Review: It’s Summer Party Time With the ION Audio Block Party Live!

Review: It’s Summer Party Time With the ION Audio Block Party Live!

It’s summer, and with that comes neighborhood block parties. And there’s no better way to make a block party rock than with ION Audio Block Party Live!

Review: It's Summer Party Time With the ION Audio Block Party Live!

Overview

The Block Party Live is a self-contained Bluetooth sound system that features a very cool light show, a telescoping handle, wheels, and an internal battery for perfect portability. The Bluetooth connection allows remote control of the lights, as well as the ability to stream music to the Block Party, to liven up even the deadest party.

Block Party Live Features Include:

  • Go-Anywhere operation with internal rechargeable battery
  • Telescoping handle and built-in wheels for easy transport
  • Powerful 50 Watt sound system offers excellent fidelity
  • Stream music wirelessly from any Bluetooth® Device
  • Integrated lightshow moves to the music
  • Custom App unlocks new features and control
  • 4 Lighting Modes: Beat Sync, Auto, App, Off
  • High-quality microphone with cable included
  • 1/8″ (3.5mm) input for connecting to other audio devices

My Block Party Live was fully-charged, right out of the box, but your mileage may vary.

In the box you’ll find:

  • Block Party Live
  • Microphone with Cable
  • Power Cable
  • Auxilary Cable with 1/8-inch connector
  • Quickstart Guide
  • Safety & Warranty Manual
Review: It's Summer Party Time With the ION Audio Block Party Live!

The included microphone will come in handy in case you’re emceeing the block party, and you need to make some announcements, or it’ll come in handy if someone gets the Karaoke bug.

The Block Party Live’s integrated speaker system does an excellent job of playing back even the loudest bass-heavy tunes, while the light show is certain to get everyone moving on the dance floor.

I also downloaded the Party Rocker app from ION Audio that allows users to control the Block Party Live, offering controls for the lights, with the ability to change the speed, color, lighting effects and more while playing music through the Block Party.

You can see the Block Party Live in action in the video below. I had to use my iPhone to control the Block Party, and used an iPhone 4 to take the video, which didn’t handle the low light as well as I’d hoped.

Verdict

The Block Party Live worked well, allowing me to control the pulsing of the lights, speed of the lights, their hue, and more. I did experience times when I would change the lights via the app, and they would change for a moment, and then go back to their default settings. To get around this, a user could use the buttons on the Block Party to control the lighting. The sound coming from the Block Party Live is excellent, and no matter how loud I played it, the music sounded great.

I would highly recommend the ION Audio Block Party Live to anyone who wants a reasonably priced, portable solution for setting the mood at any function, as well as using it to act as emcee for any small to medium sized function.

Rating:[rating:4.0/5.0]

Price: $150 (Refurbished) – Available at the ION Audio website. Available new, at Amazon.com for $179.95.

Pros:

  • Great sound.
  • The lights are fun to watch.
  • Definitely livens up any party.
  • As well as Bluetooth, the Block Party Live can also connect to music sources via an auxiliary audio cable.
  • Included microphone makes emceeing easy.

Cons:

  • The iPhone app had difficulty controlling the lights occasionally.

Disclaimer: I received the Block Party Live unit at no cost for review. I did not receive compensation for this review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Photos are courtesy of ION Audio. Video is my own.