Bass and a Light Show – Our Review of the Soundcore Boom 2 Bluetooth Speaker
Summer is upon us and lots of people are going to be enjoying the fun, sun, and water. You don’t want to leave your music behind just because you stepped outside. Enter the Soundcore Boom 2 Bluetooth speaker. This waterproof speaker sports not only a full day (24-hour) charge, but also Bluetooth connectivity and complete waterproofing. Drop it in the pool? No problem! It floats! The Boom 2 is the successor of the Motion Boom Bluetooth speaker from Soundcore. Now with more power, more bass, and LED Lights!
Soundcore by Anker decided to change up their naming convention with the Boom 2 Bluetooth speaker. The Motion Boom is the predecessor of the Boom 2. They dropped the “Motion” part of the name and added a 2 at the end. A while back, we reviewed the Motion Boom Plus, a larger speaker that is related to these two but the Motion Boom is the more direct relation. They are similar in size and price and have similar feature sets. Let’s take a closer look at the $130 Soundcore Boom 2 Bluetooth speaker.
Soundcore Boom 2 Spec Comparison
| Specs | Boom 2 | Motion Boom | Motion Boom Plus |
|---|---|---|---|
| Output | 80W (60W Standard) | 30W | 80W |
| BassUp™ | BassUp™ 2.0 | BassUp™ 1.0 | BassUp™ 1.0 |
| Drivers | 50W Racetrack Subwoofer 2 x 15W Tweeter | 2 x 15W Full Range | 2 x 30W Woofer 2 x 10W Tweeter |
| Playtime | 24H | 24H | 20H |
| IP Rating | IPX7 Waterproof and Floats | IPX7 Waterproof and Floats | IP67 |
| Bluetooth Version | 5.3 | 5 | 5.3 |
| Multi-Speaker | PartyCast 2.0 / TWS | TWS | PartyCast 2.0 / TWS |
| Aux In | No | No | Yes |
| Charge Port | Type C | Type C | Type C |
| Charge Out | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Size | 11.65 x 7.28 x 3.98 | 13.62 x 5.83 x 7.87 | 15.31 x 5.51 x 7.7 |
| Weight | 3.66 lbs | 3.33 lbs | 5.29 lbs |
| Price | $130 | $100 | $180 |
Size Comparison
I have the Soundcore Motion Boom, the Motion Boom Plus, and now the Boom 2 all on hand. The Motion Boom Plus is the clear outlier in size though shares many of the aesthetics of the Motion Boom. The Boom 2 is a clear departure in looks from the other two.
While the speakers all have a similar look, there is one big difference. The original Motion Boom (the small one) has two passive radiators on the side while the Motion Boom Plus and the Boom 2 both have powered bass drivers on the sides. With the Motion Boom Plus, it has two powered woofers while it seems that the Boom 2 has a single powered woofer and a passive radiator. Both should produce more bass than the original Motion Boom.
When we look at the Motion Boom and the Boom 2 more directly, we see that they are very alike. The shapes and aesthetics might be different, but the overall size is the same. They both weigh about the same, have the same battery life, and sport similar feature sets. If you like the size and portability of the Motion Boom, the Boom 2 is right up your alley.
Soundcore Boom 2 Bluetooth Speaker Contol and App
As you might expect, using the Soundcore Boom 2 Bluetooth speaker isn’t exactly rocket science. You connect via Bluetooth to your phone, download the app, and you are off to the races. If you are one of those people who don’t like adding apps to your phone, or don’t care about the additional control it gives you, you can use the Boom 2 without the app just fine.
Controlling the speaker from the top gives you access to a number of controls. Of course, you an power on and off the speaker, initiate Bluetooth pairing, control the volume, and play and pause your content. The buttons on the right are a little different. The first one is the PartyCast button to connect additional Boom 2 speakers. The Bass button will enable and disable the bass boost. It will also switch between different lighting effects with a long press.
The app gives you additional controls. You have access to the equalizer allowing you to choose between four different preset EQ settings or setting your own with the custom EQ. The custom EQ controls are some of the most granular we’ve ever seen and a clear upgrade to the Motion Boom Plus EQ. You can click into every control and modify the frequency as well as the boost or cut. We can’t testify to how accurate this EQ actually is, but it is impressive that they’ve given you such impressive controls. The app allows you the typical gross controls including power off (not on, obviously), volume, play/pause, and control of the bass boost.
Light Show
One new feature of the Soundcore Boom (Motion or 2) line of portable Bluetooth speakers is LED lighting on the speaker’s side woofers. The side woofers will illuminate and pulse in time with the music (mostly getting brighter during heaving bass beats or louder sounds). You have complete control over the type of lighting effects (seven different presets) and can modify the color of each of presets individually within the app. Also with the app, you can change the overall brightness of the lights as well as disable the feature. While you can switch between the different light modes from the top controls of the speaker, you cannot disable the lights without the app.
Sound Quality
As I’ve come to expect from Soundcore, the Boom 2 Bluetooth speaker sounds very good. I always test speakers and headphones with them in their “flat” orientation. I do this by enabling the custom EQ and leaving the line flat. In this setting, the Boom 2 has usable bass down to about 50Hz with a reasonably flat response. A nice feature is that you can enable the bass boost from the on-speaker controls without disabling your EQ settings. It doesn’t show you exactly what it is doing with the bass in the EQ, but you can hear the difference.
The Soundcore Boom 2 is a very small speaker which actually works in its favor in some respects. While the Motion Boom Plus sounded different off-axis, the Boom 2 was very uniform. I tried the Boom 2 in three different environments. First, I used the speaker in my open-concept kitchen/living space. The Boom 2 proved to be great for filling a large space with music. At 50% volume, it was plenty loud enough fo to fill the room with music. Second, I wanted to test its water resistance so I took it in the shower. There it sounded a little bassy for the space (as one might expect) but handled the constant flow of water well. Lastly, I took it outside. Here it performed well but needed the bass boost enabled to sound natural. Walking around, the Soundcore Boom 2 Bluetooth speaker sounded remarkably uniform even off-axis. This is a great speaker for nearly any environment!
When you have access to a powerful EQ, it’s hard to evaluate the sound quality of a portable speaker. If you think the presentation needs more or less bass, treble, or midrange, you can change it. With the EQ set to flat, the Boom 2 had slightly tipped-up bass. In a large space, this sounded very natural. In a small one, the speaker was very bass-heavy. Outside, it sounded like it needed a bit more bass. This, as you might recognize, is room reinforcement. The EQ is there to help you tune the audio presentation not only to your taste, but to counteract any effects of the environment. As a whole, however, with no EQ, the Soundcore Boom 2 portable speaker sounded very natural. This is a great platform upon which to build a great audio experience, regardless of environment. If you are looking for a powerful, great-sounding, portable Bluetooth speaker, the Soundcore Boom 2 is a great option!
Take Away
It’s hard to knock the Soundcore Boom 2 Bluetooth speaker. It is certainly an upgrade in nearly every way to the Motion Boom. The light show might be a bit much for some but most people that experienced the speaker during my review period thought it was pretty cool. The sound quality is just as good as you’d expect from Soundcore. The long battery can be used to play music for days or keep your phone charged. It’s waterproof, portable, and sounds great. What more do you want from a portable Bluetooth speaker? Recommended!
