Soundcore Boom 2 by Anker

Packaging and first impression

The Soundcore Boom 2 comes securely packaged with the typical Soundcore design. Also included: a 60cm long USB-C to USB-C charging cable and a multilingual quick guide.

The manufacturer states up to 24 hours of runtime, depending on how the device is set up, but a power adapter is not included in the package. With a 5V/3A power supply unit (15W), the Boom 2 takes around five and a half hours to recharge to 100%. Unfortunately, there is no quick-charging function. A USB-C socket for charging and a USB-A port for charging smartphones (power bank function) are hidden behind a rubber flap on the back. The latter worked with Android mobile phones without any problems, but we did not use it to charge our iPhones.

Processing and design

Let’s start with the look. The similarity to the design of the Motion X series and the Motion 300 was immediately noticeable. Both the front grille and the manufacturer’s logo give the Boom 2 a contemporary design.

With a size of approx. 30 x 18.5 x 9.5cm and weight of just over 1.7 kilograms, the speaker is compact enough to fit in a bike basket or rucksack.

The colour options of anthracite, blue or green plastic housing gave the speaker a robust look, and it withstood a lot of fairly rough treatment – but for our taste, it could have been of a higher quality. The two Motion-X models 500 and 600 looked far more elegant.

The Boom 2 seemed to feel more suitable for mobile use when it might get wet. It has IPX7 certification, meaning that the speaker can be completely submerged in water for a short time without any problems. It could easily withstand heavy rain showers and – a big plus – the speaker floats, which means it won’t sink if it falls off the boat on your next canoe trip.

The manufacturer has not added an “X” to the “IPX7” certification, which suggests that no corresponding tests have been carried out. This provides information about the device’s resistance to dirt or dust. So you should exercise caution when using the speaker in sandy or dirty environments.

Soundcore app

As is typical for Soundcore, an app ( for iOS and Android) is used to control and manage the Boom 2. Although there were not as many functions here as with Soundcore’s headphones, the EQ sound profiles (“Signature”, “Voice”, “Treble boost”, “Balanced”) and the detailed equaliser, which mutates into a full-band equaliser in landscape format, are worth highlighting. However, this did not work in real-time, as the sound only changed when the slider was released, and this was accompanied by a brief sound dropout.

You can also choose from seven pre-sets for the lights that change rhythmically with the music; these can be adjusted to suit your own taste using the RGB colour wheel. The app also allows you to switch off the excessively loud start-up sound, change the brightness of the buttons, define an automatic switch-off after certain time intervals and of course, update the firmware.

Speaking of control: the manufacturer has done a good job of ensuring that a lot can be done without using the app by assigning double functions to the rubberised buttons.

The fact that the Android version of the Soundcore app only displayed the Boom 2 as a blurred image seemed to be a bug.

What does the Soundcore Boom 2 by Anker sound like?

A 40-watt “Racetrack” subwoofer (90x120mm) and two 10-watt tweeters (20mm) are designed to provide a rousing party sound. Two passive radiators and a “BassUp” button boosted the bass accordingly, and activating this increased the output power from 60 to 80 watts. In addition, it is equipped with the standard SBC codec, which works via Bluetooth version 5.3. And that’s it.

In practice, this means that the Soundcore Boom 2 isn’t a subtle speaker, and you can hear this from the very first second. It has simply been designed for activities where sound quality is not the top priority. As such, the speaker performs powerfully, with a clear focus on the low-frequency range and the lower mid-range. With a frequency response of 45 Hz to 20 kHz, the speaker doesn’t quite manage to reproduce the full range of low bass; tracks could still sound deep and dark, but only when BassUp was activated. However, you will notice that the Boom 2s are not particularly precise, especially with music that has a lot going on at the bottom end, and this could make them sound muddy and boomy.

The mids sounded clear, so voices, electric guitars and lead synths remained intelligible, but together with the treble, the overall picture was somewhat artificial. In our opinion, the treble should be more detailed.

Thanks to the app, the full-band equaliser can still be used to make up some ground, and it’s worth spending a little time adjusting the storable equaliser.

The Boom 2 is not capable of ultra-loud sound, so it’s not enough to provide a party sound system in the classic sense. However, if you want to get the party started at barbecues, the Soundcore Boom 2 could be just the right speaker for you. Especially as its Bluetooth wireless range was extremely stable up to 40 metres outdoors.

Unfortunately, the background noise, which was only audible during playback and approx. five seconds after the playback had ended, was too loud for our taste. Especially if you are going to use the speaker at night at minimum volume.

It is also possible to link up to 100 Boom 2 speakers to form a mega setup using Party Cast mode or connect two speakers to form a stereo set using the “TWS mode”. Unfortunately, we did not have another speaker, let alone 99 more Boom 2s, to test this feature.

Making calls with the Soundcore Boom 2

The voice quality during phone calls was positive. The person on the other end of the line was able to understand us clearly in quiet surroundings. The same applied the other way around. Nevertheless, we heard a slight noise during the call.

Conclusion

The Soundcore Boom 2 impressed us with a robust appearance. Outdoors, you won’t need to worry much if the speaker goes overboard on your next canoe trip. The sound of the speaker was also robust and, therefore, it was not one hundred per cent convincing. If you like to immerse yourself in music and enjoy it consciously, we therefore recommend taking a look at the same manufacturer’s Motion-X series.

But if you like big bass and want a small light organ that converts the sound into rhythmic lights when charging your smartphone thanks to the power bank function, you should definitely turn to the Soundcore Boom 2.