Review: Soundboks Rider

How loud is too loud? That's the question I find myself asking as I turn up the volume dial on the Soundboks Rider portable Bluetooth speaker. By myself, outdoors, a five or six on the dial is plenty loud; anything more starts to get uncomfortable. But this speaker can push out a ridiculous 118-decibel sound pressure level (dB SPL). That's basically a rock concert.

If that's your jam, this may be your perfect speaker. It's distinct, stylish, built to last, and, importantly, sounds great. But it's absolutely overkill for most people, who would be better off with a smaller, more affordable speaker from the likes of Sony, JBL, or Marshall, all of which offer plenty of tamer options below the Rider's $600 price tag.

Bring The Party

The Soundboks Rider looks like no other portable speaker I've tested. It resembles something you'd find on stage at a concert rather than at your next barbecue. Its restrained design is almost the antithesis of the flashy, LED-pulsing party speakers you might find from brands like JBL or Samsung.

The build quality is impressive, confidence-inspiring, and clearly made to last. It's built like a tank, with a steel front grille, silicone rubber ball corners, and a thick plastic cabinet. During a drop test, I was frankly more worried about the speaker breaking my stairs than my stairs breaking the speaker. Another win for longevity is the replaceable battery—it charges via USB-C, and you can swap it in and out in seconds. This feels like a speaker you could have for decades.

While smaller than Soundboks' other speakers, it is still much larger than your average Bluetooth unit, and a bit awkward to carry with its single carry-grip on one corner. I would have loved to see two carry handles, one on each side. That would make the Rider easier and more flexible to carry, similar to the Sony ULT Field 7.

Unlike the larger Soundboks Mix and Soundboks 4, this is meant to be a stand-alone speaker—it does not have Soundboks' wireless multi-speaker connectivity (SKAA TeamUp), a speaker stand mount, or additional inputs (read: XLR).

Loud and Clear

Soundboks speakers can get loud, and despite the Rider being the smallest in the brand's lineup, its audio output is astonishing. I was frankly scared to turn this speaker up to max volume (11 on the dial, IYKYK).

To spare my New York City neighbors, I took this speaker outdoors and cranked it to 11; even then, I could only manage it for a short while before I worried someone would call 311 to file a noise complaint. Which is to say: the Rider is plenty loud for most parties I can think of.

But the Rider isn't just loud—it's clear. Across all volume ranges, it sounds great. While it can produce big bass, it isn't overpowering in the mix. The sound profile matches the speaker's understated, PA-style aesthetic—clear, strong, and detailed.

The speaker can output up to 118 dB SPL. That's well within painful levels, and similar to a rock concert. I'm honestly not sure when or where I'd need to push out that much audio, but if you ever do, the Rider is game.

Fine Tuning

The app is similarly streamlined and unfussy. You can control basically every speaker function remotely, including volume, sound profiles, EQ modes, and even turning it off.

Connecting, however, was a little finicky. I had to pair, unpair, re-pair, power off, and power on a few times before the app and speaker would actually start talking to each other. That was even more irritating because, after a firmware update, the app told me to forget the speaker and re-pair all over again. I've tested hundreds of wireless audio gadgets—Bluetooth connectivity issues with brand-new products are less surprising than you might think and often get sorted out within a month or two of software updates. Still, it made the whole experience feel decidedly less premium than the Rider's $600 price might suggest.

Is It Overkill?

The Soundboks Rider is an excellent speaker. In terms of loudness, durability, and battery life, it runs circles around most of the competition, including larger party-slash-karaoke speakers like the Sony Tower 5 and JBL PartyBox Club 120.

But as a larger, portable Bluetooth speaker meant to stand all on its own, it's a bit niche, especially for $600. I do think it's overkill for a lot of people—I can't think of many folks in my life who need this combination of loud and bombproof in their speaker. You can also get plenty of portable Bluetooth speakers for less (the aforementioned $500 Sony ULT Field 7 and $330 JBL PartyBox Encore Essential 2 come to mind) that might do the job just fine.

Soundboks says this is a portable party speaker built for spontaneity and outdoor adventure. For my spontaneous adventures, the Rider is overkill. But if your adventures include a lot more people (and a lot more space) than mine, it might be the perfect fit—big enough to bring to any party and durable enough that you never have to worry about it.