The Klipsch GIG XXL is a party speaker with RGB lights designed to amp up the energy at your next event. Like any good party speaker, it's designed to get loud, and its Bass button lets you add more punch to the mix. Since it comes with a microphone, it's easy to host your next karaoke night, or you can plug in a guitar to make music of your own. However, it doesn't come with as many customization tools as more premium models.
Our Verdict
The Klipsch GIG XXL is alright for music. It's a big, booming party speaker that gets loud enough to shake the dance floor at your next event. Its default sound is a little bass-heavy, too, so you notice all the warmth in genres like EDM and hip-hop. You can even plug in microphones and guitars to play along. The speaker lets you boost the bass, but unfortunately, it lacks a more comprehensive EQ for customization.
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Bass button.
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Gets loud.
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Lacks deep low-bass.
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No graphic EQ.
This speaker is acceptable for watching videos from a paired smartphone. Dialogue is pretty clearly reproduced. This speaker doesn't bring the deep rumble of home theater speakers. Its AV synchronization is on the higher end when paired with devices over Bluetooth, too.
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Gets loud.
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Lacks deep low-bass.
The Klipsch GIG XXL is decent for podcasts. Its mid-range is quite even and balanced, and dialogue reproduces with overall clarity in the mix. It's unlikely that you would opt for such a large speaker just for podcasts though. Still, the flexibility is handy if you want a party speaker that can do both.
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Gets loud.
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No graphic EQ.
This speaker doesn't support voice assistants.
The Klipsch GIG XXL is adequate for outdoor use. Overall, it has a pretty solid build, and its handle helps you carry it around. That said, it doesn't have a specified rating for dust or water resistance, so be careful if you plan to use it in the elements. Its battery life isn't the most long-lasting, either.
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Gets loud.
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Built-in handle for transport.
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No IP rating for dust and water resistance.
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6-hour battery life.
- Music
- Videos/Movies
- Podcasts
- Voice Assistant
- Outdoors
- Updated Feb 02, 2024: Review published.
- Updated Jan 31, 2024: Early access published.
- Updated Jan 24, 2024: Our testers have started testing this product.
- Updated Jan 24, 2024: The product has arrived in our lab, and our testers will start evaluating it soon.
- Updated Jan 19, 2024: We've purchased the product and are waiting for it to arrive in our lab.
Differences Between Sizes And Variants
The Klipsch GIG XXL is available in Black, and you can see the label for the model we tested here.
If you encounter another version of this speaker, let us know in the forums.
Compared To Other Speakers
This is a more affordable party speaker designed to bring a big sound to your next event for less. Compared to JBL's popular PartyBox lineup, this speaker comes with a lot of the same party-oriented features like microphone and guitar inputs as well as RGB lights. It even comes with a microphone, so you don't have to purchase this separately. However, this speaker's build isn't quite as premium, and it doesn't offer as many sound customization tools as many models like the JBL PartyBox 110.
See also our recommendations for the best party speakers, the best Bluetooth speakers for bass, and the best-sounding Bluetooth speakers.
The JBL PartyBox 110 is a better speaker than the Klipsch GIG XXL. The JBL is a more premium speaker with a better build quality and an IP rating for water resistance. Its battery life is longer-lasting, and it can reproduce more low bass. Plus, it has a companion app with a graphic EQ, unlike the Klipsch.
The JBL PartyBox 310 is a more premium alternative to the Klipsch GIG XXL. The JBL is better built with an IP rating for water resistance, which the Klipsch lacks. Plus, it can reproduce more low bass and comes with more sound customization tools. It gets louder, and it has a longer battery life.
For most uses, the JBL Boombox 3 is better than the Klipsch GIG XXL. It's important to remember that these speakers are intended for slightly different audiences. While the JBL is a smaller and more portable option, the Klipsch is designed for parties, so it adds RGB lights as well as microphone and guitar inputs for this use case. That said, the JBL is better built with a rating for water resistance. It has a longer battery life and more sound customization tools. It stands out thanks to its sound quality, but if you want a party speaker with all the bells and whistles, you'll want to look at the Klipsch instead.
