A Stylish, Vibrant, and Feature-Filled Party Speaker.
Soundcore’s Rave 3S is a bold release that competes with JBL’s PartyBox Club 120 and Sony’s SRS-XV500. But this isn’t just another party speaker; the Rave 3S boasts unique AI features along with a distinct look.
We got our hands on one and tested it thoroughly for several weeks to see how it performs, whether the AI tools work as advertised, and if it’s worth the $349 list price. Here’s everything you need to know about the Soundcore Rave 3S Bluetooth party speaker.
Key Takeaways
- Includes dual wireless microphones for karaoke.
- The Rave 3S can fill a medium-sized room with sound.
- Controls cover pretty much everything, reducing the need to open the app.
- Has a fun, lively sound that’s suited to casual music lovers.
Rave 3S
What I Like:
- Cool design with plenty of lights.
- It includes 2 wireless mics.
- Controls cover just about everything.
- Good battery performance.
What I Don’t Like:
- Audio quality is very good, but falls a bit short of some competitors.
- Buttons may look childish to some.
- Takes quite long to charge.
Unboxing & Setup
The packaging is professional, with the speaker being securely fitted in the box, reducing the risk of damage during transit.
Inside the packaging, I found two karaoke microphones along with batteries, a charging cable, and of course, a user manual. I went into this opening completely blind, so I was pleasantly surprised by the inclusion of the two microphones, items which are often sold separately by other manufacturers.
The setup was quick and painless, and within seconds, I was connected via Bluetooth and playing the first song on my favourite Spotify playlist.
Design, Durability & Portability: Stylish & Unique
- Drivers are angled upwards towards listeners.
- It can take a knock or two without damage.
- Although relatively big, it’s still quite easy to move around.
I was immediately taken aback by how stylish this speaker looks out of the box. A lot of party speakers look quite boring, with soft edges and a toned-down look. The Rave 3S is designed a bit more like a Lambourgini, with sharp, carved edges in places that flow naturally along the speaker in a way that doesn’t look tacky or cheap.
At a height of 21.7” and a width of 12”, the Soundcore Rave 3S is modest for a party speaker. It’s nearly identical in size to the JBL PartyBox Club 120, which is by far the closest analog model to compare this speaker to.
Weighing 23.1 lbs, there’s no need for built-in wheels, and the speaker can be moved around quite easily using the built-in handle.
Although not suitable for use in the rain, the Rave 3S has IPX4 water resistance, which will protect it from light splashes, sprays, and even some drizzle if you’re having to move the speaker from your car during inclement weather.
Controls:
- The control panel looks youthful, some may find it a touch tacky.
- Great control coverage, from lighting effects and playback to mic effects.
- The battery indicator is really useful to have on top of the speaker.
Controls are located at the top of the speaker and feature a youthful design with a light blue and grey color scheme. The buttons look a little cheap, to be honest, in part because of this color choice. But when using them, they don’t feel cheap.
These controls are split into two portions. At the top, there’s a basic volume control, along with reverb adjustment for the microphone and the AI vocal removal button for karaoke lovers. I love some of the subtle details, like the LED indicator for the reverb controls, and the battery indicator that I’ll touch on more below.
Under these three controls are a series of three rubber bottoms, with at least two controls each. The first is a power and pairing button, which has an LED battery indicator placed between them.
On the right is another series of buttons that toggle the bass boost, Auracast pairing, and lighting effects.
Finally, the lower button is where you’ll find the playback controls, allowing for track skipping in both directions and a play/pause button.
Overall, the controls are outstanding since they cover everything. There’s very little need to dig into the app if you don’t want to, other than to make EQ adjustments or make finer tunings to the lights.
Inputs & Outputs
On the back of the speaker, you’ll find the input and output ports. They feature a wired microphone or instrument input (yes, you can use the Rave 3S as a guitar amp), along with a second mic/guitar toggle and an auxiliary (3.5mm) input.
There’s a USB-C input for charging the speaker, as well as wired volume control for instruments or microphones, and a gain control.
Lighting Effects
There’s no shortage of lights on this Rave 3S, with a large hexagonal RGB outline around the woofer and layers of waved lights leading up the front of the face.
These lights can be adjusted through the Soundcore app, and can have the brightness changed, as well as the effects. A cool feature that a lot of party speakers don’t include is the ability to have the speaker shuffle through the various effects.
I’ve reviewed a lot of speakers, but few are as comprehensive in their lighting controls as the Rave 3S. It allows one to adjust different sections of lights, using a broad color picker, for unique custom light effects.
Lights will appeal to many, but if you find them tacky and prefer a more subtle aesthetic, you can also turn off the lights with a single touch.
Bluetooth & Multispeaker Pairing
- Includes two wireless Bluetooth microphones.
- Uses Bluetooth 5.3.
- Supports Auracast multispeaker pairing.
With Bluetooth 5.3 support, the Rave 3S holds a Bluetooth connection reliably at range. Even the microphones stay connected over a long distance. When testing the speaker, I was able to walk across my garden (about 50 feet) and still retain a stable connection.
Since the speaker comes with 2 wireless microphones, we also tested the reliability of the mic connection and found it was able to stay connected over long distances, so you can perform karaoke sessions with the speaker being across the room.
