Soundcore Boom 2 Speaker Review
Sort of but not quite!
Soundcore Boom 2 Overview
Firmware Tested: 03.08
Said to be the replacement for the Soundcore Motion Boom 2 but came to market without the Motion name. Also came to market without the planned LDAC codec support that many early reviews had mentioned. This means your only bluetooth codec is SBC. Similar to the original well received Soundcore Motion Boom in a passing look but ultimately bigger but in actual weight only 150 grams heavier. The original Motion Boom had two full range titanium drivers while the Boom 2 has two tweeters and a single racetrack shaped woofer. Soundcore call this a subwoofer and even market the Soundcore Boom 2 as a 2.1 speaker. This is very silly since if true it would mean the Boom 2 has no woofer to play the mids, crazy I know right? 2.1 means left and right channels (tweeters) and the .1 means a subwoofer playing just the low frequencies. However in reality the so-called subwoofer plays from 70hz to 2khz and so is a woofer not a subwoofer. Very plasticky overall with built in handle. On the sides are two passive radiators (tuned at 60hz) which have led light effects that flash in rhythm to the track you are playing. At the time of the release the Boom 2 retails at £120/$130 which represents fair value for the package. The 37.8 Wh battery is basically the same capacity as the Soundcore Motion Boom but with 80 watts powering the Boom 2 vs 30 watts for the Motion Boom you should expect reduced playtime. Soundcore have got around this fact by stating the 24 hours playtime based on using the speaker at 505 volume with lights turned off and with bass off which reduces overall power to 60 watts and of course reduces volume. Partycast 2.0 means you can connect in party mode to all other PartyCast 1 and 2 speakers and use another Boom 2 in TWS mode. USB-C connection for charging and USB-a for use as a power bank. Has speakerphone functionality. features Soundcores so-called pro EQ which is a 9 band graphic equaliser where the frequency of those bands can be changed.
Frequency Response
The two main modes are Soundcore Signature EQ with Bassup either on or off. Bass on means more power is delivered and said to be 80 watts with bass on and 60 watts with bass off. Up to 60% volume the main differences between the on/off bass modes are that mass off cuts bass and lower mids from 600hz all the way down giving a slightly bass light sound. Bass on however is very bass heavy along with the fact that bass on has a dip at 3khz and bass off has a peak at 3khz making bass on more v-shaped than the bass off EQ. In other words bass off is not justa bass cut but the so-called Signature EQ tuning also changes. After 60% the additional differences in overall volume also becomes apparent between the two modes. Not just that but the v-shaped somewhat bright tuning off bass on is quite different to bass off because that mode reduces the highs with the volume something you would have expected bass on tio do to enhance the bass heavy sound. I say this because bass off also limits relative bass quite considerably after 70% and this could have been helped by reducing some of the bright highs. We do get presets of voice, balanced and treble but the balance mode is anything but balanced. It is actually a bass cut and a weird dip at 2.8khz. Custom mode at default is basically Signature mode with bass on and some very slight differences which you wont hear.
Soundcore Boom 2 – Sound!
This is a tricky one because while the Soundcore Boom 2 represents excellent value for an all round bass satisfying listen it also is uop against to two classics, the Motion Boom plus and the Motion Boom. In some ways in signature mode with bass on its quite simialr to the Motion Boom Plus and with abss of at moderate volumes it’s simialr to the Motion Boom. However at louder volumes the bass reduction on the Soundcore Boom 2 with bass off is large enough that the Motion Boom has more bass. Then at these louder volumes with bass on the Motion Boom Plus has the bigger deeper bass. Both the Motion Boom Plus and the Motion Boom have twin woofers for a fuller stereo sound while the Boom 2 just has the single woofer which robs it of some life. I found the Boom 2 overall can offer a consistent reasonable sound quality and definitely worth the current £120/$130 they are asking. The sound overall is slightly compressed sounding and hard edged and lacks any sweetness but the bass will certainly satisfy party lovers. it can go pretty loud matching the Motion Boom plus for overall loudness but the Motion Boom Plus retains way more bass while doing so. Soundcore are pushing the narrative of comparing the Boom 2 with the JBL Xtreme 3 and Xtreme 4. At moderate to loud volumes the Boom 2 certainly has more bass going on. if this is your only criteria then job done and buy the Boom 2. However overall the JBL Xtreme 4 still offers a higher quality sound and comes off as sounding clearer. But then two boom 2’s would still be cheaper and give you a full stereo sound. I found vocals to be the main area where the Boom 2 excels. Always sounding as though the vocals are well projected forward of the rest of the track and well projected. This is a strong point against the Motion Boom and Motion Boom Plus. The Motion Boom Plus can sound muddy by comparison and the Motion Boom somewhat artificial in its highs. However overall I still find at moderate volumes the smoother rounder bass of the Motion Boom and its overall warmer character to be more relaxing and more suited to long listening sessions. The Boom 2 is bass light when pushed with bass off and with bass on at low to moderate volumes is too bass boosted for my personal tastes. For others this boosted and relatively clean bass will be a big win given its somewhat small dimensions.Conclusion
If the contest was simply against the JBL Xtreme 3 and 4 and you wanted bass at louder volumes then the Boom 2 would be a no-brainer. However you do have two other well priced speakers at c,ose to the same price point as the Boom 2. Ultimately you are left with three decent Soundcore options around the same price point and taste and listening scenario should determine which you ultimately buy.| Specs | – |
|---|---|
| Price (when last checked): | £120/$130 |
| Year Released: | March 2024 |
| Made in: | China |
| Power Rating: | 80 watts bass on, 60 watts bass off |
| Drivers: | 90mmx120mm woofer,2x20mm tweeters, 2 passive radiators |
| Battery Capacity : | 7.3v/4900mAh |
| Battery Capacity (watt Hours) | 37.8Wh |
| Bluetooth Codec: | SBC |
| Bluetooth Version: | 5.3 |
| Multipoint: | Yes |
| NFC: | No |
| TWS (stereo) pairing: | Yes |
| Party Mode (mono) pairing: | Yes |
| Pairing Protocol: | PartyCast 2 |
| Charging Input Type: | USB-C |
| Playtime: | Up to 24 hours claimed with bass off and lights off at 50% volume |
| Charging Time: | 5.5 hours (claimed) |
| WiFi: | No |
| Bluetooth Transmitter Power: | n/a |
| Has a Microphone Input: | No |
| Auxiliary Input: | No |
| Can be used as a Power Bank? | Yes, up to 5 watts output |
| Phone call Functionality? | yes |
| Flash card slot for music? | No |
| Has Lights? | yes on passive radiators |
| Charging Rate: | up to 5v/3a |
| Weight: | 1700g |
| IP Rating: | IP67 |
| Floats? | Yes |
| Floats with Drivers Up (not fully submerged)? | yes |
| Frequency Response Claimed: | 45hz-20khz |
| Has Tweeters: | Yes |
| Titanium Drivers: | No |
| Neodymium Magnet: | n/a |
| Bluetooth Latency (Samsung S10+): | 125ms streaming youtube (poor) |
| Auxiliary Latency (Samsung S10+): | n/a |
| Has an App: | Yes |
| App has Equaliser: | 5 band equaliser |
| App has Parametric Equaliser: | yes |
