The 19 Best Black Friday Bluetooth Speaker Deals That Are Still Available

The JBL PartyBox Encore Essential is the smallest PartyBox speaker to date, but it’s still got some heft to it, weighing in at 13 pounds (5.9 kg). Nearly a cube, it’s 12.87 inches on its longest side and has a color-changing ring of light over the driver that pulsates and syncs to the beat of your music. The Encore Essential is IPX4 splash-proof and has an integrated handle for easy toting. 

Rated for 100 watts of power (though we always take power ratings with a grain of salt), the speaker doesn’t have quite the volume or sound quality of the step-up PartyBox 110 (see below). But it has a 5.25-inch woofer, two 1.75-inch tweeters and plenty of kick, and it’s easier to carry around. In that sense, it offers a nice balance between size and power. 

Battery life is rated at six hours at moderate volume levels, and this speaker charges with an included AC adapter. It also has a charge-out port on the back along with a microphone port if you want to talk or sing (microphone not included). 

To be clear, this is a mono speaker designed to put out a lot of sound (there’s a bass-boost mode) from a reasonably sized design. You can also wirelessly pair two of these speakers and get significantly better sound in stereo, but that would get a little pricey.