Battery speaker or wired pair: which one to choose?

The Soundboks 4: one speaker, its battery

It is a single floor-standing speaker weighing 16.1 kg, with steel handles. It runs on a removable battery and is handed over with the battery charged. Soundboks states 40 hours of battery life at medium volume and 6 hours at full volume. A spare battery is available as an option.

For connections, it offers Bluetooth 5.0, two XLR / jack 6.35 mm combo inputs and one 3.5 mm mini-jack input. A phone therefore connects without a cable, a controller or a mixer with a suitable cable. Its IP65 rating applies to the coating over the electronics: the surface handles rain and a spilled drink, but Soundboks specifies that the speaker must not be immersed and advises against leaving it in heavy rain.

Its limit is that it stands alone: a single sound source. To add more, you would need other compatible Soundboks: Fox Rider rents only one.

The RCF ART 912-A pair: two speakers, two sockets

The pair consists of two active speakers, each with its built-in amplifier: there is no need to add an amp. Each speaker plugs into the mains with its own power cable, so one socket per speaker. With the rental, you receive two stands, two covers and both power cables. A pair of XLR cables and a pair of RCA to RCA cables are offered at booking, and included.

The inputs are XLR and jack. There is no Bluetooth, no RCA input and no mini-jack input: a phone therefore needs a cable that the rental does not include. RCF publishes no water resistance rating: do not expose the pair to rain. Allow 19.5 kg per speaker and 39 kg for the pair, without stands.

There is only one pair: for a weekend, book early. It is rented on its own, without a subwoofer and without a mixing desk; a microphone does not plug into it directly, but goes through the Pioneer XDJ-RX3 console. To find out what you need to add, read our article on the subwoofer, the mixing desk and the microphone.

The stated levels cannot be compared

Soundboks states a maximum level of 126 dB. RCF states 130 dB SPL maximum at 1 m, per speaker. These two figures come from different manufacturers, using different methods: do not compare them directly. Neither says how many people the speaker can serve.

Keep two general rules in mind instead. In free field, the level drops by about 6 dB each time the distance doubles. And a peak power, like that of the RCF speaker, is not a continuous power. For the difference between an active and a passive speaker, see our article on what changes: both models here are active.

Five questions to decide

1. Is there a socket? Without a socket, the Soundboks 4 is the only one of the two that plays. With a socket within reach, both are possible.
2. Outdoors or in a hall? Outdoors, the surface of the Soundboks 4 handles rain, according to Soundboks, without being immersed or left under the downpour. In a hall, two speakers on stands, on either side of the space, generally spread the sound better.
3. Dance floor or background sound? For background sound around a buffet, one speaker on the floor is often enough, with the Lounge profile. For a dance floor with a socket, the pair on stands deserves consideration, as does the Dancefloor profile of the Soundboks.
4. A phone or a controller? The phone connects to the Soundboks by Bluetooth. A controller like the Pioneer XDJ-RX3 connects by XLR to both models, but it needs a mains socket itself.
5. Do you need to transport without a car? Two people can carry the Soundboks 4 on foot, with its 16.1 kg and its handles. The pair weighs 39 kg without stands, with the stands and covers on top: plan on a car, and read our guide to transporting it.

What the two have in common

In both cases, the rental lasts from 1 to 7 days and the price depends on the duration: it is shown on the product page, like the security deposit, paid on site at handover and returned after a check on return if the equipment is returned in good condition. Pickup takes place in Lyon 3, every day from 9 am to 8 pm, by appointment made in advance. An ID must be shown at pickup.

You may also be torn because your needs change from one day to the next: a speaker in the garden on Saturday, a hall on Sunday. In that case, decide for the most demanding situation: with no socket, it is the battery; with a controller and two speakers to place, it is the pair. The RCF ART 912-A and Soundboks 4 pages give the stated specifications.

See speaker rental in Lyon