SOUNDBOKS 4 review: Blow the roof off your next party and tick off your neighbors

Party speakers aren’t a new thing, they’ve been around for a good amount of time now. But the latest generation of party speakers are vastly different from ever before. Not only do you get better sound from this new generation, but new features and capabilities too. The SOUNDBOKS 4 is the latest from SOUNDBOKS, and I honestly never heard of them until this year. This big party speaker takes on some more well-known brand names, and it has no problem handling them.

Estimated reading time: 10 minutes

While other brands rely on light shows and fancy gimmicks to sell their party speakers. SOUNDBOKS is confident in its sound but gives you the ability to remove parts of the speaker, so you can paint it or decorate it any way you want. Let’s face it, sound is what really matters in a party speaker so let’s blow the roof off this review and jump right in!

The Quick Take

The SOUNDBOKS 4 party speaker is a pretty straightforward piece of audio tech. Aside from its monstrous sound, its simplicity is what I like about it the most. There are no flashy lights or sync light shows. Just tremendous sound in an easy-to-use package.

I love that it has a swappable battery. I love how easy it is to move it around. I love that you don’t need to plug it in. I love that it has inputs for my guitar and microphone. The ability to remove the front grille and spray paint it or decorate it in any way you see fit is nice, too.

The bottom line is, the SOUNDBOKS 4 is loud, clear, and thunderously insane. If you want your next party to be bumpin’, then this is the speaker for you. Pair two of them up together and you might get the cops called on you. The only thing, I suspect some may take issue with, is the price. But in my estimation, you are getting the value from this speaker.

Specifications

• 3 × 72W RMS Infineon MERUS Audio eximo® class D amplifiers
• Next generation adaptive DSP with proprietary Bass Enhancer
• Effective frequency range: 40 Hz – 20 kHz
• 126 dB max volume
• Pulse Reflex port
• 2 × 10” 96 dB / 1W / 1m woofers and 1 × 1” 104 dB / 1W / 1m compression driver tweeter
• Concert-level volume
• Crowd-ready durability
• Bluetooth 5.0
• TeamUP connection (SKAA) for up to 5 SKAA-enabled speakers
• 6-second setup
• Swappable battery
• Wirelessly pairable
• Mic and instrument inputs
• App capable
• Upgradeable features via app
• Splash-Proof
• Poplar cabinet
• Snap-on removable powder-coated steel grill
• Powder-coated aluminum frame and steel handles
• Silicone ball corners
• 66×43×32 cm / 25.6×17×13 inches (H × W × D)
• 16.1 kg (35.5 pounds)
• IP65-rated electronics coating
• 40 hours at mid-volume
• 6 hours at full volume (default sound profile)
• 3.5 hours full recharge time
• 12.8 V, 7.8 Ah Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFePO4)
• 99.84 Wh or 7.8 Ah capacity
• Heavy-duty DC-connector
• 5-step LED battery indicator
• -15 °C to 55 °C temperature range
• Short circuit protection
• Overheat protection

What’s In The Box

• SOUNDBOKS 4
• Batteryboks
• Charger
• Grill Removal Tool
• Allen key to remove rubber bumpers
• Manual and Documentation

Design

The SOUNDBOKS 4 is a simple speaker cabinet design that’s made of premium and durable materials. It also has a dustproof and water resistance rating of IP65. This isn’t bad and means you can use it for a pool party, but I wouldn’t throw it in the pool. But you should be safe from an accidental splash or spill.

The top of the enclosure is pretty plain and flat. This would have been a great place to add a slot for holding a smartphone or tablet. Or perhaps a wireless charging pad that is recessed so you can lay your smartphone on it to stream and charge at the same time. Not a massive deal, but maybe a missed opportunity. The bottom of the SOUNDBOKS 4 has a sound port and that is it.

The front of the SOUNDBOKS 4 is where you’ll find the removable and customizable grille. The company includes a grille removal tool. You can remove the grille and either paint it and customize it, or you can just leave it off and look at the two 10” 96 dB / 1W / 1m woofers and one 1” 104 dB / 1W / 1m compression driver tweeter that are housed inside.

The back of the SOUNDBOKS 4 houses the following:

• The SKAA Bond Button: Allowing you to pair more than one SOUNDBOKS 4 together
• 3.5mm AUX input
• 3.5mm AUX output
• Two Balanced XLR/6.35mm combo input

The right side of the SOUNDBOKS 4 has one side of the sound port that goes all the way across. These sound ports serve as a great place for handles too. Speaking of handles, these are placed nicely and make it easy to move the 35 pound speaker around. Also on the right side is your HUGE volume knob, power button, and TeamUP button.

