The LG xboom Stage 301 is a fairly lightweight and medium-sized party speaker made in collaboration with music producer, will.i.am. It's packed with oodles of AI technology, a well-appointed app with EQ and quality-of-life functions like battery-saving settings. The speaker's connectivity and design offer versatility for all sorts of uses and placements, from wired to multi-speaker party mode. You can place it upright, mount it on a PA stand, or tilt it back like a wedge stage monitor. It even includes a mic/guitar input, and the app can remove vocal tracks for sing-alongs for karaoke, alongside thoughtful additions like a removable battery.
Our Verdict
LG xboom Stage 301 is decent for music. It boasts several EQ presets alongside a three-band graphic EQ to tailor the sound to your preferences. At max volume—which is plenty loud for most people—the stereo speaker retains the dynamics of your music very well. The tuning trends towards warm with de-emphasized upper treble, but it's not intensely bass-heavy, despite the 'boom' in its name. It's pretty versatile: you can plug in a guitar to play along, or a mic and use the app to remove vocals for karaoke, complete with DJ sound effects. It can connect through Bluetooth or via AUX in, and you can wirelessly pair two devices at once to switch between audio sources. You can also create a stereo pair with a second identical speaker or another compatible LG speaker using Party Link. Plus, you can mount the speaker or angle it, depending on your needs. However, you'll get the most out of the speaker if it's well-placed in the space, because clarity is strongly hampered if it faces away from the crowd.
Plenty of EQ presets and graphic EQ to adjust tuning.
Minimal compression.
Front-facing design limits the clarity of audio at off-axis angles.
IPX4-rated but not especially rugged.
LG xboom Stage 301 is passable for videos and movies. Its tuning is well-suited to playing back voices and effects without much compression at all, retaining the dynamics of your audio. The bass isn't especially rumbly, which can weaken how immersive the movie's audio feels, though. Plus, it's a stereo speaker, so it won't downmix movies to mono. However, unless you use the AUX input for low-latency audio, the speaker has fairly elevated Bluetooth latency, which can result in lip sync mismatch. It's also sensitive to placement within the room, so you'll need to ensure it's directed toward you and not offset.
Plenty of EQ presets and graphic EQ to adjust tuning.
Minimal compression.
Elevated Bluetooth latency.
Front-facing design limits the clarity of audio at off-axis angles.
LG xboom Stage 301 is decent for podcasts. It reproduces voices clearly with plenty of volume on tap. The app provides plenty of customizable tools for EQ, but by default, it has a reasonably flat mid-range, though it dips a bit in the treble; still, voices sound fairly natural. It can pair with a second device to control it from, which is handy for switching between a laptop and your smartphone, for example. However, it's pretty large, albeit light, and sensitive to directivity, so it's not the most convenient speaker if you're moving around a space.
Plenty of EQ presets and graphic EQ to adjust tuning.
Front-facing design limits the clarity of audio at off-axis angles.
LG xboom Stage 301 doesn't have a built-in microphone and isn't compatible with voice assistants.
LG xboom Stage 301 is good for outdoor use. It has an IPX4 rating, so it's resistant to water splashes, and it's relatively lightweight for its size, which is easy to tote single-handedly. It can run off its internal battery (which is hot-swappable) for over 14 hours with the lights disabled, or about 10 hours with the lightshow. You can connect two devices to the speaker simultaneously, which is useful for sharing the party's playlist. Its app has EQ presets and a three-band graphic EQ, alongside karaoke features, which makes it a flexible choice for different kinds of gatherings outside. It also offers versatile placement with a tilt-back and PA stand mountable design. But, it's not an especially rugged speaker, so while it's well-suited to a backyard, it's not a prime choice for the beach, for instance.
Plenty of EQ presets and graphic EQ to adjust tuning.
Hot-swappable battery is user-friendly.
Minimal compression.
Front-facing design limits the clarity of audio at off-axis angles.
IPX4-rated but not especially rugged.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
The LG xboom Stage 301 comes in one color, 'Black,' and here's its label. If you encounter another variant of this speaker, please let us know in the comments.
Popular Speaker Comparisons
LG's xboom line includes speakers of varying sizes designed in collaboration with will.i.am. Despite its name, 'xboom,' the LG xboom Stage 301 and the much smaller and portable LG xboom Grab aren't exceptionally bass-heavy, though they're tuned with somewhat neutral-leaning sound profiles, which helps lead parts cut through clearly. The advantage of the xboom Stage 301 is its versatility when it comes to connectivity, app support, and price point, like a jack-of-all-trades. While the Bose S1 Pro+ weighs roughly the same as the LG and can also run on a battery or via A/C with more professional XLR mic inputs, it's limited in other regards. You can't filter out vocal tracks with the app like with the LG, and the Bose's companion app works more like a mixer, so you can't control playback, but you can adjust audio input channel mixes.
