Samsung's Sound Tower could terrify pets and traumatise neighbours – but boy, will you have a party

Samsung has announced two new, very powerful Sound Tower party speakers, with the largest one delivering up to 240W of power and the smaller model delivering 160W.

Both are designed for both indoor and outdoor use and have IPX4 water resistance. You can expect up to 18 hours of play time on battery power.

The Sound Tower isn't just a big Bluetooth speaker. It also has a DJ booth mode, a karaoke mode and a guitar input, and there are built-in LED lights that sync to the music too.

I suspect that what you think of the Sound Tower very much depends on whether you're the person who'll be buying one, or if you're the person who lives downstairs or next door.

Samsung Sound Tower: key features and pricing

There are two models here: the 240W ST50F, and the 160W ST40F. Both feature dual dome tweeters with Samsung's Waveguide technology and dual woofers, and they can be paired in stereo with other Sound Towers or connected to multiple speakers via Auracast Group Play.

Other than output power, the two models aren't massively different from one another.

The more powerful Sound Tower has larger speakers – 6.5-inch woofers and 25mm tweeters compared to 5.25-inch drivers and 20mm tweeters – and a larger battery. You get 18 hours in the ST50F and 12 in the ST40F.

The ST50F also benefits from built-in wheels and a telescopic handle.

There are five sets of lights in the new Sound Towers: a racetrack-style light around the woofers; rings of LEDs around the tweeters; four perimeter line lights around the speaker's frame; lights at the base and foot of the speaker; and an additional light to illuminate the control panel.

There are five mood presets and six dynamic lighting patterns, all chosen via the companion Sound Tower app.

The Sound Tower ST50F is available globally with an RRP of £649 / $699 (about €748 / AU$1,336). The ST40F is £449 / $499 (about €517 / AU$924).