The “portable” Soundboks 4 Speaker Is Overkill (in a Good Way)

It’s hard to justify spending nearly $1,000 on a massive speaker designed for an audience of 250 or more people. But if you can find an excuse, you’ll be glad you did. The Soundboks 4 is overkill for a portable speaker and most people probably won’t use it to its full potential, but even using it at 60% power made me feel like I was in the middle of a music festival. It is the fourth version of the third generation Soundboks speaker and a larger, less portable version of the Soundboks Go . This is Soundboks’ flagship party speaker and will make you the life of the party on the block (or call the police).

Soundboks sent me the Soundboks 4 to review. I’ve been using it for a few months now for soccer games and the occasional house party (and one wedding). It’s a powerful and simple speaker, but if you’re looking for a less expensive party speaker with more features, I recommend the PartyBox Stage 320 instead.

Pros and cons of SOUNDBOKS 4

Pros

• Incredible volume of 126 decibels and output power of 216 WRMS.

• Adjustable equalizer and pleasant signature preset sounds.

• Connecting a guitar, DJ mixer, microphone or instruments

• Powerful battery for 40 hours.

• Replaceable battery

• Can play music and charge battery at the same time at half volume (or full volume with accessories)

• Protection degree IP65 (dust and splash proof)

Cons

• Expensive

• Mono audio only (can get stereo sound if you connect more than one Soundboks)

• There are no physical controls for music on the speaker.

• Very prone to feedback when using the microphone at close range at high volumes.

• The app may be glitchy on Android phones

• Difficult to carry with one hand

Characteristics

• Battery life : Up to 40 hours at medium volume and 6 hours at full volume (default sound profile); A full charge takes 3.5 hours. Removable battery with a capacity of 99.84 Wh, 7.8 Ah and 12.8 V with overheating and short circuit protection.

• Connectivity : Bluetooth 5.0 with TeamUP for connecting up to five Soundboks and 3.5mm auxiliary input.

• App : Upgradeable firmware, custom sound profiles with customizable equalizer, and Bluetooth PIN code option.

• Inputs : Pro Panel inputs for guitar, DJ mixer, microphone or active instruments (2 1/4″ inputs, 3.5mm in and 3.5mm out).

• Speakers : 2 x 10″ woofers, 1 x 1″ 40Hz-20kHz compression driver tweeter, dedicated impulse reflex port.

• Output power : 2 class D amplifiers, 72 W each, power up to 126 dB. Total output power 216 WRMS.

• Water resistance : splash proof, IP65 rating for internal electronics.

• Size : 25.6 x 17 x 13 inches (H x W x D).

• Weight : 35.5 lbs.

First impressions of Soundbox 4

As soon as the huge, heavy box of Soundboxes arrived in the mail, I knew I was in for trouble. The speaker is supposed to be portable, but its 35.5-pound weight makes it difficult for me to carry it in one hand for more than 20 seconds. It still falls under the portable category as it can be carried with the handle and played with the battery, but it is not easy to move. In fact, it’s so big and durable that I can sit on it comfortably during soccer games. Compared to other large speakers I have, the Soundbox looks massive.

Like all my portable speakers, I took it to test it in my football community – this time at a street hockey rink where 15 people were playing football for the Street FC team. I was afraid to blast it at full volume, since the skating rink is located across the street from a residential building, but I did it anyway (of course, purely for journalistic reasons). Even at these settings, turning the volume up to 11 (yes, it goes above 10) was too much. But it sounded incredible, and the players loved it. My body felt the impact of every bass note; it reminded me of sitting in the front row during a concert. Music didn’t distort even at full volume of 126dB and output power of 216W (RMS), maintaining a balanced and clear sound just like the smaller Soundbox Go.

Features of Soundbox 4

The Soundboks 4 has more features than the Soundboks Go, but I expect more from a speaker that costs nearly $1,000. It has a TeamUP feature that allows me to pair the speaker with four other Soundboks for synchronization. Pairing it with another SKAA-enabled Soundboks speaker is also the only way to get stereo sound. By connecting it to other speakers, I can choose which speaker plays left, mono, or right channels in the app. There’s also a SKAA Pro Mode feature that lets you reduce latency between paired speakers, but I wasn’t able to try out either of those features when paired.

