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The JBL Boombox 3 is a highly praised portable Bluetooth speaker that delivers exceptional sound quality, particularly in terms of bass performance an... more

$420.99

The Sonos Era 300 is a high-quality indoor Bluetooth speaker that offers impressive sound quality with excellent clarity and depth in the bass and hig... more

🤖 Beep-boop. I can read reviews REALLY FAST and summarize. Do you have any questions about Jbl Boombox 3 or Sonos Era 300?

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Experts recommend Jbl Boombox 3 more than Sonos Era 300

As of 3 Jan 2025, experts prefer Jbl Boombox 3 over Sonos Era 300, but both Bluetooth Speakers have solid expert endorsements.

As per this month's meta ranking, Jbl Boombox 3 received 1 recommendation: from Rtings.com (18 Dec 2024). Sonos Era 300 was also endorsed 1 times: by PCMag (17 Nov 2024). However, experts generally ranked Sonos Era 300 lower than Jbl Boombox 3 in their articles, which caused it to rank lower in ReviewFinder ranking.

Rank	Change	Price	Bluetooth Speaker	TechHive	PCMag	SoundGuys	WIRED	Tom's Guide	Popular Mechanics	Rtings.com	TechRadar	What Hi-Fi	Digital Trends
17	N/A	Check price	Jbl Boombox 3 The JBL Boombox 3 is praised for its robust build quality, superior sound performance, and impressive battery life, but criticized for its weight, lack of USB-C connectivity, and occasional connectivity issues with the app.	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	-	-
47	N/A	$421	Sonos Era 300 The Sonos Era 300 is a high-quality indoor Bluetooth speaker that offers impressive sound quality, seamless connectivity options, and built-in voice control, making it a versatile and high-performing speaker for home use.	-	7	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-

Curious to see this month's entire Portable Bluetooth Speakers ranking? It's here

About our ranking methodology

Endorsement summary:

On 18 Dec 2024 Rtings.com ranked Jbl Boombox 3 as #1

Rank Bluetooth Speaker Comment

#1 out of 7 Jbl Boombox 3
Best Bluetooth Speaker

... ... ...

Source: www.rtings.com
On 17 Nov 2024 PCMag ranked Sonos Era 300 as #7

Rank Bluetooth Speaker Comment

... ... ...

#7 out of 11 Sonos Era 300
Best for Spatial Audio / Editors' Choice

... ... ...

Source: www.pcmag.com

After counting and adding up the 108 expert endorsements of the January rankings, Jbl Boombox 3 outranks Sonos Era 300. This is not to say that Sonos Era 300 is a bad option. Like Jbl Boombox 3, it is recommended by experts, but less.

MetaRanking Common points from expert reviews summarized.

As can be seen below, in Jan 2025 neither Jbl Boombox 3 nor Sonos Era 300 were recommended by key experts who publish Portable Bluetooth Speakers recommendations.

Rank	Change	Price	Bluetooth Speaker	TechHive	PCMag	SoundGuys	WIRED	Tom's Guide	Popular Mechanics	Rtings.com	TechRadar	What Hi-Fi	Digital Trends
1	-	$169	Sonos Roam 2 The Sonos Roam 2 is praised for its sound quality, durability, and versatility, but criticized for its battery life, connectivity issues, and high price point, especially for those not fully invested in the Sonos ecosystem.	-	-	-	2	8	-	-	1	-	4
2	-	$180	JBL Charge 5 The JBL Charge 5 is highly praised for its improved sound quality, robust design, and long battery life, though it faces criticism for lacking an AUX port and having connectivity issues with the JBL app.	-	-	1	-	-	-	-	6	1	-
3	-	$100	Beats Pill The Beats Pill (2024) is praised for its portability, impressive battery life, and robust design, but criticized for sound quality issues at high volumes, lack of EQ settings, and its price point considering the features offered.	-	8	3	13	-	-	-	-	-	1
4	-	$130	JBL Flip 6 The JBL Flip 6 is a durable and powerful portable Bluetooth speaker with a long battery life, PartyBoost feature, and water and dust resistance.	-	-	-	-	6	-	-	3	2	8
5	-	$300	JBL Xtreme 4 The JBL Xtreme 4 is praised for its powerful sound quality, impressive battery life, and durable, weather-resistant design, but criticized for its high price point, especially for those considering an upgrade from the previous model.	-	-	-	-	4	-	-	5	5	2
6	-	$405	Sonos Move 2 The Sonos Move 2 is lauded for its superior sound quality, extended battery life, and robust design, making it a versatile choice for both indoor and outdoor use, though its high price and size may limit its appeal for some users.	5	-	-	-	1	-	-	-	-	5
7	-	$60	Tribit StormBox Micro 2 The Tribit StormBox Micro 2 is a durable and waterproof portable Bluetooth speaker with powerful sound, long battery life, and versatile connectivity options.	-	-	-	9	9	-	-	-	3	9
8	-	$60	JBL Clip 5 The JBL Clip 5 is widely praised for its impressive sound quality, portability, and battery life, but criticized for its lack of an audio jack and some limitations in connectivity and sound customization.	-	-	7	7	-	-	-	2	-	-
9	-	$79	Ultimate Ears WONDERBOOM 4 The Ultimate Ears WONDERBOOM 4 is praised for its impressive sound quality, durability, and battery life, but criticized for lacking app support and having limited improvement over its predecessor.	-	-	-	-	5	-	4	11	-	-
10	-	$180	Bang & Olufsen Beosound A1 (2nd gen) A good-looking speaker that produces beautiful acoustics. Compatible with Amazon Alexa and can be paired with multiple devices.	-	-	-	14	-	7	-	-	4	-
11	-	$399	Bose SoundLink Max	-	-	-	11	-	-	-	8	-	12
12	-	$80	Anker Soundcore Motion 300	-	3	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	3
13	-	Check price	Google Nest Audio	-	5	2	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
19	-	$179	Ultimate Ears Megaboom 4	-	-	-	6	-	-	3	-	-	-
20	-	$200	Soundcore Motion X600	4	-	4	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
21	-	$200	Marshall Middleton The Marshall Middleton Bluetooth Speaker is a durable and portable speaker with balanced and powerful sound quality, a long battery life, and Bluetooth 5.1 technology, making it perfect for outdoor use and easy to transport for everyday use.	3	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	10
22	-	$64	Tribit Stormbox Flow The Tribit StormBox Flow Bluetooth Speaker is a versatile and feature-rich speaker with impressive sound quality, long battery life, portability, durability, and connectivity, making it perfect for outdoor adventures, travel, gatherings, and everyday use.	-	-	-	4	-	-	-	7	-	-
23	-	Check price	Brane X Smart	6	-	5	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
24	-	$500	JBL Authentics 500	7	-	-	-	-	-	6	-	-	-
25	-	$350	Ultimate Ears Hyperboom A beast of a speaker that is built for parties	-	-	-	12	7	-	-	-	-	-
26	-	Check price	Soundboks Go The Soundboks Go is a powerful and durable portable Bluetooth speaker designed for outdoor use, with a maximum volume output of 121 decibels in Bass+ mode, weather resistance rating of IP65, and a variable battery life of up to 40 hours.	8	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	11
27	-	Check price	Bose SoundLink Home	-	10	-	-	11	-	-	-	-	-
Show all rows

