LG has entered the higher-end speaker market with its new LG XBOOM 360. LG is calling it a premium portable speaker, but at 5.5kgs, and over $500, you won’t be moving it around all that much. And definitely not taking it along to your lockdown picnic.
According to LG, when it comes to portable Bluetooth devices, the only category that is still growing is the above-$500 mark. So that’s where LG is entering with this speaker.
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LG XBOOM 360 RP4B Features At A Glance:
- Built in battery for 10-hours playback
- Can be mains-powered
- 360-degree sound system
- Built in light
- Multiple connectivity options, in addition to Bluetooth
- Speaker sits 50cms tall, so it’s not small
- It also weighs around 5.5kgs, but the handle will help you a little there.
The sound system inside the RP4 is a two-way, full-range with a 1-inch titanium compression tweeter and a 5 ¼ glass fibre woofer.
As far as gimmicks go, you can select of one of three different mood lighting presets: ‘ambient’, ‘nature’ and ‘party’.
You can also create a range of customisable sound effects, LG says, including ‘DJ Effect’, which allows for the mixing of multiple samples, scratching and other sound effects.
You’d be right for thinking it looks like a cross between the $4,000 Bang & Olufsen Beosound 2 speaker and a lantern.
“It takes a little bit more engineering to get a 360 sound really good, but when you do, you get a speaker that’s very flexible,” LG said during a press briefing on Wednesday.
“But unlike a regular speaker, which will deafen half the room and the other half can’t really hear the music, a 360 speaker can be put in the middle and you can run it at a comfortable volume, which compliments your party as opposed to dominating it.”
The plan here is to make LG a more premium brand.
The LG XBOOM 360 is looking to compete with the JBL PartyBox 310, which retails for $699.95, and the Ultimate Ears Hyperboom Wireless Party Speaker, which retails for $599. Not to mention Sonos with its $650 Move speaker, or the more affordable range from B&O.
It doesn’t look like a typical Bluetooth speaker, so it’s got our vote there. But we’ll reserve any further opinions until we can test the sound for ourselves.
The LG XBOOM 360 RP4B speaker will be available in charcoal black at major retailers and online via LG.com/au from November 2021 for RRP $649.