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The best deals on 4K TVs

The best deals on 4K TVs

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Things are looking bright for those who want to nab a great TV in 2025 at a substantial discount. There’s usually a great deal happening on a mid- or high-end TV from LG, Sony, TCL, Hisense, or Amazon’s own Fire TV brand — even if the biggest discounts remain reserved for Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Amazon Prime Day, and during the lead-up to the Super Bowl.

Right now, there are a number of discounted 4K TVs to choose from, spanning a wide variety of prices, sizes, and feature sets. Whether you want a secondary screen for the bedroom or a high-end OLED that’s built to provide the ultimate gaming or cinematic experience, we’ve picked out the best TV deals.

The best 4K TV deals for most people

Samsung’s Q8F is available for an all-time low of $599.99 ($150 off) at Amazon and Best Buy for the 55-inch model, which is a solid value for a QLED 4K TV. Its quantum dot LED panel boasts great contrast (especially in HDR content). The Q8F has a 120Hz panel and four HDMI 2.0 ports. This means you can play in 4K at up to 60Hz with a Nintendo Switch 2, Xbox Series S/X, or a PlayStation 5 Pro, or at a faster 120Hz refresh rate bumped down to 1440p resolution. Samsung is also including two free months of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate with purchase, which will allow you to stream games directly to your TV through the cloud, eliminating the need for a console.

The TV is powered by Samsung’s Q4 AI processor, which is used to upscale HD video to 4K when necessary, to optimize the picture in real-time, and make navigating its interface feel snappy. Samsung also touts the Q8F’s audio system, which adjusts the EQ and boost dialogue volume when needed. If you’ve cut the cord with cable, you can watch over 2,700 free channels of TV (over 400 of which are exclusive to Samsung TVs) in addition to streaming services. You can save $402 by jumping up to the 85-inch model, which is on sale for around $1,597.99 at Amazon and Best Buy.

If you’re looking for a 65-inch TV for watching sports, TV shows, movies, or playing video games, Hisense’s U65QF is a great choice, one you can currently purchase at Amazon and Best Buy for an all-time low of around $596.99 ($403 off). The TV features a native 144Hz refresh rate and two HDMI 2.1 ports, both of which can take full advantage of the high-speed display. It also sports a pair of HDMI 2.0 ports — which can carry a 4K signal at up to 60Hz — and a port assortment that makes it a good choice for current-gen consoles, 4K Blu-ray players, and streaming devices. If you connect a gaming PC with an AMD graphics card, you can even take advantage of the TV’s support for AMD FreeSync Premium Pro, which reduces graphical glitches such as screen tearing.

The U65QF has an LED screen, which means it can’t match the black levels or per-pixel brightness control you’d get with an OLED display. However, its full array lighting panel offers 300 local dimming zones. The TV can control the brightness of each zone to reduce blooming, which is what happens when the area around a bright object (think a lit torch in a cave) looks unnaturally bright. Additionally, the TV has a maximum brightness of 1,000 nits, so the image it produces should look good even in a room with some light interference. The U65QF also supports Dolby Vision, HLG, and HDR10 Plus for better color reproduction, and it features a Hi-View AI chip that automatically processes the image on screen so that it appears sharper.

As for its operating system, Hisense’s U65QF runs on Amazon’s Fire OS and features Amazon Alexa built in. You can use the smart assistant to control the TV’s many functions, search for content, control compatible smart home accessories, and look up answers to various questions with your voice. If you want an even larger screen, you can also pick up a 75-inch model for around $797.99 ($502 off) at Amazon and Best Buy.

The best 4K TV deals for those on a budget

Amazon’s Fire TV 4-Series is an affordable option if you want to upgrade a smaller HDTV to a 4K model. The 50-inch model is currently on sale for $289.99 ($110 off) at Amazon. The TV features an LED panel with a 60Hz refresh rate and support for HDR10 / HLG, which is totally sufficient for casual TV viewing or watching movies and TV shows. It runs Fire OS, and comes with a remote that allows you to summon Amazon Alexa with the push of a button for a query or command. You can step up to a 55-inch model for $359.99 ($100 off) if you like its modest feature set but want a slightly larger screen.

If your budget is under $500, the 55-inch Hisense QD7 has a lot to offer, especially now that it’s on sale for an all-time low of around $357.99 ($132 off) at Amazon and Best Buy. It features a QLED panel that can deliver more contrast and brightness than a typical LED TV, with support for HDR10 Plus and Dolby Vision, with a peak brightness of 600 nits. The 4K set features a processor capable of AI upscaling and full array local dimming with 160 local dimming zones. A panel with full array local dimming offers better control of brightness and contrast than direct- or edge-lit LED panels (this video from LG shows how it works), providing a more consistent picture across the entire screen. The QD7’s obvious weak point is gaming, due to its 60Hz refresh rate, but if that’s not important to you, it remains a superb value. If you want a larger TV, you can get a 65-inch model for around $467.99 ($132 off) at Amazon and Best Buy.

The best deals on high-end 4K TVs

If you want a TV that produces reference-quality images, Sony’s Bravia 8 II (K65XR80M2) is the best choice. It was recently selected as the top TV in Valve Electronics’ 10th annual TV Shootout based on objective and subjective tests conducted by a panel of experts comparing each set to the image on a $43,000 reference monitor. Disclosure: Verge editor-in-chief Nilay Patel was one of the judges. The 55-inch model also recently received a substantial price cut, dropping it to $2,198.99 ($801 off) at Amazon.

Sony’s premium set has a 120Hz refresh rate panel, with two HDMI 2.1 ports that support 4K at 120Hz, and two HDMI 2.0 ports that top out at 4K / 60Hz. It doesn’t support Nvidia’s G-Sync or AMD’s FreeSync Pro, so there aren’t any specific features on this TV that PC gamers can take advantage of. Sony calls the Bravia 8 II its brightest OLED screen yet, and testing conducted by Hometheaterreview found its maximum brightness was 1,880 nits when viewing HDR content. Its predecessor topped out at 1,300 nits HDR video, or roughly 44 percent dimmer.

The TV runs on Sony’s XR processor, which uses AI to adjust the color, contrast, and clarity of whatever you’re watching in real time to look better. The judges in the aforementioned TV Shootout chose Sony’s set as the best model for SDR (Standard Dynamic Range) processing, but third of four models compared for HDR (High Dynamic Range) processing. Any OLED TV can show true black, but judges agreed that the Bravia 8 II pulled ahead in grayscale and contrast when viewing SDR video.

Sony says its TV has modes calibrated for Netflix, Prime Video, and its own Sony Pictures Core streaming services, too. Sony Picture Core is a streaming service that’s available on select Bravia TVs and Sony gaming consoles, and allows you to stream or download 4K movies at far higher bitrates than competing services. The Bravia 8 II comes with 10 credits, which you can use to download movies for offline viewing, and two years of unlimited streaming for films in its catalogue.

If you want this TV in a larger size, Amazon and B&H Photo are offering the 65-inch model for around $2,998 ($501 off).

Sony’s Bravia 8 II mounted onto a wall on top of a media center.Sony’s Bravia 8 II mounted onto a wall on top of a media center.

The last-gen LG C4 remains one of the best OLED TVs you can buy, and the 65-inch model is currently on sale for around $1,396.99 ($1,303 off) at Amazon, B&H Photo, and Best Buy. Like LG’s newer C5 OLED, it has a 120Hz panel with support for VRR, Nvidia G-Sync, and AMD FreeSync Premium (the option exists to enable a 144Hz mode if you dig in the TV’s options). Its embedded A9 AI Processor Gen7 offers higher-quality video upscaling and image optimization compared to the C3. The biggest difference between the C4 and C5 is their maximum brightness. The C4 tops out at an advertised 1,000 nits, while the C5 tops out at around 1,165 according to tests conducted by Tom’s Guide.

Additionally, the C4 features a three-channel audio system, which might sound impressive compared to other TVs, but still can’t compete with a soundbar. When you’re not watching videos or playing games, you can also enable the C4’s Gallery Mode to display art. Basically, the LG C4 offers many of the same features as the C5, but retails for nearly $400 less. You can also save on the 77-inch model, which is on sale for around $1,799.96 ($1,900 off) at Best Buy and Amazon.

Sony’s 42-inch A90K is a premium OLED TV that it claims is specially optimized with features for gaming on a PlayStation 5, but realistically, all of the TVs in this list work great with the PS5 — not to mention all other modern consoles. It’s currently on sale for around $1,198 ($102 off) at Amazon, B&H Photo, and Best Buy. The TV has a 120Hz panel, with two HDMI 2.0 ports and HDMI 2.1 ports.

About the special PS5 features, if you connect the console to the A90K, the TV will automatically enable Auto HDR Tone Mapping for more accurate colors, along with an Auto Genre Picture Mode that will adjust its settings based on the game you’re playing. Sony’s Cognitive Processor XR automatically adjusts the TV’s contrast, brightness, and colors.

The A90K can access Sony Pictures Core, a movie streaming platform exclusive to higher-end Sony TVs that allows you to watch uncompressed 4K movies. Sony includes 10 credits to build your Sony Pictures Core library, plus 24 months of streaming access. The aforementioned library is more limited than other streaming services, but it’s the closest you’ll get to watching a 4K Blu-ray without having to pop in a disc. Sony also offers the A90K in a 48-inch size, and you can pick one up at Amazon and Best Buy for around $1,298 ($102 off).

Sony’s 55-inch A95L is a premium TV with features that should appeal to gamers and cinephiles alike, and you can get it for around $2,198 ($601 off) at Amazon, B&H Photo, and Best Buy. The TV has a 120Hz panel and two HDMI 2.1 ports (four HDMI ports total), so you can play games in 4K at up to 120 frames per second. Its two HDMI 2.0 ports are fine for last-gen consoles like the original Nintendo Switch. If you connect a PS5, the TV will adjust its video settings based on the genre of game you’re playing, which is a nice touch, but games on that console will look incredible on any OLED set.

Sony’s Cognitive Processor XR powers the A95L, which enables better motion processing so sports and games look less blurry. It also claims to improve the contrast and colors compared to previous generation Sony TVs. It has a peak brightness of 1,300 nits according to lab tests by Tom’s Guide, which is higher than most of the other OLED TVs we found on sale.

The A95L is a Bravia-series TV, which means it can access Sony’s Picture Core. This video on demand service has the highest-bitrate (aka video quality) of any streaming platform, which means what you watch will look closer to an uncompressed 4K Blu-ray than a 4K stream from Netflix. Its library is limited, but Sony includes 10 credits with A95L, so you can download movies to keep forever, and a 24-month subscription that lets you stream videos from the library.

If you want a higher-end OLED TV, Sony’s A95L is a great choice and has features you won’t find on non-Sony TVs. You can also get the 65-inch model on sale for around $2,898 ($601 off) at Amazon, Best Buy, and B&H Photo.

An image of Sony's XR A95L on top of a media center.An image of Sony's XR A95L on top of a media center.

Update, September 3rd: Updated pricing / availability and added newer deals for Samsung’s Q8F and Hisense’s U65QF.

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Soundboks Mix party speaker, actually a great way to make friends.

Soundboks Mix

The Soundboks Mix is a party speaker that’s loud and portable with decent sound.

  • Loud!
  • Still pretty portable despite its size
  • Sound is pretty good
  • Sound is good but not great
  • No way to get battery readings from the app
  • Underwhelming EQ options
  • Party speakers are pricey and so is the Soundboks Mix

This speaker goes to 11

Party speakers are first and foremost meant for parties, and the $800 Soundbox Mix is no different. Soundboks is known for its Bluetooth speakers and, in particular, for making ones that get ridiculously loud. In case you had any doubt about the loudness, the Soundboks Mix even has a volume dial on the side that goes to 11 instead of 10, Spinal Tap-style.

