The box that rocks

It's a good thing JBL visited us with their PartyBox 1000 powered speaker. Actually seeing it and hearing it in person, I understood just how remarkable this speaker is. The massive, 76-pound PartyBox 1000 kicked out the sound with forceful clarity.

And its light show was first-rate. Blocks of color pulsed and rippled down the front panel of the speaker in time with the music.

Many music options

What can you use a PartyBox 1000 for? A Bluetooth speaker, portable PA system, karaoke machine — even a guitar amplifier. Stream music wirelessly from your smartphone or tablet via Bluetooth. A stereo minijack input lets you make a quick connection from a portable device. A stereo RCA input lets you connect a CD player or a turntable with built-in phono preamp. There's also a USB port for plugging in a thumb drive loaded with music files.

Big JBL sound

The PartyBox 1000 features one high-frequency compression driver, two 7" midrange drivers and a 12" subwoofer with a rear-firing port to reinforce the bass. There's also selectable Bass Boost if you want to make your tunes thump even more. And it's all driven by a built-in amplifier rated at 1,100 watts maximum output.

DJ control pad

One of the coolest features is the built-in DJ control pad. A set of 16 color-coded pads on the top panel can control the built-in light show, so you can set the mood. You can also use the pads to trigger built-in sound effects from preset drum, keyboard, piano, and "DJ" sound banks. Plus you can store an additional 16 completely customizable sound samples, accessed through your thumb drive. You can even capture sound loops and mix them together on the fly.

Air Gesture wristband

The speaker comes with a JBL Air Gesture wristband. It connects to your PartyBox 1000 via Bluetooth, and helps you step up your DJ game. When you select colors for the speaker, the wristband displays the same colors. Move your wrist one way, and the colors change. Move it another, and they change again. Shake your wrist or clap to trigger programmed sound effects.

Add your voice to the mix

Use the PartyBox 1000 as your portable PA. There are two 1/4” input jacks — one for a microphone, the other for a guitar. Individual gain knobs for each input let you set their levels independently.

Or you can play along to music already playing through the speaker. A Voice Cancellation button removes vocals from the music you're playing, letting you be the star. No need for special mixes. You've got instant karaoke!

Strength in numbers

If 1,100 watts maximum power isn't enough, you can pair two PartyBox 1000s for two-channel stereo. They can be paired wirelessly via Bluetooth, or with RCA cables. In fact, every PartyBox speaker has its own built-in amp and a line output, so you can daisy-chain PartyBox 1000, PartyBox 300, and PartyBox 200 speakers via RCA cables.

Surprisingly portable for such a large speaker

Weighing in at over 76 pounds, this is a lot of speaker to haul around. Fortunately, the PartyBox has an integrated carry handle and built-in wheels so you can transport it without a roadie. Just wheel it in, plug it in, and it's ready to rock when you are.