Expert Reviews There are people on the Internet whose job is to review products. Below are their opinions.

Expert reviews [6]

76

Total expert reviews: 6

with a score: 2
without a score: 4

Highest score by Tom's Guide	80
Average score based on 6 reviews	76
Lowest score by cracklingsound.com	72

Score distribution:

80-100
60-80
40-60
20-40
0-20

80

The JBL Boombox 3 is a powerful and durable portable Bluetooth speaker that delivers impressive sound quality, especially at higher volumes. It may lack some features like a light show, but it excels in providing a straightforward and enjoyable listening experience.

+ pros

The JBL Boombox 3 delivers big bass and wide sound at impressive volume.
It is built to withstand the elements with its IP67 durability rating.
The speaker has a long battery life of 24 hours.
It can be connected with other JBL speakers to create an even bigger sound.

- cons

The Boombox 3 lacks a light show and additional inputs that some other party speakers have.
It struggles with harsh treble, especially on acoustic music.
The speaker is large and heavy, making it less portable for activities like hiking.

Read Full Review...Report

Michael Gowan www.tomsguide.com

Show all 6 reviews

Expert reviews [26]

88

Total expert reviews: 26

with a score: 12
without a score: 14

Highest score by What Hi-Fi	100
Average score based on 26 reviews	88
Lowest score by The Verge	70

Score distribution:

80-100
60-80
40-60
20-40
0-20

80

The Sonos Era 300 is a smart speaker that produces sound that can match larger speakers and even entire hi-fi systems. It supports spatial audio and has an uncanny ability to make music sound good regardless of where you stand in the room, but its design and price may be a drawback for some buyers.

+ pros

The Sonos Era 300 produces sound that can often match larger speakers and entire hi-fi systems.
It is the company's first speaker to support spatial audio and can be integrated with other Sonos products or used on its own.
The speaker has an uncanny ability to make music sound good regardless of where you stand in the room and produces a decent stereo effect for a single speaker.

- cons

The design is quite different from most speakers, is covered in fairly bland plastic, and requires an adapter to connect a source via a 3.5mm audio jack.
The implementation of accessing other services through the Sonos app leaves a few things to be desired and can be less seamless than using the Apple Music app with Apple's HomePods.
At $449, the Sonos Era 300 is pricey enough for prospective buyers to consider dishing out for an entire hi-fi system instead.

Read Full Review...Report

Stan Schroeder mashable.com

Show all 26 reviews

From Seller:

Massive sound and deepest bass: Enjoy your music with massive JBL Original Pro Sound. The new 3-way speakers deliver higher sensitivity of our acoustic design sharpens clarity while lowering distortion for monstrous bass and a rich audio spectrum—no matter how high you turn up the volume.Waterproof : Yes
Read more

From Seller:

Featuring six optimally positioned drivers all around the front, sides, and top to support Dolby Atmos Music, the breakthrough acoustic design projects sound from wall to wall and floor to ceiling, immersing you in every dimension of the song.
Read more