Soundcore 2 Review

Analysis and Test Results

Likes

This small, portable speaker is a bit taller than a can of soda and about as big around. It's a very convenient size to stash in the water bottle pocket of your backpack, or throw in your tote bag with a book and a picnic blanket before heading to the park. And since it weighs less than a pound, it won't feel like you're carrying a brick in your bag. The IPX7 rating, which means it's waterproof up to 1 meter, with the caveat that you have to seal the charging port cover, and in our experience this cover has a tendency to pop open randomly. Long story short, the speaker can hold up to some rain or some splashes from the pool, but we wouldn't go tossing it in the lake any time soon.

The setup is seamless. It's quick and easy to pair, and we never had problems with it disconnecting mid-song. Our tester remarked, “It's so simple, so 2002. Either you like it or you don't, but you can't say it's not easy.” The exception is that it's one of the few speakers with a built-in microphone that gives you voice access to Siri and the Google Assistant on your phone. We used this alot when we were cooking dinner or working on a crafting project and wanted to make a call, turn up the volume on our favorite song, or skip a dud on the playlist.

The battery life is long for such a small unit, at 24 hours and 8 minutes. We were able to listen for a few hours a day and only had to charge the battery every week or two.

Possibly the biggest benefit of the Soundcore 2 is its practically indestructible build. It's lightweight, yet sturdy, and survived multiple shoves off the side of our desk. If you're not out to intentionally abuse the speaker like we were, it's likely to hold up to the occassional fall from the counter top, and is safe to throw in your backpack without having to worry about dents.

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While we weren't a fan of the overall soundstage or sound mix, we will say that for a budget speaker, the mids sound fairly clear and articulate. Vocals sound forward and maintain their presence without getting lost against the lows. We appreciated this when listening to tracks where vocals were the star of the show, or during podcasts, because the speaker's voice remained clear.

Listening to 'Guilty as Sin' by Taylor Swift is a mostly enjoyable experience as her lead vocal comes across as defined and powerful over the lows, but not as detailed as we'd like to hear, and the highs are occasionally grating.

Dislikes

Overall, the sound is quite recessed compared to others we've tested. The soundstage is poor and lacks height and depth, making music and podcasts both sound distant instead of the realistic, up-close quality of other speakers we tested. The music sounds like it's coming from a small box.

It also lacks the volume oomph that other speakers have, even comparably small options. It works alright if you're listening in your bedroom, or only need your music to reach the ears of a few people, but it's not great for whole-house listening. Even at its loudest, it's only about 85 decibels (think of the noise level at a crowded restaurant). We can sit pretty close to it at the highest volume without batting an eye.

The bass and treble are quite poor, even compared to other budget speakers. The lows are ok at best, and get messy at higher volumes, and this is especially noticeable on bass-driven tracks like 'Gift & a Curse' by Megan Thee Stallion.

The treble sounds muddy, completely lacking detail. Clarity deteriorates a lot at high volumes, becoming way too harsh for our ears. It feels more comparable to the sound you'd get from a micro speaker, not the standard-size speaker that it's trying to be.

Dynamic shifts in tracks are not handled with finesse. Rather than being able to sit back and enjoy listening, we needed to have access to the volume bar the whole time because exciting, loud moments were too sharp and piercing for our ears. For example, we had to drop the volume just for the bridge and chorus of rock tracks like “Famous Last Words” by My Chemical Romance, then turn it back up for the verses.

Should You Buy the Soundcore 2?

We wouldn't recommend it. The price might be tempting, but the Soundcore 2 has pretty terrible sound quality. If you're looking for a lightweight, reasonably priced pocket speaker that still sounds good, there are better options.

What Other Speakers Should You Consider?