Soundoks Mix Review: This Loud-Ass Party Speaker Almost Got Me High AF Party speakers aren’t really my thing. It’s not that I don’t like to party—I do. Not in a “friends and family surprise you at your house for a serious talk” kind of way, but in a “mid-30s, I have sh*t to do in the morning” kind of way. Really, I just don’t like to annoy people more than I have to. New York City isn’t known for its serenity, but it takes a certain level of decorum to get along, and party speakers, with their inherent obnoxiousness, break a very tenuous code. They’re big (not great for small living spaces), loud (not great for proximate neighbors), and expensive (not great for paying rent on time). They’re, in many ways, antithetical to what most New Yorkers (and other urban-dwelling people) look for in personal audio. They’re also, as I learned in my experience using the 21-pound Soundboks Mix party speaker, actually a great way to make friends. Soundboks Mix The Soundboks Mix is a party speaker that’s loud and portable with decent sound. Loud! Still pretty portable despite its size Sound is pretty good Sound is good but not great No way to get battery readings from the app Underwhelming EQ options Party speakers are pricey and so is the Soundboks Mix This speaker goes to 11 Party speakers are first and foremost meant for parties, and the 0 Soundbox Mix is no different. Soundboks is known for its Bluetooth speakers and, in particular, for making ones that get ridiculously loud. In case you had any doubt about the loudness, the Soundboks Mix even has a volume dial on the side that goes to 11 instead of 10, Spinal Tap-style. © Raymond Wong / Gizmodo To test out that volume, I went to Washington Square Park in Manhattan and let loose. The Soundboks Mix is indeed loud, folks. It didn’t quake the Earth upon which we walk or anything like that, but it’s got juice. I tested the party speaker at a range of volumes playing music across different genres—mostly rock, but some electronic music and soul—and the park got an earful. I can’t say for certain, but I’m pretty sure I chased off two guys hitting a volleyball around. You heard it here first: if you hate people playing volleyball, the Soundboks Mix is a repellent. It’s hard to quantify volume into words, but if I were to try, I would say that the Soundboks Mix is loud enough for a graduation party or a medium-sized quinceañera. It’s not going to bring down the house like a full PA, but if you’re outside within a frisbee distance of the speaker, you’re going to hear it. I also tested the Soundboks Mix briefly at full volume in my office playing Creed’s “One Last Breath,” and it was loud enough to make me feel like we could get kicked out, both for the Creed and the volume. © Raymond Wong / Gizmodo Maybe I’m masochistic, but I was actually expecting it to be a little louder—maybe I’m just old and have bad hearing, though. I guess it’s good that it isn’t. Permanent hearing loss isn’t high on my list of occupational hazards. One thing you’ll be happy to know is that the Soundboks Mix isn’t just loud; it also manages to stave off distortion even at high volumes. Even at 11 out of 11, the Soundboks Mix sounded pretty clear, both from close up and from about 30 feet away. This isn’t the most impressive speaker I’ve heard in the sound department—you’re not getting Sonos outside—but for a party, where people need volume and not necessarily fidelity, it does the trick. I played a few Steely Dan songs at 50% volume and was pleased with the soundstage. There’s a tasteful amount of low end that doesn’t drown out mids and highs. Vocals were clear, and I never felt like I was sorely lacking in any frequency range. Likewise, when I played songs like “Digital Love” by Daft Punk, the bass was present and tangible without overpowering, and auto-tuned vocals didn’t sound tinny or cheap. Using a party speaker outside isn’t the most high-fidelity way to listen to anything, but for what the experience is, I think the Soundboks Mix is pretty solid. © Raymond Wong / Gizmodo If you absolutely need more volume and you have the budget, you can also couple the Soundboks Mix with another Soundboks speaker and use them in pairs in stereo mode. I was only sent one speaker for review, so I didn’t get a chance to test that feature out, but I assume it kicks everything up a notch, as celebrity chef Emeril Lagasse would say. Loudness and audio quality aren’t the only things you have to consider when you’re looking at party speaker. You also have to think about rolling joints. Portability is friendability If there’s one thing that party speakers aren’t known for, it’s being easy to carry around. To get loud, they have to be big—that’s literally just how physics works. But how big is too big? It’s difficult to strike a balance between giving you enough oomph to really project into a party and enough portability so that you don’t feel like you need to rent an ATV just to drag the speaker down the beach. Having carried the speaker from my office to Washington Square Park, which is about 0.3 miles according to Google Maps, I can say for certain that the experience wasn’t so bad. © Raymond Wong / Gizmodo There’s a built-in handle, which helps, but to be honest, it does weigh 21.4 pounds, so putting all the weight on one hand is a bit much. If you’re moving the Soundboks Mix over longer distances, I would recommend either holding it to your chest like a baby or buying one of Soundboks’ first-party straps that can hook to the speaker, allowing you to sling it over your back. Soundboks didn’t send over a strap for me to try, so I went with the baby method, which was fine, if not ideal. Its portability also helped make me a friend, who asked me to play some music while he rolled joints. I don’t smoke weed because it makes me feel like the world is ending, but my new friend did offer to share, which was a nice gesture. His first sound request was Beyoncé’s “Me, Myself, and I,” which honestly sounded pretty good at full volume. The whole thing was kind of heart-warming, really. It’s how I imagine people felt about boomboxes back in the day, when portable ways to play weren’t easy to come by. And I assume the experience is a lot better than it used to be from a convenience standpoint—especially because of the battery. © Raymond Wong / Gizmodo One cool thing about the Soundboks Mix is that it has a removable battery that you can just pull out and top up with USB-C. That also means you can hot swap it if you really need a new battery ASAP, though you’ll have to buy an extra for 0. There’s also an app for convenience, but it’s pretty barebones. © Raymond Wong / Gizmodo I like that you can adjust volume from the Soundboks app as well as EQ—there are presets for indoor and outdoor as well as custom EQ if you’re feeling picky. I’ll be honest, I didn’t hear a huge difference between the outdoor and indoor EQs, but according to the bars, the outdoor EQ brings down the mids just a tad, letting bass and treble take the lead. There is, however, a way to get quick battery readings, which is just odd. Soundboks claims that the Mix gets 8 hours of battery at full volume, though it was hard to get a read since the only way to monitor battery life was to use one of the five circular light indicators on the battery itself. You have to press the button and then just go off those increments and vibes. It’s not ideal. I played the Soundboks Mix for an hour at 60% volume, and none of the five circles dropped out, so take that for what you will. © Raymond Wong / Gizmodo Outside of volume adjustment and EQ, you can also turn the Soundboks Mix off through the app and initiate the “TeamUp” feature to pair the Mix with other Soundboks speakers. It’s nice to be able to adjust the volume remotely, but to be honest, the built-in volume dial on the Soundboks mix feels so nice and premium (it’s metal and there’s plenty of resistance) that I didn’t want to adjust the volume any other way. Button-wise, there’s also a power button and a button for the TeamUp feature that allows you to pair speakers together. There’s also a “Bond” button that can cycle through modes when you’re using TeamUp and Bluetooth connections. Lastly, there’s a 3.5mm aux in if that’s your thing. The Soundboks Mix keeps things pretty simple design-wise, but one nice touch is the inclusion of rubber balls on the bottom of each corner, which makes setting it down feel safe and easy. You also won’t have to worry about the Soundboks Mix getting fried in the rain, either. The speaker is IP65-rated, meaning it’s resistant to dust and water, and if you get caught in the rain, you should be fine. Should you Mix it up? © Raymond Wong / Gizmodo Listen, 0 is a lot of money to spend on a speaker, even if it can get as loud as a chainsaw. This isn’t something that you’re going to want to use all the time, and it certainly isn’t the most versatile speaker in the world, but no party speaker really is. If you’re looking for something that gets loud, sounds good, and can be built out to get even louder and more obnoxious, the Soundboks Mix is not a bad pick. It helps that it’s still somewhat portable despite its loudness, too, so if you plan on hauling this to the beach or something, it’s not an insurmountable task. Party speakers aren’t for everyone, but if they’re for you, then the Mix might be a great way to make friends and maybe get a little high on someone else’s supply. #Soundoks #Mix #Review #LoudAss #Party #Speaker #Highaudio,Reviews,Wireless Speakers
© Raymond Wong / Gizmodo

To test out that volume, I went to Washington Square Park in Manhattan and let loose. The Soundboks Mix is indeed loud, folks. It didn’t quake the Earth upon which we walk or anything like that, but it’s got juice. I tested the party speaker at a range of volumes playing music across different genres—mostly rock, but some electronic music and soul—and the park got an earful. I can’t say for certain, but I’m pretty sure I chased off two guys hitting a volleyball around. You heard it here first: if you hate people playing volleyball, the Soundboks Mix is a repellent.

It’s hard to quantify volume into words, but if I were to try, I would say that the Soundboks Mix is loud enough for a graduation party or a medium-sized quinceañera. It’s not going to bring down the house like a full PA, but if you’re outside within a frisbee distance of the speaker, you’re going to hear it. I also tested the Soundboks Mix briefly at full volume in my office playing Creed’s “One Last Breath,” and it was loud enough to make me feel like we could get kicked out, both for the Creed and the volume.

Soundboks Mix Party Speaker Review
© Raymond Wong / Gizmodo

Maybe I’m masochistic, but I was actually expecting it to be a little louder—maybe I’m just old and have bad hearing, though. I guess it’s good that it isn’t. Permanent hearing loss isn’t high on my list of occupational hazards.

One thing you’ll be happy to know is that the Soundboks Mix isn’t just loud; it also manages to stave off distortion even at high volumes. Even at 11 out of 11, the Soundboks Mix sounded pretty clear, both from close up and from about 30 feet away. This isn’t the most impressive speaker I’ve heard in the sound department—you’re not getting Sonos outside—but for a party, where people need volume and not necessarily fidelity, it does the trick.

I played a few Steely Dan songs at 50% volume and was pleased with the soundstage. There’s a tasteful amount of low end that doesn’t drown out mids and highs. Vocals were clear, and I never felt like I was sorely lacking in any frequency range. Likewise, when I played songs like “Digital Love” by Daft Punk, the bass was present and tangible without overpowering, and auto-tuned vocals didn’t sound tinny or cheap. Using a party speaker outside isn’t the most high-fidelity way to listen to anything, but for what the experience is, I think the Soundboks Mix is pretty solid.

Soundboks Mix Party Speaker Review
© Raymond Wong / Gizmodo

If you absolutely need more volume and you have the budget, you can also couple the Soundboks Mix with another Soundboks speaker and use them in pairs in stereo mode. I was only sent one speaker for review, so I didn’t get a chance to test that feature out, but I assume it kicks everything up a notch, as celebrity chef Emeril Lagasse would say.

Loudness and audio quality aren’t the only things you have to consider when you’re looking at party speaker. You also have to think about rolling joints.

Portability is friendability

If there’s one thing that party speakers aren’t known for, it’s being easy to carry around. To get loud, they have to be big—that’s literally just how physics works. But how big is too big? It’s difficult to strike a balance between giving you enough oomph to really project into a party and enough portability so that you don’t feel like you need to rent an ATV just to drag the speaker down the beach. Having carried the speaker from my office to Washington Square Park, which is about 0.3 miles according to Google Maps, I can say for certain that the experience wasn’t so bad.

