The Soundboks Go Is the Most Highly effective Celebration Speaker You Can Carry in One Hand

Soundboks has been making a reputation for itself within the get together scenes through the years. They have been round since 2015, however I did not hear about them till they launched their third-generation Soundboks speaker. As you may guess by now, they concentrate on stage audio system tailor-made for events—till 2022 that’s, after they launched their first transportable get together speaker, the Soundboks Go. It is a smaller model of their flagship party-size speaker, which I can carry round extra simply with one hand. For its dimension, it is probably the most highly effective transportable get together speaker I’ve used.

Though the speaker is nice at what it does, it lacks different points from the larger flagship audio system that would’ve made this speaker a lot better. Sure, it is costly at $699, however I can see it serving a function for many who want energy and high quality in a compact 20-pound speaker. However if you happen to’re in search of an indoor get together speaker with extra options, I like to recommend the PartyBox Stage 320 as an alternative. Soundboks despatched me their transportable speaker to overview.

SOUNDBOKS Go

Compact Speaker for On The Go. third Era 40 Hr Battery. Splashproof and Shockproof. 121dB.

Execs and cons of the SOUNDBOKS Go

Execs

• A powerful quantity of 121 decibels in a small speaker

• A conveyable design and weight (20 kilos) that makes it simple to hold

• Adjustable EQ and good signature preset sounds

• AUX connectivity

• Highly effective 40-hour battery that doubles as powerbank

• Can play music and cost the battery on the identical time

• Replaceable battery

• Two hours to totally cost and might play music whereas charging

• IP65-rated (dust- and splash-proof)

Cons

• Costly

• No distinctive particular options

• No connection for Guitar, DJ mixer, microphone, or devices

• Solely mono audio channel (can get stereo audio if you happen to join multiple Soundbok speaker)

• No bodily controls for music on the speaker

• App could be buggy for Android telephones

Specs

• Battery Life: As much as 40 hours at mid-volume and 10 hours at most quantity (takes 2 hours to totally cost). A detachable 99.84Wh, 7.8Ah, and 12.8V rechargeable battery.

• Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.0 with TeamUP for connecting as much as 5 Soundboks audio system, and a 3.5mm aux enter.

• Inputs: 1 × 3.5mm stereo enter (AUX), Bluetooth.

• Drivers: One 10-inch woofer and one 1-inch silk dome tweeter.

• Energy Output: 2 × 72-watt Class D amplifiers, reaching as much as 121 dB. Whole energy output of 144 watts.

• Water Resistance: Splash-proof with an IP65 ranking for inside electronics.

• Measurement: 18 × 12 × 10 inches.

• Weight: 20 lbs.

First impressions of the Soundboks Go

I took the Soundboks Exit to check it the identical approach I check all of my out of doors audio system: on the soccer discipline with over 20 gamers operating across the pitch. The speaker is gentle at 20 kilos and cozy sufficient to hold for lengthy distances due to its deal with. It would not really feel fragile; as an alternative, it feels ready to take a tough soccer ball shot to its plastic honeycomb grille and never be fazed.

Credit score: Image by Daniel Oropeza

I stood on the alternative facet of the pitch whereas the speaker was at 75% quantity, and it was extremely loud. The Soundboks Go can rise up to 121 dB with a complete output of 144 watts, in accordance with Soundboks. The sound didn’t really feel distorted even at full quantity, and it saved its balanced and crisp sound.

There have been different folks on the sector with audio system, however the Soundboks Go simply overpowered them. As soon as it began to rain, the Soundboks Go was the one speaker left on the sector. Many gamers got here as much as me involved that the audio system would get broken with the rain however had been completely happy to listen to the music did not have to cease because the audio system are IP65-rated (dust- and splash-proof), so the get together continued by means of the moist and muddy situations.

Options of the Soundboks Go

The Soundboks Go would not excel in particular options. There are a great quantity of connections, controls, and options lacking from the third-generation Soundboks Go. It nonetheless retains an important ones, just like the TeamUP function that lets you pair the speaker with as much as 4 different Soundboks audio system to play in sync. Linking it with one other speaker can be the one technique to get stereo sound from this speaker. When you join it with different audio system, you may choose which speaker performs left, mono, or proper channels. There’s additionally a SKAA Professional Mode function to scale back the latency between paired audio system, however I could not strive any of those options when pairing.

Credit score: Image by Daniel Oropeza

I could make the Soundboks Go pair mechanically to my telephone once I flip the speaker on (and might flip that function off as effectively), however there is no such thing as a multi-device pairing, so I can not change between a number of units.

