The new Boom 2 Plus is a Bluetooth boombox speaker with up to 140W of power.
Can you believe it’s been 30 years since the heyday of the boombox? Since then, the concept has changed thanks to Bluetooth giving the boombox a new lease of life. Now, if you want big sound for a party, there are plenty of boomboxes to choose from including big brands like JBL and Sony.
Now Anker Innovations has announced the launch of its biggest boombox yet with the Soundcore Boom 2 Plus. This is the latest mega speaker from Anker’s Soundcore sub-brand. In addition to Bluetooth connectivity, the Boom 2 Plus includes BassUp 2.0 technology with the ability to pump out a maximum of 140W of earth-shattering bass without any hum or noise.
The new speaker also has a custom active crossover to separate high and low frequency signals, sending them to the woofers and tweeters for a clearer and more detailed sound.
The new Boom 2 Plus has two woofers, two tweeters and two passive radiators. It has RGB LEDs on it … [+]
The previous boombox from Soundcore — the Motion Boom Plus — only had 80W of power, but this latest model has a base rating of 100W, which can be further increased to 140W by upgrading to the BassUp 2. Inside the hood the speakers are two 4.5 inch woofers. with a power of 50 W each. Some tweeters can put out another 20W each whenever the BassUp 2 is on. To support the lower frequencies, Soundcore has also added a pair of passive radiators to pump out more bass.
Like its predecessor, the Boom 2 Plus also has an RGB light show that can be synchronized in time with the music being played. There are also eight preset light show effects, plus the user can customize the colors to match the party mood. Thankfully, the light show can also be turned off completely for those of us not in the disco mood.
Powering the Boom 2 Plus is a massive rechargeable lithium-ion battery that can play music for up to 20 hours with the volume level set to 50% and BassUp 2 and RGB lights off. If you turn up the volume, turn on the lights and crank up the bass, you can realistically expect about a dozen hours of sound, still enough to throw a good party.
On the top of the Soundcore Boom 2 Plus are the buttons for controlling music, volume, … [+]
If you’re streaming music from your smartphone, you can keep your device charged by plugging it into the speaker’s USB-C power port, which delivers 10W to a phone. The speaker can handle fast charging up to 30 W, making it possible for the Boom 2 Plus to be fully charged from empty in about three hours.
Of course, no pool party is complete without a few people jumping in the water and splashing everyone. To cope with this noisy behavior, the Soundcore Boom 2 Plus has an IPX7 waterproof rating to withstand splashes. Soundcore says the speaker will even float in water, so you can have your speaker play music next to you while you sip cocktails on your air bed in the middle of the pool.
The standout feature of the Boom 2 Plus is its lightweight and ergonomic design. Unlike many boomboxes, this speaker is light enough to transport without difficulty. It even has a detachable handle and strap. And despite its relatively light weight, the Boom 2 Plus feels extremely solid and exhibits no sign of hums or noises. It’s a lot of engineering, especially when you hear how loud it can go and how deep the bass goes.
The Soundcore Boom 2 Plus is available in Phantom Black, Adventure Green and Explorer Blue.
The Boom 2 Plus can be customized using Soundcore’s smartphone app which is available for Android and Apple iOS. There are four EQ presets built into the speaker plus the sound can be adjusted with an eight-band equalizer. Each of the frequency bands can be adjusted to create the ideal tone.
If one speaker isn’t enough, then the Soundcore Boom 2 Plus can be paired with other speakers that support PartyCast 2.0. In theory, up to 100 speakers can be joined together to throw their own sonic party. For the less ambitious, the two Boom 2 Plus speakers can be electronically joined to create a stereo pair using the TWS button.
The design of the Boom 2 Plus echoes the controls on the rest of Soundcore’s wireless speaker range. There is a row of eight buttons to access most of the speaker’s features and controls. As well as the usual music transport buttons, there’s a power switch, Bluetooth pairing button, volume control, there are buttons for switching EQ presets, turning BassUp 2 on and setting light show effects and turning it off altogether.
The Soundcore Boom 2 Plus has two woofers and two tweeters. There are passive radiators in each of them … [+]
So how does the Boom 2 Plus sound? The answer is big. There’s a lot of audio muscle on offer, and no matter how much you turn up the volume, the sound doesn’t break down or distort easily. If you don’t want to stream wirelessly, then there’s a 3.5mm stereo input for attaching an older device with all its analogue goodness. The difference with the BassUp 2 on and off is significant and this is one speaker that can get a party started. The Boom 2 Plus can move a lot of air and certainly sounds louder than its size would lead you to believe.
Verdict: The Boom 2 Plus is a solid, party-ready speaker/boombox from Soundcore. The light show and enhanced bass will please all party animals. There’s plenty of power to spare and the EQ presets are nice to have depending on the room or party setup. If you’re planning a pool party soon, be sure to invite the Soundcore Boom 2 Plus.
Price and availability: The Soundcore Boom 2 Plus continues on Amazon from today and is priced at $249.99 / £199.99 / €199.99. The speaker is available in Phantom Black, Adventure Green and Explorer Blue through Amazon, Soundcore and other retailers. Starting today, customers can sign up at Soundcore.com for an exclusive early bird offer.