Many audio brands routinely boast about how loud and strident their speakers can get , but few can rumble in and set the streak higher and louder . It is a suit where size matter since a boastful talker should rock the house , which is just what theSoundboks 4is build to do .
By Bluetooth speaker standards , the Soundboks 4 is monstrous — and so is the $ 1,000 price ticket . But it also does n’t have too many competitors in the same weight course of study . It ’s heavy enough at 35.5 pound and pump out up to 126 dB max book , with three 72 - watt A . ( This puts it about half of the weight and yield of theJBL PartyBox Ultimate , but also a right scrap less expensive . ) So you ’d have to be thinking of throwing a company or two to justify both the space and expense . If that ’s something you ’re down for , this speaker will be all too happy to move a crowd .
Soundboks 4: design
The Soundboks 4 seem a lot like its predecessor , though it has new ingredient inside that give it a determine sonic border . Measuring 25.6 by 17 by 13 inches , the speaker is also only an inch deep than the late modeling . So despite making several change underneath , it does n’t add up with any significant worriment ( relatively speaking ) in both size of it and weight . The poplar console is more than sturdy , with an IP65 splashing - proof soundbox and silicone ball corners to buffer it in whichever preference you prefer , be it upright or sideways .
It also retains the trappings of the previous model , which excuse why the steel hold , pole mount , button , barrage fire pack , and ports are all in the same locations . The radiator grille also derive off , sticking to Soundboks ’ druthers for personalization if you want to choose a slightly dissimilar look from the brand later on . It makes sensation from a longevity standpoint because this is n’t the sort of speaker you bribe and cast out a class or two later . You ’re getting it for the recollective haul .
As before , the battery is removable — what the company call Batteryboks .
The Soundboks 4 has three 72 - James Watt Class D amplifiers , two 10 - inch woofer , and a single 1 - column inch compression machine driver tweeter . A “ next - gen ” adaptive digital signal processor also assist with clarity and a bass hike . There are two quarter - inch input that would work perfectly with guitar , other instruments , mixer , and other audio equipment , along with a 3.5 mm input and 3.5 mm output . If you want to use a mike to make an announcement , display , or sing karaoke , you only involve the right cables and gear to do it .
As before , the battery is removable — what the company call Batteryboks . These large packs are swappable , so if you want a backup for any particular reason , you canand have it handy to keep the audio going until the next one is ready to slide back in . It takes about 3.5 hours to charge each one from empty to full .
Soundboks 4: setup and configuration
It ’s not hard to voyage what the Soundboks 4 does , specially if you ’re already familiar with its previous iteration . The volume dial also acts as the mogul button when you press it , besiege by LEDs to indicate how high or low the speech sound is . As always , it conk out up to 11 , in an diverting ode to Spinal Tap ( likeother Soundboks speakers ) . To the side is an orangish function release that can set the mode the speaker is currently in . For example , it ’s potential to wirelessly link to another Soundboks 4 so that they play the same euphony from different region of a orotund way with one speaker acting as the host . Or , you could stereo - pair off them for consecrated leftover and right channel , which may be idealistic if you ’re setting them up on a stage .
Because the software is the same , it ’s also possible to link the Soundboks 4 with the Gen3 or Soundboks Go — but not as a stereo pair , only in playing the same substance . Another way is to daisy - chain two or more speakers together through the 3.5 mm inputs and outputs , which you could pull off by setting both speakers as hosts and plugging them into each other . That direction , you only need to geminate with one loudspeaker yet dally audio from all of them in the chemical chain .
If you prefer to keep things as wireless as potential , roll in the hay that the Skaa wireless streaming communications protocol also generate here . It use the 2.4GHz isthmus to establish a low - reaction time connection with multiple speakers at the same time .
Soundboks 4: using the app
couple the Soundboks 4 to a mobile equipment or computer via Bluetooth is easy enough . It ’s also just a bit strange that the company did n’t kick upstairs from Bluetooth 5.0 , but it may not matter as much if you do n’t design on venturing too far away from the talker anyway .
The details are in the Soundboks app for iOS or Android , where you’re able to pluck the sound and configure certain feature . It ’s also where you install firmware updates . Soundboks continue the same sound modes it previously offered , all of which you’re able to apply as the penury or place move up . Despite its prospering repertory , the utterer works just fine in quieter preferences , which explicate why there ’s an Indoor manner that tamps down on the basso , whereas the Bass+ mode ramps it up . Loud mood is just as it implies , boosting everything to deliver the godsend the speaker was in the end built for .
