Some speakers are designed to meld into their aesthetic surroundings, blending with the curvature of your furniture as if a custom installation.
The new Soundboks Bluetooth speaker is not one of those. It is a grate-covered brick, looking like a Marshall stack, with the dimensions of three fruit crates stacked on one another, and as auspicious as the ear-blasting 126 dB audio that can come screaming out of it.
This beast is designed to be played outdoors. It is a mighty 15.4kg, 66 × 43 × 32 cm, and are cumbersome as the photos (and those specs) suggest. This thing is portable, as in it can be moved from one location to another, but make no mistake, it’s not something you grab and chuck in the car to soundtrack a picnic. The poplar wood cabinet, aluminium framing, and steel grill will take a beating as you move it around, as will the silicone balls that cushion each corner as you Tetris it through doorframes and walk it up stairs.
Due to its size and deafening decibel possibilities, this speaker can also be used as a PA system, and a guitar amp.
Battery-wise, the Soundbok promises 40 hours playback at medium volume, and 5 hours playback at maximum. Unless you happen to manage Burning Man, this should more than fill your 126 dB needs, although the battery can also be replaced – with a spare offering an extra 5 hours – or the speaker can be connected straight into the power, bypassing the need for a battery altogether.
The only downside is that it took a Google Image search to show just how the battery is meant to connect and slide into the slot provided on the speaker for it. It’s a minor gripe, but one that surely cannot have gone unnoticed before manufacturing began.
If you want the ultimate party speaker, this is it. Plug it in for karaoke, use it to PA a wedding band, or just blast music through it until the cops arrive.
The Soundbok retails for $1,499.
SPECS:
Merus Audio eximo® amp switching
3 × 72W RMS class D amplifiers
Advanced Bass DSP
DRIVER UNITS
2 × 10” 96dB woofers
1 × 1” 104dB compression driver tweeter
ACOUSTICS
Effective frequency range: 40Hz – 20kHz
Custom sound profile with bass enhancer
CONNECTIVITY
Bluetooth 5.0
TeamUP connection
▪ Wirelessly connect up to 5 (total) nearby
SOUNDBOKS (gen. 3) speakers (SKAA network)
PANEL
▪ 2 × Combo microphone/instrument (XLR, 1/4”) input
▪ 1 × 3.5mm Stereo Input
▪ 1 × 3.5mm Stereo Output
Bond Button for advanced JOIN settings
WEIGHT
34 pounds (15.4 kg)
DIMENSIONS
66 × 43 × 32 cm / 25.6 × 17 × 13 inches (H × W × D)
MATERIALS
Poplar cabinet
Powder-coated aluminum frame
Powder-coated steel grill and handles
Silicone ball corners
SMP temperature-flex adhesive
FEATURES
wappable grill and batteries
IP65 rated electronics coating
Pulse Reflex Port
UI Panel
▪ Volume control
▪ Host/Join mode for wireless TeamUP
BATTERY
40 hours at mid-volume
5 hours at full volume
3.5 hours full recharge
99.84Wh or 7.8Ah capacity at 12,8V
CELL TYPE
12.8V, 7.8Ah Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFePO4)
Temperature range:
– Charge condition: 0C to 45C
– Discharge condition: -15C to 55C
