In 2019, GeekDad’s Ken Denmead went hands-on with the SOUNDBOKS, a giant of a wireless speaker that delivered equally gigantic sound. I evaluated the second generation of the SOUNDBOKS and was suitably impressed: a 33-pound Bluetooth speaker with two 10-inch woofers, a 1-inch dome tweeter, a volume knob that literally went to 11, and monster battery life. During my test, I played music at a volume of 6 (out of 11) and was able to hear the speaker clearly from a block away. However, not everyone has the budget or the strong back needed to lug the SOUNDBOKS around. Enter the SOUNDBOKS Go, which I have been testing for the past month.
A Familiar Look, With a More Reasonable Size (and Price)
The SOUNDBOKS Go offers a more than passing resemblance to the larger original. However, at 18 x 12 x 10 inches and weighing 20 pounds, it is considerably smaller. The SOUNDBOKS Go gains an easy-carry TPE handle on the top. A shoulder strap ($59) is an optional add-on for easier lugging—with the much larger and heavier original, a backpack is optional…
The volume knob that went to 11, along with mic inputs, is gone. Instead, the Go gets a knob with LED lighting and a second button dedicated to wirelessly connecting to additional SOUNDBOKS speakers. There is still a 3.5mm AUX input.
Beneath the speaker grill, you can see the 10-inch woofer and 1-inch silk dome tweeter. Yup, even in this compact version of the SOUNDBOKS, the woofer alone is bigger than many portable Bluetooth speakers. The full-sized SOUNDBOKS goes for $999, but the SOUNDBOKS Go is a little more affordable at $699.
Splashproof, Shockproof
The SOUNDBOKS Go features a reinforced poly unibody build and rubber bumpers, making it able to survive some knocking around. The IP65 water resistance rating means it can survive rain or being splashed by the pool, although it should never be submerged in water. It can be used in temperatures ranging from +14 to +104 °F.
It’s worth noting that Soundboks offers a two-year warranty on the speaker, plus an additional year of coverage if you register it.
Swappable Battery Offers 40 Hours of Play Time
The SOUNDBOKS battery setup is unique and it carries over with the SOUNDBOKS Go. The included battery is a 99.84Wh Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFePO4) unit. The battery is replaceable and, in fact, it’s open and accessible in the back. Not only that, but you need to manually pull the plug on the battery and connect the charger between the battery and the speaker for recharging. This setup is meant for charging and the company warns that playing music at over 50% volume while connected to the charger could damage it.
That being said, I’ve done so for lengthy periods at 30% volume, which is plenty to fill a small room.
A full charge takes about 3.5 hours. When running on battery, the speaker will go for 40 hours at 50% volume. Even a maximum volume—121dB—it can play for 10 hours.
The removable battery offers the advantages of easy replacement and swap-ability. Most portable speakers are done as portable when their internal battery dies. With the SOUNDBOKS Go, you can buy a replacement battery. You can also keep a spare and quickly swap it out if you don’t feel like waiting for the battery to charge.
Powerful Sound
When you first fire up the SOUNDBOKS Go and connect your phone, the audio may sound a little bass-heavy and dull. At least if you do so while indoors. That’s because, by default, it plays using a Power setting that is optimized for outdoor use while offering good battery life. Fire up the Soundboks app, choose the Indoors setting, and the sound immediately becomes much cleaner with a lot more in the way of high-frequency response. There is a Bass+ setting that does just what it sounds like. There is also a six-band EQ that lets you completely customize the audio to your preferences and save profiles.
The drivers are each powered by a 72W Class D amplifier. Soundboks says the effective frequency range is 40Hz-20kHz.
This is not a system designed to deliver audiophile-quality sound. There are no fancy DSPs attempting to replicate surround sound. However, it excels at energetic music with plenty of low-end thump—and delivering it at high volume. This makes the SOUNDBOKS Go ideal for use as an outdoor party speaker, a purpose that the rugged design and battery-first operation make clear is its target use case.
Key Specs
• 10-inch woofer, 1-inch silk dome tweeter
• 2 x 72 Watt continuous Class D amplifiers with maximum volume 121dB
• Three bass reflex ports
• 40Hz – 20kHz effective frequency range
• Custom sound enhancers including EQ (through mobile app)
• On-speaker volume control, TeamUP controls
• Bluetooth 5.0, 3.5mm AUX input
• Supports wireless connectivity of up to 5 supported SOUNDBOKS speakers using TeamUP
• IP65 electronics coating
• Bottom pole mount
• Replaceable Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFePO4) battery rated at up to 40 hours of use at mid-volume
• ABS + Polycarbonate cabinet and grill with silicone rubber bumper and TPE handle
• 18 x 12 x 10 inches, weighs 20 pounds
Add a Second Speaker for Stereo, Or Wirelessly Link Up to 5 Speakers
The SOUNDBOKS Go includes TeamUP support (based on the SKAA wireless standard). This allows up to five Gos or SOUNDBOKS gen 3 speakers to wirelessly connect to really make an audio impact. The feature can be controlled via the app (which lets you choose whether to use the speaker in mono mode or as a left or right channel for stereo sound), but there are also basic Host and Join buttons on the speaker itself.
SOUNDBOKS Go Recommendation
The SOUNDBOKS Go is not an inexpensive speaker, but if you play your music loud and spend a lot of time outdoors, this just may be the speaker for you. The Original SOUNDBOKS is bigger, badder, louder, and features more drivers. However, the SOUNDBOKS Go still makes a big impression, plays music for up to 40 hours on a charge, and does so in a form factor that is actually carriable (for short distances) and costs $300 less.
Disclosure: Soundboks provided a Go speaker for evaluation purposes but had no input into this review.
