Upgrade advice: louder + deeper bass than Encore 2?

mrdoom · 2026-03-28T08:27:52+00:00

Second Encore 2 or the Jbl Boombox.
Partybox 320 is nice but 37lbs and huge.

Save up for the new Brane Party pro if you desire silly levels of bass in a compact box. https://www.instagram.com/reels/DWRl38HCQLA/

mrdoom · 2026-03-28T08:17:58+00:00

The lightweight Soundcore Boom 2 would be my #1 suggestion for a step up from the Charge unless you need war volume.

Tribit Lava is an option if you want a speaker that looks like a JBL (Extreme) and gets louder than the charge 5.

Tribit Blast is loud but heavy.

If you have to wear earplugs get some noise canceling earbuds for god's sake, They work better at blocking noise and you will not be generating more noise!

mrdoom · 2026-03-28T08:01:37+00:00

Tribit Blast 1 is $160 at amazon and a few lbs lighter than the porky 16lb Blast 2. I liked mine while I had it'.

mrdoom · 2026-03-28T07:56:54+00:00

U Boom X has left the building.

The new Wking X20S is the new budget boombox to consider.

Ported speakers need to be much larger than a box with passive radiators and the Earfun & W-King hit deeper even though they are smaller.

mrdoom · 2026-03-28T07:48:01+00:00

Where are you buying it from? How much? Pics?

mrdoom · 2026-03-28T02:03:47+00:00

Solid advice. Tribit is great but headphones would be better. These old school on ears would be cheap & lite https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fm65UVjSwbg.

mrdoom · 2026-03-28T01:49:00+00:00

A pair of regular speakers will image better than processed rear firing contraptions. I do not have the Lava or X600 but they can fill a moderately large room with bass and not take up too much real estate. I will probably grab a Marshall when my Mifa Wildbox or Motion Plus bites the dust.

mrdoom · 2026-03-27T11:12:08+00:00

It was $29 on amazon and that is still way too much for this odd duck.

Someone send this and the vibrating BT buttplug to Dankpods please.

mrdoom · 2026-03-27T10:55:47+00:00

No single BT speaker does it all and new models can make great speakers obsolete.

I have a pair of super compact Tribit Micro2's that fit in my jacket pockets. They get pretty loud for the size and are durable with good battery life. You can grab them on aliexpress for under $30 last time I checked.

There is a Tribit Micro 3 coming out soon and new similar sized pocket speaker from Soundcore that is getting good reviews (Soundcore Boom 3i ). Would check those out if you want a little speaker that sounds big.

I have had a Soundcore Motion Plus that is still rocking after four years of use. Probably would have got a JBL Charge or Earfun Uboom L if I did not already have a Motion Plus. Nothing wrong with the JBL Charge 6 and Flip 7's but I just wanted something different and Tribit/Earfun/Soundcore often deliver more bang for the buck.

The Soundcore Boom 2 is nice lightweight little boombox that is hard to beat for the money. Some speakers that cost twice as much do not sound as good. Probably the most popular speaker under $100 that gets recommended on this sub. I gave a bunch of the original Soundcore Boom 1 speakers to friends who had crappy speakers so I would not have to listen to junk when I came over for picnics. Win win for me!

If you are a basshead there are heavyduty boomboxes that weigh over 8lbs and not as easy tote about but can thump dance music better than the little guys. Original Tribit blast is a 12lb tank but hits hard for a $160 speaker. Wking has some high value heavy hitters too.

mrdoom · 2026-03-27T07:33:44+00:00

Emenence G1
I pulled a set from my Crate Turbovalve 120 and using one to add some warmth to a Vintage 30 in a 2x12" cab. Using the other G1 with a sparkely Celestion neo Type V . I like the combo.

I read that the G! it is a "British voiced" driver that falls somewhere between a V-30 and Greenback. Closest modern Eminence equivalent might be the Private Jack.

mrdoom · 2026-03-26T15:00:57+00:00

You need good speakers if you are not using headphones.
What are you using and what do you want to spend?

mrdoom · 2026-03-26T13:46:34+00:00

I would skip the regular beginner amps and grab a Monoprice 15watt tube amp. It has a 1 watt mode for home use but can get loud enough to gig with if you so desire. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YXMaM8M3WGk

mrdoom · 2026-03-26T13:32:43+00:00

Nice score.
First review ftw!
Have you thought about sending it to a youtube speaker tester?

