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Credit: Illustration by Ian Moore and product image courtesy of Amazon.
I love party speakers. I own too many of them, but they all have a specific function where they shine. When I have a karaoke party at home, I pull out the Soundcore Rave 3S. If we're taking the karaoke anywhere else, I'll bring the Ikarao Shell S1. For outdoor events, the Soundboks Go is my go-to. But if I'm having a good ol' house party, I use the JBL PartyBox Stage 320. However, JBL has an older sibling speaker who's even more powerful than the 320—the PartyBox 710, which you can get right now for $599.99 (originally $849.95).
The JBL PartyBox 710 is one of JBL's most powerful speakers, and that's saying something. It has a max power output of 800W, compared to the 320's 240W, meaning it can be over three times as powerful as its younger sibling. The biggest downside is that, unlike the 320, the 710 needs to be connected to an outlet. It has no battery, which limits its potential as a house party speaker. However, it still has wheels, which helps carry around the 61-pound speaker.
The companion app from JBL is excellent, and you can read some of the very cool features in my review of the 320. The “Effect Lab” with the DJ feature is impressive and can really enhance a party. You can also hook up microphones to it or an electric guitar. The bass is powerful in the 710, and you can control it with the “Bass Boost” button or go more into detail with the full EQ customization in the app. If you do hook up mics—for karaoke, say—you can also control the bass, treble, and the echo directly from the speaker's control panel.
What do you think so far?
If you like hosting a big crowd and will be close to an outlet, you can't go wrong with the 710. But if you want pure in-your-face sound without a lot of the features, I recommend the Soundboks 4.
