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Sony’s incredible beer-holding karaoke speaker lives up to its party potential in person

Sony’s incredible beer-holding karaoke speaker lives up to its party potential in person

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This isn’t a speaker for parties — it is the party

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Sony announced the GTK-PG10 at CES 2019 with the promise that it would be the ultimate party speaker, one that not only could play music but also unfold into a miniature table, complete with cup holders. And now that I’ve gotten to actually see and try it out in person, I can confirm: this isn’t just a speaker for parties, it is the party.

I only got to hear it for a brief time, due to CES rules about blasting party music (which, fair enough), but even at less than half volume it was able to push more than enough sound to clearly cut through the noisy convention hall. And as promised, the speaker does actually adjust to a wider soundscape when the wings are unfolded, due to the fact that they’re not just simple plastic trays — they actually contain two tweeters, which automatically change up the sound when they change position.

And while the GTK-PG10 isn’t officially rated as waterproof, Sony is well aware of the fact that by putting cupholders on top someone is guaranteed to spill beer on it eventually. As such, both the front ports for USB, audio in, microphone, as well as the back charging port are covered with rubber flaps that should help keep things dry.

A thoughtfully designed dedicated beer-holding karaoke party speaker

Despite its size (roughly — and I assume not coincidentally — that of a case of beer), the GTK-PG10 is surprisingly light, and rather easy to carry around using the handles that are formed when the table is folded in. Those wings actually lock into place when folded in with a latch, so there’s no risk that they’ll suddenly pop open when you’re carrying it around.

Additionally, There’s also surprisingly well-thought out karaoke features, which makes sense for a beer-holding party speaker when you think about it. The GTK-PG10 not only has separate audio controls for adjusting mic volume, two dedicated buttons can also adjust the key of whatever backing track you’re playing, which should help the next time you try to hit the high notes on your solo rendition of Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody.”

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Is having a $250 dedicated beer-holding karaoke party speaker an inherently ridiculous concept? Yes. But it’s not just that Sony went and made a dedicated beer-holding karaoke party speaker anyway: it’s that Sony put in the time and effort to make what’s ultimately a really thoughtfully designed dedicated beer-holding karaoke party speaker. And it’s that level of thought and care that makes the GTK-PG10 great.

Well, that and the part where it can hold your beer for you. That’s pretty cool too.