Soundcore Boom 2 Plus by Anker

This robust speaker with a carrying handle is available in a range of colours – Phantom Black, Adventure Green and Explorer Blue.

Features of the Soundcore Boom 2 Plus

The package contains a USB-C cable, a quick start guide and a carrying strap that allows you to shoulder the speaker’s 3.8 kg with ease. The Boom 2 Plus has significantly larger external dimensions of 44x23x15 cm. While the Boom 2 was equipped with a “Racetrack” subwoofer, the Boom 2 Plus has two 4.5-inch woofers with a basic output of 35 watts. Together with the two 1-inch tweeters, the Boom 2 Plus now offers 100 watts of power, a whopping 40 watts more than the Boom 2. If you switch on the BassUp function (here in version 2.0), the output power increases to 140 watts and the difference between this model and the Boom 2 increases to 60 watts. To give the bass even more power, two passive radiators are installed alongside the active speakers. This should be enough to provide sound for a barbecue or other outdoor activities in your garden or beach.

If you want to go any louder, you should use the speaker as a PA and ask the neighbours if they want to join the party. They can also enjoy the Boom 2 Plus light show, which offers waves, pulses or flickering lights in sync with the beat.

How is the Soundcore Boom 2 Plus made?

Robust plastic is the material of choice, and it certainly feels solid and high-quality. The keypad on the top of the Boom 2 Plus is rubberised and the USB-C and aux port on the back are protected by a rubber cap. Thanks to IPX7, the speaker can easily withstand rain, splashing water and even a beer shower. It is also floatable. This means that the speaker will not sink if it falls into the pool. However, the Boom 2 Plus was not tested under dirt and dust conditions. Anker only awards an X as a placeholder and keeps a low profile.

Soundcore Boom 2 Plus – the functions

The speaker is primarily supplied with content via Bluetooth but can also accept signals with a mini jack cable via the aux socket on the back. Pairing via Bluetooth 5.3 worked smoothly and can be connected to two devices simultaneously (Multipoint). With a clear line of sight, there can be over 50 metres between the player and the speaker.

All the important functions on the Boom 2 Plus can be controlled directly via the keypad: “Power on/off”, “Bluetooth on/off”, “Skip”, “Play/Pause”, “Volume”, “Lightshow”, “BassUp” and “PartyCast”. With the latter function, up to 100 PartyCast-compatible speakers can be connected together to create a huge sound wall. It is also possible to connect two identical speakers to form a real stereo pair using the “TWS mode”.

Interaction with the app

We recommend installing the Soundcore app for Android or iOS. The app then provides access to an equaliser with numerous pre-sets, the lightshow functions, and some other personalisation options. Here, you can deactivate the start sound and the keypad illumination, install updates and select the switch-off times.

In addition to the four sound profiles (“Signature”, “Voice”, “Treble boost” and “Balanced”), the equaliser also offers the option of creating and saving your own profiles across nine bands.

Thanks to the full-band EQ, which is activated in landscape format, the nine bands can be edited much more precisely. The annoying thing here is that every push of the control produces a brief audio dropout, making it difficult to listen to the changes accurately.

The second menu allows you to manipulate the lightshow effects. You can adjust activity, brightness and the basic colours within the eight pre-sets.

The sound of the Soundcore Boom 2 Plus

You can definitely tell that the Boom 2 Plus has a larger speaker. The sound was powerful and well-supported from below. The bass reached down to 40dB when BassUp was activated, and this created a decent amount of room-filling volume. The mids were solid, and the highs were also fresh and clear. Overall, the sound was round and balanced, pleasantly warm and full-bodied at low and medium volumes. If the volume was turned up, the bass and lower mids were pushed significantly. The sound then became more washed out and the highs stood out a little. Nevertheless, there was no painful distortion or screeching highs. Of course, a wide stereo image cannot be created by a single speaker, and in smaller rooms at a shorter distance, we noticed that you are quickly outside the very forward-facing dispersion angle of the drivers if you step to the side. Nevertheless, the sound of the Boom 2 Plus was impressive, especially if you don’t push it to its limits.

Runtime and miscellaneous

The manufacturer specifies 20 hours of run time at medium volume, which is four hours less than with the Boom 2. Thanks to a quick-charging function, the Boom 2 Plus can be fully charged with 30 watts within three hours. The speaker provides little information about its charging status. A tiny icon in the app provides only rough information. A practical feature: The USB-C port on the back of the speaker can be used as a portable power bank to charge mobile devices. This worked well with an iPhone.

Conclusion

The Soundcore Boom 2 Plus is a good-sounding, solid outdoor party speaker with a stylish handle design with light effects. Thanks to its switchable bass function, “BassUp 2.0”, it has a fun sound that gets the party going without unpleasant distortion or rumbling at higher volumes. At medium and low volumes in particular, it impressed us with its clear and balanced sound, which can be adjusted to suit your own needs using the excellent equaliser in the app.