Neither JBL PartyBox 300 nor Sonos Play 5 were recommended by experts this month
On 2 Apr 2024 (24 days ago) we went through 115 Bluetooth Speaker expert endorsements , however neither JBL PartyBox 300 nor Sonos Play 5 were included in any of those recommendations. Since neither Bluetooth Speaker received a single endorsement, as far as expert recommendations go, it's technically a tie. We do, however, recommend taking a look at Sonos Roam or other critically acclaimed Portable Bluetooth Speakers of this month.
For reference, Sonos Roam received 4 endorsements this month, from TechRadar (4 Mar 2024), Tom's Guide (26 Mar 2024) WIRED (18 Feb 2024) and 1 other.
| Rank | Change | Price | Bluetooth Speaker | What Hi-Fi  | SoundGuys  | PCMag  | Popular Mechanics  | TechRadar  | Rtings.com  | Tom's Guide  | WIRED  | TechHive  | Digital Trends  |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | - | $176 |  Sonos Roam A great speaker that can be taken anywhere | - | - | - | - | 1 | - | 11 | 10 | - | 3 |
| N/A | N/A | $1000 |  JBL PartyBox 300 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| N/A | N/A | $700 |  Sonos Play 5 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Curious to see this month's entire Portable Bluetooth Speakers ranking? It's here
JBL PartyBox 300 
Sonos Play 5 Customers like JBL PartyBox 300 noticeably more
At ReviewFinder we prefer to focus on professional product reviews, because customer reviews can be disproportionately affected by unrelated factors such as delivery, specific seller listing problems, and, of course, fake reviews. With that said, below is the summary of consumer sentiment.
Sonos Play 5
CS of 10 is similar to a 4.8 star review, CS of 0 is similar to a 2 star review.
JBL PartyBox 300, the pricier option, tends to get more favorable reviews than Sonos Play 5.
As can be seen in the chart above, median best-selling bluetooth speaker receives a consumer score of 9.1 (great). JBL PartyBox 300 ranks higher than that and Sonos Play 5 ranks lower than that.
| JBL PartyBox 300 |
In comparison:
9.6 Amazing
|
| Sonos Play 5 |
In comparison:
8.2 Great
|
| Median best-selling Bluetooth Speaker |
In comparison:
9.1 Great
|
JBL PartyBox 300 is more popular than Sonos Play 5
It's fairly safe to say that JBL PartyBox 300 is a more popular bluetooth speaker than Sonos Play 5, based on its 2,000+ reviews. Popularity is determined based on product sales. Note that older and cheaper products tend to sell more.
To consider
| Table: Top compared alternatives for JBL PartyBox 300 and Sonos Play 5 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Soundboks Go | $699 |
In comparison:
8.5 Great
| 2 expert recommendations | Cheaper |
 | Sonos Move 2 | $427 |
We don't yet have enough review information for Sonos Move 2 N/A
| 5 expert recommendations | Cheaper |
 | JBL Authentics 500 | $599 |
We don't yet have enough review information for JBL Authentics 500 N/A
| 2 expert recommendations | Cheaper |
 | Ultimate Ears Hyperboom | $399 |
In comparison:
Ultimate Ears Hyperboom ranks #51 out of 189. Very high levels of customer satisfaction. Go to rankings 9.5 Amazing
| 4 expert recommendations | Cheaper More Popular |
| Rank | Change | Price | Bluetooth Speaker | What Hi-Fi | SoundGuys | PCMag | Popular Mechanics | TechRadar | Rtings.com | Tom's Guide | WIRED | TechHive | Digital Trends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | - | $176 | Sonos Roam A great speaker that can be taken anywhere | - | - | - | - | 1 | - | 11 | 10 | - | 3 |
| 4 | - | $48 |  Tribit StormBox Micro 2
| 3 | - | - | - | 2 | - | - | 9 | - | 8 |
| 5 | - | Check price |  Jbl Boombox 3 | - | - | 7 | - | - | 1 | 9 | - | - | - |
| 6 | - | $68 |  Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 3 | - | 5 | - | - | - | 4 | 8 | - | - | 6 |
| Show all rows | |||||||||||||
Expert reviews [9]
- with a score: 2
- without a score: 7
| Highest score by The Streaming Blog | 96 |
| Average score based on 9 reviews | 88 |
| Lowest score by PCMag | 80 |
Score distribution:
| 80-100 | |
| 60-80 | |
| 40-60 | |
| 20-40 | |
| 0-20 |
- JBL Signature Sound offers unprecedented performance and an authentic audio experiences you will remember for your party
- The full panel lighting effect creates a captivating light show to astound your crowd with a lasting visual experience.
- Read more
- Our biggest and best-sounding speaker featuring six amplifiers with six dedicated speaker drivers. Fill even the largest rooms with pure, brilliant sound. Stereo pair for an even better sound experience.
- Read more
Speakers range from not being able to handle even a drop of water to being able to be fully submerged in water for several minutes. Do you plan to take your speaker outside? To the beach? To the pool? In the shower? Then you definitely need to verify the level of water resistance before purchasing. You can tell the water resistance by the IP rating—the higher the rating, the more resistant the speaker is to the elements. For reference, the first digit refers to dust protection and the second digit refers to water protection. It reads as: IP68. Anything higher than IP66 will be dust- and splash-proof, meaning it can handle some contact with water, but cannot be fully submerged or soaked.
Battery life for Bluetooth speakers is measured in milliampere hours (mAh). Manufacturers will report the battery life of a speaker in the average number of hours it takes to empty from a full charge. Keep in mind this number is based on medium levels of usage. If you play the speaker on full volume, it will drain the battery faster. Some specialty features like using the speaker to charge your phone or casting an LED light show will also drain the battery faster. The manufacturer reported number is just an estimate, and may be slightly different based on your usage.
It’s also important to consider is the type of battery. Rechargeable lithium-ion (LI-ion) batters are ideal, but some speakers only take standard or rechargeable AA/AAA/C/D batteries. You may even find Bluetooth speakers that recharge via solar power—great for outdoor use!
JBL PartyBox 300 is a popular option at the top of the price range. It's in the top 3 bestselling bluetooth speakers and has dozens of popular alternatives in the same price range, such as Naim Mu-So Qb or Aiwa Exos-9 .
JBL PartyBox 300 is $875 more expensive than the average bluetooth speaker ($124.99).
Sonos Play 5 is a well-known and one of the most expensive options. It's in the top 3 bestselling bluetooth speakers and has dozens of popular alternatives in the same price range, such as Marshall Woburn or Sonos Move 2 .
Sonos Play 5 is $334.01 more expensive than an average bluetooth speaker ($124.99).
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Go to rankings
