LG XBOOM XL9T

LG XBOOM XL9T – the hardware

Weighing just under 28 kilograms and measuring 40x91x43 centimetres, the XBOOM from LG is not especially light, nor does it fit into a rucksack. If you want to move it, this is best done by putting it in the car and then using the two wheels on the underside of the housing, which means it can be pulled behind you like a suitcase. The workmanship of this speaker is excellent. The hard plastic with rounded corners and metal front grille can easily withstand rough knocks and kicks, accidents which can easily happen in the hustle and bustle of a party. LG has given the speaker protection class IP4, which means that it is protected against splashes of water. It should, therefore, withstand a little rain if you keep the protective flaps over the rear connections closed. However, you should refrain from giving the XBOOM a beer shower or leaving it in a thunderstorm outside.

Thanks to the rubber stoppers on the side, this speaker can be operated horizontally. However, there is no stand connection on the bottom, meaning it cannot be placed on a suitable stand, but this is quite standard for a product in the PA sector of the market. Neither is there a rechargeable battery to allow you to operate the LG XBOOM XL9T independently of a power supply, and this is a significant limitation considering the possibilities for use with this speaker.

In terms of sound technology, the LG XBOOM XL9T is equipped with two 8-inch subwoofers and two 3-inch tweeters. These can be powered by the amplifier unit with up to 1,000 watts RMS – which is quite something.

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There are two ring lights around the subwoofers, an LED panel between the subwoofer and tweeters and numerous other LEDs spread across the entire front. These are all used for the light show.

The controls are located on the top of the housing in the form of two smooth-running rotary controls with a push button and a few switches. Lightshow, volume, play/stop/skip, Bluetooth/USB selection and sound boost can all be operated directly on the speaker. On the back are two analogue jack inputs with controls for the input volume of up to two microphones and a guitar, and a USB-A port to either charge a device or play music via a USB stick.

In addition, there are two buttons to control the sensitivity of the microphone/guitar and for echo effects on the voice.

At the bottom of the speaker, there is a power connection for the supplied flat plug.

Bluetooth and codecs of the LG XBOOM XL9T

The LG XBOOM XL9T easily establishes a connection to your player using Bluetooth version 5.1, and it uses SBC and AAC codecs. If you press the function button on the top for two seconds, a second player can be paired with the speaker (multipoint), and this even works while the first player continues to run undisturbed. As an alternative to the Bluetooth connection, a USB stick can be plugged into the USB-A port on the back to supply the speaker with music, but this must be stored in MP3 or WMA format. However, it is not possible to use the port to connect a computer, for example.

XBOOM app

In order to be able to use the LG XBOOM XL9T’s full range of functions, it is essential to install the app for Android or iOS. This is used to control basic functions such as updates, sleep timer and signal tones, as well as power management. In the ‘Wireless Party Link’ function area, two speakers can be linked to form a real stereo pair (dual mode) or several XBOOMs can be linked together to form a master-slave system in multi-mode. However, it is hard for me to imagine how loud such an epic sound wall would get. Especially as LG does not disclose how many speakers can be linked in this way.

In the ‘EQ’ section, you can select two pre-sets or a three-band EQ, while the light control section offers a wide range of setting options to make the speaker glow, flicker or flash according to your mood, atmosphere or taste. There are four different effects that can be controlled here. In the pixel art display, you can play pre-made animations, as well as graphics that you have created yourself or display texts and emojis as scrolling text, and there are two editors for creating these. The ring lights can pulsate, flicker or spin with five pre-sets. You can select your three favourite colours using a colour wheel. There are also brightly coloured LEDs distributed across the front of the XBOOM and three strobe lights that are able to flash to the beat. A particularly fun feature: with Party Strobe, the torch on your mobile phone flickers (if there is one).

If you want to try your hand at DJing, the app has something for that too. You can scratch using a virtual wheel, and six buttons can be used to add sound effects to the music. Three user buttons can then be equipped with self-created samples in the specially provided editor, and you can really get the party going. There are also four adjustable sound effects (flanger, phaser, wah-wah, delay) that can be used to influence the overall sound. If you plug a microphone into the adjustable jack inputs on the back of the XBOOM, it activates the karaoke section in the app and the fun can begin. With an automatic mute function, you can mute the original voice in the selected song – sometimes for better, sometimes for worse – so that your own voice can take over, and you can then enhance or refine it with numerous effects such as ‘Helium’, ‘Robot’, ‘Choir’ and ‘Echo’. You can then use a pitch control to bring the pitch of the song a little closer to the pitch of your own voice.

It is then possible to connect a guitar via the second input, but we could not test this due to the lack of a suitable instrument.

The sound of the LG XBOOM XL9T

If you start listening to music at a moderate volume on the LG XBOOM XL9T, we went with some current electronic music, and it quickly became clear: There was a fat bass, there were mids, there were clear highs, and everything stood out clearly in its range, with a lot of energy and enthusiasm. With the EQ set to standard, we felt a deep and dry bass boom, which was not at all affected when the volume was turned up to half, by which point it was no longer neighbour-friendly.

The bass was powerful, the treble was airy and clear and easy to locate. Vocals and guitars were prominent, warm and differentiated in the mid-range. Pressure and dynamics remained stable even at high volumes – which is when the party really gets started – they remained free from unpleasant screeching and clanking in the treble or rumbling in the bass. This is when you realise what simple physics, in the form of a large cabinet, can do for the sound. When we switched on ‘Soundboost’, the overall impression shifted more towards the mid-bass range. The overall sound was somewhat flatter and less dynamic but was more bass-heavy, a quality that might be desirable for playing certain genres of music. The main disadvantage of the XBOOM was that it is a single speaker, meaning that it cannot create a wide stereo panorama without being combined with a second speaker unit. Nevertheless, the XBOOM has a wide dispersion angle, which ensures a fairly wide stage.

Conclusion

The LG XBOOM XL9T offered excellent, loud sound with a powerful bass foundation. At 1,000 watts, it provided enough power to fire up large parties – in the function room of a youth centre, a smaller hall or, of course, in your garden – if the neighbours have been given adequate warning. Thanks to numerous features, such as the highly varied light show, the fun karaoke function and the option of connecting an instrument, the XBOOM offers real added value along with its remarkable sound quality. It’s a shame that it doesn’t come with a rechargeable battery, as this would also make it an excellent choice for busking gigs in pedestrianised areas or parties in locations where there is no power.