I sit by the lake. Some friends and family laze about, while others swim or toss bags. I sip on my favorite mixed drink while the rhythmic sound of water lapping across the shore washes over my ears. It’s a perfect eighty degrees and life is good. There is another rhythm giving me energy. A deep resounding thump that feeds my relaxed mood. Just below the table I hear it build and crescendo into a blissful mix of harmonic resonance. My music.
The highly portable Monoprice Soundstage3 fills the surrounding area with a good blend of bass and highs to make any gathering a party. Every summer I am blessed to be able to experience settings like this. The most memorable ones are fed by background tunes that subtly influence the overall tone of the event.
Naturally the volume of the music can be subtle or not so subtle. The speaker – while minimalistic in design isn’t necessarily subtle. The Soundstage3 measures in at 7.3 x 13.6 x 6.9 inches (HxWxD) and weighs in in at 10.8 pounds.
This may be heavy for some, but I’ve found in order to get good sound some weight and size are usually necessary.
Design
It’s sleek rectangular design and features still give it a classy look that turns heads. It’s deep thumping bass keeps the party alive and popping. I connect to it with my Samsung Ultra 22 and HD quality music through Amazon, but a host of other options are available on the back.
Along with a power switch and plug in option for charging, I can also plug in my phone with the aux port (Aux cable is included). Optical and RCA inputs are also available along with a sub-woofer output (Does anyone use these anymore – I guess I could see myself use the RCA or Aux for improved TV sound).
50 watts of Class D power drive the sound with a 5.25-inch full-range aluminum cone woofer and two 1-inch silk dome tweeters. 30 of these watts are applied to the woofer, and 10 watts each to the tweeters. Overall, the run time from the 8800mAh battery is supposed to be 10 hours at half-volume.
Performance
It definitely puts out sound, but to what degree? Well, to be clear – to a very large degree. But how does it compare to say UE’s Hyperboom? The Hyperboom still wins the bass battle from its 2 4.5 inch woofers and 270-degree sound design. Herein lies the problem. The Hyperboom costs $200 more, and honestly I don’t think it’s $200 worth of better or deeper sound. I was able to test this first hand, and I can tell you not a single person at the lake could tell when I switched the speaker.
Both speakers do feature a nice handle for maximum portability. I think it’s easier to tote the Monoprice (it does weigh about 3lbs less). Again, do I think Monoprice beats the Hyperboom. For overall sound quality, no I don’t, but most people won’t notice. I will keep my extra $200. The Hyperboom does feature IPX4 water resistance, and that may sell some people. If I accidentally leave my Soundstage3 out in the rain – I’m not sure it will still work. The Soundstage3 looks more like a speaker. For me this is good. I can keep it on a bookshelf, and it will look classy. I don’t care for Hyperboom’s tall design.
Summary
Monoprice found a way to keep a really sharp design paired with heavy bass in its latest iteration of the Soundstage3. At the time of this review the speaker price is $249. As noted above this is a full $200 cheaper than the popular Hyperboom. It’s also a full $250 less than JBL’s latest boombox (the JBL is ugly too). For my money, the Monoprice wins this battle. If money were not an issue, I may hum a different tune along with some deeper base in the Hyperboom.
Note: Our reviews are always 100% independent but Gearadical receives a small affiliate amount if you purchase the product on Amazon.
