Almost any HARMAN speaker system produced under the JBL brand is always distinguished by an incredibly attractive design, unusual features and, of course, high sound quality. The latter is aimed, as a rule, at a young audience who prefers music of electronic genres, pop music, rap, hip-hop and other areas where bass coloring is important. What can we hide here - many people love JBL precisely for its expressive bass, and only then for everything else.
Today in our test laboratory there was a real king of bass! According to the manufacturer, the new JBL Boombox 2 speaker system is one of the loudest boomboxes in the JBL speaker lineup, with almost the same deep and powerful bass as a sound system in a good club. You can also take this speaker with you to the pool, since nothing will happen to it, even if you pour water on it from a bucket, and then “accidentally” send it for a swim. And although diving with it is not recommended, the JBL Boombox 2 will withstand immersion to a depth of up to one meter. And we will definitely test this today too.
If I didn’t like it, I just took it and left
JBL Boombox 2 has everything you need to carry your device comfortably. Thanks to the impressive, but still ergonomic handle on top.
However, carrying a speaker for a long time is such a pleasure. I walked from Smolenskaya to Kievskaya and slowly began to curse physics in general and gravity in particular. Still, the weight of 5.9 kilograms makes itself felt after some time. In addition, the rubberized handle digs into the skin. Perhaps it’s me who is so gentle, but this is... between us girls.
So it’s better to start the car under JBL Boombox 2. He threw it in the trunk and drove off to some camp site to rock the local pine trees.
Design and changes
JBL Boombox 2 clearly does not belong to equipment that can be easily put into any bag - since the dimensions are 48.51 x 20.07 x 25.65 cm. There are two body colors: black and camouflage. The speaker itself is large and heavy, and has a built-in handle that you can use to carry it.
The IPX7 protection rating means that the device can even withstand submersion under water up to a depth of 1 m for up to 30 minutes. Of course, you shouldn’t do this, and Bluetooth doesn’t work well under water, but the point is that if you accidentally fall into the pool or get caught in the rain, nothing will happen to it.
The design of Boombox 2 is similar to its predecessor - a huge handle is built into a cylindrical body, covered with a grill over its entire area. Below it are two 30-watt 0.75-inch tweeters and two 40-watt 4-inch woofers, which together provide frequency reproduction in the range from 50 Hz to 20 kHz. On both sides of the body there are two passive radiators that add weight to the bass.
On the front there are keys for power on, Bluetooth connection, play and pause (a double press can start the next tune, although a triple press does not include the previous one), as well as plus/minus keys for changing the volume level. There is also a Partyboost button for connecting Boombox 2 with other JBL speakers and playing together. An LED strip on the front shows the battery status.
“Let me put on my own music”
It infuriates me when someone says that. A triple insult: to you, your music and your dad, who diligently instilled in you little one all sorts of different hard rock joys of the mid-80s.
In the end, everyone listens to Morgenstern. True, there is a plus - you can connect a couple of sound sources at once. Via Bluetooth you can alternately play your tracks. It’s very convenient to compete with Kent who has the coolest playlist.
You can also connect to the boombox via a 3.5 mm cable - a completely standard story.
Advantages and disadvantages
Positive:
- wireless connection;
- excellent packaging - cables and instructions are in a separate smaller box, and the device is protected by foam plastic;
- well-designed design with a comfortable carrying handle;
- excellent autonomy - 24 hours of operation and 6 hours to charge the battery;
- wonderful sound - bombastic bass, powerful volume, clarity and richness of sound;
- different connectors for connecting other devices.
Negative:
- poorly working application for setting up via a smartphone or tablet;
- price – $500 or even more;
- weight – as much as 5 kg, large dimensions (on the other hand, it looks very impressive).
OK. What about the sound?
The speaker pumps at 60 watts. I think a lot is already clear. I placed it on a flat, resonant or not very resonant surface and shook half of the tourist base. I tested the power of the acoustics in exactly this way - everyone was delighted. Even 70% of the volume of those same 60 watts is enough. And if you connect the device to an outlet, the bar jumps up to 80 W - for a group of 40-50 people and a couple of other parties nearby, it’s enough, believe me.
Later, already at home, I was able to properly evaluate the quality. The sound is clean, smooth, with fat, enveloping bass, and even without any dips in the highs. Boombox 2 is even suitable as standard home acoustics. Before this there was a Sony soundbar and it seems that it is being sent to Avito.
Live reviews
The latest review contains a rather ambiguous flaw.
The included remote control is completely optional. You can use the column without it.
The main thing is that the device really “pumps”. The sound of the boombox is simply amazing.
Many users spent a long time choosing and were not mistaken in choosing the JBL Boombox.
You can't stand it so much, but Boombox 2 yes
Party for 24 hours? Hmm... it seems that I didn’t have anything like this during my student days. It was 8 o’clock, it seemed like 12 o’clock too. But a day... perhaps not. Sooner or later we all need at least a little nap. But not the JBL Boombox 2.
Okay, of course, these are laboratory tests and with ideal indicators. Live at 70% volume, the speaker can distribute music for 6-7 hours. If you make it quieter, the autonomy will increase proportionally. And so on until that daily ideal. But believe me, at home even 30% volume is enough, so you won’t have to charge the speaker often.
Sound quality
JBL Boombox 2 has high-quality sound for a wireless speaker of this format . The emphasis is on low frequencies, but at the same time the bass is quite high quality and does not particularly cover other frequencies. Although I can’t say that the sound is completely balanced. But it is great for any electronic and/or popular modern music.
I would also like to say something about the volume. The speaker is, of course, loud. Not to say that it will rock the whole village, for example.