The left side houses the swappable battery pack. SOUNDBOKS really did an impressive job with this. If you want to recharge the battery, you can charge it while it’s in the cabinet, but you can also pull it out and charge it by itself. The other side of the sound port and the other handle is on this side as well.

Finally, all four corners of the cabinet are protected by heavy rubber bumpers. These can be removed with the provided allen key, but I see no reason to do this. You have the option to do so, which is good.

Overall, this is a simple design with simple controls and some decent customization options. It’s splash proof so you should be good at the pool, don’t immerse it, though. This is a solid design from SOUNDBOKS.

Ease of Use

Using the SOUNDBOKS 4 is as simple as any other Bluetooth speaker. You have both Bluetooth and wired options and you don’t even need to use the app if you don’t want to, though there are some benefits there.

Firstly, be sure to charge the speaker to full before using it. That is the recommended first step, as it will give you the best battery life from your battery pack. When you’re done charging, turn the speaker on and it should go into pairing mode. Find it in Bluetooth settings, pair, and you’re done.

You can then open the app and follow the onscreen instructions. The app will locate the speaker, there is Team ID on the side that you will confirm and you are ready to use the app, more on that in the next section.

There are a few things to be aware of with the SOUNDBOKS 4 and here they are:

• Never plug the charger directly into the speaker without the battery. The charger is not a power supply.
• The SOUNDBOKS 4 is designed to operate on battery only.
• The Charger T-Jack was designed to be used together with the battery only while playing at moderate volumes. Keep the SOUNDBOKS 4 under half volume when playing and charging simultaneously.

Overall, this is a straightforward operation experience. The removable battery charging process might confuse some people, but, if you read the instructions first, it should not.

App Experience

The SOUNDBOKS app is great, it’s a simple app that doesn’t overload you with a bunch of crazy, unneeded things. In the app, you can do the following with your SOUNDBOKS 4:

• Power Off
• Choose preset sound profiles
• Adjust volume
• Toggle Solo, Host, Join
• Adjust Sound via EQ
• Adjust Bluetooth Auto Connect and Assign Pin
• Pro Mode for Mixing Mics and Instruments
• Enable SKAA for joining two speakers
• Firmware Upgrades

Given that I only have the one SOUNDBOKS 4, I did not try any of the two speaker features. Although, you can AUX out with any other speaker, which allows you to use a different speaker as a second speaker. I tried this with my Positive Grid Spark Mini and the results were not great. There was a delay between the sound coming from the SOUNDBOKS 4 and the sound coming from the Mini.

I think joining two of the same speaker is going to have the best results. Though, I really don’t think you need two of these speakers, as this one is loud enough for most people. I also did not try Pro Mode and did not plug in any instruments, but the option is there.

Overall, the app experience is a good one. The app is mostly basic, but there are a few pro tools there that you’ll need to learn if you choose to use them. I think most people won’t use them.

Sound

Firstly, the SOUNDBOKS 4 can get VERY LOUD, if that’s your thing, and I suspect that it is if you’re looking at a party speaker. I only pushed the volume to 100% a few times, just to test for any rattling or cracking. The speaker held fast and did not show any signs of tearing. Even though my neighbors are a good distance from us, I am sure they were wondering what the heck was going on, LOL.

The app is useful in the sound department. Why? Because we’re not all alike and we all like different music. I am not much of a BASS person, so I used the custom EQ settings to dial in a more natural and neutral soundstage. But you can also push the bass and get that lower end, and the lower end does shake things up.

The presets are OK and I think many users will find them useful as they provide an overall sound that is pleasing to many. But the custom EQ does give you that more granular setting that worked for me.

One thing to note. The volume knob works independently of the source volume. That means your smartphone volume does not control the speakers volume. So turn your smartphone volume all the way up first and then fine tune with the SOUNDBOKS 4 volume knob.

Overall, the sound is plenty loud for most parties. Outdoor parties may need two speakers, depending on your setup and how you have the speaker facing. This is true for any party speaker, the more open the space, the less impactful the sound as there is less for the sound to bounce off. Pairing two of these outside and facing them opposite each other would be a huge hit at any party.

Price/Value

The SOUNDBOKS 4 is priced at $999. That’s not cheap, but the value is there. I think, if you’re looking at party speakers, you already know they aren’t exactly wallet-friendly.

Wrap Up

I mean, if you’re looking for a party-speaker and have the cash to spend on it, the SOUNDBOKS 4 is fantastic.

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Last Updated on March 13, 2024.