2016-07-13T15:20:00ZThe Insider Picks team writes about stuff we think you'll like. Business Insider has affiliate partnerships, so we may get a share of the revenue from your purchase.
With the SoundCore Sport XL, Anker has managed to make a small speaker that feels big.
First things first, this is a no-frills looking speaker. Pocket-sized for those who wear cargo pants, the SoundCore Sport XL comes in the standard black and has its power, volume, and Bluetooth buttons on its top. Behind an air-tight door around its back, there's a full-sized USB port for you to charge your phone, a microUSB port to charge the speaker, and an Aux input for those with non-Bluetooth devices.
Anker has billed the speaker as its most durable yet, going so far as to use the phrase "freeze it, drop it, sink it!" in its marketing. Freezing didn't seem necessary, because, really, how often do keep your electronics stored next to your ice trays? That said, it survived a few bonks that it got around my apartment, and traveling to and from Long Island where I spent the July 4. The sink test, however, was interesting.
$59.99 at Amazon
I dunked the speaker into water the same way I had with the JBL speaker I tested recently. Unlike the JBL, the Anker speaker kept playing music, however, when I took it out, the music sounded like a garbled mess. More accurately, it sounded like a speaker full of water. I tested it a few minutes later and the sound was still waterlogged, but after a night of leaving it alone to dry out, the speaker sounded fine again. So, while the SoundCore Sports XL is waterproof, if you drop it in a pool it might take a little while to dry out. I imagine that's because there's not a lot of places the water can go, given the speaker's small size. This isn't a worry if the speaker gets a light splashing, though, only if it's fully submerged.
Potential water woes aside, I was pretty amazed at how good this speaker sounded both in my apartment and out. Unlike that JBL speaker I mentioned earlier, which sounded congested in my kitchen, the Anker speaker sounded open and clear immediately. This isn't an audiophile speaker by any means, but it presented my music very well overall. It might favor bass-heavy songs a bit, but that's not at the expense of making non-bassy songs or genres sound worse. This is perfectly illustrated when listening to a song like Paul McCartney's "Goodnight Tonight", which has bassy and non-bassy sections.
The biggest, and most impressive, feat the SoundCore Sports XL pulls off is achieving loud sound without becoming distorted. I cranked up my music and podcasts, and my only concern was bugging my neighbors. That's a great feature for any speaker, but it's a slam-dunk since Anker wants you to use this speaker outdoors — specifically at noisy places like the beach.
The SoundCore Sports XL is a small speaker that can pack a serious punch. If its design was refined a bit to bounce back more quickly from a dip in the pool, it would be nearly perfect. As it stands, though, this speaker can take a beating while blasting your favorite tunes.
Anker SoundCore Sport XL, $59.99, available at Amazon
Brandt Ranj Brandt is a tech reporter for Business Insider. He previously worked as an associate editor for ReadRetro.com. He graduated with a degree in journalism from Le Moyne College in 2013. Read more Read less Read the original article on Insider Picks. Copyright 2016. Follow Insider Picks on Twitter.ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7o8HSoqWeq6Oeu7S1w56pZ5ufonyowcidnKxnkaO4pr6MrKauppSYvLOxjKynqKqkYsWtedaaq56qoKe8sLKMm6OunaSkvLW0jKynnpmbmr9uvsSvoJ6vXWd9coKMcA%3D%3D