Best Overall
JBL PartyBox Encore Essential 2
Key details
- Output
- 100 watts
- Weight
- 13.7 lb
- Mic Inputs
- Mic and guitar
- Battery Life
- Up to 15 hours
A proper mic input and a karaoke EQ are the two features that separate a party speaker from a karaoke speaker, and the Encore Essential 2 has both. With 100 watts, a 5.25-inch woofer, and up to 15 hours of playtime, it has enough output for a living room or a backyard gathering without the 36-pound bulk of the bigger PartyBoxes. That balance is why it earns our top spot: it makes the singer sound like part of the mix instead of a voice shouting over it.
The 13.7-pound body is the detail we keep coming back to. One person can carry it from the closet to the patio, and the splash-proof build means a spilled drink or a light rain isn't an emergency. We also like the app control for the light show and sound, and the Auracast stereo link gives you a path to a second speaker if the party grows. The guitar input is a small bonus that makes it useful beyond karaoke night.
The 15-hour battery rating is the headline, but runtime depends on volume and how much you lean on the light show; we treat it as a long evening, not a whole weekend. That's fine for the way most people use a home karaoke speaker. The bigger question is whether you want a speaker that can also play background music well, and this one can.
Pros
- Karaoke EQ helps vocals cut through
- 15-hour battery covers a long party
- 13.7 pounds is easy to move
- App and Auracast add control and reach
Cons
- No microphone included
We recommend the Encore Essential 2 for home karaoke because its mic input and karaoke EQ make singers sound better, and its 15-hour battery and 13.7-pound body are easy to live with.