Soundcore
Boom 2 Plus Outdoor Speaker
About the product
A big, bright boombox ideal for the pool or beach
Whether you want to throw an outdoor party or just take your favorite tunes to the beach, you need a quality portable wireless speaker. The Soundcore Boom 2 Plus is an almost ideal fit for this need. With stereo sound, powerful wattage, entertaining LED lights and a big but portable boombox build that’s both shock-resistant and waterproof, the Boom 2 Plus is one of the best portable Bluetooth speakers we’ve tested in the BestReviews Testing Lab. Its features and performance combined with its moderate price make it an almost-perfect speaker for outdoor recreation, especially at the pool or beach.
What is the Soundcore Boom 2 Plus Outdoor Speaker?
Battery life: 65 hrs (tested) | Wireless range: 160’ (tested) | Wattage: 140 W | Dimensions: 17.4” W × 5.94” D × 8.98” H | Weight: 8.38 lb | Bluetooth: 5.3
The Soundcore Boom 2 Plus from electronics brand Anker is a boombox-style portable Bluetooth speaker suited to outdoor usage, although it can be used indoors as well. It’s a large but portable unit measuring 17 inches long and almost 9 inches high, thanks to its integrated, structural handle and grip. It has a mostly plastic case with metallic grille that’s rated IPX7 waterproof. The Boom 2 Plus can be carried by its integrated handle or with a separate included shoulder strap. If placed in water, it actually floats.
The Boom 2 Plus has two pairs of drivers, two bass woofers and two tweeters, providing up to 150 watts of power with bass boost on. It supports stereo sound and can be adjusted via an equalizer in the Soundcore smartphone app. It also boasts LED light effects around its bass ports with eight different light-show settings.
See how it compares to other products in its space — check out our reviews for the best Bluetooth speakers.
Price and where to buy
The Soundcore Boom 2 Plus has a suggested retail price of $249.99. It’s available from Amazon and directly from Anker.
Why we like it
- Build quality: We were impressed at the build quality and durability of the Boom 2 Plus, marveling at how well it endured shocks and drops and enjoying its waterproofing and ability to float and survive immersion for significant lengths of time.
- Stereo sound: In a market segment dominated by mono speakers, we appreciated that the Boom 2 Plus offers stereo sound with two woofers and two tweeters.
- Battery life: We managed to get more than three times the expected 20 hours battery life from the Boom 2 Plus in testing while using white noise at 50% volume.
What we don’t like
- Size: The Boom 2 Plus is on the larger side of Bluetooth speakers and won’t fit inside a bag or suitcase. It takes up significant space and can look obtrusive if used indoors.
- Light effects: The tested light effects didn’t seem to sync up to test music the way we expected and some patterns caused irksome flashing-light reactions.
- Performance at volume extremes: The Boom 2 Plus needed at least 30% volume to produce an even and enjoyable sound, but when it was above 75%, the highs were too harsh to listen to.
Soundcore Boom 2 Plus Outdoor Speaker setup
The Soundcore Boom 2 Plus came in a colorful product box and was packed in soft foam blocks and wrapped in a protective bag. An all-in-one unit, it required no physical setup once unboxed. It comes with a USB-C to USB-C charge cable and a shoulder strap. We liked that the strap is included as an option but preferred to use it without the strap for testing.
The controls were straightforward. We turned it on and put it into pairing mode, during which its LED lights pulse blue. Pairing from our source device’s Bluetooth control panel took only five seconds. We also downloaded the Soundcore app but didn’t need it for setup. Adding a second source device also took only five seconds.
Design and durability
The Boom 2 Plus has what we’d consider average styling for a wireless speaker, straightforward and “techy” rather than sleek or retro. It’s dominated by a large front grille with the Soundcore logo and the thick, sturdy structural handle that runs the length of the device. We liked how the handle had a contoured grip for greater comfort. At either end are two bass ports that visibly move and vibrate to the music, integrated with color-changing LED lights. The lights offer eight different patterns, only two of which appealed to us during testing, but other users may disagree.
The Boom 2 Plus survived several drops from 3 feet onto lawn turf without incident and only minor scuffing. Despite its lack of dust resistance, we didn’t note any particle ingress from our drop tests. The Boom 2 Plus tolerated being dropped in a chlorinated swimming pool and floating both grille-up and grille-down for 30 minutes without incident. It operated normally even while still soaking wet.
Sound quality and performance
The Boom 2 Plus has pleasant and entertaining sound quality. Its two woofers offer up to 100 watts of power, while its two silk tweeters each produce up to 20 watts of higher-frequency audio, combining for 140 watts total at the highest volumes with its BassUp feature on.
