Soundboks Rider Review: Powerful Outdoor Sound at a Premium Price

The Soundboks Rider isn’t just loud—it sounds great across its entire volume range. It produces powerful bass without overwhelming the rest of the mix, while its clear, detailed sound matches the speaker’s understated, PA-style design.

The speaker can reach up to 118 dB SPL, which is within the painful range and comparable to the volume of a rock concert. I don’t know when or where I’ll need that much audio output, but if I ever do, the Rider is ready.

Simple controls with room for fine adjustment

The Soundboks app is similarly streamlined and simple. It lets you control the speaker remotely, including the volume, sound profile, EQ mode and power.

However, connecting the app to the speaker was difficult. I had to pair, unpair, re-pair, power the speaker off and on, and repeat the process several times before the two devices communicated properly. After a firmware update, the app forgot the speaker and asked me to pair it again, making the experience even more frustrating.

I’ve tested hundreds of wireless audio gadgets, so Bluetooth connectivity issues on new products aren’t as surprising as they might seem and are often resolved through software updates. Still, the setup experience felt noticeably less premium than the Soundboks Rider’s $600 price suggests.

Is the Soundboks Rider too much speaker?

The Soundboks Rider is an excellent portable Bluetooth speaker. In terms of volume, durability and battery life, it compares well with most competitors, including the Sony Tower 5 and JBL PartyBox Club 120.

But as a large portable Bluetooth speaker designed to stand on its own, the Rider is a niche product—especially at $600. For many people, its combination of extreme volume and shock resistance will be overkill. There are also plenty of portable Bluetooth speakers that cost less, including the aforementioned $500 Sony ULT Field 7 and the $330 JBL PartyBox Encore Essential 2.

Soundboks describes the Rider as a portable party speaker built for spontaneity and outdoor adventure. For my own spontaneous adventures, the Rider is overkill. But if your adventures involve more people and more space, it could be an ideal fit. It’s large enough for any party and durable enough that you don’t have to worry about it.