Anker - Soundcore 2

I have at least 7 HomePods 1st gen , and I got a cheap anker sound core 2 speaker I keep In the truck , so whenever you go to a park etc , easy listening long battery it seems

I use the Anker Soundcore 2. Works great, and fits perfectly on the dash between defog tube and the windshield.

(For context, my previous speaker was an Anker Soundcore 2. I frequently switch between Aux-cable and bluetooth.) It's updated to the latest firmware (so it works with the Earfun app). Set to the standard Oluv Indoor/Outdoor mode. (no custom EQ set). ---------------------- Okay, so I've been using this speaker for a couple of months now. I want to talk about the sound quality first. So, it does sound *really* good, like you've probably seen people say here. When you've got it pointed at you, the clarity and fullness seems excellent for a speaker this size. My previous speaker was a Soundcore 2, which is a good bit smaller but sounded great in its own right. This is definitely a large improvement in sound from that, **sometimes**. I say sometimes, because I imagine this has to be one of the most directional consumer-grade speakers that exists. (I've seen debate over the acoustic qualities of this speaker. There was some mild outrage over [RTing's middling review of the sound](https://www.rtings.com/speaker/reviews/earfun/uboom-l#test_4548) compared to what [other enthusiasts have measured](https://www.diysubwoofers.org/projects/other/BT/UBoomL/). I wish RTings would do a retest on the lastest firmware, because if the "Default" EQ preset is what was loaded on 0.5, that is a *very* opinionated sound.) This speaker sounds great, **if you can get it pointed directly at the listeners' heads**. It starts to sound muffled and "off" very quickly. We usually use the speaker sitting in bed, with the speaker either on the bed, or placed on the wall with magnets. Because of the triangular shape, it's nearly impossible to keep it in the sweet spot. I'm constantly fiddling with its positioning to get it right. It sounds *fine* when not directly facing, but it isn't going to wow you. I find myself preferring outdoor mode if I'm listening while moving around the room. It would probably be great on a desk... but that's not what a portable speaker is for. ------------------------------ Okay, so the praise over its sound is warranted in some ways, but it's so frustrating to get that sound that I can't give it full credit. What I don't see others talking about so much is the rest of the experience, and that's where this thing really shows its flaws. 1. The system boops and beeps. If you've ever used a cheapo-deepo generic speaker (or a Soundcore 1), you'll be familiar with these. If you're listening to something incredible quiet and trying to pump the volume past max, it gives a **MAX VOLUME SHRILL BEEP** that is so damn startling. Be ready to play "volume chicken", or make sure the source device has its volume maxed before you plug in the Uboom L. (When researching before buying, I saw you can turn these off in the app. You definitely cannot.) 2. The control buttons are relatively small and the iconography is both cryptic and hard to recognize by touch alone. My wife won't even attempt to adjust the volume on it, especially if the lights are out. 3. Why is low-latency mode tied to a double-tap of bluetooth? The indoor/outdoor button has no other function on double-tap, would be more intuitive, and less risk of disconnecting the bluetooth when you're just trying to turn off low-latency (which needs to be turned off for volume control to work consistently on my Pixel 7). 3. The AUX cable has to be removed entirely for bluetooth to take over. Tbh this isn't terrible behavior, except for... 4. The placement of the cable port right next to the rubber flapper's hinge. And the aux port is *tight*, leading to serious finger gymnastics to remove my cable without putting excess stress on it. This leads me to... 5. The rubber seal has no good grip to pull it out, and it is SO ridiculously tight. After fighting with it a few times, I just gave up on pushing it closed. I have half a mind to just cut it off entirely. 6. The placement of the ports is slanted downwards in the back, which means AUX and chargers are always practically holding the thing up. More unnecessary cable stress. 7. This is the one that made me write this in the first place. One night, I left it unplugged and playing overnight for pink noise. Didn't think about it again until I wanted to turn it on the next night. No big, I'll just put it charging and turn it on. Nope. It turns on, about 5 seconds later a little chirpy girl voice says "battery low" and it turns itself off again. No big, I'll give it a few more minutes. Nope. It did this over 4 different tries over 15 minutes. I know the speaker doesn't use more power than the charger is providing. This particular behavior is absurd. -------------------------- All of these are fairly minor issues, but taken together I find I'm *always* having to think about the speaker, it never is able to just get out of the way and be a seamless experience. This many poor design choices gives the whole thing a cheap vibe that I'm resenting more as time goes on. Death by a thousand cuts. Does it sound really good? Yes, it does... sometimes. But I would pay a little more, or sacrifice some sound quality to have a speaker that wasn't so damn finicky. PS: Anker? Would you please make another budget Soundcore with an AUX port and USB-C?