Soundboks Party SpSoundboks Mix Party Speaker Revieweaker Review 04
© Raymond Wong / Gizmodo

There’s a built-in handle, which helps, but to be honest, it does weigh 21.4 pounds, so putting all the weight on one hand is a bit much. If you’re moving the Soundboks Mix over longer distances, I would recommend either holding it to your chest like a baby or buying one of Soundboks’ first-party straps that can hook to the speaker, allowing you to sling it over your back. Soundboks didn’t send over a strap for me to try, so I went with the baby method, which was fine, if not ideal.

Its portability also helped make me a friend, who asked me to play some music while he rolled joints. I don’t smoke weed because it makes me feel like the world is ending, but my new friend did offer to share, which was a nice gesture. His first sound request was Beyoncé’s “Me, Myself, and I,” which honestly sounded pretty good at full volume.

The whole thing was kind of heart-warming, really. It’s how I imagine people felt about boomboxes back in the day, when portable ways to play weren’t easy to come by. And I assume the experience is a lot better than it used to be from a convenience standpoint—especially because of the battery.

Soundboks Mix Party Speaker Review
© Raymond Wong / Gizmodo

One cool thing about the Soundboks Mix is that it has a removable battery that you can just pull out and top up with USB-C. That also means you can hot swap it if you really need a new battery ASAP, though you’ll have to buy an extra for $150. There’s also an app for convenience, but it’s pretty barebones.

Soundboks Mix Party Speaker Review
© Raymond Wong / Gizmodo

I like that you can adjust volume from the Soundboks app as well as EQ—there are presets for indoor and outdoor as well as custom EQ if you’re feeling picky. I’ll be honest, I didn’t hear a huge difference between the outdoor and indoor EQs, but according to the bars, the outdoor EQ brings down the mids just a tad, letting bass and treble take the lead.

There is, however, a way to get quick battery readings, which is just odd. Soundboks claims that the Mix gets 8 hours of battery at full volume, though it was hard to get a read since the only way to monitor battery life was to use one of the five circular light indicators on the battery itself. You have to press the button and then just go off those increments and vibes. It’s not ideal. I played the Soundboks Mix for an hour at 60% volume, and none of the five circles dropped out, so take that for what you will.

Soundboks Mix Party Speaker Review
© Raymond Wong / Gizmodo

Outside of volume adjustment and EQ, you can also turn the Soundboks Mix off through the app and initiate the “TeamUp” feature to pair the Mix with other Soundboks speakers. It’s nice to be able to adjust the volume remotely, but to be honest, the built-in volume dial on the Soundboks mix feels so nice and premium (it’s metal and there’s plenty of resistance) that I didn’t want to adjust the volume any other way. Button-wise, there’s also a power button and a button for the TeamUp feature that allows you to pair speakers together. There’s also a “Bond” button that can cycle through modes when you’re using TeamUp and Bluetooth connections. Lastly, there’s a 3.5mm aux in if that’s your thing.

The Soundboks Mix keeps things pretty simple design-wise, but one nice touch is the inclusion of rubber balls on the bottom of each corner, which makes setting it down feel safe and easy. You also won’t have to worry about the Soundboks Mix getting fried in the rain, either. The speaker is IP65-rated, meaning it’s resistant to dust and water, and if you get caught in the rain, you should be fine.

Should you Mix it up?

Soundboks Mix Party Speaker Review
© Raymond Wong / Gizmodo

Listen, $800 is a lot of money to spend on a speaker, even if it can get as loud as a chainsaw. This isn’t something that you’re going to want to use all the time, and it certainly isn’t the most versatile speaker in the world, but no party speaker really is. If you’re looking for something that gets loud, sounds good, and can be built out to get even louder and more obnoxious, the Soundboks Mix is not a bad pick. It helps that it’s still somewhat portable despite its loudness, too, so if you plan on hauling this to the beach or something, it’s not an insurmountable task.

Party speakers aren’t for everyone, but if they’re for you, then the Mix might be a great way to make friends and maybe get a little high on someone else’s supply.

#Soundoks #Mix #Review #LoudAss #Party #Speaker #Highaudio,Reviews,Wireless Speakers">Soundoks Mix Review: This Loud-Ass Party Speaker Almost Got Me High AF Party speakers aren’t really my thing. It’s not that I don’t like to party—I do. Not in a “friends and family surprise you at your house for a serious talk” kind of way, but in a “mid-30s, I have sh*t to do in the morning” kind of way. Really, I just don’t like to annoy people more than I have to. New York City isn’t known for its serenity, but it takes a certain level of decorum to get along, and party speakers, with their inherent obnoxiousness, break a very tenuous code. They’re big (not great for small living spaces), loud (not great for proximate neighbors), and expensive (not great for paying rent on time). They’re, in many ways, antithetical to what most New Yorkers (and other urban-dwelling people) look for in personal audio. They’re also, as I learned in my experience using the 21-pound Soundboks Mix party speaker, actually a great way to make friends. Soundboks Mix The Soundboks Mix is a party speaker that’s loud and portable with decent sound. Loud! Still pretty portable despite its size Sound is pretty good Sound is good but not great No way to get battery readings from the app Underwhelming EQ options Party speakers are pricey and so is the Soundboks Mix This speaker goes to 11 Party speakers are first and foremost meant for parties, and the 0 Soundbox Mix is no different. Soundboks is known for its Bluetooth speakers and, in particular, for making ones that get ridiculously loud. In case you had any doubt about the loudness, the Soundboks Mix even has a volume dial on the side that goes to 11 instead of 10, Spinal Tap-style. © Raymond Wong / Gizmodo To test out that volume, I went to Washington Square Park in Manhattan and let loose. The Soundboks Mix is indeed loud, folks. It didn’t quake the Earth upon which we walk or anything like that, but it’s got juice. I tested the party speaker at a range of volumes playing music across different genres—mostly rock, but some electronic music and soul—and the park got an earful. I can’t say for certain, but I’m pretty sure I chased off two guys hitting a volleyball around. You heard it here first: if you hate people playing volleyball, the Soundboks Mix is a repellent. It’s hard to quantify volume into words, but if I were to try, I would say that the Soundboks Mix is loud enough for a graduation party or a medium-sized quinceañera. It’s not going to bring down the house like a full PA, but if you’re outside within a frisbee distance of the speaker, you’re going to hear it. I also tested the Soundboks Mix briefly at full volume in my office playing Creed’s “One Last Breath,” and it was loud enough to make me feel like we could get kicked out, both for the Creed and the volume. © Raymond Wong / Gizmodo Maybe I’m masochistic, but I was actually expecting it to be a little louder—maybe I’m just old and have bad hearing, though. I guess it’s good that it isn’t. Permanent hearing loss isn’t high on my list of occupational hazards. One thing you’ll be happy to know is that the Soundboks Mix isn’t just loud; it also manages to stave off distortion even at high volumes. Even at 11 out of 11, the Soundboks Mix sounded pretty clear, both from close up and from about 30 feet away. This isn’t the most impressive speaker I’ve heard in the sound department—you’re not getting Sonos outside—but for a party, where people need volume and not necessarily fidelity, it does the trick. I played a few Steely Dan songs at 50% volume and was pleased with the soundstage. There’s a tasteful amount of low end that doesn’t drown out mids and highs. Vocals were clear, and I never felt like I was sorely lacking in any frequency range. Likewise, when I played songs like “Digital Love” by Daft Punk, the bass was present and tangible without overpowering, and auto-tuned vocals didn’t sound tinny or cheap. Using a party speaker outside isn’t the most high-fidelity way to listen to anything, but for what the experience is, I think the Soundboks Mix is pretty solid. © Raymond Wong / Gizmodo If you absolutely need more volume and you have the budget, you can also couple the Soundboks Mix with another Soundboks speaker and use them in pairs in stereo mode. I was only sent one speaker for review, so I didn’t get a chance to test that feature out, but I assume it kicks everything up a notch, as celebrity chef Emeril Lagasse would say. Loudness and audio quality aren’t the only things you have to consider when you’re looking at party speaker. You also have to think about rolling joints. Portability is friendability If there’s one thing that party speakers aren’t known for, it’s being easy to carry around. To get loud, they have to be big—that’s literally just how physics works. But how big is too big? It’s difficult to strike a balance between giving you enough oomph to really project into a party and enough portability so that you don’t feel like you need to rent an ATV just to drag the speaker down the beach. Having carried the speaker from my office to Washington Square Park, which is about 0.3 miles according to Google Maps, I can say for certain that the experience wasn’t so bad. © Raymond Wong / Gizmodo There’s a built-in handle, which helps, but to be honest, it does weigh 21.4 pounds, so putting all the weight on one hand is a bit much. If you’re moving the Soundboks Mix over longer distances, I would recommend either holding it to your chest like a baby or buying one of Soundboks’ first-party straps that can hook to the speaker, allowing you to sling it over your back. Soundboks didn’t send over a strap for me to try, so I went with the baby method, which was fine, if not ideal. Its portability also helped make me a friend, who asked me to play some music while he rolled joints. I don’t smoke weed because it makes me feel like the world is ending, but my new friend did offer to share, which was a nice gesture. His first sound request was Beyoncé’s “Me, Myself, and I,” which honestly sounded pretty good at full volume. The whole thing was kind of heart-warming, really. It’s how I imagine people felt about boomboxes back in the day, when portable ways to play weren’t easy to come by. And I assume the experience is a lot better than it used to be from a convenience standpoint—especially because of the battery. © Raymond Wong / Gizmodo One cool thing about the Soundboks Mix is that it has a removable battery that you can just pull out and top up with USB-C. That also means you can hot swap it if you really need a new battery ASAP, though you’ll have to buy an extra for 0. There’s also an app for convenience, but it’s pretty barebones. © Raymond Wong / Gizmodo I like that you can adjust volume from the Soundboks app as well as EQ—there are presets for indoor and outdoor as well as custom EQ if you’re feeling picky. I’ll be honest, I didn’t hear a huge difference between the outdoor and indoor EQs, but according to the bars, the outdoor EQ brings down the mids just a tad, letting bass and treble take the lead. There is, however, a way to get quick battery readings, which is just odd. Soundboks claims that the Mix gets 8 hours of battery at full volume, though it was hard to get a read since the only way to monitor battery life was to use one of the five circular light indicators on the battery itself. You have to press the button and then just go off those increments and vibes. It’s not ideal. I played the Soundboks Mix for an hour at 60% volume, and none of the five circles dropped out, so take that for what you will. © Raymond Wong / Gizmodo Outside of volume adjustment and EQ, you can also turn the Soundboks Mix off through the app and initiate the “TeamUp” feature to pair the Mix with other Soundboks speakers. It’s nice to be able to adjust the volume remotely, but to be honest, the built-in volume dial on the Soundboks mix feels so nice and premium (it’s metal and there’s plenty of resistance) that I didn’t want to adjust the volume any other way. Button-wise, there’s also a power button and a button for the TeamUp feature that allows you to pair speakers together. There’s also a “Bond” button that can cycle through modes when you’re using TeamUp and Bluetooth connections. Lastly, there’s a 3.5mm aux in if that’s your thing. The Soundboks Mix keeps things pretty simple design-wise, but one nice touch is the inclusion of rubber balls on the bottom of each corner, which makes setting it down feel safe and easy. You also won’t have to worry about the Soundboks Mix getting fried in the rain, either. The speaker is IP65-rated, meaning it’s resistant to dust and water, and if you get caught in the rain, you should be fine. Should you Mix it up? © Raymond Wong / Gizmodo Listen, 0 is a lot of money to spend on a speaker, even if it can get as loud as a chainsaw. This isn’t something that you’re going to want to use all the time, and it certainly isn’t the most versatile speaker in the world, but no party speaker really is. If you’re looking for something that gets loud, sounds good, and can be built out to get even louder and more obnoxious, the Soundboks Mix is not a bad pick. It helps that it’s still somewhat portable despite its loudness, too, so if you plan on hauling this to the beach or something, it’s not an insurmountable task. Party speakers aren’t for everyone, but if they’re for you, then the Mix might be a great way to make friends and maybe get a little high on someone else’s supply. #Soundoks #Mix #Review #LoudAss #Party #Speaker #Highaudio,Reviews,Wireless Speakers

party speaker, actually a great way to make friends.

