Sodapop Bluetooth Speaker Review: Bottled Up

But to test the contrast, I first listened to the speaker without its bass bottle. It’s very loud for a small speaker, and in my office I couldn’t cope with the volume turning up more than 30 percent. It’s not just an enjoyable listen, the sound is sharp and frustrating with no discernible bass. It’s not quite as bad as putting your old iPhone in a cup for extra amplification, but it’s not far off—and at least you can drink from the cup later.

But we’re here for the bass-boosting bottle, and I can clearly say that the acoustically tuned plastic bottle really boosts the low frequencies and makes the speaker sound significantly better. The bottle takes the edge off the volume and there’s a noticeable depth between the mids and bass when it’s connected. You can really hear the difference in the mix and balance and the contrast between the sound with the bottle on and off is impressive.

Push the volume, however, and the bass quickly becomes muddy, with sharp edges again noticeable in the mix. It’s not terrible, but it’s not that enjoyable to listen to compared to the competition, which is a shame, because it certainly looks nice on my desk.

When it is large, Anker Soundcore Motion 300 ($70) wipes the floor with sodapop, with clean bass and clarity, even at volume. Similarly, the Ultimate Year Wonderboom 4 ($80) is small, portable, boasts full 360-degree sound and is IP67 waterproofing (it floats), a huge upgrade on the Sodapop’s dust- and splash-resistant IPX65 rating.

Played side by side with similar proportions and a much cheaper $35 Tribute Stormbox Micro 2 (IPX7 rating, 10 hours play time), physical separation between driver and bus port and large chamber create a wide soundstage. It doesn’t have much in terms of bass volume and overall performance though.