DOSS SoundBox XL Bluetooth Speaker with Subwoofer, 32W Loud Sound with Booming Bass, Dual DSP Technologies, 10H Playtime, USB-C, TWS, 2.1 Audio Channel for Home, Indoor and Office - Upgraded

The DOSS Soundbox XL seem to be plagued either by bad design issues or a high rate of poor manufacturing quality. I recently got one, and took off the cover to remove that speaker grill liner some reviewers said causes a rattle and saw the left tweeter cone was mashed in. I returned it to Amazon only to get a second one with an annoying bass vibration, one recent Amazon reviewer described as a "farting sound" with music with a strong bass line. It actually happens at 54 hz when you use a tone generator and comes from air blowing out the jack/slot holes in the back.I really liked the sound, but I feel this needs to be shared. DOSS needs to get it together before I would even consider a THIRD.UPDATE: Aug 29, 2017Within a short time, I got a reply in this thread requesting my email in order to receive a replacement free of charge from Milla with DOSS. Without that, I would have probably not ordered a third.The replacement arrived a few days ago and I am submitting the following update. Milla was quite wonderful sending me updates as to the status of the arrival of the new unit. The first thing I did was remove the grill to check if the dust liner was loose like the first two only to find that it was attached directly to the inside grill. The drivers looked perfect. After charging a few hours, I was ready for my test to confirm if the air leak problem was fixed. I put on a few bass heavy songs and listened for that telltale air leak. As i turned the bass up to the point of distortion, the cabinet seal held. I got no rattles The top trim plate seemed to be secured tighter as pushing down on it detected no movement indicating bad adhesion. This one as far as build quality was perfect.Rather than evaluate the sound in depth right out of the box, my experience as an audiofile knows that it takes a few hours of playing different kinds of music at various levels to allow the speakers to break in and not sound dry and stiff, but more rounded like live music. After two days of playing off and on, the sound difference as they broke in was quite noticeable in the sense of warmth also with an increase in sonic accuracy. I highly suggest one of the better apps for music playback rather than the generic one that comes with your device if you really want to experience their true capability. As an audiofile, listening to various players using my headset was the test.. After trying/buying several, Jet Audio Plus was my choice. I custom built my home PC with a high end audio card including custom opamps, mil-spec capacitor, low noise motherboard, a case that isolates the power supply, routing the wiring, etc. Windows system tweaks, and special software that as a result compares spec for spec and in sound quality with the more expensive audiofile preamps sold separately.So using this app, I have been listening for hours with everything from smooth jazz, rap, rock, and other types also with various dynamic ranges. I will give my impressions based on other bluetooth speakers i have auditioned.Frequency Response: To my ear, this speaker is flatter and more neutral and natural sounding than most. The bass extension is uncanny for a box this size and not only goes lower, but maintains a sense of focus and tightness to actually be able to hear the low notes, not the boomy blur that seems to radiate out of most of the others at this price range. I actually put a little dip in the bass at 60hz because i felt the bass a little overemphasized for my room proportions. The mids were just fine. The treble has a slight roll off due to the dust cover I presume, but it is easily correctable with your player's equalizer with just some minor tweaks above 10k.Soundstage: The Soundbox XL creates a soundstage that occurs just in front of the speaker and has a 3D quality of air, that is missing from most of the others. It is so good that on certain songs you can hear each instrument or voice distinctly in their own "space". Also when placed 12 inches from a solid wall, the soundstage blooms to a room filling wall of sound as the back wall reflections contribute to the sense of space and presence. This also increases the bass to a point you can FEEL. This same effect happens placing it in a corner, but i found that 33" from the center of the back of the speaker to the corner works without overloading the sound with bass.Dynamic Range: After the speaker broke in, i noticed the sound become more alive in sense that as each instrument or vocal in the music became louder of softer, the overall balance of soundstage pretty much stayed flat instead of the dropouts or peakiness you hear with speakers that have a narrow range of accurate frequency reproduction based on the frequency amplitude "sweet spot" of each driver. It results in a lack of listener fatigue for extended music listening and as a result is more akin to my home rig sound. Overall Loudness: For most listening, esp indoors, I find the volume range more than adequate. This range can be extended using the preamp setting in the equalizer such as the Jet Audio to levels that go beyond the max that is available on the generic device that is set to protect the internal speaker and earbuds. A step or two up is what i found works best. without significantly increasing the possibility of damage.This speaker ROCKS! If I have to find a fault, it is having readjust the speaker volume each time it is turned on. The speaker sounds better with its volume set at max and controlled by your device. If you do this make sure the volume on your device is turned down a lower range before you adjust the Soundbox XL volume to max.In summary, based on their top notch customer service, better build quality and the other attributes I highlight in this review, the DOSS Soundbox XL, especially at the price point, is 5-Star product. There just is nothing better, IMHO. I can't wait for the pairing option to come and and review a stereo pair! Thanks, Milla.Well done, DOSS!

