Soundcore Select 4 Go Review

Our Soundcore Select 4 Go Experience

Our first thought when we unboxed the Soundcore 4 was “aww, how cute. I hope it works.” It almost looks more like a toy than an actual speaker, with a rounded rectangular shape that just begs to be held.

After getting over our first impressions, we dug into serious testing, and the tiny Soundcore suprised us in alot of ways. First of all, it took less than a minute to connect to our phone for the first time, and unlike other Soundcore offerings, this one has app support. You don't have to download the app for the speaker to work, but we used it to fine-tune our EQ settings and set an auto-shutdown timer when we wanted to fall asleep listening to music.

Once we had the techy part squared away, we took this speaker everywhere with us - slacklining in the park, biking around town, and on a weekend trip to the mountains. It's so small it feels wrong to leave it behind.

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At home, we found ourselves using it a lot as a shower speaker. With a waterproof rating, we weren't afraid to grab it with wet hands to crank the volume or skip to the next song. Plus, the fabric-wrapped face made it less slippery. The speaker doesn't get very loud compared to others in the lineup, but it's plenty loud to fill a bathroom and drown out whatever solo karaoke sing-along you've got going (maybe).

When we wanted smooth background music for a dinner party, we reached for something else. The Soundcore felt a little dinky when we were trying to be “classy”, and the sound didn't fill the room and create the ambience we wanted. But for lakeside jams, this little, seemingly indestructible juke works like a charm. We would bring on a paddle board or canoe around the lake without a second thought.

Analysis and Test Results

Sound Quality

The Soundcore Select 4 Go has the best sound quality of the speakers we tested in its price range; however, don't mistake that statement as meaning it has the best sound quality overall. Any speaker this small has its limitations.

Even after using the app to adjust the sound, we still felt the bass was watered down, and we missed the punch and power in certain songs. That said, the lows aren't jarring, boomy, or glaringly muddy like other speakers in this price range. The mids are more forward and truly enjoyable to listen to, coming off as spirited and bright. We heard a range of color and texture that felt like a fairly realistic representation of most voices and instruments. This was especially true when we played music at a more moderate volume, making this speaker a good option for listening to folk songs or audiobooks on a quiet, uncrowded beach. At louder volumes, the slight “messiness” of the sound got noticeably worse.

The violins in “Bittersweet Symphony” by The Verve at 0:45 are a good test drive for consistency. They can sound piercing on other cheap mini speakers, but the Select 4 Go makes them sound warm and well-balanced from the highs to the lows with the rest of the track. Though the quality of the highs becomes harsh at the highest volumes. We also had to turn down the volume when listening to Burna Boy's “Higher” because the hi-hats and snares were too sharp for our ears.

The soundstage sounds flat and generally lacks height or dimension, sounding more manufactured than most. It easily fills a small bedroom or bathroom, but again, we found it sharp and thin compared to full-body speakers.

Though the speaker is wrapped on both sides with mesh fabric that implies 360 sound, we had the best listening experience from the front (the side with the logo). If we happened to walk to the side or behind the speaker while listening, the music sounded diminished.

The Soundcore Go 4 is easy to carry on walks.   Credit: Matt Lighthart

This speaker is about as small and lightweight as it gets.   Credit: Matt Lighthart

This speaker is a good choice for camping outdoors.   Credit: Matt Lighthart

The loop is short which makes it a good option for clipping to the side of a backpack, but it doesn't come with a clip.   Credit: Matt Lighthart

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Portability

The Soundcore Select 4 Go rules the portability game. It fits snug in the palm of our hand and weighs only 0.6 pounds. It's half the size of most water bottles, and fits easily inside a tote bag or backpack. It even fits cleanly in the external water bottle pocket of our backpack.

We tucked our finger through the carry loop to free up our hands, but the loop is a bit small to really hang on anything, like a tree branch or fence post. The options opened up when we brought a carabiner from home. Then we were able to clip it to our backpack or the handlebars of our bike.

Volume

This speaker is quiet compared to most. It gets up to 83.7 (about as loud as a standard TV speaker), though we personally did not enjoy listening to it at the max volume. It sounds jarring. Mid volumes are the sweet spot, especially for higher-pitched sounds.

Though it's max volume can reach a crowd, we don't think most people will appreciate hearing it. We used the Soundcore Go 4 a lot as a desk speaker or for solo beach days. If we were headed to hang out with friends, we almost always brought something bigger.

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Durability

Durability is the second reason you might go for the Go4. This speaker is wrapped in mesh and silicone that shield it well against steep falls. We've fumbled this speaker too many times to count, sometimes on purpose in the name of testing; sometimes we just had butter fingers. In either case, it always came out unscathed with no noticeable difference in sound quality.

The control panel is one continuous piece of silicone, so we never worried about water, dust, or sand sneaking in to gunk up the cracks. The charging port is the most vulnerable component of the whole thing. Luckily, it has a cover, and when that is sealed shut, the whole speaker is rated at IP67, meaning it's dust-tight and waterproof for about 30 minutes.

However, we noticed that the port cover sometimes pops open if it's dropped, which totally negates the waterproofing. Something to note if you're listening poolside. It does float though, so when we tipped it off the side of our paddleboard, we were able to snatch it up out of the water quickly.

Battery

Perhaps the most impressive aspect of this small but mighty speaker is the extended battery life, which lasts for 25 hours and 21 minutes - the equivalent of a few weeks of listening for us. It's not the longest listening time, but for reference, that's about 5-10 hours longer than other micro speakers.

Ease of Use

This speaker has a small feature set. You can pair two speakers for True Wireless Stereo (TWS). It also comes with an app that has an adjustable EQ (bass, mid, treble adjustments). While it's not much, the fact that it has any of this is pretty surprising for a speaker in this price range. We didn't have any trouble using the features.

The Select Go 4 speaker impressed us again with its long connectivity distance of 136 feet, meaning we could walk halfway down a football field before we started hearing drops or glitches in the music.

It doesn't come with a built-in microphone, so we don't recommend it for those who want to use voice commands or take calls.

Should You Buy the Soundcore Select 4 Go?

If you're not too concerned with having superior sound quality and just want the best that $50 or less can buy, the Select 4 Go is the way to go. Because it's so small, affordable, and durable, we took this out on more adventurous trips, like river rafting, or hiking. We wouldn't choose it as our main “house speaker”, but it makes an excellent backup travel speaker, and you won't feel so bad if you leave it behind at the hotel room, or if it floats down the river without you.

What Other Bluetooth Speakers Should You Consider?

If you can increase your budget by another $50, the JBL Clip 5 is a notable jump in sound quality with great vocals and a bass-forward sound. It's just as waterproof, durable, and portable, and it comes with a built-in clip, so you don't have to BYO. We used it all the time.