Adjective: Pround
- Ability to carry or move easily, especially since it’s lighter and smaller than usual.
Note that when you look up the word “portable” in the dictionary, you won’t find anything related to the new Soundboks Go portable speaker. The $700 Go speaker is real Yes A lighter and smaller version of the $1,000 blockbuster Soundboks Gen. 3 speakers. Indeed, the Go speaker were able to be carried and moved. But is it easy? Let’s talk about that.
what is it?
You could say the Soundboks Go Bluetooth performance speaker is the little brother of the Soundboks Gen 3 speaker. It’s about half the size, so the two stacked together are about the same size as the 3rd generation speakers.The full volume will reach 121 decibels, i.e. method Too loud for indoor use.
But the Go speakers are designed for outdoor use. The housing is composed of hard, tough, dent-free ABS polycarbonate with rubber bumper edges on the front and rear of the speaker for drop protection. Attached to the top is a flexible TPE handle. Optional carrying strap available.
It comes with a downloadable app that controls Bluetooth settings, equalizers, connections to other Soundboks speakers, and firmware updates.
The Go speaker is IP65 splash and rain resistant. It may get wet from the pool or rain, but it should not be submerged.
Glasses
- Amplifier: 2 x 72 Watts Continuous – Class D
- Speaker: 10″ woofer
- 1″ silk dome tweeter
- Frequency range: 40Hz – 20kHz with bass booster
- Bluetooth 5.0
- Wirelessly connect up to 5 Soundboks Gen. 3 and Go speakers
- 3.5mm stereo input
- Weight: 20 lbs.
- Dimensions: 18 x 12 x 10 inches
- ABS + Polycarbonate Cabinets and Grills
- Silicone Rubber Extrusion Protection Bumper
- IP65 rated electronic coating
- Battery: Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFePO4)
- Battery life: 40 hours at medium volume; 10 hours at full volume
- Battery charge to 100%: 3.5 hours
Design and Features
As I said before, it’s almost a joke to call Soundboks Go speakers portable — until you see and hold their 3rd generation speakers. then it makes sense. It’s all about context. However, the Go is still big — 18″(W) x 12″(H) x 10″(D), still heavy, and loud.
The Go speakers are great for outdoor gatherings or gatherings – especially if you have a large yard or deck. This speaker will deliver all the music you need at the volume you want – loud or not so loud (note I didn’t say soft).
While you may have second thoughts about carrying your Go speaker with you, it can be done—a few yards. If you need to carry your 20lb speaker further, I highly recommend using the shoulder strap. Unfortunately, the strap is an extra-cost (and exorbitant) $60 option.
While the Go speaker’s design has some flair, it still has a functional, all-business look. I like. This speaker doesn’t bounce around like it’s designed for the MOMA (Museum of Modern Art) crowd. It reads: “Open the kegs and let’s party!”.
The Soundboks carried over the Gen. 3 speaker’s volume knob—like that monster speaker, it went all the way to 11 (you’d have to watch the “Spinal Tap” movie to understand the joke).
This volume button is on the top of the speaker, and there’s a button that toggles the mode of the speaker setup: Solo – single speaker, Join/Host – grouped with up to 5 other Go (or Gen. 3) speakers. A handle completes the look – simple and functional. Note that volume and mode can also be set/changed in the Soundboks app.
If you’re using a Soundboks speaker in solo mode, enabling the Bluetooth setup is simple. If you want to connect more than one – either in series or in L/R stereo mode – you must use TeamUp in the application. While that’s easy too, I did have some issues trying to get left/right stereo with two Go speakers. However, once connected, it behaved well and remembered the settings.
Note that there’s a standard 3.5mm AUX port on the side if you’re having trouble with Bluetooth, or just want to hardwire the speaker to its music source.
My backyard is over an acre and the size allows me to test the volume from a distance. With two Go speakers on the deck pointing towards the back of the yard, I was able to get more than reasonable volume in the yard (almost 11) – enough to irritate our neighbors if I so chose. I do not have.
I played “God’s Gonna Cut You Down” by Johnny Cash. The sound of a heavy blow penetrated everything. All I could hear was the music, which probably scared the squirrels. This song has so much fun playing in my yard!
Yet despite having Johnny Cash serenade my tree, I find you don’t need Two Go speakers blast the party. far away.If one Go speaker will reach 121dB, then two speakers will no Equal to 242 decibels. Sound doesn’t work that way. Also, you might think you can get true left/right stereo from two speakers set to Host/Join mode.Technically, yes, you will Get real left and right signals to each left and right speaker. Outdoors, however, the signal mix almost cancels out any stereo effects. In other words, the main advantage of using multiple Go speakers is if you want to broadcast audio wirelessly in your yard.
The main reason you can hear Mr. Cash so well in my yard is the power of the Go speakers.Have two 72-watt Class-D amplifier driving a single 10-inch woofer and 1-inch silk tweeter. That’s some serious firepower. The frequency ranges from the low 40Hz to 20kHz which is (mostly) beyond the range of human hearing. This frequency range will help your music perform best outdoors. With Bass Boost turned on, the loudness can reach 121 decibels—too loud to stand by. Seriously, this speaker blows away most outdoor speakers I’ve ever heard — except for the Gen. 2 Soundboks (of course).
Also, the power produced by the Go speaker will last a long time because the Go’s battery is identical Drives Gen 3 speakers. It’s a detachable style that fits perfectly into a slot in a cabinet. Battery life is 40 hours at 50% volume and 10 hours at maximum (11) volume. Believe me, Do not Party blasting at max volume this speaker will last 10 hours.
Let’s talk about applications. Soundboks adds some audio tweaks to the Go speaker, depending on where it’s used. There are separate indoor and 2 outdoor options. Power Mode is the default audio setting. It offers medium audio quality and battery life. If you want more outdoor bass (bass that dissipates quickly with distance outdoors), the Go app has a Bass+ setting. This boosts the bass significantly at the expense of battery life, but it does sound better. The indoor setting has the best battery life, as it turns everything down for indoor listening. I’m not a huge fan of indoor mode, as it reduces the bass a lot in my ears (which can be compensated for with the app’s equalizer). Even so, the speakers I designed for indoor listening sound better. Of course, if I moved those same indoor speakers outside, the Go speakers would — unsurprisingly — blow them away. Again, context.
Soundboks has introduced a new feature in its app – Direkt. I’m still trying to figure out how Direkt works. According to Soundboks, “With Direkt, we’re giving owners exclusive access to dance floors and turntables around the world. On any given Friday or Saturday night, you can open the Soundboks app and play our favorites Weekend gigs by some artists – straight from the decks of clubs and studios in Copenhagen, Barcelona, London, Los Angeles, etc.” When it went live, I hadn’t tried it successfully. The club selection status listed in the app is “Upcoming” or “Past”. In other words, there is no way to access music unless it’s live music. Maybe it’s a music copyright issue in the US. Last Saturday afternoon, I arrived too late due to the European Time Zone (CET). You can schedule an upcoming event online, I still need to do that.
what do I like
- Portability (well, technically)
- Sounds great outdoors
- Long-lasting removable battery
- Bluetooth 5.0 and to
- Solid build quality
- Pairable for true left/right stereo
- Can be combined with other Go or Gen. 2 Soundbok speakers
what would i change
- Expensive, especially when combined with a second Go speaker
final thoughts
Outdoors, the only speakers better than the Soundboks Go speakers are the Soundboks Gen. 3 speakers. Although the Go is about half the size of the Gen. 3, it has more than half the sound of the Gen. 3—more, more.
price: $699
where to buy (this: Amazon
resource: Samples of this product are provided by audiobook.