I can automatically pair the Soundboks 4 to my phone when I turn on the speaker (and I can also disable this feature), but there is no multi-device pairing, so I can’t switch between multiple devices. Bluetooth range is also impressive. Soundboks claims it can reach 800 feet in ideal conditions, but I was able to reach the farthest point of my house with two rooms and a kitchen wall in between without affecting the sound.

Soundboks have a pin code feature so only those who know the four-digit PIN can connect to the speaker, which makes sense for a party speaker intended to be used at a party potentially surrounded by a lot of inebriated people. It also has a security setting that completely blocks the speaker’s access to the app, marking it as stolen.

Replaceable battery means the speaker’s lifespan is not dependent on the battery. I was able to play music while I charged it thanks to the T-jack cable that comes with the speaker, but only at Level 5 or lower, which is good enough for normal listening at home. If you buy The Battery ($199.99), which is a higher quality battery than the one that comes with the speaker, you can play music at full volume and charge the speaker at the same time. It also serves as a USB-C power supply.

Soundboks says you shouldn’t leave the battery charging for more than six hours or you risk damaging it. Also, you should not power the speaker only from the charger without a battery (although I did this and it worked up to volume 5) – during playback, the battery must always be connected, according to the instructions.

Soundbox 4 has two channels for guitars, DJ mixers, microphones or active instruments. I only have a microphone, so that’s the only thing I was able to test, and I was disappointed that the speaker didn’t have a feature to avoid feedback. By Volume 6, I couldn’t stand less than five feet away when screeching feedback sounds warned me that I was getting too close. I would expect better feedback technology from an outdoor speaker system designed for large crowds, like the PartyBox Stage 320 .

Soundbox app

The Soundboks app is simple and straightforward, but despite the many time-consuming updates I had to do, it was still buggy on my Google Pixel 6a Android phone. There is no other way to physically control media through the speaker other than the rotary volume control, so I had to use my phone to control all media. It was frustrating that most of the time when I wanted to go into the app’s settings to change the equalizer, the speaker would disconnect from my app (but I could still control my music from Spotify and adjust the volume). But this is something that will hopefully be fixed with new updates.

The application allows you to adjust the volume, turn off the speaker, use the TeamUp function and change the equalizer. The equalizer adjusts in real time, so you can hear the difference by moving the lever in the app up and down (until the app turns off). However, the sound is really great with the preset equalizer settings. You can choose between Stage, Dance Floor, and Living Room presets, and I found that each of them had a better use case.

• Stage : Best used outdoors to get the most out of the dual 10″ woofers. Loud, with dull bass. This reduces battery life to about four hours when running at maximum volume.

• Dancefloor : I prefer the combination of bumpy bass and clear mids, while still delivering six hours of battery life at maximum volume.

• Salon : Ideal for when I’m indoors and don’t want to irritate the dog. There is less bass in the sound and the one-inch tweeter delivers higher nuances for a maximum of 8 hours at full volume.

The standard flat EQ is unimpressive, although it does offer maximum battery life of up to 40 hours at medium volume. You can really hear and feel the speaker’s potential when you use one of the three proprietary equalizer settings.

Bottom line

The Soundboks 4 is an impressive, powerful speaker that takes its place among the best portable speakers on the market when used correctly. If you’re a DJ who hosts a lot of large parties or events, the Soundboks 4 is great for you if you can afford it. The 126-decibel volume is powerful and is best used outdoors to maximize its potential (and it’s splash-proof), but you’re limited to mono unless you have another Soundboks speaker. I like that they made the battery replaceable and with a separate “Battery” you can play music at full volume while charging. The custom EQ and preset sound signatures are good and change in real time, but the app can be glitchy. I wish there were more ways to control the audio directly on the speaker, but if you’re using it at a party, this might be a plus (you don’t want drunk people messing with your speaker). The speaker works great as an instrument amplifier, but if you plan to use a microphone, expect feedback if you get too close to the speaker. If you’re looking for a cheaper speaker with more features and better for home parties, I recommend the PartyBox Stage 320 . But if you work with large crowds of people outdoors, the Soundboks 4 is a winner.

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