The JBL PartyBox Ultimate 2 party speaker costs $1,799 and carries a rated 1,500 watts, according to Harman, JBL's parent company. Orders go through JBL.com and Best Buy, and other retailers will stock it from 2027. Harman says that output tops the previous PartyBox Ultimate by over 36 percent, and calls this the first PartyBox with a built-in touchscreen.
The extra power feeds a revised speaker array: two horn-loaded PEN tweeters that JBL calls pro-grade and says match its stage systems, two 5-inch midrange units, two 10-inch woofers and paired bass ports. A software feature named AI Sound Boost monitors the signal live to keep distortion low at maximum volume. JBL does not say how the wattage was measured, and neither battery runtime nor weight appears in its materials for the JBL PartyBox Ultimate 2. A rating without a stated method says little about real loudness, so independent listening tests will have to show what the claimed gain over the older model means in a yard or a hall.
The touchscreen is the headline change on the JBL PartyBox Ultimate 2. Built into the volume dial, it displays the current track and active light pattern and puts music, lighting and other settings a tap away, so a host can skip reaching for a phone. The panel also hosts JBL's AI vocal removal, which strips vocals from regular songs for karaoke, plus some party games. Lighting gets an overhaul too, with ripple effects across the front, stacked layers of light and a projection onto the floor.
Inputs and wireless options span casual and technical use. Wi-Fi, AirPlay, Chromecast and Spotify Connect handle streaming, while Bluetooth LE Audio brings Auracast for pairing multiple speakers. TV karaoke rigs can use the optical input, DJ gear the XLR line-in, and USB-C plays lossless files. For moving it around there are bigger wheels and a sturdier handle; the enclosure is rated IPX4 for splashes, and JBL says it uses recycled materials.
Carsten Olesen, president of consumer audio at Harman, called the JBL PartyBox Ultimate 2 "a true flagship of our PartyBox range." The XLR and optical sockets hint that JBL aims at DJs and karaoke nights as well as backyard hosts, which is the audience that has to justify $1,799. Until the other retailers arrive, only two shops carry it.