Soundboks Mix

The Soundboks Mix is a party speaker that’s loud and portable with decent sound.

  • Loud!
  • Still pretty portable despite its size
  • Sound is pretty good
  • Sound is good but not great
  • No way to get battery readings from the app
  • Underwhelming EQ options
  • Party speakers are pricey and so is the Soundboks Mix

This speaker goes to 11

Party speakers are first and foremost meant for parties, and the $800 Soundbox Mix is no different. Soundboks is known for its Bluetooth speakers and, in particular, for making ones that get ridiculously loud. In case you had any doubt about the loudness, the Soundboks Mix even has a volume dial on the side that goes to 11 instead of 10, Spinal Tap-style.

Soundoks Mix Review: This Loud-Ass Party Speaker Almost Got Me High AF Party speakers aren’t really my thing. It’s not that I don’t like to party—I do. Not in a “friends and family surprise you at your house for a serious talk” kind of way, but in a “mid-30s, I have sh*t to do in the morning” kind of way. Really, I just don’t like to annoy people more than I have to. New York City isn’t known for its serenity, but it takes a certain level of decorum to get along, and party speakers, with their inherent obnoxiousness, break a very tenuous code. They’re big (not great for small living spaces), loud (not great for proximate neighbors), and expensive (not great for paying rent on time). They’re, in many ways, antithetical to what most New Yorkers (and other urban-dwelling people) look for in personal audio. They’re also, as I learned in my experience using the 21-pound Soundboks Mix party speaker, actually a great way to make friends. Soundboks Mix The Soundboks Mix is a party speaker that’s loud and portable with decent sound. Loud! Still pretty portable despite its size Sound is pretty good Sound is good but not great No way to get battery readings from the app Underwhelming EQ options Party speakers are pricey and so is the Soundboks Mix This speaker goes to 11 Party speakers are first and foremost meant for parties, and the 0 Soundbox Mix is no different. Soundboks is known for its Bluetooth speakers and, in particular, for making ones that get ridiculously loud. In case you had any doubt about the loudness, the Soundboks Mix even has a volume dial on the side that goes to 11 instead of 10, Spinal Tap-style. © Raymond Wong / Gizmodo To test out that volume, I went to Washington Square Park in Manhattan and let loose. The Soundboks Mix is indeed loud, folks. It didn’t quake the Earth upon which we walk or anything like that, but it’s got juice. I tested the party speaker at a range of volumes playing music across different genres—mostly rock, but some electronic music and soul—and the park got an earful. I can’t say for certain, but I’m pretty sure I chased off two guys hitting a volleyball around. You heard it here first: if you hate people playing volleyball, the Soundboks Mix is a repellent. It’s hard to quantify volume into words, but if I were to try, I would say that the Soundboks Mix is loud enough for a graduation party or a medium-sized quinceañera. It’s not going to bring down the house like a full PA, but if you’re outside within a frisbee distance of the speaker, you’re going to hear it. I also tested the Soundboks Mix briefly at full volume in my office playing Creed’s “One Last Breath,” and it was loud enough to make me feel like we could get kicked out, both for the Creed and the volume. © Raymond Wong / Gizmodo Maybe I’m masochistic, but I was actually expecting it to be a little louder—maybe I’m just old and have bad hearing, though. I guess it’s good that it isn’t. Permanent hearing loss isn’t high on my list of occupational hazards. One thing you’ll be happy to know is that the Soundboks Mix isn’t just loud; it also manages to stave off distortion even at high volumes. Even at 11 out of 11, the Soundboks Mix sounded pretty clear, both from close up and from about 30 feet away. This isn’t the most impressive speaker I’ve heard in the sound department—you’re not getting Sonos outside—but for a party, where people need volume and not necessarily fidelity, it does the trick. I played a few Steely Dan songs at 50% volume and was pleased with the soundstage. There’s a tasteful amount of low end that doesn’t drown out mids and highs. Vocals were clear, and I never felt like I was sorely lacking in any frequency range. Likewise, when I played songs like “Digital Love” by Daft Punk, the bass was present and tangible without overpowering, and auto-tuned vocals didn’t sound tinny or cheap. Using a party speaker outside isn’t the most high-fidelity way to listen to anything, but for what the experience is, I think the Soundboks Mix is pretty solid. © Raymond Wong / Gizmodo If you absolutely need more volume and you have the budget, you can also couple the Soundboks Mix with another Soundboks speaker and use them in pairs in stereo mode. I was only sent one speaker for review, so I didn’t get a chance to test that feature out, but I assume it kicks everything up a notch, as celebrity chef Emeril Lagasse would say. Loudness and audio quality aren’t the only things you have to consider when you’re looking at party speaker. You also have to think about rolling joints. Portability is friendability If there’s one thing that party speakers aren’t known for, it’s being easy to carry around. To get loud, they have to be big—that’s literally just how physics works. But how big is too big? It’s difficult to strike a balance between giving you enough oomph to really project into a party and enough portability so that you don’t feel like you need to rent an ATV just to drag the speaker down the beach. Having carried the speaker from my office to Washington Square Park, which is about 0.3 miles according to Google Maps, I can say for certain that the experience wasn’t so bad. © Raymond Wong / Gizmodo There’s a built-in handle, which helps, but to be honest, it does weigh 21.4 pounds, so putting all the weight on one hand is a bit much. If you’re moving the Soundboks Mix over longer distances, I would recommend either holding it to your chest like a baby or buying one of Soundboks’ first-party straps that can hook to the speaker, allowing you to sling it over your back. Soundboks didn’t send over a strap for me to try, so I went with the baby method, which was fine, if not ideal. Its portability also helped make me a friend, who asked me to play some music while he rolled joints. I don’t smoke weed because it makes me feel like the world is ending, but my new friend did offer to share, which was a nice gesture. His first sound request was Beyoncé’s “Me, Myself, and I,” which honestly sounded pretty good at full volume. The whole thing was kind of heart-warming, really. It’s how I imagine people felt about boomboxes back in the day, when portable ways to play weren’t easy to come by. And I assume the experience is a lot better than it used to be from a convenience standpoint—especially because of the battery. © Raymond Wong / Gizmodo One cool thing about the Soundboks Mix is that it has a removable battery that you can just pull out and top up with USB-C. That also means you can hot swap it if you really need a new battery ASAP, though you’ll have to buy an extra for 0. There’s also an app for convenience, but it’s pretty barebones. © Raymond Wong / Gizmodo I like that you can adjust volume from the Soundboks app as well as EQ—there are presets for indoor and outdoor as well as custom EQ if you’re feeling picky. I’ll be honest, I didn’t hear a huge difference between the outdoor and indoor EQs, but according to the bars, the outdoor EQ brings down the mids just a tad, letting bass and treble take the lead. There is, however, a way to get quick battery readings, which is just odd. Soundboks claims that the Mix gets 8 hours of battery at full volume, though it was hard to get a read since the only way to monitor battery life was to use one of the five circular light indicators on the battery itself. You have to press the button and then just go off those increments and vibes. It’s not ideal. I played the Soundboks Mix for an hour at 60% volume, and none of the five circles dropped out, so take that for what you will. © Raymond Wong / Gizmodo Outside of volume adjustment and EQ, you can also turn the Soundboks Mix off through the app and initiate the “TeamUp” feature to pair the Mix with other Soundboks speakers. It’s nice to be able to adjust the volume remotely, but to be honest, the built-in volume dial on the Soundboks mix feels so nice and premium (it’s metal and there’s plenty of resistance) that I didn’t want to adjust the volume any other way. Button-wise, there’s also a power button and a button for the TeamUp feature that allows you to pair speakers together. There’s also a “Bond” button that can cycle through modes when you’re using TeamUp and Bluetooth connections. Lastly, there’s a 3.5mm aux in if that’s your thing. The Soundboks Mix keeps things pretty simple design-wise, but one nice touch is the inclusion of rubber balls on the bottom of each corner, which makes setting it down feel safe and easy. You also won’t have to worry about the Soundboks Mix getting fried in the rain, either. The speaker is IP65-rated, meaning it’s resistant to dust and water, and if you get caught in the rain, you should be fine. Should you Mix it up? © Raymond Wong / Gizmodo Listen, 0 is a lot of money to spend on a speaker, even if it can get as loud as a chainsaw. This isn’t something that you’re going to want to use all the time, and it certainly isn’t the most versatile speaker in the world, but no party speaker really is. If you’re looking for something that gets loud, sounds good, and can be built out to get even louder and more obnoxious, the Soundboks Mix is not a bad pick. It helps that it’s still somewhat portable despite its loudness, too, so if you plan on hauling this to the beach or something, it’s not an insurmountable task. Party speakers aren’t for everyone, but if they’re for you, then the Mix might be a great way to make friends and maybe get a little high on someone else’s supply. #Soundoks #Mix #Review #LoudAss #Party #Speaker #Highaudio,Reviews,Wireless Speakers
© Raymond Wong / Gizmodo

To test out that volume, I went to Washington Square Park in Manhattan and let loose. The Soundboks Mix is indeed loud, folks. It didn’t quake the Earth upon which we walk or anything like that, but it’s got juice. I tested the party speaker at a range of volumes playing music across different genres—mostly rock, but some electronic music and soul—and the park got an earful. I can’t say for certain, but I’m pretty sure I chased off two guys hitting a volleyball around. You heard it here first: if you hate people playing volleyball, the Soundboks Mix is a repellent.

It’s hard to quantify volume into words, but if I were to try, I would say that the Soundboks Mix is loud enough for a graduation party or a medium-sized quinceañera. It’s not going to bring down the house like a full PA, but if you’re outside within a frisbee distance of the speaker, you’re going to hear it. I also tested the Soundboks Mix briefly at full volume in my office playing Creed’s “One Last Breath,” and it was loud enough to make me feel like we could get kicked out, both for the Creed and the volume.

Soundboks Mix Party Speaker Review
© Raymond Wong / Gizmodo

Maybe I’m masochistic, but I was actually expecting it to be a little louder—maybe I’m just old and have bad hearing, though. I guess it’s good that it isn’t. Permanent hearing loss isn’t high on my list of occupational hazards.

One thing you’ll be happy to know is that the Soundboks Mix isn’t just loud; it also manages to stave off distortion even at high volumes. Even at 11 out of 11, the Soundboks Mix sounded pretty clear, both from close up and from about 30 feet away. This isn’t the most impressive speaker I’ve heard in the sound department—you’re not getting Sonos outside—but for a party, where people need volume and not necessarily fidelity, it does the trick.

I played a few Steely Dan songs at 50% volume and was pleased with the soundstage. There’s a tasteful amount of low end that doesn’t drown out mids and highs. Vocals were clear, and I never felt like I was sorely lacking in any frequency range. Likewise, when I played songs like “Digital Love” by Daft Punk, the bass was present and tangible without overpowering, and auto-tuned vocals didn’t sound tinny or cheap. Using a party speaker outside isn’t the most high-fidelity way to listen to anything, but for what the experience is, I think the Soundboks Mix is pretty solid.

