Soundcore Boom 2 Review

Our Soundcore Boom 2 Experience

In this age of modern convenience, we expect Bluetooth pairing to be quick and painless, and with the Soundcore Boom 2, it is. After the initial pairing, every time we powered up the Boom 2, it automatically connected with our phone, giving a satisfying little three-note signal that let us know it was ready to play music.

However, over the course of a few weeks, we experienced occasional random stutters in connectivity while listening to music. We also only stayed connected if we were within about 50 ft of the speaker, far less than the manufacturer's claimed connectivity distance of 328 ft. While only minorly annoying, we didn't find the connection to be as reliable as with other speakers, and this forced us to stay in the same room with the speaker or leave our phone behind if we were heading to the backyard or upstairs.

The old-school vibe of the Boom 2 pays homage to boom boxes of yore, and the multi-color party lights bring a fun twist, shifting and flickering to match the music. It fits right in at a house party, studio dance class, or poolside BBQ, but it definitely felt out of place when we brought it to our desk, and it's a bit overkill to hang out on top of the dresser in our bedroom. Luckily, the lights are optional and can be turned off if you want a less flashy experience.

But on to what really matters: what does it sound like? When we were in the mood for bass, this Boom 2 scratched that itch. The “BassUp” feature on this speaker really does make a difference in boosting the lows and making the overall sound boomier, creating a palpable beat that we could feel in our chest. We enjoyed it when listening to RnB tracks like “So High” by Doja Cat. Even with upbeat bluegrass music, the BassUp feature highlighted the upright bass and gave the tracks more of a bouncy, groovy feel. True to a speaker of this size, the Boom 2 can get loud. However, it comes at the cost of clarity; the louder we cranked it, the less controlled it sounded.

Analysis and Test Results

Sound Quality

In its standard mode, the Soundcore Boom 2 distinctly emphasises the bass in a way that is noticeable but not overbearing. If you want more, the “BassUp” mode ramps up the subwoofer power from 50 to 80 watts, delivering deeper, more stimulating bass. It can't match the same kind of thundering feel of a true boombox, but it's enough to get a party going, and when cranked loud enough, we could feel it rumbling in our chest. However, at volumes where we could really feel the bass, the highs got a little intense, and we had to weigh our craving for the boomy bass against the too-sharp sound of hi-hats or snaps in the music. We fought this internal battle while listening to “Incredible” by Future.

Sound Quality Ratings

Product	Bass	Mid-Range	Treble
Best	8.8	9.0	8.7
Soundcore Boom 2	8.1	7.5	7.0
Average	6.2	6.5	5.9
Worst	3.4	3.9	3.3

If you're not a bass-head, this speaker sounds decent at its factory settings. The bass still sounds sculpted to be punchy and fun, though it wasn't the cleanest we've heard. Still, it does the job, creating a warm and pleasant baseline in jazzy rap tracks like “Rebirth Of Slick” by Digable Planets, where the bass guitar and saxophone riff envelop our senses.

The mids are forward and developed, and moderately detailed. We could distinguish between vocals and lead instruments in most songs, and the vocals in songs like “Tom's Diner” by Suzanne Vega and “DNA” at 0:15 sound beautiful and immersive as the dance beat combines with Vega's chanting.

The highs are a bit duller than we'd prefer, especially at casual volumes, and can only be described as inoffensive. On the upside, this avoids the potentially piercing, shrill effect some speakers fall into when playing at their max volume. But bold punk songs like “Dead!” by My Chemical Romance lack their usual bite, with the sharp shredding of the rhythm guitar sounding more restrained.

Soundstage Ratings

Product	Soundstage Score
Best	9.3
Soundcore Boom 2	7.6
Average	6.1
Worst	3.0

The front-facing design gives the Soundcore Boom 2 a very directional sound, so we had to stand in front of it to get the best it had to offer. When we were standing behind the speaker, we notices that the lows are definitely less boomy, and even a bit muddled. TLDR, don't set this speaker in the coffee table in the middle of the room where people might wander around the backside; place it near a wall where it can properly project to the rest of the room.

That said, we were impressed by the distinct left-to-right panning in “Bohemian Rhapsody” by Queen at 0:36, which isn't as prevalent with other speakers in its price range.

While we weren't blown away by the sound reproduction, this sculpted mix is pleasant. The wide soundstage fills a room, and even has decent height. Still, the main draw for us was the sheer power of this speaker. It occasionally came at the cost of sound quality, but it filled our living room with ease, and even a few adjacent bedrooms.

