Different classes, so treat this as a step-up-or-not question rather than a head-to-head. The Soundboks Rider ranks #26 of 43 party speakers by sound quality at $599; the Turtlebox Gen 3 ranks #80 of 85 boombox speakers by sound quality at $430.
Why pick the Soundboks Rider: At 6.5 kg it is the lightest Soundboks yet, with a carry handle, IP66 dust and water protection, and the same swappable 100Wh battery as the Mix and Soundboks 4, rated for 35 hours at mid volume and 8 hours at maximum. Watch for: Its sealed 8in woofer runs out of real bass at high volume: Xander measured the -6 dB point rising to roughly 75 to 85 Hz at maximum, with 40 Hz some 20 dB down, and M1M heard the bass pulled back toward the upper bass above mid volume.
Why pick the Turtlebox Gen 3: Waterproof and crushproof, loud with punchy bass. The tradeoff: Sounds basically identical to the original and the Gen 2: each generation mainly added features, not sound quality.
Buy the Soundboks Rider ($599) for a party speaker; the Turtlebox Gen 3 ($430) suits a boombox speaker instead.
Looking for alternatives? See the complete Portable Bluetooth rankings.
Specifications Side By Side
| Soundboks Rider | Turtlebox Gen 3 | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $599.00 | $430.00 |
| Ranked | #26 of 43 in Party Size Portable Bluetooth Speakers | #80 of 85 in Boombox Size Portable Bluetooth Speakers |
| App | Yes (Soundboks) | No |
| Aux Input | Yes | Yes |
| Battery Life | 35 hours (Manufacturer specified) | 25 hours (Manufacturer specified) |
| Drivers | 8” woofer (sealed), 1.2” dome tweeter in horn | 1x 6x9” (152x228mm) woofer + 1x 1” (25mm) tweeter |
| EQ | Yes (6-band EQ + Bass+, Indoor and Outdoor profiles) | No |
| Frequency Response | 40Hz - 20kHz (Manufacturer specified) | - |
| IP Rating | IP66 | IP67 |
| Maximum SPL | 113.2dB(C) (measured by M1M Tech Channel) | - |
| Party Mode | No (no TeamUp) | Yes (Turtlebox Party Mode) |
| Power Input | USB-C (65W fast charging) | USB-C |
| Removable Battery | Yes | - |
| Stereo | No | Yes |
| Omnidirectional | No | No |
| TWS | No | Yes |
| Weight | 14.3 lbs (6.5 kg) | 10 lbs (4.54 kg) |
| Amplifier Power | 92W RMS (72W woofer + 20W tweeter) | 50W |
| Digital Aux Input | No | No |
| Strap | No | No |
| Bass Extension (-10dB) | - | ~65Hz |
| MicroSD Playback | - | Yes |
| Bluetooth Codecs | - | SBC |
| Power Bank | - | Yes (USB-C) |
| USB Playback | - | No |
| Built-in Microphone | - | No |
| Bluetooth Version | - | 5.4 |
| Dimensions | - | 12” x 7” x 8.7” (305 x 178 x 222 mm) |
Related Speaker Comparisons
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- JBL Partybox 330 vs Soundboks Rider
- JBL Partybox Stage 320 vs Soundboks Rider
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- JBL Partybox Club 120 vs Soundboks Rider
- JBL Partybox 130 vs Soundboks Rider
Prices on this page were last checked September 26, 2026 at 11:14 PM UTC. Product prices and availability are accurate as of that date/time and are subject to change; the price and availability shown on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
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The Two Speakers In Full
Soundboks Rider: $599.00 Amazon eBay
Pros: At 6.5 kg it is the lightest Soundboks yet, with a carry handle, IP66 dust and water protection, and the same swappable 100Wh battery as the Mix and Soundboks 4, rated for 35 hours at mid volume and 8 hours at maximum. Xander’s measurements found its flat profile genuinely flat, with distortion around 0.2 percent at moderate volume and below 2 percent from 500 Hz to 10 kHz even at full output, and the Indoor profile reaching down to 40 Hz at moderate volume. Both Xander and M1M Tech Channel preferred its punchy, controlled kick bass to the larger Soundboks Mix, and the app adds a six-band EQ with saveable presets.