Soundboks Mix Party Speaker Review
© Raymond Wong / Gizmodo

If you absolutely need more volume and you have the budget, you can also couple the Soundboks Mix with another Soundboks speaker and use them in pairs in stereo mode. I was only sent one speaker for review, so I didn’t get a chance to test that feature out, but I assume it kicks everything up a notch, as celebrity chef Emeril Lagasse would say.

Loudness and audio quality aren’t the only things you have to consider when you’re looking at party speaker. You also have to think about rolling joints.

Portability is friendability

If there’s one thing that party speakers aren’t known for, it’s being easy to carry around. To get loud, they have to be big—that’s literally just how physics works. But how big is too big? It’s difficult to strike a balance between giving you enough oomph to really project into a party and enough portability so that you don’t feel like you need to rent an ATV just to drag the speaker down the beach. Having carried the speaker from my office to Washington Square Park, which is about 0.3 miles according to Google Maps, I can say for certain that the experience wasn’t so bad.

Soundboks Party SpSoundboks Mix Party Speaker Revieweaker Review 04
© Raymond Wong / Gizmodo

There’s a built-in handle, which helps, but to be honest, it does weigh 21.4 pounds, so putting all the weight on one hand is a bit much. If you’re moving the Soundboks Mix over longer distances, I would recommend either holding it to your chest like a baby or buying one of Soundboks’ first-party straps that can hook to the speaker, allowing you to sling it over your back. Soundboks didn’t send over a strap for me to try, so I went with the baby method, which was fine, if not ideal.

Its portability also helped make me a friend, who asked me to play some music while he rolled joints. I don’t smoke weed because it makes me feel like the world is ending, but my new friend did offer to share, which was a nice gesture. His first sound request was Beyoncé’s “Me, Myself, and I,” which honestly sounded pretty good at full volume.

The whole thing was kind of heart-warming, really. It’s how I imagine people felt about boomboxes back in the day, when portable ways to play weren’t easy to come by. And I assume the experience is a lot better than it used to be from a convenience standpoint—especially because of the battery.

Soundboks Mix Party Speaker Review
© Raymond Wong / Gizmodo

One cool thing about the Soundboks Mix is that it has a removable battery that you can just pull out and top up with USB-C. That also means you can hot swap it if you really need a new battery ASAP, though you’ll have to buy an extra for $150. There’s also an app for convenience, but it’s pretty barebones.

Soundboks Mix Party Speaker Review
© Raymond Wong / Gizmodo

I like that you can adjust volume from the Soundboks app as well as EQ—there are presets for indoor and outdoor as well as custom EQ if you’re feeling picky. I’ll be honest, I didn’t hear a huge difference between the outdoor and indoor EQs, but according to the bars, the outdoor EQ brings down the mids just a tad, letting bass and treble take the lead.

There is, however, a way to get quick battery readings, which is just odd. Soundboks claims that the Mix gets 8 hours of battery at full volume, though it was hard to get a read since the only way to monitor battery life was to use one of the five circular light indicators on the battery itself. You have to press the button and then just go off those increments and vibes. It’s not ideal. I played the Soundboks Mix for an hour at 60% volume, and none of the five circles dropped out, so take that for what you will.

Soundboks Mix Party Speaker Review
© Raymond Wong / Gizmodo

Outside of volume adjustment and EQ, you can also turn the Soundboks Mix off through the app and initiate the “TeamUp” feature to pair the Mix with other Soundboks speakers. It’s nice to be able to adjust the volume remotely, but to be honest, the built-in volume dial on the Soundboks mix feels so nice and premium (it’s metal and there’s plenty of resistance) that I didn’t want to adjust the volume any other way. Button-wise, there’s also a power button and a button for the TeamUp feature that allows you to pair speakers together. There’s also a “Bond” button that can cycle through modes when you’re using TeamUp and Bluetooth connections. Lastly, there’s a 3.5mm aux in if that’s your thing.

The Soundboks Mix keeps things pretty simple design-wise, but one nice touch is the inclusion of rubber balls on the bottom of each corner, which makes setting it down feel safe and easy. You also won’t have to worry about the Soundboks Mix getting fried in the rain, either. The speaker is IP65-rated, meaning it’s resistant to dust and water, and if you get caught in the rain, you should be fine.

Should you Mix it up?

Soundboks Mix Party Speaker Review
© Raymond Wong / Gizmodo

Listen, $800 is a lot of money to spend on a speaker, even if it can get as loud as a chainsaw. This isn’t something that you’re going to want to use all the time, and it certainly isn’t the most versatile speaker in the world, but no party speaker really is. If you’re looking for something that gets loud, sounds good, and can be built out to get even louder and more obnoxious, the Soundboks Mix is not a bad pick. It helps that it’s still somewhat portable despite its loudness, too, so if you plan on hauling this to the beach or something, it’s not an insurmountable task.

Party speakers aren’t for everyone, but if they’re for you, then the Mix might be a great way to make friends and maybe get a little high on someone else’s supply.

#Soundoks #Mix #Review #LoudAss #Party #Speaker #Highaudio,Reviews,Wireless Speakers">Soundoks Mix Review: This Loud-Ass Party Speaker Almost Got Me High AF

Party speakers aren’t really my thing. It’s not that I don’t like to party—I do. Not in a “friends and family surprise you at your house for a serious talk” kind of way, but in a “mid-30s, I have sh*t to do in the morning” kind of way. Really, I just don’t like to annoy people more than I have to.

New York City isn’t known for its serenity, but it takes a certain level of decorum to get along, and party speakers, with their inherent obnoxiousness, break a very tenuous code. They’re big (not great for small living spaces), loud (not great for proximate neighbors), and expensive (not great for paying rent on time). They’re, in many ways, antithetical to what most New Yorkers (and other urban-dwelling people) look for in personal audio.

They’re also, as I learned in my experience using the 21-pound Soundboks Mix party speaker, actually a great way to make friends.

Soundboks Mix

The Soundboks Mix is a party speaker that’s loud and portable with decent sound.

  • Loud!
  • Still pretty portable despite its size
  • Sound is pretty good
  • Sound is good but not great
  • No way to get battery readings from the app
  • Underwhelming EQ options
  • Party speakers are pricey and so is the Soundboks Mix

This speaker goes to 11

Party speakers are first and foremost meant for parties, and the $800 Soundbox Mix is no different. Soundboks is known for its Bluetooth speakers and, in particular, for making ones that get ridiculously loud. In case you had any doubt about the loudness, the Soundboks Mix even has a volume dial on the side that goes to 11 instead of 10, Spinal Tap-style.

Soundoks Mix Review: This Loud-Ass Party Speaker Almost Got Me High AF Party speakers aren’t really my thing. It’s not that I don’t like to party—I do. Not in a “friends and family surprise you at your house for a serious talk” kind of way, but in a “mid-30s, I have sh*t to do in the morning” kind of way. Really, I just don’t like to annoy people more than I have to. New York City isn’t known for its serenity, but it takes a certain level of decorum to get along, and party speakers, with their inherent obnoxiousness, break a very tenuous code. They’re big (not great for small living spaces), loud (not great for proximate neighbors), and expensive (not great for paying rent on time). They’re, in many ways, antithetical to what most New Yorkers (and other urban-dwelling people) look for in personal audio. They’re also, as I learned in my experience using the 21-pound Soundboks Mix party speaker, actually a great way to make friends. Soundboks Mix The Soundboks Mix is a party speaker that’s loud and portable with decent sound. Loud! Still pretty portable despite its size Sound is pretty good Sound is good but not great No way to get battery readings from the app Underwhelming EQ options Party speakers are pricey and so is the Soundboks Mix This speaker goes to 11 Party speakers are first and foremost meant for parties, and the 0 Soundbox Mix is no different. Soundboks is known for its Bluetooth speakers and, in particular, for making ones that get ridiculously loud. In case you had any doubt about the loudness, the Soundboks Mix even has a volume dial on the side that goes to 11 instead of 10, Spinal Tap-style. © Raymond Wong / Gizmodo To test out that volume, I went to Washington Square Park in Manhattan and let loose. The Soundboks Mix is indeed loud, folks. It didn’t quake the Earth upon which we walk or anything like that, but it’s got juice. I tested the party speaker at a range of volumes playing music across different genres—mostly rock, but some electronic music and soul—and the park got an earful. I can’t say for certain, but I’m pretty sure I chased off two guys hitting a volleyball around. You heard it here first: if you hate people playing volleyball, the Soundboks Mix is a repellent. It’s hard to quantify volume into words, but if I were to try, I would say that the Soundboks Mix is loud enough for a graduation party or a medium-sized quinceañera. It’s not going to bring down the house like a full PA, but if you’re outside within a frisbee distance of the speaker, you’re going to hear it. I also tested the Soundboks Mix briefly at full volume in my office playing Creed’s “One Last Breath,” and it was loud enough to make me feel like we could get kicked out, both for the Creed and the volume. © Raymond Wong / Gizmodo Maybe I’m masochistic, but I was actually expecting it to be a little louder—maybe I’m just old and have bad hearing, though. I guess it’s good that it isn’t. Permanent hearing loss isn’t high on my list of occupational hazards. One thing you’ll be happy to know is that the Soundboks Mix isn’t just loud; it also manages to stave off distortion even at high volumes. Even at 11 out of 11, the Soundboks Mix sounded pretty clear, both from close up and from about 30 feet away. This isn’t the most impressive speaker I’ve heard in the sound department—you’re not getting Sonos outside—but for a party, where people need volume and not necessarily fidelity, it does the trick. I played a few Steely Dan songs at 50% volume and was pleased with the soundstage. There’s a tasteful amount of low end that doesn’t drown out mids and highs. Vocals were clear, and I never felt like I was sorely lacking in any frequency range. Likewise, when I played songs like “Digital Love” by Daft Punk, the bass was present and tangible without overpowering, and auto-tuned vocals didn’t sound tinny or cheap. Using a party speaker outside isn’t the most high-fidelity way to listen to anything, but for what the experience is, I think the Soundboks Mix is pretty solid. © Raymond Wong / Gizmodo If you absolutely need more volume and you have the budget, you can also couple the Soundboks Mix with another Soundboks speaker and use them in pairs in stereo mode. I was only sent one speaker for review, so I didn’t get a chance to test that feature out, but I assume it kicks everything up a notch, as celebrity chef Emeril Lagasse would say. Loudness and audio quality aren’t the only things you have to consider when you’re looking at party speaker. You also have to think about rolling joints. Portability is friendability If there’s one thing that party speakers aren’t known for, it’s being easy to carry around. To get loud, they have to be big—that’s literally just how physics works. But how big is too big? It’s difficult to strike a balance between giving you enough oomph to really project into a party and enough portability so that you don’t feel like you need to rent an ATV just to drag the speaker down the beach. Having carried the speaker from my office to Washington Square Park, which is about 0.3 miles according to Google Maps, I can say for certain that the experience wasn’t so bad. © Raymond Wong / Gizmodo There’s a built-in handle, which helps, but to be honest, it does weigh 21.4 pounds, so putting all the weight on one hand is a bit much. If you’re moving the Soundboks Mix over longer distances, I would recommend either holding it to your chest like a baby or buying one of Soundboks’ first-party straps that can hook to the speaker, allowing you to sling it over your back. Soundboks didn’t send over a strap for me to try, so I went with the baby method, which was fine, if not ideal. Its portability also helped make me a friend, who asked me to play some music while he rolled joints. I don’t smoke weed because it makes me feel like the world is ending, but my new friend did offer to share, which was a nice gesture. His first sound request was Beyoncé’s “Me, Myself, and I,” which honestly sounded pretty good at full volume. The whole thing was kind of heart-warming, really. It’s how I imagine people felt about boomboxes back in the day, when portable ways to play weren’t easy to come by. And I assume the experience is a lot better than it used to be from a convenience standpoint—especially because of the battery. © Raymond Wong / Gizmodo One cool thing about the Soundboks Mix is that it has a removable battery that you can just pull out and top up with USB-C. That also means you can hot swap it if you really need a new battery ASAP, though you’ll have to buy an extra for 0. There’s also an app for convenience, but it’s pretty barebones. © Raymond Wong / Gizmodo I like that you can adjust volume from the Soundboks app as well as EQ—there are presets for indoor and outdoor as well as custom EQ if you’re feeling picky. I’ll be honest, I didn’t hear a huge difference between the outdoor and indoor EQs, but according to the bars, the outdoor EQ brings down the mids just a tad, letting bass and treble take the lead. There is, however, a way to get quick battery readings, which is just odd. Soundboks claims that the Mix gets 8 hours of battery at full volume, though it was hard to get a read since the only way to monitor battery life was to use one of the five circular light indicators on the battery itself. You have to press the button and then just go off those increments and vibes. It’s not ideal. I played the Soundboks Mix for an hour at 60% volume, and none of the five circles dropped out, so take that for what you will. © Raymond Wong / Gizmodo Outside of volume adjustment and EQ, you can also turn the Soundboks Mix off through the app and initiate the “TeamUp” feature to pair the Mix with other Soundboks speakers. It’s nice to be able to adjust the volume remotely, but to be honest, the built-in volume dial on the Soundboks mix feels so nice and premium (it’s metal and there’s plenty of resistance) that I didn’t want to adjust the volume any other way. Button-wise, there’s also a power button and a button for the TeamUp feature that allows you to pair speakers together. There’s also a “Bond” button that can cycle through modes when you’re using TeamUp and Bluetooth connections. Lastly, there’s a 3.5mm aux in if that’s your thing. The Soundboks Mix keeps things pretty simple design-wise, but one nice touch is the inclusion of rubber balls on the bottom of each corner, which makes setting it down feel safe and easy. You also won’t have to worry about the Soundboks Mix getting fried in the rain, either. The speaker is IP65-rated, meaning it’s resistant to dust and water, and if you get caught in the rain, you should be fine. Should you Mix it up? © Raymond Wong / Gizmodo Listen, 0 is a lot of money to spend on a speaker, even if it can get as loud as a chainsaw. This isn’t something that you’re going to want to use all the time, and it certainly isn’t the most versatile speaker in the world, but no party speaker really is. If you’re looking for something that gets loud, sounds good, and can be built out to get even louder and more obnoxious, the Soundboks Mix is not a bad pick. It helps that it’s still somewhat portable despite its loudness, too, so if you plan on hauling this to the beach or something, it’s not an insurmountable task. Party speakers aren’t for everyone, but if they’re for you, then the Mix might be a great way to make friends and maybe get a little high on someone else’s supply. #Soundoks #Mix #Review #LoudAss #Party #Speaker #Highaudio,Reviews,Wireless Speakers
© Raymond Wong / Gizmodo