Portability

The Boom 2 is portable in the sense that it runs on battery power and can be placed on a table anywhere. Beyond that, it is one of the least portable options we tested. While we could cram it into a backpack, it would take up about half the space. This isn't a throw it in your bag and go option, and we thought twice before deciding to take this out of the house.

It weighs almost 4 lbs, about the same as a half gallon of milk, and is a bit larger and bulkier than a half gallon carton. It's relatively light for the size, but still not something we'd cruise around town with. When we did want to bring it to a friend's place, or out to the backyard, we preferred to simply carry this speaker by the large plastic handle on top.

Volume

This powerful little boombox brings the party at 99.8 decibels, which is almost as loud as the front row at a summer music festival.

There are a handful of smaller speakers that can get this loud, but sound quality tends to drop off pretty quickly the louder they get. The Boom 2 does a better job of keeping things consistent, but we still experienced some jarring compression at the top volume. We tested this out on the song “Wasted Hours” by Arcade Fire, and the strings and bass beats sounded uncomfortably blown out during the intro. To be fair, the song is meant to have some distortion, but the Boom 2 takes this a bit too far when played at its loudest.

Durability

The Boom 2 is pretty drop-proof, but we would still exercise some caution with this speaker. The hard plastic casing doesn't inspire the same confidence as other speakers we tested that are wrapped in bouncy silicone and soft fabric. We knocked it off the table a few times to push the limits, and surprisingly it didn't break, and the sound quality didn't take a hit. But the sound of this speaker hitting the floor made us wince, and we could see the case cracking at the corners if this happens enough times, since the material isn't as resilient.

The Boom 2 is rated at IPX7, so it can handle being dunked underwater for up to half an hour, and it floats. However, the charging port is not waterproof, and while the cover effectively seals it off from moisture, it tends to pop open if the speaker is dropped. So if you're using it poolside and it gets knocked in the water, we'd recommend hustling to get it out of the water. There's also no stated dust protection, so we'd simply prefer to use this indoors.

Battery

The battery life is one of its strongest features, lasting up to 33 hours and 48 minutes, almost 10 hours longer than what the Soundcore advertises, and enough to keep you listening a few hours a day for almost two weeks before needing a charge. The Soundcore can also be used as a power bank for your devices when away from home, so if you're the kind of person whose phone is constantly running on 10% battery, this feature could be a lifesaver.

Ease of Use

Most of the time, we found it easiest to just use the controls on the top of the speaker rather than try to go through the app. The buttons have a tactile click, and we like having the feedback to know that we actually pressed the button. The row of buttons across the speakers handle most of the functions that we use on a daily basis. Standard ones like play/pause/skip are present, as well as a button that enables multiple devices to connect to the speaker at the same time so you can share the proverbial aux cord with your friends (the Boom 2 does not have an actual aux port). When connected to your phone, the Boom 2 allows you to use Google Assistant and Siri. Users can also use it to answer, reject, or end a phone call.

The “PartyCast 2.0” allows it to connect to over 100 other compatible Soundcore speakers, which is great if you want to throw a party and have a Boom 2 speaker playing in every room. But in practice, many users report that the process is somewhat complicated, and it only works if you have two speakers of the same generation.

If you want to dig into the more advanced EQ adjustments, you can download the app. There are multiple pre-made sound profiles that tailor to common listening preferences, and you can further customize bass, mids, and treble to suit your mood for the day.

Should You Buy the Soundcore Boom 2?

The Soundcore Boom 2 has a great battery life, room-filling sound, and a crowd-pleasing bass boost that gives rap and R&B tracks the extra oomph that we crave. Best of all, it costs the same as speakers half its size. We were actually super impressed that Soundcore managed to maintain a decent standard of quality while keeping the cost under $150. We won't pretend that it's the most immersive listening experience we've had, but for the price, this speaker can deliver heart-thumping music to soundtrack your next party. Plus, its retro styling and party lights can pump up the energy in any room.

What Other Bluetooth Speakers Should You Consider?

If you're here for the bass and volume, check out the JBL Boombox 4. This is a true bass-booming party speaker. Like the Soundcore Boom 2, it comes with large party lights and bumping passive radiators on both sides that put out a thumping bass, but where the Soundcore falls short, the JBL Boombox soars. It has enhanced clarity, even when the volume is cranked. And boy, can this speaker crank. It's the loudest one we tested, reaching up to 104 decibels. But beware, your neighbors may file a noise complaint.