At volumes below 30%, its mids and highs are muffled and its bass lacks definition. Above 30% volume, the sound evens out and becomes agreeable to listen to even indoors. Sound hits about 70 decibels at 50% volume and the highs begin to grow harsh. Above 75%, the sound became unbalanced and unpleasant to listen to and was over 80 decibels.
Having two tweeters and two woofers allows the Boom 2 Plus to reproduce stereo sound. While no real separation is possible in a single unit like the Boom 2 Plus, we appreciated the ability to produce stereo rather than mono. Four included EQ presets are present in the Soundcore app, but we think BassUp is the more important feature. It not only boosts the low end but also adds depth to the midrange and should be kept on, particularly at lower volume levels.
Connectivity options
The Boom 2 Plus connects wirelessly via Bluetooth 5.3 and supports multipoint connections. We paired two separate source devices to the Boom 2 Plus and could play from one or the other with relative ease. We liked that the Bluetooth button on the Boom 2 Plus could handle the source switching with a single push.
The Boom 2 Plus maintained a Bluetooth connection with a smartphone up to 50 meters or over 160 feet in an open line-of-sight test. It also maintained connection within 30 feet indoors through walls and doors without issue.
The Boom 2 Plus has a microphone and can be used as a speakerphone when paired with a smartphone. However, we had trouble getting this to work during testing, and so can’t vouch for its sound quality or stability. An aux port allows the Boom 2 Plus to connect to any audio source that can use an aux cable.
Portability and ease of use
Despite its size and weight, we found the Boom 2 Plus pleasantly portable during testing. Even at over 8 pounds, it feels lighter than it should for its size, and the solidity and contouring of its handle makes it easy to carry and hold while on the move in classic boombox style. We liked that it came with a shoulder strap as well.
The Boom 2 Plus was easy to use during testing. Its buttons were clear and uncomplicated, and the Soundcore app was functional and not too cluttered. We particularly liked the presence of a dedicated button to turn the LED lights on, off or cycle through its patterns.
Battery life and power management
Anker promises 20 hours of nonstop playback from the Boom 2 Plus at 50% volume if BassUp and the LED lights are off. We obtained 65 hours of nonstop playback at the same settings. We used a combination of white noise and downtempo music, which may have influenced our results, but getting more than three times the expected battery life was still astounding.
The Boom 2 Plus uses USB-C to recharge and supports fast charging with a 30-watt or higher power adapter. After only 30 minutes using fast charging, we obtained over 7 hours of Top 40 music playback at 35% volume. Full recharging took three hours. The Boom 2 Plus doesn’t come with its own charger, however.
How does it compare to other portable speakers we’ve tested?
The Soundcore Boom 2 Plus costs less than the Bose Soundlink Max, another portable boombox-style Bluetooth speaker. Compared to the Bose, the Boom 2 Plus is bigger and heavier, although its weight is less than it looks, unlike the Bose, which is heavier than it looks. It has a flashier design with lights, while the Bose is understated. Both offer stereo sound, but the Bose has better overall sound quality. The Boom 2 Plus had a longer tested battery life than the Bose and charged faster. It also has speakerphone capability, unlike the Bose. The Bose has dust resistance as well as water resistance, but both speakers can float.
The Boom 2 Plus is superior to the JBL Charge 5 in every way except size. The JBL can fit in a bag, while the Boom 2 Plus is too big. But the Boom 2 Plus has better sound, stereo sound, more lights, longer battery life and better controls and gets louder than the JBL. While both are water-resistant, the JBL can’t float.
Testing the Soundcore Boom 2 Plus Outdoor Speaker
To test the Soundcore Boom 2 Plus, we reproduced situations that made sense for typical use. We took it outdoors and tested it in an open area at regular and high volumes and measured how far we could walk away from it while still maintaining a line-of-sight connection. We picked it up by its handle and dropped it from shoulder height onto the ground two to three times to evaluate its durability. We also took it to a chlorinated swimming pool and dropped it in, letting it float for half an hour before fishing it out and using it immediately for playback.
To test sound quality, we used a standardized playlist composed of songs from all major genres of music, rating it on bass quality, mid clarity and treble sharpness as well as loudness and soundstage.
To test the battery life, we set the Boom 2 Plus to the same parameters as Anker’s official battery life and timed how long it took until it powered down. We then timed how much battery life was regained after 30 minutes of fast charging, and how long it took to regain a full charge. Finally, we examined all the controls and options available on the Soundcore app.
Should you get the Soundcore Boom 2 Plus Outdoor Speaker?
The Soundcore Boom 2 Plus is an excellent portable outdoor speaker. Its light effects and boombox design make it an obvious choice for an outdoor gathering, and its durability and water-resistance make it a no-brainer for use at the pool or beach. With excellent battery life and solid stereo sound, the Soundcore Boom 2 Plus is a good value at its price and a top pick among outdoor portable Bluetooth speakers.