The Rave 3S also supports Auracast pairing, and it’s exciting to see Auracast becoming more widely used, after JBL was the first large company to upgrade their speakers to the protocol.
Auracast is the latest in multispeaker pairing, and it works differently from older versions.
At this point, it can only be paired with other Rave 3S speakers and doesn’t offer pairing support with other speakers. This may change over time, as Soundcore releases new models with the same Auracast technology.
It can be paired with another 3S in a stereo pairing or multiple 3Ss in a general mono group pairing. Using a stereo pairing can significantly improve the soundstage, making music sound more encompassing.
App Support
The Rave 3S is supported by Soundcore’s mobile app, available on both Android and iOS devices. It is one of the most comprehensive app experiences I’ve had, so let me run you through what makes it so powerful.
By far the most interesting feature of this speaker is the AI voice remover, allowing users to turn a regular track into an instrumental for karaoke. This is an amazing feature for those who are planning to use the speaker for karaoke, as it means the options for tracks are limitless. Just connect your Spotify, activate the feature, and you’re ready for karaoke. It even has four different levels, so you can tweak it to your own preferences.
I noticed that in testing, the AI voice remover worked for most songs I tried, but it’s often not perfect, and the effectiveness varies between tracks and how they’re produced.
Also of note is that the app has a few different voice-enhancing options when using the karaoke mics, think of these as EQ for your mics. The reverb control is also super useful, especially for those of us without the best singing voices.
The lighting controls, as touched on before, are also impressive. Instead of just having a general color picker for lighting, the app lets one adjust six different color sections independently, picking from an array of RGB colors.
While the Soundcore app offers outstanding features, the onboarding process could use improvement. On iOS, setting up a new account using a custom email proved challenging due to issues with accepting the terms and conditions. I found that using Apple or Google single sign-on was necessary.
Sound Quality: Not Bad, But Falls Short of Popular Competitors
- Spatial sound that activates when the speaker is placed horizontally.
- Loud enough to fill a medium-sized room.
The Soundcore Rave 3S features a unique orientation-based sound mode: when laid on its side, the speaker activates its spatial sound feature, enhancing clarity and delivering a crisp, immersive listening experience with more soundstage than in its vertical position.
To aid in bringing the sound up towards people’s ears when seated on the ground, the speaker has its drivers facing slightly upwards so that the sound isn’t just sent across the ground, but up towards the listeners.
The truth is, you’re not getting quite the same level of clarity and detail from the 3S as with the PartyBox 120, in part because the 120’s great dynamic range. But when I had my girlfriend pick which speaker she enjoys more when playing them side by side, she went with the Rave 3S. So I do recognize the subjectivity in audio preference.
Its high-quality audio performance is in part due to its unique driver layout, which features a large 6.5” woofer for powerful bass and three additional horizontally aligned tweeters for detailed upper midrange and highs.
While not a replacement for a dedicated soundbar, the speaker can perform surprisingly well in this role when placed directly below the TV. Audio quality holds up, but spatial alignment is important, and off-center placement can result in disjointed sound.
Volume: How Loud Does The Rave 3S Get?
This speaker can easily fill a small to medium-sized room with sound. Soundcore rates it as providing up to 108 decibels, but the way speakers are tested by manufacturers often doesn’t accurately represent how we hear them when connecting via our phones.
We ran a decibel measurement test at one meter and found it produced between 101 and 103 decibels, which, while short of the 108dB claim, is still a respectable volume that can cover a decent-sized area outdoors.
Battery: Respectable Playtime of Up To 12 Hours
- USB-C charging cable.
- Lasts close to 7 hours with most of the features enabled and volume at around 75%.
With a 12-hour battery life stated by the manufacturer, the battery performance is close to that of similarly sized party speakers. The exact playtime is a little more complicated, though, as it depends on the types of features you’re using and the volume you’re listening to.
I find that it lasts close to 7 hours with most of the features enabled and volume at around 75%. With the bass boost and lights disabled, at the same volume I found I could easily achieve 9 hours of playtime.
What’s interesting about this speaker is that instead of having an AC power cable, it uses a standard USB-C charging port, given that the battery is so large, the charging process takes a bit longer than other AC speakers, but it makes charging it really easily. No matter where you take it, someone is likely to have a USB-C cable.
Value & Alternatives
When comparing the Soundcore Rave 3S to other similar party speakers, there are two main competitors: the JBL PartyBox Club 120 and the Sony XV500.
As to which is the best, there’s no clear-cut answer. All three speakers are great and have their own benefits and drawbacks. The Rave 3S is the best choice for those looking for unique features and who have a strong leaning towards karaoke.
The Sony XV500 [Available on Amazon] is best for battery life, with up to 25 hours advertised (real-world application lasts closer to 12-15 hours). Or for those seeking a stylish touch control panel.
If you care more about sound than anything else, JBL’s PartyBox Club 120 [Available on Amazon] is the best sounding of the three speakers. It’s got better dynamic range and balance, making it a better choice for audiophiles who want a flatter sound that retains more subtle detail.
Conclusion
This speaker punches well above its weight. With strong sound performance, comprehensive features, thoughtful karaoke functionality, and excellent battery life, it’s a compelling option for both casual and enthusiast users. A few app setup hiccups aside, it’s a solid, well-rounded product that delivers where it matters most.