Cons: Its sealed 8in woofer runs out of real bass at high volume: Xander measured the -6 dB point rising to roughly 75 to 85 Hz at maximum, with 40 Hz some 20 dB down, and M1M heard the bass pulled back toward the upper bass above mid volume. It measured 107 dB(C) outdoors for Xander and 113.2 dB(C) for M1M, about 3 dB below the Soundboks Mix and well short of the claimed 118 dB. There is no TeamUp, so it cannot link with other Soundboks speakers, the strap and charger are sold separately, and Xander found the grille causes dispersion artifacts around 5 kHz and judged the price too high for what it delivers.
Full Soundboks Rider review and specifications →
| Amplifier Power | 92W RMS (72W woofer + 20W tweeter) |
|---|---|
| App | Yes (Soundboks) |
| Aux Input | Yes |
| Battery Life | 35 hours (Manufacturer specified) |
| Digital Aux Input | No |
| Drivers | 8” woofer (sealed), 1.2” dome tweeter in horn |
| EQ | Yes (6-band EQ + Bass+, Indoor and Outdoor profiles) |
| Frequency Response | 40Hz - 20kHz (Manufacturer specified) |
| IP Rating | IP66 |
| Maximum SPL | 113.2dB(C) (measured by M1M Tech Channel) |
| Omnidirectional | No |
| Party Mode | No (no TeamUp) |
| Power Input | USB-C (65W fast charging) |
| Removable Battery | Yes |
| Stereo | No |
| Strap | No |
| TWS | No |
| Weight | 14.3 lbs (6.5 kg) |
- Links
- Reviews, Comparisons and Sound Samples
- Head-to-Head Comparisons
- Soundboks Rider vs Ultimate Ears Hyperboom
- Soundboks Rider vs Soundboks Mix
- Soundboks Rider vs Klipsch Gig XXL
- Soundboks Rider vs Soundcore Rave 3S
- Soundboks Rider vs Onn Large Party gen 2
- Soundboks Rider vs Sony SRS-XV500
- Soundboks Rider vs Zealot PT21
- Soundboks Rider vs JBL Partybox 110
- See all 27 comparisons
Turtlebox Gen 3: $430.00 Amazon eBay
Older models: the Turtlebox Gen 2 (ranked lower, rated 2.1/5) and the Turtlebox (ranked lower, rated 2.1/5).
Pros: Waterproof and crushproof, loud with punchy bass. 25+ hour battery life. USB-C charging and USB-C output charges other devices. True multi-speaker Party Mode added on top of stereo pairing, plus Bluetooth 5.4. Measured bass extension of ~65Hz (-10dB).
Cons: Sounds basically identical to the original and the Gen 2: each generation mainly added features, not sound quality. They pretty much lie about all their specs and sound horrible in all youtube sound samples. Will never hit its claimed 120db at a reasonable measuring distance. Putting your db meter right against the speaker doesn’t count, 1 meter distance is the standard. Barely any bass. Rattles at high volume. Looking at it, it appears to be a generic car 2-way 6x9 speaker in a plastic box.
Full Turtlebox Gen 3 review and specifications →
| Amplifier Power | 50W |
|---|---|
| App | No |
| Aux Input | Yes |
| Bass Extension (-10dB) | ~65Hz |
| Battery Life | 25 hours (Manufacturer specified) |
| Bluetooth Codecs | SBC |
| Bluetooth Version | 5.4 |
| Built-in Microphone | No |
| Digital Aux Input | No |
| Dimensions | 12” x 7” x 8.7” (305 x 178 x 222 mm) |
| Drivers | 1x 6x9” (152x228mm) woofer + 1x 1” (25mm) tweeter |
| EQ | No |
| IP Rating | IP67 |
| MicroSD Playback | Yes |
| Omnidirectional | No |
| Party Mode | Yes (Turtlebox Party Mode) |
| Power Bank | Yes (USB-C) |
| Power Input | USB-C |
| Stereo | Yes |
| Strap | No |
| TWS | Yes |
| USB Playback | No |
| Weight | 10 lbs (4.54 kg) |
- Links
- Reviews, Comparisons and Sound Samples
- Head-to-Head Comparisons
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