A boombox-style speaker like the Sony ULT FIELD 7 is worth a look, given the slightly more portable design, paired with comparable mic/guitar inputs, lighting effects, and party mode compatibility. The Sony sounds a bit more excited with greater bass and treble emphasis, compared to the slightly more neutral LG. The LG's battery lasts the longest when the lights are disabled, and you can swap out the battery, too. On the other hand, the Sony is better suited to rough-and-tumble outdoor locations due to its better IP67 rating.
Check out our picks for the best Bluetooth speakers, the best speakers for karaoke, and the best outdoor speakers.
The LG xboom Grab and LG xboom Stage 301 are both tuned by will.i.am with broadly similar frequency responses, ignoring the limitations of the xboom Grab's size. They share the same app and similar features. The main reason to choose one or the other depends on whether you want a rather small speaker—xboom Grab—or a larger, louder, stereo speaker with karaoke capabilities—the xboom Stage 301.
The LG xboom Stage 301 is a bit better for outdoor use than the JBL PartyBox Encore Essential 2, but the JBL delivers a more accurate frequency response for listening to music. The LG has an extra two hours of playtime and doesn't compress as much at max volume, retaining your music's dynamics. On the other hand, the JBL has a flatter frequency response with a deeper low-frequency extension. It's also a little lighter and smaller. Otherwise, both speakers offer similar mic/guitar and wired options.
If you're choosing between the LG xboom Stage 301 and the JBL PartyBox Club 120, a few defining differences will help you decide. You can easily replace the internal batteries on both speakers, and both offer their respective brands' versions of Party modes, letting you link them up with compatible speakers, alongside equalizers in the app. First of all, the LG is smaller and weighs considerably less, and it gets plenty loud, albeit not as loud as the JBL. The LG's battery life lasts a little longer than the JBL's. While the LG comes with karaoke effects such as removing vocals, it only has one mic/guitar input. In contrast, the JBL offers two mic inputs for duets with similar karaoke and lighting controls. The JBL has a more accurate tuning, though it compresses more at max volume in the bass range than the LG. The JBL doesn't offer as many options at different listening angles as the LG, which can tilt back or mount on a stand.
The LG xboom Stage 301 is a bit better than the JBL PartyBox Encore Essential for outdoor use, but which is best for other usages depends on your needs. The LG boasts a more comprehensive set of physical controls, a handful of more flexible app features, and a longer battery life. It also doesn't compress as much at max volume. However, the JBL has a more accurate frequency response out of the box, and it's a bit lighter, so it's a little easier to carry around. It also has a lower Bluetooth latency, which means it's better for watching movies and videos, too.
Whether the JBL Boombox 3 or the LG xboom Stage 301 is better will depend on how you plan to use the speaker. Both speakers weigh roughly the same, though the JBL is smaller. The JBL boasts a more accurate frequency response (though it's brighter-sounding), a more rugged IP67-rated build, and a much longer battery life. On the other hand, the LG offers far more comprehensive physical controls and optional karaoke connectivity, and you can tilt it back or place it on a PA stand.
Test Results
The LG xboom Stage 301 has a front-facing speaker design reminiscent of a smaller stage PA wedge because it tilts back to point your audio up if the speaker is on the floor. A metal perforated grill protects the drivers of an otherwise satin-finished black plastic speaker, save for the red 'xboom' logo on the side. The main pops of color come from two bars of RGB lights framing the top and bottom of the grill. The integrated handle, a slot to hold your phone, and controls are all found towards the top and back of the speaker, so it retains a clean look. It comes in one colorway, 'Black.'
The LG xboom Stage 301 is very portable. Its mostly plastic design keeps weight fairly low for its size, and the integrated handle lets you carry it single-handedly. You can power it either with its removable battery or by plugging it into a power source.
The speaker is decently built. It's mostly plastic and doesn't flex with a sturdy metal grill. Rubber feet ensure it doesn't slide around, whether placed upright or tilted back. Rubber flaps cover the ports, and when closed, the speaker is IPX4-rated against water splashes. You can even open the battery compartment to swap out the battery, prolonging the speaker's lifespan.
Most of the buttons are rubberized with printed labels that might wear off over long-term use, while controls like the volume, play/pause, and karaoke effects have more prominent knobs that don't feel cheap. The integrated handle is lightly textured, so you can keep a good grip. Its underside has a standard 35 mm PA mount, which has a plastic cover that could be somewhat easily misplaced.
The LG xboom Stage 301 has a solid set of controls focusing on playback, connectivity, lighting effects, EQ, and karaoke. Most of the commands have dedicated buttons with clear labels, keeping things intuitive. The buttons are backlit, so you can see them in the dark, and they either chime or click to provide you with feedback. The light bar makes a useful status indicator too; during Bluetooth pairing, the light bar flashes blue and becomes solid blue when you've established a connection.
While not obvious in photos, the volume control is a knob that surrounds the play/pause button. You can check out the controls for the top panel and the mostly karaoke-centric controls at the back. Like the LG xboom Grab, the speaker also comes with a 'MY' button symbolized with a '❤' which works similarly to shortcuts on Bose speakers, so you can assign in the app a custom setting, like a favorite playlist, to a single press. Pressing the '❤' twice initiates room correction.
