The Anker Soundcore Rave 3S is meant to be portable, and to this end, there's a handle built into the top of it, but it's still big, heavy, and cumbersome. The speaker measures 21.7 by 12.0 by 11.1 inches (HWD) and weighs 23.1 pounds. That's significantly larger and heavier than the Sony ULT Field 7 (8.8 by 20.2 by 8.7 inches, 13.9 pounds), but smaller and lighter than the $799.99 LG Xboom XL9T (38.9 by 20.6 by 18.9 inches, 60.6 pounds), which has the same tower-like form factor.

Although its IPX4 rating means it should survive the occasional splash or spill, the Soundcore Rave 3S shouldn't be submerged or used in a downpour. The Sony ULT Field 7 has a more durable IP67 rating to survive a dunk in the pool.

Gray knobs for volume and reverb are on top of the speaker, as is a button for AI vocal removal. There are also buttons for Bluetooth connectivity and power, toggling the speaker's LED lighting on and off, bass boost control, and playback controls. Between the power and Bluetooth buttons, there's a handy illuminated battery level indicator.

(Credit: Christian de Looper)

The face of the speaker houses a large subwoofer with three midrange drivers stacked above it, all of which are protected by a metal grille. The speaker housing is built from black plastic, with a rubber door on the rear that houses the ports and controls for the wired connections. These include a quarter-inch line input for a guitar or keyboard, a 3.5mm aux input, and a USB-C port for charging the speaker. A pair of knobs adjust gain and volume.