To test out that volume, I went to Washington Square Park in Manhattan and let loose. The Soundboks Mix is indeed loud, folks. It didn’t quake the Earth upon which we walk or anything like that, but it’s got juice. I tested the party speaker at a range of volumes playing music across different genres—mostly rock, but some electronic music and soul—and the park got an earful. I can’t say for certain, but I’m pretty sure I chased off two guys hitting a volleyball around. You heard it here first: if you hate people playing volleyball, the Soundboks Mix is a repellent.

It’s hard to quantify volume into words, but if I were to try, I would say that the Soundboks Mix is loud enough for a graduation party or a medium-sized quinceañera. It’s not going to bring down the house like a full PA, but if you’re outside within a frisbee distance of the speaker, you’re going to hear it. I also tested the Soundboks Mix briefly at full volume in my office playing Creed’s “One Last Breath,” and it was loud enough to make me feel like we could get kicked out, both for the Creed and the volume.

Soundboks Mix Party Speaker Review
© Raymond Wong / Gizmodo

Maybe I’m masochistic, but I was actually expecting it to be a little louder—maybe I’m just old and have bad hearing, though. I guess it’s good that it isn’t. Permanent hearing loss isn’t high on my list of occupational hazards.

One thing you’ll be happy to know is that the Soundboks Mix isn’t just loud; it also manages to stave off distortion even at high volumes. Even at 11 out of 11, the Soundboks Mix sounded pretty clear, both from close up and from about 30 feet away. This isn’t the most impressive speaker I’ve heard in the sound department—you’re not getting Sonos outside—but for a party, where people need volume and not necessarily fidelity, it does the trick.

I played a few Steely Dan songs at 50% volume and was pleased with the soundstage. There’s a tasteful amount of low end that doesn’t drown out mids and highs. Vocals were clear, and I never felt like I was sorely lacking in any frequency range. Likewise, when I played songs like “Digital Love” by Daft Punk, the bass was present and tangible without overpowering, and auto-tuned vocals didn’t sound tinny or cheap. Using a party speaker outside isn’t the most high-fidelity way to listen to anything, but for what the experience is, I think the Soundboks Mix is pretty solid.

Soundboks Mix Party Speaker Review
© Raymond Wong / Gizmodo

If you absolutely need more volume and you have the budget, you can also couple the Soundboks Mix with another Soundboks speaker and use them in pairs in stereo mode. I was only sent one speaker for review, so I didn’t get a chance to test that feature out, but I assume it kicks everything up a notch, as celebrity chef Emeril Lagasse would say.

Loudness and audio quality aren’t the only things you have to consider when you’re looking at party speaker. You also have to think about rolling joints.

Portability is friendability

If there’s one thing that party speakers aren’t known for, it’s being easy to carry around. To get loud, they have to be big—that’s literally just how physics works. But how big is too big? It’s difficult to strike a balance between giving you enough oomph to really project into a party and enough portability so that you don’t feel like you need to rent an ATV just to drag the speaker down the beach. Having carried the speaker from my office to Washington Square Park, which is about 0.3 miles according to Google Maps, I can say for certain that the experience wasn’t so bad.

Soundboks Party SpSoundboks Mix Party Speaker Revieweaker Review 04
© Raymond Wong / Gizmodo

There’s a built-in handle, which helps, but to be honest, it does weigh 21.4 pounds, so putting all the weight on one hand is a bit much. If you’re moving the Soundboks Mix over longer distances, I would recommend either holding it to your chest like a baby or buying one of Soundboks’ first-party straps that can hook to the speaker, allowing you to sling it over your back. Soundboks didn’t send over a strap for me to try, so I went with the baby method, which was fine, if not ideal.

Its portability also helped make me a friend, who asked me to play some music while he rolled joints. I don’t smoke weed because it makes me feel like the world is ending, but my new friend did offer to share, which was a nice gesture. His first sound request was Beyoncé’s “Me, Myself, and I,” which honestly sounded pretty good at full volume.

The whole thing was kind of heart-warming, really. It’s how I imagine people felt about boomboxes back in the day, when portable ways to play weren’t easy to come by. And I assume the experience is a lot better than it used to be from a convenience standpoint—especially because of the battery.

Soundboks Mix Party Speaker Review
© Raymond Wong / Gizmodo

One cool thing about the Soundboks Mix is that it has a removable battery that you can just pull out and top up with USB-C. That also means you can hot swap it if you really need a new battery ASAP, though you’ll have to buy an extra for $150. There’s also an app for convenience, but it’s pretty barebones.

Soundboks Mix Party Speaker Review
© Raymond Wong / Gizmodo

I like that you can adjust volume from the Soundboks app as well as EQ—there are presets for indoor and outdoor as well as custom EQ if you’re feeling picky. I’ll be honest, I didn’t hear a huge difference between the outdoor and indoor EQs, but according to the bars, the outdoor EQ brings down the mids just a tad, letting bass and treble take the lead.

There is, however, a way to get quick battery readings, which is just odd. Soundboks claims that the Mix gets 8 hours of battery at full volume, though it was hard to get a read since the only way to monitor battery life was to use one of the five circular light indicators on the battery itself. You have to press the button and then just go off those increments and vibes. It’s not ideal. I played the Soundboks Mix for an hour at 60% volume, and none of the five circles dropped out, so take that for what you will.

Soundboks Mix Party Speaker Review
© Raymond Wong / Gizmodo

Outside of volume adjustment and EQ, you can also turn the Soundboks Mix off through the app and initiate the “TeamUp” feature to pair the Mix with other Soundboks speakers. It’s nice to be able to adjust the volume remotely, but to be honest, the built-in volume dial on the Soundboks mix feels so nice and premium (it’s metal and there’s plenty of resistance) that I didn’t want to adjust the volume any other way. Button-wise, there’s also a power button and a button for the TeamUp feature that allows you to pair speakers together. There’s also a “Bond” button that can cycle through modes when you’re using TeamUp and Bluetooth connections. Lastly, there’s a 3.5mm aux in if that’s your thing.

The Soundboks Mix keeps things pretty simple design-wise, but one nice touch is the inclusion of rubber balls on the bottom of each corner, which makes setting it down feel safe and easy. You also won’t have to worry about the Soundboks Mix getting fried in the rain, either. The speaker is IP65-rated, meaning it’s resistant to dust and water, and if you get caught in the rain, you should be fine.

Should you Mix it up?

Soundboks Mix Party Speaker Review
© Raymond Wong / Gizmodo

Listen, $800 is a lot of money to spend on a speaker, even if it can get as loud as a chainsaw. This isn’t something that you’re going to want to use all the time, and it certainly isn’t the most versatile speaker in the world, but no party speaker really is. If you’re looking for something that gets loud, sounds good, and can be built out to get even louder and more obnoxious, the Soundboks Mix is not a bad pick. It helps that it’s still somewhat portable despite its loudness, too, so if you plan on hauling this to the beach or something, it’s not an insurmountable task.

Party speakers aren’t for everyone, but if they’re for you, then the Mix might be a great way to make friends and maybe get a little high on someone else’s supply.

#Soundoks #Mix #Review #LoudAss #Party #Speaker #Highaudio,Reviews,Wireless Speakers
Lego-style propaganda videos alleging war crimes are flooding online feeds, echoing the White House’s own turn toward cryptic teaser clips and meme-native visuals. This is not just content drift. It is a new front in the information war, one where speed, ambiguity, and algorithmic reach matter as much as accuracy.

One Iran-linked outlet, Explosive News, can reportedly turn around a two-minute synthetic Lego segment in about 24 hours. The speed is the point. Synthetic media does not need to hold up forever; it only needs to travel before verification catches up.

Last month, the White House added to that confusion when it posted two vague “launching soon” videos, then removed them after online investigators and open source researchers began dissecting them.

The reveal turned out to be anticlimactic: a promotional push for the official White House app. But the episode demonstrated how thoroughly official communication has absorbed the aesthetics of leaks, virality, and platform-native intrigue. Even when official accounts adopt the aesthetics of a leak, questioning whether a record is real or synthetic is the only defensive move left.

Real vs. Synthetic: The New Friction

A zero digital footprint used to signal authenticity. Now, it can signal the opposite. The absence of a trail no longer means something is original—it may mean it was never captured by a lens at all. The signal has inverted. Truth lags; engagement leads.

Automated traffic now commands an estimated 51 percent of internet activity, scaling eight times faster than human traffic according to the 2026 State of AI Traffic & Cyberthreat Benchmark Report. These systems don’t just distribute content, they prioritize low-quality virality, ensuring the synthetic record travels while verification is still catching up.

