To check the distinction nonetheless, I first listened to the speaker with out its bass bottle. It’s very loud for a small speaker, and in my workplace I couldn’t deal with the amount turned up previous 30 p.c. It is simply not an pleasing pay attention, sounding shrill and disappointing with none discernible bass. It’s not fairly as dangerous as placing your previous iPhone in a cup for additional amplification, nevertheless it’s not far off—and not less than you may truly drink from the cup afterwards.
However we’re right here for the bass-boosting bottle, and I can categorically say that the acoustically tuned plastic bottle does certainly enhance the decrease frequencies, and makes the speaker sound considerably higher. The bottle takes the sting off the amount, and there’s a noticeable depth to the mids and bass as soon as it is connected. You possibly can actually hear the distinction within the combine and stability, and the distinction between the sound with the bottle on and off is spectacular.
Push the amount, nonetheless, and the bass will get muddy shortly, with the sharp edges as soon as once more noticeable within the combine. It’s not horrible, however in comparison with the competitors it’s simply not that pleasing to hearken to, which is a disgrace, as a result of it certain does look cute on my desk.
Whereas it’s bigger, the Anker Soundcore Movement 300 ($70) wipes the ground with the Sodapop, with clear bass and readability, even at quantity. Equally, the Final Ears Wonderboom 4 ($80) is small, transportable, boasts full 360-degree sound and comes with IP67 waterproofing (it floats), which is a large improve to Sodapop’s dust- and splash-resistant IPX65 ranking.
Performed side-by-side with the equally proportioned and less expensive $35 Tribit StormBox Micro 2 (IPX7 ranking, 10 hours playtime), the bodily separation and enormous chamber between the drivers and bass port does create a wider soundstage. There’s not a lot in it when it comes to the quantity of bass and total efficiency although.