JBL PartyBox Club 120 VS. Soundcore Rave 3S

The PartyBox 120 Comes Out Ahead in Sound Quality, But The Rave 3S Has Some Unique Tricks Up Its Sleeve.

Party speakers come in all sizes, but the PartyBox 120 and Soundcore Rave 3S are two of the most compact options for speakers that can still fill a room. With both speakers similar in size, volume, and price point, we tested them to see which is the better speaker to buy. Here’s what we found…

Key Takeaways

• These speakers share nearly identical weights and sizes.
• While the Soundcore Rave 3S has a bit more control options, the button design is polarizing.
• When sound is compared, the JBL PartyBox 120 has a bit more clarity and deeper bass.
• Battery performance is similar across both speakers.

Winner

JBL PartyBox 120

The JBL PartyBox 120 is our top pick, selected primarily for its sound quality, which is more bass-heavy and detailed than the Rave 3S. But the Rave 3S shouldn’t be overlooked for those wanting a feature-packed speaker or who want to use their speaker for karaoke.

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JBL PartyBox Club 120 vs Soundcore Rave 3S Specs

Design, Build, & Durability

• Similar durability, with strong plastics, metal grilles, and IPX4 water resistance.
• Both speakers are almost identical in size, both standing about 24″ tall.
• Bright lighting effects with tons of customization on both speakers.

Durability

Winner: Tied

Both speakers have sturdy metal front grilles and strong plastics that make them relatively durable. However, both are prone to scratching and scuffs if bumped up against rough surfaces. They can be used outdoors, but should be kept away from rain, as they only have IPX4 water resistance, meaning they can only handle light splashes and sprays for short periods.

Portability

Winner: PartyBox Tied

At around 24 lbs and 22″ tall, these speakers aren’t exactly small, but aren’t behemoths like the Sony XV800 or PartyBox Ultimate. Despite being called party speakers, these speakers are small enough to be used for general purposes, too.

They’re particularly useful for covering outdoor areas, and the PartyBox 120, especially, is commonly used on the court side of street basketball courts or by the pool on a summer’s day.

They’re both light enough not to need wheels, and have carry handles built in to make the process of moving them around easier.

Lighting Effects

Winner: PartyBox 120

Lights are a key feature of most party speakers, and both the Soundcore Rave 3S and PartyBox Club 120 have some pretty cool lighting effects. The PartyBox 120 has more vibrant lighting that covers a larger area of the speaker, but you’re going to get a little more control over which lights turn different colors on the Soundcore when using the Soundcore app.

Controls, Connectivity & App Support

• The Rave 3S has great controls, but the buttons look a bit cheap (they don’t feel cheap).
• The Rave 3S has outstanding karaoke features, including an AI vocal remover.
• App and Bluetooth performance are about the same.

Inputs & Outputs

Winner: PartyBox 120

Both speakers have their ports on the back, and the JBL PartyBox Club 120 features two microphone inputs, one of which can be used for instruments, as well as a USB-A output, auxiliary input (3.5mm), and two volume control dials for the mic/instrument inputs.

The Soundcore Rave 3S only has a single microphone port (but does come with 2 wireless mics), a USB-C input for charging, a 3.5mm aux in, along with mic volume control and a toggle to use instruments with the mic port.

Overall, they’re both really comprehensive, but only the PartyBox 120 has a USB output that can be used to keep one’s phone charged.

Controls

Winner: Tied

Controls are comprehensive on both speakers, covering the essential playback controls and pairing options. Both also have bass boost buttons for easy access. The color scheme on the Soundcore Rave 3S is a little polarizing, as some people may think the colors look a little tacky, but mostly it just looks youthful. When it comes to lighting effects, they can also be easily controlled on both models.

A small feature of the Soundcore Rave 3S, which I find particularly useful, is the battery life indicator on the power button, which displays the battery life in 20% increments.

Bluetooth

Winner: Tied

Both speakers have the same Bluetooth 5.3 support, meaning you’ll get a reliable connection from your phone, even at a distance. I didn’t notice any big differences in Bluetooth performance between them, and they were both equally reliable.

Karaoke/Microphones

Winner: Rave 3S

Karaoke lovers of all ages can use these speakers to sing over instrumentals. With the JBL, you’ve got 2 microphone ports, but you will need to buy your own mics. On the Soundcore Rave 3S, you get two wireless microphones included.