Thanks for the rec, and for seemingly reading through that rant of a post! That was my 2nd choice, kicking myself a bit now. It does look like a more natural successor to my Soundcore 2. I drove that thing until the wheels fell off (battery pooped)

You won't have latency using the aux. I don't think they have it in most newer models though. I have an old Anker soundcore 2 speaker that I used via aux in. It's a bit heavy but doesn't sound like ass. Why not monitor headphones though?

I’ve been on the hunt for the best portable small speaker to pair with my POs and have ended up with a couple duds. Did some research and the best options for low latency seem to be the Marshall branded Bluetooth speakers and Minirig Bluetooth speakers. However, both being sort of pricey for this use case. Anyone have any recommendations? So far I’ve tried the JBL Go 2 and Anker Soundcore 2. Both were cheeks but for different reasons. JBL Go 2 has pretty low latency but the dsp effects volume in a weird way when hitting pads to record, play back, or test sounds. I almost thought my po33 gained velocity sensitivity out of no where 😂. Anker Soundcore 2 sounds much better but has pretty significant delay.

I use a free white noise app with a small Bluetooth speaker (Anker Soundcore 2) running constantly whenever I’m home. I think you’ll find that (or a similar combo) is a better investment than any white noise machine. BTW - the Anker Soundcore 2 is marked down to $27.99 on Amazon, but only for a few more hours.

The Anker Soundcore 2 is a great budget-friendly option. It's waterproof, compact, and has a solid sound for the price.

It’s impressive for the price! You get clear sound with decent bass, and it’s loud enough for most outdoor settings.

Yes, it can last up to 24 hours, so you’ll be covered for an entire day of camping or hiking.

It’s pretty lightweight and has a slim design, so you can easily throw it in your backpack without it taking up much space.

What are you using for speaker? I travel with a small bluetooth speaker that size for constant hotel room travel use (Anker Soundcore 2) but the latency and slight delay of audio not matching lips/game sfx drives me crazy quickly. Even when connected with aux cable and USB power it is way off. I would love to find a small portable bluetooth battery powered type speaker with zero latency when using aux cable or even bluetooth(i found bluetooth is worse than aux on the Anker). Small size is important, I want it as light and compact while as good sounding as possible.

A guy at my work has the go. My soundcore 2 smokes it in bulumr and bass and it's clear sounding. I use two of them together paired in stereo. For my needs it get the job done very well and sounds great.

Soundcore 2? I have two of them and they don't thump and aren't loud. They are great speakers but aren't beasts. My pair of Uboom L's are great and loud though..

\+1 Got an Anker Soundcore2 few years back and connected it with a cable to my Roland MV-1. And i had so much latency that it was unusable for live playing.

My Anker Soundcore has been going strong since 2018. My inlaws Bose on the other hand... they're on their second one in a year less than mine and their new one doesn't hold a charge for more than 30min

Thats probably the one i use. I want a louder one for working with louder tools.

I had a soundcore since then and replaced it this week. The light didn’t work and the bluetooth switching between devices was clunky (remove readd, turn off all paired devices bluetooth but the one you want on power on) but otherwise battery is still incredible and it works. Went with the soundcore 3 and it’s fixed those gripes plus it’s usb 3 and a lot louder / better quality sound

i use anker soundcore with my digis. works well enough and good price.