Sodapop Bluetooth Speaker Review: Bottled Up

However, to test the contrast, I first listened to the speaker without its bass bottle. This is very loud for a small speaker, and in my office I couldn’t stand volume above 30%. It’s just not an enjoyable listen, with a shrill, underwhelming sound without any discernible bass. It’s not as bad as putting your old iPhone in a cup for extra amplification, but it’s not far off – and at least you can actually drink from the cup afterwards.

But we’re here for the bass-boosting bottle, and I can categorically say that the acoustically tuned plastic bottle does indeed boost low frequencies and significantly improves the sound of the speaker. The bottle attenuates the volume and there is a noticeable depth in the mids and bass when attached. 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.

However, crank the volume and the bass quickly becomes muddy, with sharp edges once again noticeable in the mix. It’s not horrible, but compared to the competition, it’s just not very pleasant to listen to, which is a shame, because it sure does look cute on my desk.

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

Played side-by-side with the similarly proportioned and much less expensive $35 Tribit StormBox Micro 2 (IPX7 rating, 10 hours of playback), the physical separation and large chamber between the drivers and bass port create a wider soundstage. There’s not much in the way of bass quantity and overall performance, however.