Portable Bluetooth Speaker, Soundcore Flare Wireless Speaker by Anker, Waterproof Party Speaker with 360° Sound, Enhanced Bass & Ambient LED Light, IP67 Dustproof & Waterproof and 12-hour Battery Life

I bought this speaker (Soundcore Flare) to improve the sound quality I was experiencing from my mobile phone and I'm delighted. I liked it so much I now have 2 of them which I use in Stereo mode. The sound quality and volume is excellent for the price and portability. You're not going to get the super premium audio fidelity for an audophile quality system, but you do get a truly excellent sound quality for 12W portable speakers. Two speakers work together well for stereo sound with decent bass. I find 30% volume for 1 speaker is usually enough to fill an average sized room in a UK home, 50% is loud. I haven't even tried 100% volume - reviews say the sound can be quite harsh at that end but for domestic uses I can't see the point. The two speakers link together automatically and then to my device, and they can be modified using the Soundcore App to change equalisers, set between stereo or "boost" (mimic) modes, and customise the base lights (I turn them off). My only niggle is that they default to 50% volume whenever I turn them on and link them to my Android phone; I have to turn them down Any good bluetooth speaker unleashes the audio potential of your phone and lap top, and this has transformed my habits in just a few months. Things I now regularly use these to listen to so far: - BBC Sounds (for live radio and on-demand content; most DAB radios are Mono but phone + two Bluetooth speakers gives you stereo radio) - Music via Spotify - Podcasts - Audiobooks - Economist audio version - Massively improved the audio on my laptop (films, games, music) I have no regrets buying these speakers, although I do wonder given how loud they can get as 12W speakers whether I should have saved a little money and bought the Soundcore Flare Minis (10W speakers, £40 each compared to £60 at time of review for the Soundcore Flare). It will depend on your uses.

YouTube Video Review (just re-add the periods) www youtube com/watch?v=xw7ruR4WAhA Key Features - 360° Sound from x2 6w Dual back-to-back drivers in combination with passive bass radiators - Bluetooth 4.2 giving up to 20m / 66ft range (depending on line of sight) - Internal 4400 mAh Battery for up to 12hrs playback - LED light function does impair times - 3.5hr charge time via the 5V/2A micro USB input (yes...micro USB) - Built in microphone for hand free calls - Auxiliary input - Built-in controls for Power On/Off, Play/Pause, Vol Up/Down, Bluetooth control & LED lights - True Wireless Stereo capabilities with pairing to another SoundCore Flare - speaker with audio connection act's as left channel master, secondary speaker assumes right channel content - IPX7 Waterproof rating - for up to 30 minutes at 1m depth The Good (very good) - Sleek new design that would fit with any environment - Impressive audio with decent bass, regardless of seated location in the room - Ability to pair with another Flare speaker for true left/right stereo playback with louder audio and no sync or lag issues between the two - Waterproof (submerge) - good for pool parties Sometimes not so good - micro USB for some - SoundCore App on iOS can throw the odd 'I'm not playing today' mood swing - stability improvements likely going forward - flap for aux / charge ports has it's trying moments Very impressed with the speaker when compared to another from the same manufacturer. The true wireless stereo feature is good and fills a medium size room with ease on 50-60% volume. When used a few times with my media projector, I found it hard to tell where the audio was coming from as the coverage made it seem like it could have been in any location.

I have been using the product for around a month and I can say that the speaker lives up to expectation. The sound quality is excellent. You can hear a wide range. The base is very good from the beginning but when you use the "Base Boost" Mode it makes it a lot louder. So much so, that you can hear it through the walls. But doesn't effect the overall quality of the speakers and you can still make out the highs and mids of any song. The lighting system makes for a good addition although it doesn't light up the room too much. But for the price point it is still really good to have and a nice addition. The companion app helps customise the LED lights with pre-set options. Has a fair amount of options which is good. And allows you to change the listening style a little. It isnt too useful I found and have kept it on the default. The customer service is EXCELLENT though. I had trouble with the first one I had as it was making a high pitched noise when it was on charge. I asked Soundcore's customer service and they came back within a day with how to send it for repair. Unfortunately, they couldn't repair it but sent me another. I had to wait for a while and so they very graciously gave me a discount on another product which was very welcome. Overall, very happy with the speaker. You'd be hard pressed to get something equal or better for under £70.

This speaker sounds really nice and makes my music sound fun when I listen to it ("sound quality" - here you go mr algorithm). It gets very loud which is good. The lights are definitely cute and the app that comes with it is actually very useful - it has light settings as well as sounds equaliser presets (and a fully controllable equaliser). Cons: 1. The buttons are quite difficult to press - I have grown used to it but if you have any difficulties in that regard I would be cautious. 2. Having the lights on significantly reduces the battery life - I usually have them off. Also worth mentioning that the lights aren't really bright enough to be the only light source in a room, although that's not a problem. 3. Even the quietest volume on the speaker is not that quiet - I find with music or podcasts it's too loud for me to sleep to when on my bedside table. But maybe this can be rectified by placing it further away from me. Overall I am quite happy with this speaker, I use it all the time at home! I got it on a black Friday deal so it was about £40 and I thought that was really good value for money for what it is. That said I've never had another Bluetooth speaker so I have no basis for comparison.

I bought this speaker for the wife to use with her ipad. It was easy to connect via Bluetooth, really good sound for the size and, overall, excellent value for money. Battery life seems good, continuous play for 5 hours with no problems. The range between the ipad and speaker seems really good too, we have had the speaker everywhere in the house and down the garden without losing connection. The instructions are a bit poor but the set up is so simple it is enough to know what each button does so this isn't a problem either. I'm sure the sound quality won't match the high end speakers on the market but we are very impressed with this speaker and now tempted to buy a second to see about getting stereo sound.

Had this for well over a year now and very pleased with it. The build quality is superb and the sound out of this little speaker is amazing. Plug the charging cable in to get some charge into it; connected my iphone via bluetooth and got great sound out of it. Very easy to set up and use. Use this in the kitchen when cooking and it's certainly loud enough to fill the room. Downloaded the Soundcore app where (I think) you can alter tone settings. I just use it with my itunes from the phone and it sounds good to me. Can not beleive the tone quality and volume you can get out of the small speaker. (PS Can't comment on the water resistance as haven't got it wet.) Highly recommend.

I read the reviews on this before I bought it and I am not disappointed. A great sounding speaker with a good baseline. The app for it is easy to use and you can get different tones or equalise it to what you prefer also you can use different light settings to from the app. Obviously if you have the lights and the sound up loud you will use your battery up quicker but I find the battery is pretty long lasting between charges. The sound is as it says 360 so you don’t just have to sit in front of it to enjoy it.all in all a great all round speaker and cheaper than most for the sound quality.

I bought two Flares because I read you can pair them for stereo sound. First I just tried one by itself and the sound was a bit disappointing - good mids, surprisingly good bass for such a small, cheap speaker, but the vocals felt really squeezed. You can play around with the EQ on the app, but I think the speaker just doesn't have enough capacity to fully reproduce the full range of sounds in most songs. However, once I switched on the second Flare and paired them, the sound dramatically improved. Suddenly the vocals, mids and bass all sound full and rich. And having stereo sound with two portable bluetooth speakers you can place anywhere in a room is really nice. When paired they sound great at a low or higher volume as well. Great value for £80 for the two of them!