LG xboom Stage 501 by will.i.am

Hardware

The bottom line: Compact, rugged, and cleverly designed: three handles, a tripod mount, and a lightning-fast swappable battery good for up to 25 hours – just keep it away from real rain.

At 11.7 kilograms and external dimensions of 30 x 59.5 x 29.4 centimeters, the LG xboom Stage 501 belongs to the larger, though not quite largest, category of party speakers.

Thanks to three handles – one each on the top and bottom, and one on the long side – this speaker carries easily wherever you want to take it. Whether you stand it upright or lay it on its side with the drivers angled slightly upward is entirely up to you. The speaker offers every option for that.

We unbox it for you! In this video, we show you the design and key features of the speaker.

Thanks to a tripod mount on the underside, it can also be placed on a small speaker stand to lift it above the heads of the crowd.

The housing is made of rugged plastic; up front, the drivers, LED strips, and flashes are protected by a metal grille. Two 5.25-inch woofers and two 2.5-inch full-range drivers from the Danish manufacturer Peerless provide the sound, further reinforced from behind by a bass reflex port.

The speaker is controlled from the top, where numerous buttons, dials, and switches are found. Particularly handy is the tablet and smartphone holder behind the control panel, which lets you securely prop up a device for easier control.

All of the Stage 501’s connections sit behind a flap on the side: these include two 6.3 mm jack sockets for two microphones or a microphone and an instrument, a 3.5 mm aux input, a USB-C port that both supplies power and accepts lossless audio signals, and a USB-A port for music from a USB stick.

Behind another flap sits the very quick and easy to swap battery pack, which, with a capacity of 9,170 mAh, delivers up to 25 hours of power. If the battery runs out, the speaker can also be run on mains power; the corresponding connector is located at the bottom on the back.

With an IPX4 rating, the LG xboom Stage 501 can handle a few splashes from the pool, but it isn’t protected against dust, dirt, or jets of water. In heavier rain, it should therefore be brought inside or covered appropriately.

Features and Controls

The bottom line: Bluetooth 6.1, Auracast, and numerous connection options make the Stage 501 a networked sound system that you’ll enjoy controlling either via the app or directly on the speaker.

The LG xboom Stage 501 uses Bluetooth version 6.1 with LE Audio and encodes the audio stream with SBC, AAC, and, on compatible hardware, LC3 as well. Pairing is fast and simple, and multipoint is supported too.

Thanks to Auracast, two speakers of this type can be linked via TWS into a genuine stereo pair. If you own additional speakers from the LG xboom series, up to nine further devices can be linked to the Stage 501 via Party Link.

Many functions can be called up and controlled directly on the speaker via buttons or the central dial, though it’s sometimes simply more convenient to do this in the app. Installing the “LG ThinQ” app lets you conveniently activate these features, quickly switch sources, and manage the many other functions.

Under “Sound Effect,” there are three EQ presets and an AI-guided sound adjustment, which can additionally be fine-tuned across bass, mids, and highs. On top of that, there’s a six-band EQ for fully custom sound control that bypasses the presets.

Two enhancement modes expand the LG xboom Stage 501’s adjustment options. Play Time Enhance extends playback time by switching off all EQ settings. Sound Field Enhance noticeably widens the soundstage and, through an emphasis on highs and mids, creates a broader, deeper sound impression.

The heart-shaped button on the speaker also calls up a shortcut, whose parameters are set in the app. This combines audio content, such as from the app or your own playlists, with additional functions like the light show or EQ presets, all activated with a single press. Add to that the usual features like a sleep timer, naming, auto shut-off, and power-on via Bluetooth, which puts the speaker into a standby state from which it can be reactivated via Bluetooth. The Stage 501 can additionally adapt to its surroundings via room calibration.

In the lighting section, you can choose from nine presets with a wide variety of flicker and pulse patterns. Two strobe lights can be switched on, and the colors adjusted to personal taste. Anyone who’d rather not tinker themselves can let the AI decide which light, strobe, and color combination best matches the current music.

DJ and Karaoke Effects

The bottom line: A virtual turntable, effect buttons, and custom samples turn the speaker into a small DJ deck, while a vocal remover, pitch correction, and reverb save the karaoke night.

The LG xboom Stage 501 offers an extensive repertoire of DJ effects: on a virtual turntable, you can lay scratch sounds over the music, and six buttons let you trigger effects like handclaps, cymbals, or congas.

