LG Xboom 360 (XO2TBK) Review

LG’s $199.99 Xboom 360 XO2TBK speaker is plenty loud and reasonably durable, but its awkward design, subpar audio performance, and ho-hum lighting effects make it hard to recommend for home or portable use. The $199.99 Edifier D32 has stereo drivers, hi-res codec support, and built-in Wi-Fi for room-to-room listening, while the $149.99 Beats Pill is a good choice for outdoor use. More durable design and cleaner sound.

Design: Similar to a headless bowling pin with portability issues

Although the Xboom 360 (XO2TBK) is technically the successor to the Xboom 360 (XO3QBK), it looks like a miniature version of the original. The updated speaker has a bowling pin shape but comes in at just 8.2 by 4.7 by 4.7 inches (HWD) and 1.9 pounds. It’s significantly smaller than the older model (12.9 by 6.5 by 6.5 inches, 7.1 pounds). The Beats Pill (2.8 by 8.6 by 2.8 inches, 1.5 pounds) is still small and light.

Of course, a smaller design means less space for audio components. Whereas the XO3QBK has three drivers (a 4-inch woofer, a two-inch midrange driver, and a 1-inch tweeter), the XO2TBK has a single 2-inch driver and a passive bass radiator. The driver sits in a cutout partway up the frame and fires directly into a cone that LG says disperses sound evenly in all directions.

The cone also has LEDs. Some effects provide a comfortable diffused glow, though the more party-friendly ones are far from impressive. The cone emerges from a platform that can be seen hovering over the speaker from a right angle due to its small plastic neck. LG fits a series of capacitive touch buttons on top of that platform, including a Bluetooth pairing button, volume buttons, a play/pause button and a button to cycle through lighting effects. All actions require two presses (the first tap only activates their lighting). In testing, I’ve found that quick, repeated presses don’t always register correctly.

The Xboom 360 supports Bluetooth 5.3, AAC and SBC codecs and multipoint connection for up to two devices. The Edifier D32 does much better here as it offers Wi-Fi and the LDAC codec for high-resolution streaming. Beats Peel matches the Xboom 360’s specs without multipoint support.

Beneath the driver, lighting and control unit, the large, bulbous shell sports a rough fabric that isn’t pleasant to look at or touch. LG has seemingly tried and failed to copy the fabric design of smart speakers from Amazon, Apple and Google. The Xboom 360 doesn’t have any smart features, though it does have an IP55 rating for protection against dust and low-pressure water jets. Beats Pill has a superior IP67 rating.

Rounding out the design is a power button on the back, alongside a covered USB-C port for charging via the included cable. LG claims that the speaker offers a respectable playback of 15 hours and fully recharges in about 4 hours. The built-in battery makes it theoretically portable, though its awkward shape means it’s not easy to carry or put in a bag. (It also does not include the carrying strap that comes with the XO3QBK). The Beats Pill is more suitable for outdoor adventures thanks to its more streamlined design and longer 24-hour battery life. The Edifier D32 also has an internal battery, but it tops out at just 11 hours.

App experience: It gets the job done

The Xboom 360 pairs with the no-frills LG Xboom app (available for Android and iOS), which doesn’t require you to create an account. Importantly, it lets you switch between standard and sound boost modes. The latter extends the bass to an acceptable level, so I would have liked to have a physical button to enable this function. For additional audio tweaks, you can switch to Custom EQ, which has six bands between 100Hz and 10kHz. Volume and playback controls are available for convenience.

Also, the app offers advanced control over lighting. Several modes are available: the ambient continuously glows a single color for a candle-like effect, nature gradually fades between two colors, and up to three colors play different animations in response to the beat of party music. For that last option a party strobe flashes your paired phones’ flashlights in sync You can choose the color for each and adjust the brightness.

Otherwise, the app has a sleep timer that automatically ends playback after a certain amount of time and gradually dims the lights. You can link multiple speakers. A second XO2TBK model enables stereo playback, while other LG models create a multi-speaker setup.

Sound Quality: One driver is not enough

The LG Xboom 360 XO2TBK has a strong presence in the mids, so it can sound harsh at full volume. I experimented with the default audio settings but also tried sound boost mode at various points.

Knife’s “Silent Scream” is a rolling, rhythmic ride that benefits from a strong bass response. However, it has several hits that attack with a bit more bite than the rest of the song. The synth line that rages throughout the track suffers from the same problem. When Sound Boost is active, the speaker slightly distorts the bass notes that start and continue the song. I had to dial the volume down to about 70% to avoid this effect.

Kendrick Lamar’s “Obeyment” reveals the speaker’s inability to reproduce sub-bass at the 34-second mark. Most notes seem far in the background because of how loud the mids are, while the deepest sub-bass notes are absent. This is more noticeable during Kendrick’s bridge at 2:20, which features solo vocals with sub-bass; This section just falls flat.

Bill Callahan’s “Drover” sounds better because most of the track fits nicely into the frequency range the speakers can handle. Callahan’s voice is full, and the various instruments blend strongly. But as effective as the speaker is at producing big, room-filling sound, it misses all the subtleties that come with stereo sound. The track introduces audio elements to the game from the side, but no such effects are audible here.

Verdict: 360 degrees of disappointment

The LG Xboom 360 XO2TBK is irresistible The mono, mid-focused presentation makes for largely enjoyable audio, the cumbersome design isn’t conducive to portability, and the lighting effects aren’t all that impressive. Overall, the Editors’ Choice-winning Edifier D32 is a superior choice for around-the-home listening because it offers better sound quality and connectivity at the same price. Meanwhile, if you’re looking for a speaker to take with you on outdoor trips, the Beats Pill, another Editors’ Choice winner, produces more balanced sound, is more durable, fits more easily in a bag, and costs less.

About Mark Knapp

Contributing author

Mark Knapp has covered technology for much of the past decade, keeping readers up to speed on the latest developments and tackling everything from phones and computers to e-bikes and drones to separate marketing from reality. @ Catch him on TwitterTech0Mark Or reviewed by PCMag, IGN, TechRadar, T3, Business Insider, and more.

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