Depending on your listening habits, you may prefer either the ION Pathfinder 280 or the Klipsch GIG XXL. They're both budget-friendly party speakers with RBG lights. The ION has a longer battery life, and its companion app gives you access to a graphic EQ for more control over its sound. It gets louder, too. However, it's not a stereo speaker like the Klipsch, as it has to downmix audio into mono to play it back. The Klipsch brings more bass, too.
Test Results
The Klipsch GIG XXL is a large party speaker with a design similar to that of the JBL PartyBox 110. It's meant to sit vertically on its feet, and it comes with lots of features to hype up your guests at your next event. You can plug in a microphone and guitar, and the microphone is even included. Plus, there's a phone stand built into the device. The circular lights in front cycle to the rhythm of the music.
Like most party speakers, it isn't the most portable. Still, it has a handle to help you bring it around with you. Also, you don't have to keep it plugged into an outlet to use it, so you have some flexibility in setting it up at events.
The speaker's build quality is passable. The materials feel good and sturdy, with a metal grille in the front to protect the speaker's drivers and the rest of the speaker made of plastic. This plastic doesn't have the most premium feel, though. Also, since it's not rated for dust or water resistance, you'll want to be cautious when using it outdoors.
The Klipsch GIG XXL has a lot of different controls for its various features. You'll find more traditional controls like a play/pause button, as well as buttons to skip to the next or the previous track. Pairing to Bluetooth is easy with the dedicated button, and you can hold it down for three seconds to make a true wireless stereo pair with another device. Also, you can adjust the echo as well as control the volume for the microphone and the guitar inputs.
These buttons are easy to use overall. You get audible feedback when you connect over Bluetooth, and there are visual indicators to keep track of the speaker's volume as well as the microphone's volume. Also, as you turn the volume knob, you get a visual representation of the volume level through the RGB lights in the front of the speaker, which makes it easy to monitor the volume level. Unfortunately, the same features aren't on hand for the guitar volume or echo dials, so it isn't as easy to keep track of these.
- Manuals
- Power cable (length: 4.9 ft / 1.5 m)
- Microphone - 6.4 mm mono connector (cable length: 9.8 ft / 3 m)
The Klipsch GIG XXL has an alright frequency response accuracy. This party speaker has a bass-heavy sound with extra warmth to bring out genres like EDM and hip-hop. Voices and lead instruments remain fairly balanced in the mix, too, thanks to the even response in the mids. A touch of treble is missing, though, so higher-pitched sounds like cymbals are a little dull. Unfortunately, compared to other party speakers like the JBL PartyBox 110, you're pretty limited on customization tools, aside from the Bass button on the speaker itself. Note that we tested with this feature turned on.
The soundstage is okay and more than suitable for a party speaker. This stereo speaker has a more front-facing design, so you don't get consistent audio from all angles around the speaker. However, this isn't a huge deal if you plan to set it up at the front of your party.
The Klipsch GIG XXL gets loud enough to shake the floor at your next big party. It's not as loud as other party speakers on the market, like the JBL PartyBox 110. The lack of compression at max volume means you can crank it up without a lot of pumping artifacts in the mix.
The speaker's advertised battery life is around eight hours. In our tests, it lasted just under six hours. It's important to know that different settings and volume levels can impact overall battery life. Fortunately, it doesn't take too long to recharge, and its power-saving feature is on hand to help conserve battery.
There are a few different wired inputs available. Musicians can use the microphone and guitar inputs to rock out to their favorite tunes. You can use the line out port to daisy chain with another speaker. Plus, the USB port lets you charge other devices like your phone. You can even use it to playback audio from a USB stick, though with MP3 and WAV files only. If you want to play music over a wired connection from a phone or mp3 player, there's also an AUX input on hand.
This speaker is Bluetooth-compatible. It has a fantastic range, so your mobile device stays connected even from far away. Unfortunately, you can only pair one device at a time. The AV synchronization error is on the higher end when you stream content from iOS or Android devices, too, so it isn't as suitable for watching videos since you're more likely to notice a delay between the audio you hear and the visuals on your phone screen.