Three freely assignable user buttons can additionally be loaded with your own custom samples in a dedicated editor, for even more fun. There are also four adjustable, though only individually applicable, sound effects (delay, wah-wah, phaser, and flanger) for shaping the overall sound.

The karaoke section comes equipped with a highly effective vocal remover that reliably fades out the original vocals in stages. Should your own voice not match the key of the original, the pitch can also be raised or lowered incrementally. There’s also an adjustable reverb, which, like the microphone’s preamp gain, can be conveniently adjusted directly on the speaker.

Sound

The bottom line: Solid party power at 220 watts, though tonally too mid-heavy and lacking the last bit of bite in the bass – only with plenty of EQ tweaking does the Stage 501 turn fresh and punchy.

The LG xboom Stage 501 is a decent powerhouse, but it can’t hold a candle to the XBOOM XL9T Party Speaker. Its 220 watts of power, just 160 watts on battery, are still enough to make an impression on the dance floor.

Tonally, the Stage 501 suffers from an overly strong emphasis on the mids and a bass that isn’t quite as tight and punchy as it could be. As a result, the whole system lacks a bit of drive and punch. Especially with electronic music, as an example I’m listening to the current Parra for Cuva album, this leads to shortcomings that show up as a mild murkiness and lack of structure in the overall picture.

For a quick fix, I turn the highs and bass up to +6 dB in the sound settings and pull the mids down by -2 dB, which noticeably helps. On a rockier track like David Gilmour’s “High Hopes,” I then have to dial that back down again so the bass doesn’t rumble too much and voices and instruments in the mids can come through properly.

Overall, though, the LG xboom Stage 501 lacks freshness and airiness, which often makes it seem a bit muffled and undynamic. Although the Stage 501 stays fairly tonally stable up to maximum volume, it does sound somewhat strained right when it needs to play loud.

Conclusion

The LG xboom Stage 501 by will.i.am impresses with its wide range of features, a varied light show, and useful tools for a solid karaoke night, fun DJ sessions, or a small-scale live performance.

As a sound machine for a big party, though, it needs a bit of help; you have to put together the right EQ setup to get enough bass punch and treble freshness. In its default settings, the speaker comes across as a bit sluggish and unrefined. Perhaps LG can improve this with an update.

Otherwise, for 499 euros you get a very well-built speaker with good battery life and versatile connectivity that delivers good entertainment on plenty of occasions.

FAQ

Is the LG xboom Stage 501 waterproof?
No, with an IPX4 rating it only withstands splashes from the pool, but it isn’t protected against dust, jets of water, or heavier rain.

How long does the LG xboom Stage 501’s battery last?
The replaceable six-cell battery with a 9,170 mAh capacity lasts up to 25 hours according to the manufacturer and recharges in around three hours.

Can you sing karaoke with the LG xboom Stage 501?
Yes, the speaker offers an effective vocal remover, incremental pitch correction, and adjustable reverb, all adjustable directly on the speaker.

Can multiple LG xboom Stage 501 speakers be linked together?
Yes, via Auracast and TWS two speakers can be linked into a stereo pair, and Party Link can bring in up to nine further compatible LG xboom speakers.

What DJ features does the LG xboom Stage 501 offer?
The speaker has a virtual turntable, six effect buttons for sounds like handclaps or congas, and three freely assignable user buttons for custom samples.

How much does the LG xboom Stage 501 cost?
The LG xboom Stage 501 is available for 499 euros.

Technical Specifications of the LG xboom Stage 501 by will.i.am

Speaker Type

2.2 sound system (2x 5.25″ woofers, 2x 2.5″ midrange)

Power Output

Mains 220 watts, battery 160 watts

Connectivity

Bluetooth v6.1 with LE Audio, multipoint, SBC/AAC/LC3, Auracast with TWS and Party Link

Interfaces

Aux (3.5 mm jack), USB-C (audio and charging), USB-A (audio), microphone/guitar (6.3 mm jack), power connector

IP Rating (dust/water)

IPX4

Battery Capacity

99 Wh (10.8 V, 9,170 mAh)

Battery Life

25 hours

Charging Time

3 hours

Battery Type

6-cell battery, replaceable

Weight

11.7 kg

Dimensions (W x H x D)

29.8 x 59.4 x 29.4 cm