LG XBOOM 360
RRP $300.00
"The XBoom 360 keeps the party going with a sophisticated mix of loud sound, lights and DJ effects."
benefits
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Beautiful, smart design
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Gets noisy both indoors and outdoors
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Includes USB and Aux-In ports
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Excellent app support
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LED lamp provides a nice ambience
disadvantage
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No waterproofing
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Battery life could be better
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Doesn't always feel wearable
It's not a saying, but it makes sense that the bigger you build a Bluetooth speaker, the bigger the sound you should expect from it. But the bigger a speaker gets, the more of an eyesore it can become, as it needs to be heard but not necessarily seen.
LG's XBoom 360 makes us question that conventional wisdom. It's a big, powerful speaker that also blends into a home as a decorative piece, thanks to a sleek, lantern-like design, a built-in LED light, and a dedicated app that lets you do much more than just play music.
What's in the box
It's a big box, no doubt, but you won't find much inside. As well as the speaker itself, you get the power cord, a sheet of paper listing the various controls, a simple instruction manual, and that's about it. LG does not supply any other cables that could be connected to the XBoom 360.
draft
Ted Kritsonis/Digital Trends
Burgundy is one of those colors that blends well in a variety of environments, much like the Charcoal Black and Peacock Green variants, and it's no wonder LG has tried to be bold without being loud in that way. It probably wanted the sound to do the loud part, which I'll come back to, but as a speaker it has a unique profile. Its tapered design gives it a decent height at 20 inches and weighs just under 13 pounds.
Despite its considerable height, it has a relatively small footprint, so you can place it in all sorts of places.
But despite its considerable height, it has a fairly small footprint, allowing you to place it in all sorts of places – much more so than conventionally shaped boom boxes. However, the height and slimmer base might make it easier to accidentally tip over if you bump into it.
LG wrapped the XBoom 360 in burgundy fabric, which gives it a nice, sophisticated look and a soft texture, but this isn't the kind of speaker you'd want to put within splashing distance of a pool. As much as LG might consider this thing "portable", it's not always a pleasure to move around. The top handle helps a lot, and the higher center of gravity makes it feel like you're carrying a heavier tote bag, but again, you have to consider where you're carrying it. forget the beach Sand will get all over it and with the fabric it will nest everywhere. Pools should be fine some distance from the water, but without a decent IP rating, this is a speaker you'll use at home, whether indoors or out in the safety of a backyard or patio.
That's not necessarily a bad thing. Beach-friendly speakers aren't hard to find, while large speakers that don't stick out like sore thumbs in a home can be. The XBoom's 360-degree sound is ideal for outdoor use, and LG has an "Outdoor EQ" mode for just that purpose, while the default setting cranks things down just enough to serenade you indoors.
This sound is driven by a 5.25" fiberglass woofer and 1" tweeter in an inverted cone-shaped baffle designed to deliver sound more efficiently and decidedly omnidirectionally. Basically, you should feel like the speaker sounds exactly the same no matter where you sit (or stand).
Ted Kritsonis/Digital Trends
The LED lamp in the open concavity faces the exposed woofer, adding a visual element to the XBoom 360. It's more mood lighting than something to brighten up a room, but it has both chill and party modes for ambience. There's a dedicated button to cycle through the lamp's different light modes, with the app digging much deeper to offer more customization options.
You can't create and save your own presets, so you'll need to further tweak the only custom preset to change the sound.
LG has placed ports at the bottom, including individual USB-A and Aux-In ports. The USB port doubles as a playback port and 5-watt charger for other devices, so you can use it for your phone or tablet in a pinch as well. LG didn't do the same for the aux line-in jack. So if you have designs for connecting a microphone and presenter, it will not let you. The power cord tucks in under the bottom, and it takes some time to wiggle it out if you want to go fully wireless.
setup and configuration
Pairing with the XBoom 360 was easy. After doing it with both an iPhone and an Android device, I then downloaded the app, which recognized the speaker immediately. Beyond the basics, the app acts as a controller for the speaker. The main buttons are clearly visible on top of the speaker, some of which even include Braille for the visually impaired.
The app includes an EQ with seven presets and a custom option that you can tweak to your liking. You can't create and save your own presets, so you'll always have to go back and tweak the only custom preset to change the sound. Otherwise, you can choose one of the other seven presets. This is separate from the aforementioned outdoor EQ, which cranks things up to get louder outside.
LG says the XBoom 360 will play with better quality and less distortion if you turn off an equalizer you might be using in a music app. I'm not sure I've noticed a significant difference either way, but it might be worth experimenting with.
The DJ functions allow you to interact with music playback in a fun way using sound effects. You get drum, club, and other options to create transitions or effects to overlay the track being played. It lays out a lot for you to get started, so don't start from scratch. Sampler Creator lets you record five seconds of any sound you want to play or emulate, then transfer it to DJ mode. After that, you can always play it over a song. If you've always wanted to be a hype man or say something about a favorite song, you might have fun with this one.
If you really want to get loud, the XBoom 360 supports the addition of a second speaker. You don't get stereo pairing for different left and right channels, just a mirroring of the audio being played by the master unit, making it ideal for larger parties where one might not be enough.
sound quality
Ted Kritsonis/Digital Trends
LG wants to get loud with the Xboom 360, but not at the expense of the full audio spectrum. I realized this as I played through a variety of different tracks in different genres. Bass is clear enough, with the woofer doing the heavy lifting, and you'll notice it at lower volumes if you dial in Bass Boost in the EQ section.