After demoing various Bluetooth speakers in person at Target, Best Buy etc and watching numerous YouTube videos on what value xyz Bluetooth speaker brings to the table, I decided on this Doss speaker, purchased in 2019. It doesn’t get super loud obviously but for casual listening and use as a soundbar, it definitely plays at respectable SPL for what I paid. Bass is very deep, so much that the speaker inches itself across the floor on certain bass tracks and frequencies. Granted the stereo image width is a bit narrow but it’s doubtful you’ll find a wide angle sound for $69 in 2025 that also has all the other qualities I’m mentioning. Fit and finish feel expensive and sturdy, definitely doesn’t feel cheap, flimsy or plasticky. Looks like quality too with all black, ultra fine aluminum mesh grill and hefty weight for a tiny speaker. Have been using as a sound bar but upgraded to a Bose wave music system III recently. Granted the Bose is noticeably louder but also cost 3x more. Also if anyone is wondering the Bose wave music system III uses an amplifier rated at 35-40 watts per channel at 4 ohms. That’s why it’s able to get so loud combined with the 3” speakers and the tuned wave guides.Back to the doss…Clarity is superb and it’s not overly bassy either. The only weakness I’ve noticed in 5 years after paying $69 usd was that the battery is finally unable to hold a full charge. Speaker used to be able to play for hours and now the battery can only last 1 hour or so before needing to recharge. Even at $89 it’s still a steal compared to other Bluetooth speakers in similar price. Sure there are louder, bassier and higher SPL speakers available for $300+ but if you’re looking for a sub $100 speaker with tremendous value just buy this. You won’t regret it.

I'm going to tell you right up front, I'm comparing this Doss speaker to a speaker that *normally* cost more quite a bit more than the SoundBox XL. Why? Well, because like many of the reviews have said, including clavinetjunkie whom I respect tremendously as a product reviewer, this speaker punches above its weight class. It's true! This speaker *does* compete against much more expensive BT speakers! And had I not scored this JBL Xtreme, on sale for only $128 (refurb - Frys), I probably would be blissfully satisfied with this Doss Soundbox XL for a bargain of a price and never looked back. Frys sells manufactured refurbished JBL speakers often so it's not like rare deal - Wait a week or two and you'll see the same advertisement. It took them more than once to get me to finally break down and bite. So without further ado, just how did this $90 Doss Soundbox XL compare to my refurb JBL Xtreme? If you're interested, read on.Do you like bass? No really - do you like *real* bass that's normally only produced by an actual subwoofer? The Doss is your speaker. It is downright amazing what this little speaker can do while being relatively so small. There's a "Test Your Speakers" video on Youtube by "Doctor Mix" and this speaker actually plays sub frequencies at audible levels as low as 20hz! In contrast, the JBL Xtreme doesn't come in until 60hz (and when it does come in, it comes in over-boosted as if to try and make up for the lack of tones prior)! The Doss is capable of playing distinguishable melodic bass tones in your song that only comes out as a repetitive thump in the JBL Xtreme. Rap songs really show off what the Doss SoundBox XL can do. Sounds like a clear winner is Doss right? Again, Read on.Mids, Highs, "Soundstage", "Imaging" "Clarity". All those are, in different ways, related to each other and this is where the JBL Xtreme shows the Doss what it's like to play with the big boys. I played all my favorite songs, ranging from EDM to Alternative Rock, subjected my wife to blind, speaker A vs Speaker B, back and fourth switch tests and it really was no contest. After switching from the JBL Xtreme, mid-song, back to the Doss, it's like the "it's floating in the air" wide imaging/soundstage the JBL Xtreme is putting out has been butterfly-netted and thrown in to a small box. That's literally the best way I can put it. For example, take a very vocal song with acoustic guitars in the background, like Paramore's - The Only Exception and switch back and fourth between the two and you'll know exactly what I'm talking about.Build, design, and structural quality: Surprisingly, they take up nearly the same amount of space (see pictures), though the JBL is much heavier. They both require proprietary chargers though the JBL's charger is pushing quite a bit more power allowing you to charge quickly *while playing music*. I know why they rely on proprietary chargers but l wish both could have the option to charge via USB *in addition*. I don't know why they never offer that - seems like an easy compromise and customers would love it, even if the USB option would be slower. Build quality, the JBL is much sturdier, nicer and looks like it would hold up to general wear better. Being water resistant means you can just rinse it off and not worry about it. The Doss has a much more plastic'y feel but come on, you got to remember it's only $90 dollars here. Again, I already warned that this wouldn't be an apples to apples comparison but with everyone agreeing it punches above its weight class against much more expensive speakers, we can't just only talk about the sound quality when we're referring to a "portable" bluetooth speaker. Portable means it's going to get a little beat up and the JBL will fair better, provided your kid doesn't stick a pencil to its expose bass radiators on the sides. ;) Also, be careful with the Doss speaker as it produces so much bass, combined with its low weight, it can vibrate and move across the table and possibly fall over an edge and commit suicide. I would add more sticky pads under it and be mindful of where you place it.Sigh... If only I could combine these two speakers. The bass capabilities of the Doss SoundBox XL and the Mid/Highs & soundstage of the JBL Xtreme would be perfect. At the end, I chose the JBL Xtreme. The bass is just as loud as the Doss, but not capable of getting as low however the wide-open soundstage of the JBL Xtreme (superior DSP perhaps) more than makes up for it and just makes music more enjoyable, frankly. Please don't get me wrong: I don't think the Doss sounds bad. I don't think its sound stage / imaging is terrible, I just think the JBL is that much better. In fact, I would say the Doss SoundBox XL is on par with the another speaker I recently fell in love with and reviewed on Amazon against several speakers: the Anker Soundcore Boost (thanks again to clavinetjunkie's review which pointed me back to Anker to give them another chance). I had to knock off one star though. My Doss SoundBox XL has the same buzzing/rattling sound as a few of the other reviewers had mentioned. I know you can take it apart and fix it but Doss really should resolve that before sending them out. It's only noticeable when up close to the speaker (less than 10 feet) so it may not bother most.Overall I do recommend this speaker, I just wanted to give my two cents on how well it does against a more expensive speaker, in this case, the JBL Xtreme. Btw, against the JBL Flip 3, 4, charge 2 & 3, no contest - this Doss speaker is way better as far as sound quality. Again, bear in mind, ruggedness/portability is not the SoundBox strong point.