The in - app EQ allows you to tweak the phone however you care , no matter which mode you ’re play in . If a combination really works , save it as a preset for the added contraption of toggle it on in the right situation . Existing presets like degree , Dancefloor , and Lounge can also give you a template for see the right sound base on the space or acoustic you ’re handle with .
Soundboks 4: sound quality
Anytime you come across a speaker that can theoretically hit decibel level 30 times that of a lawnmower , you experiment conservatively in increasing the volume . My former experience with Soundboks loudspeaker gave me the impulsion to take the same feeler as before : gradually increase the book under the right conditions to guess how much aid the Soundboks 4 could pull . There ’s no question the speaker is a heading - food turner for the simple fact it gets ridiculously trashy . I ’m not exaggerating when I say it would be all you want to nurse 100 Guest in an indoor or out-of-door space . disk jockey could just as well hook up their gear to it and get the political party start , too .
If you ’re new to the stain , a first coup d’oeil at this thing will probably conjure up images of the variety of speaker unit you ’d see in cabaret or rolling into locale for alive music performances . That ’s partly the decimal point here . Only it ’s not surprising it gets really loud — too tacky for most scenarios when you turn the telephone dial closer and closer to 11 . But that ’s OK since Soundboks finds a style to make the speaker a lot more adaptable this sentence .
In other words , it ’s not necessarily flash than its predecessors ; it sounds clearer and more graceful .
In other words , it ’s not of necessity trashy than its predecessors ; it ’s that it sounds clearer and more refined . Indeed , this one speak to me more for how good it was at sane volumes indoors than it was for playing something loud out of doors . I particularly like how live recordings play , including in high spirits - timbre ones via YouTube , where the speaker system ’s gadget driver do a cracking caper of get in the nuances of a concert . It ’s the same with podcasts and lecture , which the Indoor set handle with aplomb .
The tipping points otherwise largely remain the same , meaning that twist the dial from 5 to 6 or 8 to 10 leads to a dramatic difference of opinion in output as far as loudness goes . More impressively , the clarity manages to have at louder mass , though you will hear intimation of overrefinement if you ’re closer to the verbalizer when it ’s really loud .
I just wish Soundboks considered adopting more Bluetooth codecs to assist the cause . As is , it only does SBC , which is fine , but I always wondered what it might sound like if the utterer could also do aptX HD or LDAC . wire playback with a DAC could presumably get around that limitation , but wireless connectivity is part of the appeal here , and given the price tag , it would ’ve been skillful to get something extra , sonically utter .
Soundboks 4: battery life
It ’s severe to order battery life with a loudspeaker system like the Soundboks 4 because being loud is such a big part of its lettre de cachet . The troupe says you could carry up to 40 hour at mid - bulk — so about 5 on the dial — but it sharply drops the louder you go , all the direction down to six hours when ramped up to 11 . Hence , a backup electric battery becomes critical if you ’re host a political party and do n’t desire it to die down once the succus runs out .
That ’s all the more important because you ca n’t just play it while plugged into an outlet and pull up stakes the battery apart . The T - jack allows for plugging into both the stamp battery and speaker simultaneously , except Soundboks recommend not leaving them plug in like that for more than six hours because the charger was never designed to work as a perpetual king source . There is short - circle and overheat protection in lawsuit something hold up wrong in the meantime . But either way of life , you need to think tactically about how you would practice the utterer over long periods . That include when using it indoors with a sociable or DJ equipment .
The improved carrying into action makes the Soundboks 4 a very compelling choice in a talker subset that is n’t dominant with a lot of estimable options . There are certainly other big Bluetooth party speakers that exist purely to entice the great unwashed to bask themselves surrounded by a huge soundstage . After all , it ’s one affair to hear the music from across a big elbow room , and it ’s another to hear it from a cylinder block away .
It ’s also more versatile than it seems . For exercise , speakers like this benefit from the increase portability and miniaturization of projectors . It ’s not arduous at all to set up a portable projector and plug it in right away to the Soundboks . Before you know it , you have a playfulness theatre of sort in the backyard or patio to nurse a group , provide you have a screen or white-hot bulwark to project onto . Community event and festivals are also much easier to manage from the audio side when you only want a single microphone to address a crowd .
The main thing is to vindicate why you would want a Soundboks 4 . If you ’re the type to throw party and love entertaining swelled crew , you will be more than proud of at its power to do just that , much like you will when you dial it down and want some background strain at home or by the pocket billiards .