What Hi-Fi? Verdict
A durable, sleek little Bluetooth speaker that can be beaten for sound but has good features for the price
Pros
- +
Impressive battery life
- +
Good Bluetooth range
- +
Fully waterproof
Cons
- -
Offers little bass weight
- -
Dynamically limited
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The market for affordable, portable Bluetooth speakers is booming. Now, spending under £50 on a diminutive design today doesn’t necessarily mean you can’t enjoy a musical sound. Some recent budget arrivals, such as this Anker SoundCore 2, even contain a microphone for talking to Siri or Google Assistant.
Anker is a name more readily associated with portable chargers, but has in recent years diversified into areas such as wireless speakers. The SoundCore 2 is, predictably, the follow-up to the original SoundCore.
Build and features
The update is clearly aiming to please more than just our ears – the SoundCore 2 is far more striking in appearance than its predecessor.
The SoundCore 2 is covered in smooth, but grippy rubber, and while you’ll either love or hate the feel of the 'skin' (we’re in the former camp) it helps the SoundCore 2 achieve a fully-waterproof IPX7 rating – meaning it will survive being fully submerged in water at a depth of one metre for at least 30 minutes.
Anker SoundCore 2 tech specs
Battery life 24 hours
Power output 12W
Range 20m
Dimensions (hwd) 5 x 17 x 6cm
Charging time 3 hours
Waterproof rating IPX7
Weight 0.4kg
Add to this a claimed 24-hour battery-life, and that camping trip in the South Downs should be a piece of cake.
The SoundCore 2 is curvy around the edges, reminding us of a swish pencil case, and is available in blue and red as well as the black of our review sample.
As for inputs, there’s a micro USB and aux-in at one end, covered by a little rubber plug to keep them waterproof. Five raised control buttons across the top are tactile and self-explanatory.
The power light is white when on, flashing red at low battery and steady red when charging. The Bluetooth pairing light at the other end is blue – naturally. There’s a built-in mic for talking to Siri, Google Assistant or for making hands-free calls, plus a 20m Bluetooth range.
Sound
Once run-in (yes, that's worth doing even at this end of the audio scale), this little curvy cuboid is initially quite fun – there’s plenty going on through the midrange and it’s well-balanced. We’re not surprised that the amount of detail on display is rather limited, but things tick along nicely and timing is not an issue. Lethal Bizzle’s Fester skan* doesn’t come across as thin or insubstantial through the midrange as we tap our feet along quite happily.
However, despite the apparently bass-enhancing BassUp technology, the two-way design (each driver is powered by 6W of amplification) doesn’t offer much in the way of bass depth.
Dynamics are also an issue; Lethal’s bolshy tone is present, but the detail required to fully deliver his emotional skittishness isn’t quite there. There’s a diminished space between notes – an absence of the kind of layers that would allow our ears to celebrate nuances between vocals and instruments.
Verdict
That said, the SoundCore 2 is still worthy of your attention. It’s very much at the super-affordable end of the market and, thanks to the IPX7 rating, it’ll take some pretty serious abuse. Visually, it’s inoffensive compared to some of its competitors – classy even.
For sound, the JBL Go 2 is a better option, but the Anker SoundCore 2 surpasses it for features and battery life. And if the microphone is important to you, then this is a little money well spent.
SCORES
- Sound 3
- Features 4
- Build 4
MORE:
Best wireless speakers 2019
What Hi-Fi?
What Hi-Fi?, founded in 1976, is the world's leading independent guide to buying and owning hi-fi and home entertainment products. Our comprehensive tests help you buy the very best for your money, with our advice sections giving you step-by-step information on how to get even more from your music and movies. Everything is tested by our dedicated team of in-house reviewers in our custom-built test rooms in London, Reading and Bath. Our coveted five-star rating and Awards are recognised all over the world as the ultimate seal of approval, so you can buy with absolute confidence.
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