The SOUNDBOKS (Gen. 3) is a large party speaker that can get outstandingly loud. With its default settings enabled, it has a V-shaped sound profile that can produce a pretty deep bass, which may please fans of bass-heavy music. There's also a graphic EQ and presets available in its companion app, meaning you can tweak its sound to your liking. While its body is only available in 'Black', the SOUNDBOKS 3 comes with an Allen key you can use to swap out its grille for other colors and designs. Unfortunately, there's a lot of compression at max volume, especially in the bass and treble ranges, so your audio may not sound as clean and clear during louder listening sessions.
Our Verdict
The SOUNDBOKS 3 is alright for music. With its default settings enabled, it has a V-shaped sound profile that produces quite a deep bass, so you can feel the thump and rumble in bass-heavy music. The overemphasis in the mid and high bass can give the speaker a boomy quality, though this can muddy vocals and lead instruments. Its treble range is also slightly overemphasized, which may sometimes make those same vocals and instruments sound honky and harsh. Fortunately, there's a graphic EQ and presets you can use to tweak its sound to your liking.
- Can produce low-bass.
- Graphic EQ and presets.
- A lot of compression at max volume.
- Poor soundstage performance.
The SOUNDBOKS 3 is passable for videos and movies. This speaker can get exceptionally loud and produces the thump and rumble in low-bass, which may please fans of action-packed movies. That said, it has middling directivity resulting in a narrow-sounding soundstage. It also downmixes stereo content to mono to play it, which doesn't sound as immersive. Additionally, there's a lot of compression present at max volume, especially in the bass and treble ranges, so your audio may not sound as clean and clear during louder listening sessions.
- Gets incredibly loud.
- Can produce low-bass.
- A lot of compression at max volume.
- Poor soundstage performance.
The SOUNDBOKS 3 is okay for podcasts and can get outstandingly loud. While it has a pretty balanced mid-range, its boomy bass can muddy voices and dialogue. These same voices may also sound honky and harsh due to the overemphasis in the treble range. That said, there's a graphic EQ and presets you can use to tweak its sound to your liking. It also isn't very portable due to its large size and heavy weight. Additionally, it doesn't have great directivity, so your audio may not sound very clear from all angles.
- Gets incredibly loud.
- Long battery life.
- Graphic EQ and presets.
- A lot of compression at max volume.
- Isn't very portable.
- Poor soundstage performance.
The SOUNDBOKS 3 doesn't support voice assistants.
The SOUNDBOKS 3 isn't bad for outdoor use. It's battery-powered, so you can take it outdoors with you without needing to look for a power outlet. While it doesn't have an IP rating and isn't water-resistant, the manufacturer claims the speaker's electrical parts are coated to comply with an IP65 rating for dust and water resistance and is designed to withstand some spills. That said, we don't currently test for this. It can also get incredibly loud, making it suitable for listening to music at large outdoor parties. However, there are many compression artifacts present at max volume, so your audio may not sound as clean during louder listening sessions.
- Gets incredibly loud.
- Long battery life.
- Can produce low-bass.
- A lot of compression at max volume.
- Isn't very portable.
- Poor soundstage performance.
Changelog
- Updated Sep 05, 2024: We've updated the Battery scores and text, as we've reevaluated how the Battery Life, Charge Time, and Power Saving scores are weighted.
- Updated Nov 20, 2023: Added market comparison with the JBL PartyBox 1000 in the Style box.
- Updated Jun 20, 2022: Updated Far-Field and Ambient Noise performance test results from 'No Assistant' to 'No Microphone' in the Voice Assistant box.
- Updated Jul 22, 2021: We updated our review to provide more information regarding the speaker's maximum volume level.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
The SOUNDBOKS (Gen. 3)'s body only comes in one color variant, 'Black'. You can find the labels for the model we tested here and here. That said, the manufacturer currently sells 'Black', 'Orange', 'White', 'Blue', and some 'Artist Edition' protective grilles you can choose from when you purchase your speaker or when you want to change the color of its grille. We expect these variants to perform similarly to the one we tested.
If you come across other variants of this speaker, let us know in the discussions, and we'll update our review.
Popular Speaker Comparisons
The SOUNDBOKS (Gen. 3) is one of the loudest speakers we've tested so far. It can also produce the deep thump and rumble in low-bass, which may please some fans of bass-heavy music. That said, there are many compression artifacts present at max volume that can affect the clarity of your audio at louder volumes, especially in the bass and treble ranges. Much like other party speakers we've tested, you can connect an external microphone, guitar, or other instruments to the SOUNDBOKS 3. You can even connect it to your DJ mixer. Also, its battery is removable, rechargeable, and can last over 43 hours from a single charge, though this can depend on your usage.
Check out our recommendations for the best Bluetooth speakers, the best Bluetooth speakers for bass, and the best waterproof speakers.
Although the JBL PartyBox 710 is a better speaker than the SOUNDBOKS (Gen. 3), they have different strengths. The JBL offers a wider and more immersive soundstage. It has less compression present at max volume, resulting in cleaner-sounding audio at louder volume levels. It also has a more balanced sound profile that can produce a slightly more extended low bass. That said, the SOUNDBOKS can get louder. It's more portable than the JBL, and you can also connect a DJ mixer to this speaker, thanks to its two XLR ports.
The SOUNDBOKS (Gen. 3) and the JBL PartyBox 1000 are both designed with parties in mind, and depending on your listening habits, you may prefer one over the other. The JBL is bigger and wired-only, which limits its portability a bit. Still, it comes with customizable RGB lights, which the SOUNDBOKS lacks, and its default sound is more neutral. However, only the SOUNDBOKS offers a companion app with a graphic EQ for greater sound customization.
The JBL PartyBox 310 is a better speaker than the SOUNDBOKS (Gen. 3). The JBL is more portable, has a better-balanced sound profile, and can play stereo content without downmixing it to mono. It also has fewer compression artifacts at max volume, so your audio sounds cleaner at louder volume settings. However, the SOUNDBOKS can produce deeper bass and gets louder than the JBL.
The JBL PartyBox 300 and the SOUNDBOKS (Gen. 3) are similar speakers but have different strengths. The JBL has significantly fewer compression artifacts present at max volume, resulting in cleaner audio during louder listening sessions. It can also play stereo content without downmixing it to mono. However, the SOUNDBOKS can get louder and produce a deeper low bass than the JBL. It also comes with a graphic EQ and presets you can use to tweak its sound to your liking.
Test Results
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