The Bluetooth vary for the Soundboks Go is spectacular. I may go to the farthest level of my residence with two rooms and a kitchen price of partitions in between with out the sound being affected. On the soccer discipline, I used to be capable of stand throughout the soccer pitch with out the audio faltering. Soundboks says the vary is 150 ft.

The Soundboks app

The Soundboks app is easy and easy, however regardless of the numerous lengthy updates I needed to make, it was nonetheless buggy on my Google Pixel 6a Android telephone. There aren’t any bodily controls on the speaker to pause or skip the media aside from the quantity rotary dial, so I had to make use of my telephone for all media management. It was irritating that more often than not that I needed to enter the settings of the app to vary the EQ, the speaker would disconnect from my app (however I may nonetheless management the music from Spotify and modify the quantity). However that is one thing that hopefully will get mounted with extra updates.

Credit score: Daniel Oropeza screenshot

The app allows you to management the quantity, flip the speaker off, use the TeamUp function, and alter the EQ. The EQ is customizable in real-time, so you may hear the distinction when transferring the lever within the app up and down (so long as the app would not disconnect). The audio actually shines with the preset EQ settings, although. You may select between ‘BASS+’, ‘POWER’, and ‘INDOOR’ presets, and I discovered they every have a best-use case.

Credit score: Daniel Oropeza screenshot

• Bass+: Greatest used when outdoor to make use of the 10-inch woofer to its most potential. It is loud with a thumpy bass. It reduces the battery life to about six hours when blasting at most quantity.

• Energy: My most well-liked mixture of bumpy bass and clear mids whereas nonetheless providing you with 10 hours of battery life at max quantity.

• Indoors: Good once I’m indoors and do not wish to annoy my fiancée whereas we make money working from home. The sound has much less bass and brings out the one-inch tweeter for extra high-end nuance.

The default flat EQ will not be spectacular, though it does provide the longest battery time of as much as 40 hours at medium quantity. You actually get to listen to and really feel the potential of the speaker whenever you use one of many three signature EQ settings.

Different issues to notice on the Soundboks Go

The battery is likely one of the primary points of interest of this speaker. It is likely one of the strongest ones I’ve seen on a conveyable speaker of this dimension. I used to be in a position to make use of it for over 10 hours at a number of quantity ranges and EQ settings earlier than I wanted to cost it once more. It additionally expenses very quick, needing solely two hours to max out. Soundboks says you too can use it as a powerbank so long as you might have a feminine DC-connector for it.

Credit score: Image by Daniel Oropeza

Due to the T-jack cable that comes with the speaker, you may play music whereas charging the speaker, however there are a few caveats: You may solely play the music as much as quantity 5 out of 11 (it is loud sufficient for many indoor or small out of doors actions); you may’t depart the battery charging for greater than six hours otherwise you threat harm to the battery. Additionally, you shouldn’t energy the speaker utilizing the charger alone with no battery (though I did it and it labored below quantity 5)—the battery all the time needs to be linked, in accordance with the guide.

Soundboks has a pin code function so solely those that know the four-digit pin can connect with the speaker, a sensible choice for an outside speaker designed for use in get together settings with many individuals seemingly below the affect of no matter is authorized in your state. If a kind of impaired get together individuals had been to steal the speaker, there’s a technique to fully lock out the speaker from the app by marking it as stolen. Soundboks lets customers register the speaker with the serial quantity to the account.

Closing ideas

Credit score: Image by Daniel Oropeza

Whereas the Soundboks Go is designed for events, it solely actually excels for any out of doors occasion. It will get extremely loud whereas sustaining a transparent and balanced sound, which is spectacular for its dimension. It is easy to hold round with one hand, and the battery lasts as much as 40 hours, so odds are it’s going to final the entire get together. The short two-hour cost time and skill to play music whereas charging could be the distinction between a celebration and a bust, and being dust- and splash-proof means it can deal with nearly any type of get together. Nevertheless, it’s costly and lacks distinctive options, costing greater than the JBL PartyBox Stage 320, which has higher interactive options that may make a celebration extra enjoyable with out giving up on sound high quality or quantity.

In the event you’re in search of energy and connections for devices or microphones, the refurbished third-generation Soundboks speaker prices the identical quantity and provides higher choices. However if you happen to’re in search of a conveyable speaker with a dependable battery and highly effective sound, this can be a nice choice, so long as it suits your price range.