 and the party box encore 2 essential has a retail price of $300. Now we’re going to break all these speakers down but if you want to pick any of these speakers up they’ll be linked down.
So first theres the party box 520. Looks wise the Partybox 520 looks identical to the Partybox 320… its got dual light rings on the front, built in stars, and light rails on the top and bottom… but unfortunately it doesn’t seem to have floor lights like the Partybox Ultimate. The 520 also has the same speaker set up as the 320 with dual frontward firing woofers and dual frontward tweeters… except larger. And it does seem to have large wheels like both the 320 and 710 and it seems to have an upgraded retractable handle. And I’m willing to be that it has the same control panel up top just like the Partybox 320.
But heres the big news, the Partybox 520 does have a built in battery… and just like the 320 and 120… the battery is removable. Now this is a big deal cause a lot of people, including myself have been asking for a battery powered speaker that’s a little larger than the 320… and the 520 slots right between the 320 and 710.
Cause perfoamnce wise, the Partybox 520 has a max out put of 400 watts… where as the 320 has a max output of 240 watts and the 710 has a max out put of 800… now these max out puts for the 320 and 520 is with these speakers playing while they are plugged in… but what all of this means is, the 520 is going to be noticeably louder than the 320… but the party box 710 is still going to be way louder than the 520… but I think thats perfectly fine cause the 710 does still seem to be larger and it can only be used while its plugged in.
But when it comes to battery life on the 520… this speaker has an advertised battery life of 15 hours… now JBL hasn’t stated the size of the battery on the 520… but I’m willing to bet that it is using the same battery pack as both the 320 and JBL Xtreme 4. So with the 520 you are going to get a louder speaker than the 320… but you are going to have to sacrifice some battery life cause the 320 is advertised at 18 hours. But the good thing about JBL’s new party boxes is that you can get multiple batteries and swap them out and keep the party going.
But heres the really fun part and I think that JBL has been watching my videos. But when it comes to ports the 520 is said to have USB C ports so that you can charge your own devices and use it as a wired connection… finally… and its also said to have XLR inputs. And given JBL’s new Partybox microphones, I’m willing to bet that the 520 is using XLR and quarter inch combo inputs… making the 520 a much better option for DJ’s that want to connect a mixer to this speaker.
So overall, I am very excited for the JBL Partybox 520… this is a larger battery powered party box that going to offer you more sound than the 320. However… you are going to have to pay a lot more for it. Personally, I feel that if you already have a party box 320 and its serving you fine… theres no need to upgrade cause the 320 is great for like a 20 person party or even more. And if you’re looking for something for a more commercial application… then you’ll still might want to go with the 710 cause its still going to get way louder than the 520. But if you do plan on connecting a mixer to your party box… then you do want to wait for the 520.
But then there are the Partybox Encore 2 and the Partybox Encore Essential 2… now the difference between the Encore 2 and the Encore Essential 2 is the the Encore 2 which retail for $400 has your RGB lights bars on the top and bottom… where as the Encore essential 2 which retails for $300 just has an LED strobe light on the front… but they both have the light ring around their woofer.
The main difference between the Encore 2 and the Encore essential 2 is that the more expensive encore 2 comes with 2 wireless JBL microphones which when sold separately are $150. But from a performance standpoint, both of these speakers have a max output of 100 watts, just like the original encore. And it seems like they have the same quarter inch inputs as the original encore… theres no mention of XLR inputs like with the Partybox 520 or USB C ports for charging.
But the big performance upgrade on these new Encore 2’s is their battery lives… they have an advertised battery life of 15 hours and their batteries are also removable… and this is huge news cause the original encore has an advertised battery life of 6 hours… and I’m willing to bet that these new Encore 2’s are using the same batteries as the ones found in the Partybox 120.
So, if you already have an encore… or if you need something that has an encore like form factor… I do think that it is worth upgrading or waiting for the Encore 2… but personally I still think the Encore is a very niche form factor… and for the price I would much rather recommend the party box 120. Your music is going to get a lot louder, you’re going to have more bass and I feel that the 120 is small enough to easily take it on the go with you and its relatively easy to store.
But overall, JBL has announced a few other speakers and headphones… but the Partybox 520 and Encore 2 are the most exciting ones. unfortunately there was no Partybox 720, or Charge 6… cause I do feel that those are due for an upgrade. Again, I feel that if you’re looking at the Partybox Encore 2… I think you’re better off going with the Partybox 120 today… but the Prtybox 520 looks very exciting cause its larger, louder and JBL is finally adding XLR and USB C to their box speakers.