Open source investigators are still holding the line, but they are fighting a volume war. The rise of hyperactive “super sharers,” often backed by paid verification, adds a layer of false authority that traditional open source intelligence (OSINT) now has to navigate.

“We’re perpetually catching up to someone pressing repost without a second thought,” says Maryam Ishani, an OSINT journalist covering the conflict. “The algorithm prioritizes that reflex, and our information is always going to be one step behind.”

At the same time, the surge of war-monitoring accounts is beginning to interfere with reporting itself. Manisha Ganguly, visual forensics lead at The Guardian and an OSINT specialist investigating war crimes, points to the false certainty created by the flood of aggregated content on Telegram and X.

“Open source verification starts to create false certainty when it stops being a method of inquiry—through confirmation bias, or when OSINT is used to cosmetically validate official accounts or knowingly misapplied to align with ideological narratives rather than interrogate them,” Ganguly says.

While this plays out, the verification toolkit itself is becoming harder to access. On April 4, Planet Labs—one of the most relied-upon commercial satellite providers for conflict journalism—announced it would indefinitely withhold imagery of Iran and the broader Middle East conflict zone, retroactive to March 9, following a request from the US government.

The response from US defense secretary Pete Hegseth to concerns about the delay was unambiguous: “Open source is not the place to determine what did or did not happen.”

That shift matters. When access to primary visual evidence is restricted, the ability to independently verify events narrows. And in that narrowing gap, something else expands: Generative AI doesn’t just fill the silence—it competes to define what’s seen in the first place.

Generative AI Is Getting Harder to Spot

Generative AI platforms have been learning from their mistakes. Henk van Ess, an investigative trainer and verification specialist, says many of the classic tells—incorrect finger counts, garbled protest signs, distorted text—have largely been fixed in the latest generation of models. Tools like Imagen 3, Midjourney, and Dall·E have improved in prompt understanding, photorealism, and text-in-image rendering.

But the harder problem is what van Ess calls the hybrid.

#Internet #Broke #Everyones #Bullshit #Detectorspropaganda,artificial intelligence,open source,satellite images,iran,war,politics">How the Internet Broke Everyone’s Bullshit DetectorsLego-style propaganda videos alleging war crimes are flooding online feeds, echoing the White House’s own turn toward cryptic teaser clips and meme-native visuals. This is not just content drift. It is a new front in the information war, one where speed, ambiguity, and algorithmic reach matter as much as accuracy.One Iran-linked outlet, Explosive News, can reportedly turn around a two-minute synthetic Lego segment in about 24 hours. The speed is the point. Synthetic media does not need to hold up forever; it only needs to travel before verification catches up.Last month, the White House added to that confusion when it posted two vague “launching soon” videos, then removed them after online investigators and open source researchers began dissecting them.The reveal turned out to be anticlimactic: a promotional push for the official White House app. But the episode demonstrated how thoroughly official communication has absorbed the aesthetics of leaks, virality, and platform-native intrigue. Even when official accounts adopt the aesthetics of a leak, questioning whether a record is real or synthetic is the only defensive move left.Real vs. Synthetic: The New FrictionA zero digital footprint used to signal authenticity. Now, it can signal the opposite. The absence of a trail no longer means something is original—it may mean it was never captured by a lens at all. The signal has inverted. Truth lags; engagement leads.Automated traffic now commands an estimated 51 percent of internet activity, scaling eight times faster than human traffic according to the 2026 State of AI Traffic & Cyberthreat Benchmark Report. These systems don’t just distribute content, they prioritize low-quality virality, ensuring the synthetic record travels while verification is still catching up.Open source investigators are still holding the line, but they are fighting a volume war. The rise of hyperactive “super sharers,” often backed by paid verification, adds a layer of false authority that traditional open source intelligence (OSINT) now has to navigate.“We’re perpetually catching up to someone pressing repost without a second thought,” says Maryam Ishani, an OSINT journalist covering the conflict. “The algorithm prioritizes that reflex, and our information is always going to be one step behind.”At the same time, the surge of war-monitoring accounts is beginning to interfere with reporting itself. Manisha Ganguly, visual forensics lead at The Guardian and an OSINT specialist investigating war crimes, points to the false certainty created by the flood of aggregated content on Telegram and X.“Open source verification starts to create false certainty when it stops being a method of inquiry—through confirmation bias, or when OSINT is used to cosmetically validate official accounts or knowingly misapplied to align with ideological narratives rather than interrogate them,” Ganguly says.While this plays out, the verification toolkit itself is becoming harder to access. On April 4, Planet Labs—one of the most relied-upon commercial satellite providers for conflict journalism—announced it would indefinitely withhold imagery of Iran and the broader Middle East conflict zone, retroactive to March 9, following a request from the US government.The response from US defense secretary Pete Hegseth to concerns about the delay was unambiguous: “Open source is not the place to determine what did or did not happen.”That shift matters. When access to primary visual evidence is restricted, the ability to independently verify events narrows. And in that narrowing gap, something else expands: Generative AI doesn’t just fill the silence—it competes to define what’s seen in the first place.Generative AI Is Getting Harder to SpotGenerative AI platforms have been learning from their mistakes. Henk van Ess, an investigative trainer and verification specialist, says many of the classic tells—incorrect finger counts, garbled protest signs, distorted text—have largely been fixed in the latest generation of models. Tools like Imagen 3, Midjourney, and Dall·E have improved in prompt understanding, photorealism, and text-in-image rendering.But the harder problem is what van Ess calls the hybrid.#Internet #Broke #Everyones #Bullshit #Detectorspropaganda,artificial intelligence,open source,satellite images,iran,war,politics

flooding online feeds, echoing the White House’s own turn toward cryptic teaser clips and meme-native visuals. This is not just content drift. It is a new front in the information war, one where speed, ambiguity, and algorithmic reach matter as much as accuracy.

One Iran-linked outlet, Explosive News, can reportedly turn around a two-minute synthetic Lego segment in about 24 hours. The speed is the point. Synthetic media does not need to hold up forever; it only needs to travel before verification catches up.

Last month, the White House added to that confusion when it posted two vague “launching soon” videos, then removed them after online investigators and open source researchers began dissecting them.

The reveal turned out to be anticlimactic: a promotional push for the official White House app. But the episode demonstrated how thoroughly official communication has absorbed the aesthetics of leaks, virality, and platform-native intrigue. Even when official accounts adopt the aesthetics of a leak, questioning whether a record is real or synthetic is the only defensive move left.

Real vs. Synthetic: The New Friction

A zero digital footprint used to signal authenticity. Now, it can signal the opposite. The absence of a trail no longer means something is original—it may mean it was never captured by a lens at all. The signal has inverted. Truth lags; engagement leads.

Automated traffic now commands an estimated 51 percent of internet activity, scaling eight times faster than human traffic according to the 2026 State of AI Traffic & Cyberthreat Benchmark Report. These systems don’t just distribute content, they prioritize low-quality virality, ensuring the synthetic record travels while verification is still catching up.

Open source investigators are still holding the line, but they are fighting a volume war. The rise of hyperactive “super sharers,” often backed by paid verification, adds a layer of false authority that traditional open source intelligence (OSINT) now has to navigate.

“We’re perpetually catching up to someone pressing repost without a second thought,” says Maryam Ishani, an OSINT journalist covering the conflict. “The algorithm prioritizes that reflex, and our information is always going to be one step behind.”

At the same time, the surge of war-monitoring accounts is beginning to interfere with reporting itself. Manisha Ganguly, visual forensics lead at The Guardian and an OSINT specialist investigating war crimes, points to the false certainty created by the flood of aggregated content on Telegram and X.

“Open source verification starts to create false certainty when it stops being a method of inquiry—through confirmation bias, or when OSINT is used to cosmetically validate official accounts or knowingly misapplied to align with ideological narratives rather than interrogate them,” Ganguly says.

While this plays out, the verification toolkit itself is becoming harder to access. On April 4, Planet Labs—one of the most relied-upon commercial satellite providers for conflict journalism—announced it would indefinitely withhold imagery of Iran and the broader Middle East conflict zone, retroactive to March 9, following a request from the US government.

The response from US defense secretary Pete Hegseth to concerns about the delay was unambiguous: “Open source is not the place to determine what did or did not happen.”

That shift matters. When access to primary visual evidence is restricted, the ability to independently verify events narrows. And in that narrowing gap, something else expands: Generative AI doesn’t just fill the silence—it competes to define what’s seen in the first place.

Generative AI Is Getting Harder to Spot

Generative AI platforms have been learning from their mistakes. Henk van Ess, an investigative trainer and verification specialist, says many of the classic tells—incorrect finger counts, garbled protest signs, distorted text—have largely been fixed in the latest generation of models. Tools like Imagen 3, Midjourney, and Dall·E have improved in prompt understanding, photorealism, and text-in-image rendering.

But the harder problem is what van Ess calls the hybrid.

#Internet #Broke #Everyones #Bullshit #Detectorspropaganda,artificial intelligence,open source,satellite images,iran,war,politics">How the Internet Broke Everyone’s Bullshit Detectors

Lego-style propaganda videos alleging war crimes are flooding online feeds, echoing the White House’s own turn toward cryptic teaser clips and meme-native visuals. This is not just content drift. It is a new front in the information war, one where speed, ambiguity, and algorithmic reach matter as much as accuracy.

One Iran-linked outlet, Explosive News, can reportedly turn around a two-minute synthetic Lego segment in about 24 hours. The speed is the point. Synthetic media does not need to hold up forever; it only needs to travel before verification catches up.

Last month, the White House added to that confusion when it posted two vague “launching soon” videos, then removed them after online investigators and open source researchers began dissecting them.

The reveal turned out to be anticlimactic: a promotional push for the official White House app. But the episode demonstrated how thoroughly official communication has absorbed the aesthetics of leaks, virality, and platform-native intrigue. Even when official accounts adopt the aesthetics of a leak, questioning whether a record is real or synthetic is the only defensive move left.

Real vs. Synthetic: The New Friction

A zero digital footprint used to signal authenticity. Now, it can signal the opposite. The absence of a trail no longer means something is original—it may mean it was never captured by a lens at all. The signal has inverted. Truth lags; engagement leads.

Automated traffic now commands an estimated 51 percent of internet activity, scaling eight times faster than human traffic according to the 2026 State of AI Traffic & Cyberthreat Benchmark Report. These systems don’t just distribute content, they prioritize low-quality virality, ensuring the synthetic record travels while verification is still catching up.

Open source investigators are still holding the line, but they are fighting a volume war. The rise of hyperactive “super sharers,” often backed by paid verification, adds a layer of false authority that traditional open source intelligence (OSINT) now has to navigate.

“We’re perpetually catching up to someone pressing repost without a second thought,” says Maryam Ishani, an OSINT journalist covering the conflict. “The algorithm prioritizes that reflex, and our information is always going to be one step behind.”

At the same time, the surge of war-monitoring accounts is beginning to interfere with reporting itself. Manisha Ganguly, visual forensics lead at The Guardian and an OSINT specialist investigating war crimes, points to the false certainty created by the flood of aggregated content on Telegram and X.

“Open source verification starts to create false certainty when it stops being a method of inquiry—through confirmation bias, or when OSINT is used to cosmetically validate official accounts or knowingly misapplied to align with ideological narratives rather than interrogate them,” Ganguly says.

While this plays out, the verification toolkit itself is becoming harder to access. On April 4, Planet Labs—one of the most relied-upon commercial satellite providers for conflict journalism—announced it would indefinitely withhold imagery of Iran and the broader Middle East conflict zone, retroactive to March 9, following a request from the US government.