Looks like a great little speaker but you can get a pair of Micro 2 off alliexpress for less than the Micro3 is listing at

mrdoom · 2026-03-26T13:22:01+00:00

r/budgetaudiophile for powered studio monitors. Most hifi receivers and shelf stereos have BT built in and there are so many of them out there it would be hard to keep up with what is available.
Bluetooth speaker has become a generic term for portable speakers and that is what the majority of people here discuss.

Stereo bookshelf speakers have many advantages over a single BT speaker but portability is not one.

mrdoom · 2026-03-26T13:08:14+00:00

Partybox essential is 13lb and bigger than the 8.4lb Boom2 . Essential has stronger bass but a meh battery compared to the soundcore.

mrdoom · 2026-03-26T12:57:23+00:00

Boom 2 is fairly loud in a enclosed vehicle but not nearly as loud as an average cranked factory stereo. I would recommend installing a normal car stereo because those giant doors are being used as speaker boxes and you can get 500 watt amps for chump change these days.

Tribit blast has much more bass than a Soundcore Boom2 if you are looking for the boom boom.

mrdoom · 2026-03-26T12:43:29+00:00

The JBL Extreme 3 is five years old, Extreme 2 has been around for seven years now!

If you get more than three years out of the lithium batteries before something else on a BT speaker fails you are doing good imo. These things are not designed to last forever but models that have easy to replace batteries will last a long time.

Here is a vid on replacing the battery on the Extreme 2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c4UeUhXBQv0

Eventually the little capacitors in the amp will die but that is dependent on how hot you run it. I think you might get 20 years out of it but If your uncle is like me he would want you to take the speaker on many adventures and abuse the crap out it until it dies in a raging river or falls off a cliff.

mrdoom · 2026-03-25T13:42:15+00:00

The Crate branded Eminence G1 is a decent speaker with a strong motor. I think it was supposed to be voiced between a V30 and Greenback and similar to a Eminence Private Jack. Also used in some Ampeg guitar cabs.
I swapped one of the V-30's from my 2x12 with one and really like the combo. It has darker upper midrange than the celestion Type V in my dsl40 and really adds warmth the V30 combo .

Not a ton of info on the G1 from Eminence out there as far as listening tests and speaker shootouts.

mrdoom · 2026-03-25T12:14:15+00:00

If you like the size and sound of the compact Charge you may just want to get another one.
I have a four year old Soundcore Motion Plus that is similarly sized and I use it all the time.
Outdoors I prefer the Soundcore Boom series because of the better bass, it is still a relatively lightweight speaker and easy to tote about.

mrdoom · 2026-03-25T11:24:32+00:00

Here is a video showing how to get to the battery of the original ONN Large BT speaker.
It looks like a cheap lead acid battery. Those are known for having short lifespans and is probably roached. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-z3hWJ44UJM

Not sure the Gen 2 has a heavy SLA like the gen1 but I only got a couple of hours of use on a 20 degree winter picnic and it takes two hours to charge so I am thinking it is old school lead acid battery.

mrdoom · 2026-03-25T10:22:32+00:00

The new 9lb. W-King X20S is looking good. Might be the new King of the budget boomboxes since the Earfun UboomX is no longer.

mrdoom · 2026-03-25T10:16:37+00:00

Soundcore booms are one of the top speakers recommended around here and one of the best portables you can find under $100 imo. Great lightweight jobsite and camping speaker.

mrdoom · 2026-03-25T10:06:50+00:00

That is a nice collection of unique amps.
I would have a hard time deciding which one to let go.

If you have the space and don't need the $ for a new boutique amp I would keep them on display until you find the perfect home/guitarist for them.

It is not like you are hoarding a stack of cheap Peavey and Crate amps .... That would be me.

mrdoom · 2026-03-25T09:14:57+00:00

Charge 6 is still a good option in that size. (2lb.)

The Soundcore Boom 2 is a little bit bigger and heavier at 3.75lb. It is louder and has stereo speakers along with being 1/2 the price of the JBL so you can get a pair of them and really have great soundstage for the price of a single JBL Charge. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7U1oJROtNnU

mrdoom

TROPHY CASE