Whether I've been playing something old school from Creedence Clearwater Revival or something current from The Weeknd, the speaker can handle whatever you throw at it in a playlist. It also played well at higher volumes, with distortion only kicking in at volumes that were just ridiculous for indoor listening.
The key is the mids, where instruments come through with some distinction.
The key is the mids, where instruments come through with some distinction. Large speakers sometimes drown out the mids to boost the lows and highs so they can get louder. LG maneuvers somewhere in between, letting you hear enough detail in a complex track to enjoy it for what it delivers. We're not talking audiophile quality here, mind you, because fans of hi-res sound are unlikely to be impressed. Finally, the XBoom 360 only supports the SBC and AAC Bluetooth codecs, so your only other option is to play tracks via USB. I tried it, but didn't like the experience because of the general lack of consistency and control. Aux-in is easier as you control everything from the connected device.
I've also been hesitant to park it in a corner because of the spatial sound it's supposed to pump out. I tried it just to see if the sound coming from behind would bounce off the walls for a fuller or more concave effect, but I'm not sure if it was really there. As I placed it farther from the wall, it sounded less unidirectional and more omnidirectional than originally intended. It could easily cover an apartment or condo, and outside noise won't drown it out in the backyard. I wouldn't necessarily use it in a banquet hall for a wedding as stereo pairing might be better for such events.
What I found bizarre were the inconsistencies with the Bluetooth connectivity. For reasons I couldn't figure out (despite numerous troubleshooting steps), my Pixel 6 Pro never played well with the speaker and kept disconnecting, to the point where I had to repeatedly manually reconnect them. I haven't had any issues like this with a Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra or iPhone 13 Pro. There were disconnects and hiccups with both of these phones, except that they were due to distance or obstacles, e.g. B. if they were a few rooms away. With the Pixel 6 Pro, the phone could be two feet away and still drop the connection.
Ted Kritsonis/Digital Trends
light effects
The Mood Lighting section gives you presets based on the type of effect you want. You can also tap My Choices to choose the color you want to see. The dynamics of the lamp depends on which mode you choose. For example, Ambient just keeps the light static, Nature goes with a slow pulse, and Party Pops with a more frenetic show. You choose the mode manually because the XBoom 360 doesn't have the intelligence to automatically switch it based on the tunes it's playing.
It would be unfair to describe the XBoom 360 as a full-fledged LED lamp, also because the light can only emit sideways depending on the location. It doesn't face forward like other party boxes, nor does it face upwards to bounce off walls and a ceiling at the same time. That might put a damper on the "party" side of the equation if you're looking for something more mainstream, but I can see what LG was trying to do here.
The XBoom 360 looks great as a speaker playing music and coming out of the ambient light. There's subtlety that a guy like me appreciates, but I acknowledge not everyone would agree. Even the party lights work for what they are. While I wasn't able to achieve the kind of depth or effects that a Philips Hue or Nanoleaf system could offer, I can say that the insertion of the lamp makes the speaker feel more like a decorative piece to display than a tech device to accessorise looks.
battery life
Ted Kritsonis/Digital Trends
LG says the XBoom 360 can last up to 10 hours per charge, which is mostly true if you never explore louder volumes. As you almost certainly would, the actual number can vary anywhere from six to eight hours depending on how noisy it gets. The LED light is another battery hog if it's always on and active. You can also save battery by playing audio through the Aux-In port and leaving Bluetooth off.
The app will tell you how much battery you have left, but don't look for context about how much you could save by turning off the lights or turning down the volume. You can always plug it into an outlet to keep it charged. That can be a good idea considering it takes up to five hours to fully charge the speaker with a dead battery. No fast charging for this big guy.
Our opinion
LG launched the XBoom 360 for $400, and now it's easier to find at $300. That's not a bad price for what you're getting, provided you have a place to put it and feel mobile enough to take it to other parts of your home or outdoors. It definitely helps if you're entertaining people at home or like to throw parties and want something with lights and DJ mode.
Is there a better alternative?
If you want the DJ-style experience, there definitely is. the JBL party box 110 costs about the same and makes almost everything louder, including the lights. JBL has a whole range of such speakers at various price points, giving you some food for thought as to how big you really want to go. the Klangbock (Gen. 3) is a DJ-ready speaker if that's what you're looking for, despite paying upwards of $1,000 for it. On the budget side Anker's Soundcore Trance is not as big as a JBL party box, but has a handle and features a light show and up to 18 hours of battery life.
If you're thinking of a boombox, Monster's Blaster 3.0 is about the same price, except there's not much you can do with the audio profile that's there. Sony has its own SRS-XG500 Boombox for $450 that is more durable thanks to IP66 water and dust resistance.
How long it will take?
Keep it away from water and sand, and you'll likely see this thing play for years. The only other real threat might be playing it too loud for too long, but that's hard to predict. LG built it with components for a wide range of volume levels, so you should be fine. It offers a standard one-year warranty to cover malfunctions but not physical damage.
should you buy it
Yes, as long as it fits what you have in mind. By that I mean a larger speaker that takes up some space and is mostly played indoors or in safer outdoor environments. The app plays a key role in making the XBoom 360 what it is, and learning that part of it could pay dividends when it comes time to entertain a crowd at yours or someone else's.
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