Anker’s powerful home theater on wheels is pure chaos

The Soundcore Nebula X1 Pro is too weird to exist. It takes the excellent 4K projectors and karaoke microphones of Anker’s Nebula X1 and integrates them into a powerful five-speaker Google TV party on wheels. It’s so absurd that it seems like a gadget fever dream — and I’m here for it.

At the heart of this system is the same triple-laser, liquid-cooled, auto-image correction projector that I reviewed last summer. It’s incredibly quiet for a 3,500 ANSI lumen projector that claims the title of the brightest, most vibrant all-in-one portable projector on the market. Now it’s also the loudest, with 400W of audio added to the new Nebula X1 Pro.

Inside the X1 Pro is a big, powerful subwoofer capable of shaking the walls. It also hosts four battery-powered speakers that automatically fold out or pop out to produce a total of seven horizontal channels and four more above for wireless Dolby Atmos 7.1.4 immersion.

Aside from its size and some intermittent connectivity issues, my only complaint is that the Nebula X1 Pro is sometimes too strong. That’s not something I thought I’d say about an all-in-one portable projector.

If you have $4,999 to spend, Anker’s Nebula X1 Pro is a hell of a match.

Since the video and karaoke capabilities of the projector are the same as the Nebula X1, I won’t rehash them here. Instead, I’ll focus on why you might choose the X1 Pro: the sound.

Looking at the X1 Pro, you might wonder where all the speakers are. The subwoofer is of course internal and the two front speakers automatically spread like wings with a robotic whine at the touch of a button. The two rear speakers detach from the back of the device by pressing firmly.

The For the latter, Anker provides animated tips to help put together its audio puzzle.

All four satellites are completely wireless with a battery life of over eight hours in my testing. They charge via pogo pins when sent back to the projector, or via USB-C. To ensure optimal sound, the X1 Pro has a set of 4 mics to automatically optimize audio in the room, allowing you to drag the sweet spot into your preferred viewing area. I found Anker’s Flexwave spatial audio calibration technology worked very well in my open living room, but the sweet spot is only about two people wide.

When detached, the four front and rear speakers synchronize audio to a proprietary 5.8GHz Wi-Fi signal, not Bluetooth, for superior, low-latency, lossless sound. The X1 Pro’s speakers performed flawlessly in my testing. They automatically connected to the projector when it turned on, without any of the weird noises or dropouts I saw with the X1’s single pair of speakers. The speakers then went to sleep when the X1 Pro turned off to save battery.

I did, however, experience inexplicable Wi-Fi connectivity issues with Google TV. About five times in two weeks of testing, it simply refused to reconnect to my home network, even though my phone and laptop were working fine. A reboot always fixed the problem, but it was very annoying when it disrupted a movie.

The bass produced by the X1 Pro’s 160W subwoofer is remarkable for a portable projector. On the contrary, it can sometimes be overwhelming. Each front surround houses four 20W speakers dedicated to upscaling, center, front and surround channels. The smaller rears each contain two 20W speakers for the upstream and rear surround channels. The front and rear satellites have foldable legs and a tripod mount for easy placement.

In 7.1.4 movie mode, with the four speakers detached, placed in the four corners of the room, and uh, Flexwavedthe sound rivaled my own Sonos 5.1 system built around a soundbar, subwoofer, and two rear satellites.

I particularly enjoyed hearing the helicopters above me when watching a Dolby Atmos version of Top Gun: Maverick. Everything I threw at the X1 Pro looked and sounded great and seemed positioned correctly, including The Black Knight, All is calm on the Western FrontAnd Blade Runner 2049. Dialog tore a hole in the front center channel soundscape, bullets whizzed past me, and dystopian machines crept into the dark spaces around me. At 30% volume my walls were already shaking, so the X1 Pro should be ideal for outdoor movie nights in the spring.

I listen to music more frequently than I watch videos, so I like that the X1 Pro can quickly be transformed into a near-silent Bluetooth speaker, without the constant fan noise produced by most projectors. With all external speakers connected for 2.1 audio mode, the X1 Pro can compete with those giant JBL speakers, but without the superfluous light show.

Listening to Miles Davis on the X1 Pro sounded exceptional, with clear, bright horns shimmering against the baseline. I had to reduce the bass in Spotify’s equalizer to enjoy songs like Ye’s “Black Skinhead” and Alice in Chains’ “Nutshell.” Bob Dylan’s vocals in “Masters of War,” however, lost some warmth compared to my Sonos system. I could easily turn the X1 Pro up to a very loud 50% and still enjoy the music, but things got muddled above 70% volume.

Overall, the sound of the Nebula X1 Pro is a big improvement over the Nebula X1. But calling the X1 Pro “portable” is a stretch.

The telescoping handle and wheels make the 435 × 343 × 761 mm (17.13 × 13.50 × 29.96 in) X1 Pro mobile, within reason, as you’ll still need help hoisting the 32.8 kg (72.31 lb) party box up stairs or into a car.

And I wouldn’t feel good rolling all those delicate optics and electronics over rough terrain. In fact, the fine print recommends using it on hard surfaces like concrete and wood, and “avoid dragging the spotlight on grass, large gravel, cobblestones, or in water deeper than 50mm.” A $400 electric wagon to transport your $4,999 projector isn’t a bad idea.

There’s also an asterisk on the device’s IP43 water and dust resistance. This only applies when the lens cap is closed and the speakers are in and out, which is unlikely if the X1 Pro is accidentally left out after a movie night. The projector comes with a slip-on cover for those who are more responsible.

Look, as a gadget enthusiast, I’m very excited about the Nebula X1 Pro. There’s nothing else like it on the market and I appreciate Anker’s boldness in building it. But for my money, if you need a portable 4K projector, the Nebula X1 with optional speaker kit is plenty loud even outdoors and will save you around $1,000. But if you must have that bass, then the Soundcore Nebula X1 Pro won’t disappoint.

Photography by Thomas Ricker / The Verge