The response from US defense secretary Pete Hegseth to concerns about the delay was unambiguous: “Open source is not the place to determine what did or did not happen.”

That shift matters. When access to primary visual evidence is restricted, the ability to independently verify events narrows. And in that narrowing gap, something else expands: Generative AI doesn’t just fill the silence—it competes to define what’s seen in the first place.

Generative AI Is Getting Harder to Spot

Generative AI platforms have been learning from their mistakes. Henk van Ess, an investigative trainer and verification specialist, says many of the classic tells—incorrect finger counts, garbled protest signs, distorted text—have largely been fixed in the latest generation of models. Tools like Imagen 3, Midjourney, and Dall·E have improved in prompt understanding, photorealism, and text-in-image rendering.

But the harder problem is what van Ess calls the hybrid.

#Internet #Broke #Everyones #Bullshit #Detectorspropaganda,artificial intelligence,open source,satellite images,iran,war,politics

Today’s Connections: Sports Edition is tricky! There are some red herrings you’ll have to avoid.

As we’ve shared in previous hints stories, this is a version of the popular New York Times word game that seeks to test the knowledge of sports fans.

Like the original Connections, the game is all about finding the “common threads between words.” And just like Wordle, Connections resets after midnight and each new set of words gets trickier and trickier — so we’ve served up some hints and tips to get you over the hurdle.

If you just want to be told today’s puzzle, you can jump to the end of this article for the latest Connections solution. But if you’d rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable

What is Connections: Sports Edition?

The NYT‘s latest daily word game has launched in association with The Athletic, the New York Times property that provides the publication’s sports coverage. Connections can be played on both web browsers and mobile devices and require players to group four words that share something in common.

Each puzzle features 16 words, and each grouping of words is split into four categories. These sets could comprise anything from book titles, software, country names, etc. Even though multiple words will seem like they fit together, there’s only one correct answer.

If a player gets all four words in a set correct, those words are removed from the board. Guess wrong and it counts as a mistake — players get up to four mistakes before the game ends.

Players can also rearrange and shuffle the board to make spotting connections easier. Additionally, each group is color-coded with yellow being the easiest, followed by green, blue, and purple. Like Wordle, you can share the results with your friends on social media.

SEE ALSO: Wordle-obsessed? These are the best word games to play IRL.

Here’s a hint for today’s Connections: Sports Edition categories

Want a hint about the categories without being told the categories? Then give these a try:

Here are today’s Connections: Sports Edition categories

Need a little extra help? Today’s connections fall into the following categories:

  • Yellow: MLB Teams, Colloquially

  • Green: UCLA

  • Blue: Can Follow Minnesota

  • Purple: Starts With Part of the Body

Looking for Wordle today? Here’s the answer to today’s Wordle.

Ready for the answers? This is your last chance to turn back and solve today’s puzzle before we reveal the solutions.

Drumroll, please!

The solution to today’s Connections: Sports Edition #565 is…

What is the answer to Connections: Sports Edition today?

  • MLB Teams, Colloquially — D-BACKS, JAYS, PHILS, SOX

  • UCLA — ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, LOS, UNIVERSITY

  • Can Follow Minnesota — LYNX, UNITED, VIKINGS, WILD

  • Starts With Part of the Body — ARMY, EARTHQUAKES, LEGACY, LIVERPOOL

Don’t feel down if you didn’t manage to guess it this time. There will be new sports Connections for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we’ll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.

Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today’s Strands.

If you’re looking for more puzzles, Mashable’s got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Not the day you’re after? Here’s the solution to yesterday’s Connections.

#NYT #Connections #Sports #Edition #hints #answers #April #Tips #solve #Connections">NYT Connections Sports Edition hints and answers for April 11: Tips to solve Connections #565 Today’s Connections: Sports Edition is tricky! There are some red herrings you’ll have to avoid.As we’ve shared in previous hints stories, this is a version of the popular New York Times word game that seeks to test the knowledge of sports fans. Like the original Connections, the game is all about finding the “common threads between words.” And just like Wordle, Connections resets after midnight and each new set of words gets trickier and trickier — so we’ve served up some hints and tips to get you over the hurdle.If you just want to be told today’s puzzle, you can jump to the end of this article for the latest Connections solution. But if you’d rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you. SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable What is Connections: Sports Edition?The NYT‘s latest daily word game has launched in association with The Athletic, the New York Times property that provides the publication’s sports coverage. Connections can be played on both web browsers and mobile devices and require players to group four words that share something in common. This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed. Each puzzle features 16 words, and each grouping of words is split into four categories. These sets could comprise anything from book titles, software, country names, etc. Even though multiple words will seem like they fit together, there’s only one correct answer.If a player gets all four words in a set correct, those words are removed from the board. Guess wrong and it counts as a mistake — players get up to four mistakes before the game ends. This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed. Players can also rearrange and shuffle the board to make spotting connections easier. Additionally, each group is color-coded with yellow being the easiest, followed by green, blue, and purple. Like Wordle, you can share the results with your friends on social media. Mashable Top Stories SEE ALSO: Wordle-obsessed? These are the best word games to play IRL. Here’s a hint for today’s Connections: Sports Edition categoriesWant a hint about the categories without being told the categories? Then give these a try:Here are today’s Connections: Sports Edition categoriesNeed a little extra help? Today’s connections fall into the following categories:Yellow: MLB Teams, ColloquiallyGreen: UCLABlue: Can Follow MinnesotaPurple: Starts With Part of the BodyLooking for Wordle today? Here’s the answer to today’s Wordle.Ready for the answers? This is your last chance to turn back and solve today’s puzzle before we reveal the solutions.Drumroll, please!The solution to today’s Connections: Sports Edition #565 is…What is the answer to Connections: Sports Edition today?MLB Teams, Colloquially — D-BACKS, JAYS, PHILS, SOXUCLA — ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, LOS, UNIVERSITYCan Follow Minnesota — LYNX, UNITED, VIKINGS, WILDStarts With Part of the Body — ARMY, EARTHQUAKES, LEGACY, LIVERPOOLDon’t feel down if you didn’t manage to guess it this time. There will be new sports Connections for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we’ll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today’s Strands.If you’re looking for more puzzles, Mashable’s got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.Not the day you’re after? Here’s the solution to yesterday’s Connections. #NYT #Connections #Sports #Edition #hints #answers #April #Tips #solve #Connections

New York Times word game that seeks to test the knowledge of sports fans.

Like the original Connections, the game is all about finding the “common threads between words.” And just like Wordle, Connections resets after midnight and each new set of words gets trickier and trickier — so we’ve served up some hints and tips to get you over the hurdle.

If you just want to be told today’s puzzle, you can jump to the end of this article for the latest Connections solution. But if you’d rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable

What is Connections: Sports Edition?

The NYT‘s latest daily word game has launched in association with The Athletic, the New York Times property that provides the publication’s sports coverage. Connections can be played on both web browsers and mobile devices and require players to group four words that share something in common.

Each puzzle features 16 words, and each grouping of words is split into four categories. These sets could comprise anything from book titles, software, country names, etc. Even though multiple words will seem like they fit together, there’s only one correct answer.

If a player gets all four words in a set correct, those words are removed from the board. Guess wrong and it counts as a mistake — players get up to four mistakes before the game ends.

Players can also rearrange and shuffle the board to make spotting connections easier. Additionally, each group is color-coded with yellow being the easiest, followed by green, blue, and purple. Like Wordle, you can share the results with your friends on social media.

SEE ALSO: Wordle-obsessed? These are the best word games to play IRL.

Here’s a hint for today’s Connections: Sports Edition categories

Want a hint about the categories without being told the categories? Then give these a try:

Here are today’s Connections: Sports Edition categories

Need a little extra help? Today’s connections fall into the following categories:

  • Yellow: MLB Teams, Colloquially

  • Green: UCLA

  • Blue: Can Follow Minnesota

  • Purple: Starts With Part of the Body

Looking for Wordle today? Here’s the answer to today’s Wordle.

Ready for the answers? This is your last chance to turn back and solve today’s puzzle before we reveal the solutions.

Drumroll, please!

The solution to today’s Connections: Sports Edition #565 is…

What is the answer to Connections: Sports Edition today?

  • MLB Teams, Colloquially — D-BACKS, JAYS, PHILS, SOX

  • UCLA — ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, LOS, UNIVERSITY

  • Can Follow Minnesota — LYNX, UNITED, VIKINGS, WILD

  • Starts With Part of the Body — ARMY, EARTHQUAKES, LEGACY, LIVERPOOL

Don’t feel down if you didn’t manage to guess it this time. There will be new sports Connections for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we’ll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.

Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today’s Strands.

If you’re looking for more puzzles, Mashable’s got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Not the day you’re after? Here’s the solution to yesterday’s Connections.

#NYT #Connections #Sports #Edition #hints #answers #April #Tips #solve #Connections">NYT Connections Sports Edition hints and answers for April 11: Tips to solve Connections #565

Today’s Connections: Sports Edition is tricky! There are some red herrings you’ll have to avoid.

As we’ve shared in previous hints stories, this is a version of the popular New York Times word game that seeks to test the knowledge of sports fans.

Like the original Connections, the game is all about finding the “common threads between words.” And just like Wordle, Connections resets after midnight and each new set of words gets trickier and trickier — so we’ve served up some hints and tips to get you over the hurdle.

If you just want to be told today’s puzzle, you can jump to the end of this article for the latest Connections solution. But if you’d rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable

What is Connections: Sports Edition?

The NYT‘s latest daily word game has launched in association with The Athletic, the New York Times property that provides the publication’s sports coverage. Connections can be played on both web browsers and mobile devices and require players to group four words that share something in common.

Each puzzle features 16 words, and each grouping of words is split into four categories. These sets could comprise anything from book titles, software, country names, etc. Even though multiple words will seem like they fit together, there’s only one correct answer.

If a player gets all four words in a set correct, those words are removed from the board. Guess wrong and it counts as a mistake — players get up to four mistakes before the game ends.

Players can also rearrange and shuffle the board to make spotting connections easier. Additionally, each group is color-coded with yellow being the easiest, followed by green, blue, and purple. Like Wordle, you can share the results with your friends on social media.

SEE ALSO: Wordle-obsessed? These are the best word games to play IRL.

Here’s a hint for today’s Connections: Sports Edition categories

Want a hint about the categories without being told the categories? Then give these a try:

Here are today’s Connections: Sports Edition categories

Need a little extra help? Today’s connections fall into the following categories:

  • Yellow: MLB Teams, Colloquially

  • Green: UCLA

  • Blue: Can Follow Minnesota

  • Purple: Starts With Part of the Body

Looking for Wordle today? Here’s the answer to today’s Wordle.

Ready for the answers? This is your last chance to turn back and solve today’s puzzle before we reveal the solutions.

Drumroll, please!

The solution to today’s Connections: Sports Edition #565 is…

What is the answer to Connections: Sports Edition today?

  • MLB Teams, Colloquially — D-BACKS, JAYS, PHILS, SOX

  • UCLA — ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, LOS, UNIVERSITY

  • Can Follow Minnesota — LYNX, UNITED, VIKINGS, WILD

  • Starts With Part of the Body — ARMY, EARTHQUAKES, LEGACY, LIVERPOOL

Don’t feel down if you didn’t manage to guess it this time. There will be new sports Connections for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we’ll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.

Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today’s Strands.

If you’re looking for more puzzles, Mashable’s got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Not the day you’re after? Here’s the solution to yesterday’s Connections.

#NYT #Connections #Sports #Edition #hints #answers #April #Tips #solve #Connections

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