Anker Soundcore 2 Review-Affordable Wireless Speaker
Anker gave soundcore a simple design. Just like the speaker’s design, bringing the Soundcore out of the box is not quite complicated.
The package comes with the speaker, the warranty information and a micro USB charging cable contained in another smaller box.
Inside the box is a little pamphlet which contains instruction on how to provide your feedback on the product to Anker.
However, it does not look bad.
The device is rectangular in shape. It is black in colour. Apart from the front side of the speaker covered with grill, the device is made from a soft plastic material throughout. The name Anker is branded in white color on the grill. The plastic material requires occasional cleaning in order to maintain its appearance when it is unboxed for the first time as it is not a complete fingerprint magnet.
I am not impressed with a company branding all parts of their products. Indeed, Anker’s branding is quite simple and does not affect the speaker’s overall visual appeal. To a certain extent, it improves the speaker’s design and also contributes in distinguishing it from other small rectangular speakers in this category.
The buttons on top of the speaker gives a perfect fit to the soft plastic material even though it could require some added clicks.
One issue I have with the product’s design was the small LED light positioned on the speaker’s front side. The LED light turns red when the battery is running out of charge. But the light is green colored both when pairing and when connected. The light is a little bit out of the centre due the position of the driver inside the grille. Each time I took a look at the LED light, I became annoy despite the fact that most people would not see it as a major issue.
Regardless of my contempt for the placement of the driver, I still like the simple overall design of the speaker. It is quite obvious that Anker intentionally gave it a simple design that will not attract much attention to it if you place it on a table or a desk. The speaker appears to be strongly made but if you want a speaker with high durability, this can’t withstand few drops.
Connectivity Anker Soundcore 2
Considering its price, its connectivity scored above average. Its Bluetooth 4.0 features a 60 connectivity range which is fine to a greater extent. The connectivity strength begins to vitiate as the range gets to 40 feet, it starts stuttering and skipping in the presence of walls.
However, in the absence of any walls, the connection will still be effective. It features an aux input located by the side of the speaker. It is meant for the use of people with devices that has no Bluetooth function.
Battery life Anker Soundcore 2
Soundcore’s battery has a stunning running time. This is not an overstatement. Anker stated that its running time was about a full day of constant playback. I was not able to exhaust the battery life when I was testing the features including listening for a couple of hours in a day. Soundcore is an option for you if you really don’t want to bother about recharging the battery at all.
Sound Quality
I tested the quality of its wireless technology with a few files from my computer given that most consumers are probably going to use this feature. For this, I utilized Spotify, setting its streaming quality to its highest level.
Lows
The volume has good lows taking into consideration the size of the speaker. In all, its quality is just like what speakers of similar size will deliver. I did not expect low end to be as clean as it is.
Normally, small speakers deliver fake or clouded sounds when it tries to push its bass. Impressively, there was consistent in low end quality of Anker soudcore. The display of the deep bass in “Trouble by TV on the Radio” was nice and no aspect of the song seems to be missing.
Mids
Mids also play well delivering good and smooth sound. I did not notice any strange or poor sound except when Kid Cudi’s Man in the Night was playing when the heavier guitar lost some of their details and crunch even though they didn’t get lost. Apart from this, there was no problem with the vocals and acoustic guitars.
Highs
There was some harshness in the high end of the Anker soundcore 2 when the volume is set at its maximum. But the harshness was not very much pronounced. The River by Leon Bridges when played showed a percussion element that were a little bit piercing. But as it is the case with a many speakers, this problem can be solved by reducing the volume or by clicking.
√ Extremely affordable price
√ Waterproof
√ Long battery life, 24 hours
√ Built-in microphone for speakerphone calls
⊙Common sound quality
⊙Distorts at higher volumes and can’t handle deep bass
Conclusion
Undoubtedly, the Anker Soundcore 2 is among the best speakers sold for $50. It has an impressive sound-to-size ratio. The quality of sound delivered is two times its size. The sound does not become very loud as to compare with the hypothetical speaker.
But it is sufficient to be used for a dinner party. If you are on the market in search of a quality product with fair price tag, this product should be an option for you.
The strongest selling points of this product are its affordability and good quality. But apart from these qualities, the device’s battery run-time that allows for a 24 hours of constant playback is a plus to it and a sure sign that Anker will keep to their words without compromising on quality and affordability.