You can also enter party mode with a compatible LG speaker or add a second identical xboom Stage 301 in a stereo pair by pressing the 'Party Link' button (which looks like three circles) once. Give the 'Party Link' button a long press to unpair.
- LG xboom Stage 301 speaker
- A/C power cable (1.5 m / 5 ft)
- Removable battery
- Quick Start Guide
- Warranty and safety information
The speaker has decent frequency response accuracy. It produces a slightly warm and mid-forward tuning that balances a neutral bass without overwhelming amounts of low-end thump, so vocals cut through. A bump in the high-mids to low-treble injects guitar solos and vocals with extra presence that can verge on a little honky in songs like Jolene by Dolly Parton. Meanwhile, the relatively de-emphasized higher treble frequencies mean your audio may sound a little warm or dull (depending on your tastes). On the other hand, bassheads may appreciate the de-emphasis in the upper treble, which can help you perceive more of the bass frequencies.
We measured the speaker using the AI Calibration (basically, a room correction), the default 'Bass Boost' EQ preset, and upright (rather than tilted) on a table while plugged into the wall for power. We found that 'Bass Boost' provides a frequency response that most closely matches our target, but we also compared the other EQ presets. In our lab, the AI Calibration only slightly changed the bass response by about 1 dB, but this can vary with different rooms. 'Standard' EQ performs inconsistently when running on its battery, with tuning changes that don't seem to prioritize the audio content's quality or work predictably, so we don't recommend this EQ.
Since the speaker is designed to have two different placement orientations, we compared the upright on the table measurements with the tilted back response on the floor to aim the audio upwards. The sound is fuller when the speaker sits on the table. We also observed that the max volume is different, between 3 and 5 dB/SPL quieter, when the speaker is running on battery power compared to the A/C power.
The speaker has a front-facing design, so how it sounds is sensitive to where you are in relation to the front of the speaker. For instance, standing behind the speaker results in a much more muffled treble response that veils details on vocals. The upside of this front-facing design is that you can control the direction of your audio in party spaces. That said, it's a stereo speaker, so it doesn't downmix your music to mono.
The LG xboom Stage 301 has excellent dynamics performance. When pushed to max volume, there's compression in the signal, but it's mainly in the low-bass, which the speaker rolls off. Still, bass synths can lose a bit of their weight and punch at max volume. It's also worth noting that max volume is lower when the speaker runs on battery power instead of A/C power.
The speaker's battery performance is fantastic. In our standardized test, it lasted 14.6 hours with the light strips disabled and 10.6 hours with lighting enabled. If the battery's performance begins to degrade down the line with use, you can also replace the battery yourself by popping it out of the speaker's enclosure. Most of what you want from a battery is addressed: you can use the speaker while the battery is charging, and its USB-A port can charge the battery of a connected device when the speaker is on.
By default, the speaker powers off after 35 minutes of no activity, but you can change the settings in the 'Auto power off' menu, as well as set up a 'Sleep Timer' in the app.
The LG ThinQ app (iOS/Android) is a very good companion app to the LG xboom Stage 301, and you can view a video tour. You can manage sound settings like the three-band EQ and EQ presets ('Standard,' 'Bass Boost,' 'Voice Enhance,' 'AI Sound,' and 'Custom'), AI Calibration (room correction), input selection, playback, and DJ sound effects like delay. There are useful effects for karaoke sessions, such as 'MR' under the Karaoke Control menu, which is pretty effective for removing existing vocals from songs, alongside pitch control. Keep in mind that the 'MR' function doesn't work if your audio source is connected via the AUX input, though.
Lighting effects have their own menu with different reactive patterns described as moods. You can customize some settings, such as renaming the speaker, enabling the Sleep timer, altering the voice guidance cues, and assigning a function to the 'MY' feature to the '❤' button on the speaker.
The app offers control for multi-speaker configurations delivered via Auracast, called 'Party Link.' Party mode only works with compatible LG speakers, and we successfully paired the LG xboom Grab. Stereo linking, called 'Party Link Dual,' requires a second identical xboom Stage 301.
The LG xboom Stage 301 offers several wired inputs. There's a standard 3.5 mm AUX in port for virtually latency-free analog audio. A standard 6.35 mm (1/4") input lets you plug into a microphone for karaoke or a guitar to play along. You can also use the USB-A port with a flash drive to play back music; it's only compatible with MP3 files.
The speaker has very good Bluetooth performance. It can connect simultaneously to two different devices. If you don't want to share the playlist, you can choose Private mode, which requires that you manually switch devices. Party mode automatically switches to the device that's actively playing audio.
If you select Power On with Bluetooth in the app, the speaker will automatically turn on when a previously paired device is nearby. However, it'll continue to drain the battery slightly even if the speaker is powered off. This feature is disabled if the battery level is below 20%.
Bluetooth latency is fairly elevated, though it's worse with Android than iOS, which isn't necessarily troublesome for listening to music. However, the latency can pose A/V sync problems with videos, but this depends on the device, app, and connection strength, so your results may vary.