Sodapop Bluetooth Speaker Review: Bottled

However, to test the contrast, I first listened to the speaker without the bass bottle. It’s very loud for a small speaker, and in my office I couldn’t handle volume above 30 percent. It’s just not a pleasure to listen to, it sounds shrill and disappointing, with no discernible bass. It’s not quite as bad as putting your old iPhone in a cup for extra reinforcement, but it’s not far off – and at least you can actually drink from the cup afterwards.

But we’re here for the bass boost bottle, and I can categorically say that the acoustically tuned plastic bottle actually boosts the lower frequencies and makes the speaker sound significantly better. The bottle takes the volume down a bit and gives the mids and bass a noticeable depth once attached. You can really hear the difference in mix and balance, and the contrast between the sound with the bottle on and off is impressive.

However, if you increase the volume, the bass quickly becomes muddy and the sharp edges become noticeable again in the mix. It’s not terrible, but compared to the competition it’s just not as fun to listen to, which is a shame because it certainly looks cute on my desk.

Although it is larger, that is Anker Soundcore Motion 300 ($70) wipes the floor with the Sodapop, with crisp bass and clarity even at volume levels. Likewise those Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 4 ($80) is small, portable, offers full 360-degree sound, and has an IP67 waterproof rating (it floats), which is a huge improvement over Sodapop’s dust- and splash-proof IPX65 rating.

Played side by side with the similarly proportioned and much cheaper $35 game Tribit StormBox Micro 2 (IPX7 rating, 10 hours playtime), the physical separation and the large chamber between the drivers and the bass port ensure a wider soundstage. However, there isn’t much to say when it comes to bass content and overall performance.