Another humble garage-roots company, Soundboks was started by 3 high school friends in Denmark. They started off on a mission to satisfy their own needs – durable, big sound speakers that could keep the party rolling all night long.
From humble garage beginnings to California, the lads completed Y-Combinator, launched a Kickstarter, and were on their way to delivering over 250k Soundboks speakers worldwide (and counting).
We were lucky to test out their most impressive release to date, the Soundboks 4. Keep on reading to get our take on the music-pumping box, well, really more of a rectangle… Let’s dive into the Sounboks 4 review.
Soundboks 4 Key Features:
- 126 dB max volume
- Splashproof
- Powder-coated aluminum frame and steel handles
- Rubber ball/bumper corners
- 40-hours playback at mid-volume
- 3.5 hours full charge time
- Bluetooth 5.0
- Other analog, stereo inputs
- App for upgradable firmware and more
- 35.5lbs, or 16.1kgs
- IP65-rated electronics coating
Design
The Soundboks is beefy, in a good way. The design and cabinet is reminiscent of a classic live entertainment speaker – a rectangular, industrial, big woofer build. It looks like it can output sound, and output sound it can.
What looks familiar and simple on the outside, is a feat of complex engineering on the inside. With 2 10-inch woofers and 1 1×1-inch compression driver tweeter, you can expect big bass without sacrificing the high notes and lyrics you love to sing and bebop along to. The crew also managed to fit 3×72-watt RMS class D amplifiers inside to drive the aforementioned units.
Let’s move on to build quality. Soundbolks used a combination of wood, aluminum, steel, and powder coating to deliver this handsome speaker. The cabinet is made from poplar, the frame from aluminum, and the handles and grill from steel. At each corner, you’ll find a rubber ball or bumper that not only gives the speaker a grippy seat, but protection from damage. The rubber corners allow the Soundboks to be positioned, moved, and stored in many ways – upright, on its side, etc. All that said, it is well-built and certainly delivers on the promise of durability. The Soundboks can take a beating and not skip a beat.
Oh, and 2 more more things. The grill is removable to watch that bass hit, and the build is splash-resistant with IP65-rated electronics coating… so you don’t need to worry about a couple of raindrops… or beerdrops.
Audio Performance
Let’s get into it… Soundboks equipped the 4 with a digital signal processor that can continually monitor, analyze, and respond to the audio input. Soundboks coupled that technology with their bass-enhancing software to deliver a sound product that is completely optimized to deliver big bass and big volume output of up to 126 dB without distortion.
So what does this all translate to? More sound than you’ll likely need for the average indoor gathering! After about 3 months of use, I don’t think I’ve turned the Soundboks up more than half volume.
The bass response is impressive, but not overwhelming. The Soundboks is equally prepared to play some dance music as it is lo-fi and your favorite dinner party playlist. Kudos to the Soundboks team for delivering a versatile product that can be dialed back when needed.
Connectivity
I’ve only ever used the Soundboks 4 with Bluetooth, but for those musicians, DJs, and entertainers out there, the Soundboks 4 is a versatile unit offering inputs for microphones and instruments.
For those that need to see it, here are the Pro-Panel inputs:
- 2 × Combo (XLR, 1/4”) balanced inputs
- 1 × 3.5mm stereo input
- 1 × 3.5mm stereo output
- Bond Button for advanced JOIN settings
For the rest of you simple folks (me included), Soundboks claims a 6-second setup with a Bluetooth connection.
Portability
At 35.5 lbs, the Sounboks 4 is certainly not your average portable speaker, but what you lose in ultra-portability, you gain in sound output. It’ll be your new go-to for car camping trips, music festivals, house parties, tailgates, and more! I’ve brought it to the desert to camp and the ski slope to get dressed to snowboard and make breakfast burritos. The size and weight are not a deterrent to bring it along. It is easy enough to toss it in the trunk, carry it in the garage, out to the backyard, or even down to your neighbors’ thanks to the built-in handles.
Again, not super lightweight, but the team did a good job balancing performance with weight and usefulness.
Value
At $999, the Soundboks is a premium offering for those serious about big sound. If you’re into entertaining, group camping, or even an artist playing shows around town, the Soundboks is the one for you!
Shop now at Soundboks.com! Or browse all products here.
Images courtesy of Soundboks.com
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