This is also where the Rave 3S flexes its biggest muscle, the ability to remove vocals from tracks with AI, allowing one to stream a track anywhere online and have the vocals removed in real time. While its not always perfect, it is a cool feature that performed better than I’d expected.

Multi-Speaker Pairing

Winner: PartyBox 120

Both speakers can be paired with others for a wider sound and more coverage, but the JBL PartyBox Club 120 can be paired with a lot more speakers than the Soundcore Rave 3S. Although they both use Auracast, the Rave 3S can only be paired with other Rave 3S speakers, whereas the PartyBox 120 supports pairing with more than half a dozen different JBL speakers. It can be paired with any other JBL Auracast speaker.

App Support

Winner: Rave 3S

Both speakers have companion apps with a lot of features, including pairing, changing the LEDs, and equalizing the sound profile. Both apps are great, and there isn’t that much that separates them, but Soundcore’s app gives the option of more precise EQ adjustments.

Sound Quality

• The PartyBox 120 has deeper bass and a bit more clarity than the Rave 3S.
• The Rave 3S has more output and reaches higher volume levels.

Frequency Response

Winner: PartyBox 120

Although both speakers have the same frequency response range, the PartyBox 120’s bass sounds tighter and more punchy, while the lows on the Soundcore Rave 3S are deeper, which makes sense with its 6.5″ woofer, compared to the dual 5.25″ woofers on the PartyBox.

In the mids, which is where most string instruments and vocals lie, the PartyBox 120 has an advantage. It’s more balanced in the mids, making it sound more natural, and its clarity is slightly better than the Rave 3S.

Highs, also known as treble, are a bit more detailed on the PartyBox 120, too. That’s because the PartyBox 120 has dedicated tweeters to produce high frequencies, while the Soundcore Rave 3S only has a woofer and full-range drivers.

Soundstage & Dynamics

Winner: PartyBox 120

JBL has done a great job of improving its balance and dynamic range in recent releases, and the PartyBox 120 has a slightly clearer and detailed sound. The Rave 3S has decent dynamics, but when the volume is pushed to 90%+ on both speakers, the JBL just sounds less impacted by the compression.

Soundstage is a different story, though. With three separate tweeters and an automatic sound position adjustment, the Rave 3S has the broadest sound between these two speakers when placed horizontally.

Volume

Winner: Rave 3S

Contrary to what I’ve read online, the Soundcore Rave 3S is a slightly louder speaker than the JBL PartyBox 120. When I ran a decibel test on the PartyBox 120, I measured around 100-102dB consistently at 1 meter. The Soundcore Rave 3S produced between 103 and 104dB at the same distance.

They can both easily fill small to moderate-sized rooms and outdoor areas like the swimming pool or patio. However, if you’re looking to fill a large room, the PartyBox 320 or 520 is a better choice.

Battery Performance

Winner: PartyBox 120

• Similar battery performance across these speakers, lasting 12 hours.
• The PartyBox 120’s battery is replaceable and charges quicker than the Rave 3S.

While both speakers are rated to last 12 hours, the PartyBox 120 has a bit more juice, lasting close to 10 hours in our tests at moderate volume, while the Soundcore Rave 3S lasted closer to 9 hours at similar volume levels.

The PartyBox 120 features a replaceable battery, a significant benefit over the Rave 3S. And since it uses an AC power cable for charging, the charging process is quicker on the PartyBox than the Rave.

Value & Conclusion

These speakers both have a list price of $349, but have also frequently been discounted to below $300. In fact, the Soundcore Rave 3S [Available on Amazon] is commonly for sale at around $289.

In terms of the best value, there’s no clear winner as it ultimately comes down to what’s important to you and what you need from your speaker. For karaoke-centric use, the Soundcore Rave 3S is my recommendation, but for the best sound quality possible and a bit better battery life, the PartyBox 120 comes out on top.

JBL PartyBox Club 120

The JBL PartyBox 120 is our top pick, selected primarily for its sound quality, which is more bass-heavy and detailed than the Rave 3S. But the Rave 3S shouldn’t be overlooked for those wanting a feature-packed speaker or who want to use their speaker for karaoke.

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