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

I did some research into wireless speakers. Found these, did more research, and decided to go with these for a few reasons, in no particular order or priority. 1) They are small and portable. 2) They support wireless stereo, allowing for quick and easy pairing of two speakers. 3) They have a 360 degree sound angle, and have been said by others to have great sound quality. and 4) They have RGB lights. Initially I was just worried that they wouldn't be up to expectations. But after using them, they greatly exceed my original expectations. For two small, portable speakers, they sound amazing, and have a very nice, premium quality feel and design to them. They really do sound amazing. They have amazing clarity and bass, nothing muddled or anything that sounds scratchy. And they can get really loud for their size, too. I bought these to use at work, and for my purpose, they work excellently. Turn them on, set them up, and play some music as I work. And at $62, the price is excellent. Against something like a Sony SRS-XB32 (of which I used previously, and was beaten up and getting a little old), two of these in combination sound a lot better. Overall, I would most certainly recommend these speakers for anyone looking for something of really good quality for a really good price. There are better speakers out there of course, but unless you are willing to spend hundreds of dollars on a single speaker unit, these are amazing for what you pay for.

I love Anker products (they're one of my very few 'go-to' tech. brands - have wireless earbuds, other bluetooth speakers, bluetooth keyboards, battey pack, etc.); so I was excited to pick one of these up when they came out. I'll try to keep this quick: I compared this to two other products, a Sonos One All-new Sonos One - Smart Speaker with Alexa voice control built-In. Compact size with incredible sound for any room. (black) , and a Anker Soundcore 2 (not the Soundcore 2+) Anker Soundcore 2 Portable Bluetooth Speaker with Superior Stereo Sound, Exclusive BassUp, 12-Watts, IPX5 Water-Resistant, 24-Hour Playtime, Perfect Wireless Speaker for Home, Outdoors, Travel . Here's what the consumer needs to know: BUILD QUALITY AND USER EXPERIENCE: if you've ever owned an Anker product, this won't surprise you - build quality and user experience are both exceptional - bluetooth connected to my pixel 2 as soon as I turned it on, and has ever since (no issues); the fabric is the same quality you'd find on any of the other popular speakers right now (amazon's or google's); the light on the base is cool without being tacky (I was a little worried about this), and it can be turned off if you like - primary color settings are: oranges/yellows (chill), greens/blues (spring), and mixed (party) - using the soundcore flare app allows you to sync the light to the music (which is pretty cool - more on the app later). The Flare isn't quite as durable (I'm guessing) as the Soundcore 2 - if I was focused strictly on durability (not necessarily 'build quality') and portability, not as much on volume and sound quality, the Soundcore 2 would be a better option (and that's not to knock the Soundcore 2's volume or clarity, it's just not where the Flare's is - more on that later). PORTABILITY and BATTERY: I've attached pics to highlight how portable this is (imagine a slightly tall/fat soda can), this is slightly less portable than the Anker Soundcore 2, and obviously far more portable than the Sonos One (not portable). For this speaker's size, it's pretty darn impressive - easily something you could carry around with you in a messenger bag or backpack if you were doing a day-trip somewhere, or wanted a great speaker to take on vacation with you (granted, much bigger than earbuds, but it does fill a room with sound). I haven't stretched the battery yet, but this is an area that Anker has always excelled in (I'm assuming that having the light on, and bass-boost on will impact it, but I'm sure it'll still be as good - or better than - as advertised) I do not anticipate that this will get the kind of battery life the Soundcore 2 gets, due to the elements already mentioned which the Soundcore 2 doesn't have to manage. VOLUME: very impressive for its size - I tested it in a room that is about 375 square feet, with vaulted ceilings, and it got LOUD when I turned it up - at 50% volume it was solid from a volume standpoint for that same room. The Bass-Boost button DOES make a difference in the bass put out by this thing, and the bass is pretty impressive for a speaker this size. Testing the Soundcore 2 in the same room as this device (the flare), you can notice a difference in both the volume and the base, which isn't enormous but it is significant enough to be noticeable (this was playing them at 50% volume, and became more noticeable at full volume). Again, this isn't a knock on the Soundcore 2, which also filled the room easily and got LOUD when at full volume - the Flare was just noticeably louder. Anker said it was bringing a new Bass technology to these speakers, and they clearly delivered (that's where the biggest difference between this and the Soundcore 2 can be heard). If I'm being fair, the volume and the bass on this is a ways off of the SONOS one - but again, you have to keep in mind that this is a portable bluetooth speaker with long battery-life and a much smaller footprint than the SONOS one (and at less than half the price of the older model, and about 1/4 the price of the newest SONOS one). At 100% volume, there is almost no distortion out of this speaker (even when it's managing multiple components of a track simultaneously...bass, acoustics, and vocals) - at 90% there's no distortion. This is more than loud enough for most contexts in which I'd imagine people using it - you could probably use it to facilitate a tiny dance party if you really wanted (and if you paired it with a second one - which you can do - it'd serve that purpose well). If you were having a gathering of 20 people in a 400 square foot room with vaulted ceilings, this would more than serve admirably as the music outlet. SOUND QUALITY/360 EFFECT: really great for a portable speaker - not as good as the SONOS one, but not miles off either. I wouldn't call myself an audiophile, but I do like listening to music and I do like it when it sounds nice - this speaker sounds nice. The sound quality is slightly better than the Soundcore 2's (the bass is the most pronounced upgrade from the Soundcore 2), and the sound quality is noticeably better at higher volumes (again, not a knock against the Soundcore 2, which also has decent sound quality). I would have no problem with having this is my primary speaker for my home, from a sound quality and volume standpoint. THE 360 EFFECT: this does project music in all directions - I walked around it constantly, attempting to ID a 'blind-spot' from a projection standpoint, and couldn't find one - this makes it uniquely useful for certain purposes, and is a positive differentiator from the SONOS one and the Soundcore 2. If you want a speaker system for your patio, but don't want to invest in a ton of wiring, two of these would fill the largest patio/deck with quality music (they're also IPX7 water resistant - I never test that stuff, but I trust Anker not to market it if it's not legit). APP: clean, minimalist, not too elaborate in what it can an can't do (I can see them building this out with time, but for now it's pretty straightforward/bare bones). You can control the base's light from the app (which I found myself more amused by than I thought I would be); You can pair an additional Soundcore Flare (which I didn't have to do, but trust Anker to make as easy as everything else they do); you can adjust the volume; and you can use their wave equalizer to turn the Bass-Up feature on or off, and select different listening settings (Default, Voice, Flat, and Chill). Overall, the app is limited, simple, still useful, and very user-friendly...I can see them building this out as they grow Soundcore as a product line. SPEAKERPHONE: I didn't test this extensively, when I made a call with it everything went fine - not a great tool for speaker phone use but not worse than most bluetooth speakers. I wouldn't get this for it's speakerphone functionality (or any other bluetooth speaker - smartphones are usually just as capable speakerphones on their own). NOTE: this can become a smart-speaker if you pair it with an echo dot or google's home (I think) - I don't like the idea of smart-speakers in my home, but it should be acknowledged that this has that functionality when paired with the appropriate hardware. CONCLUSION: overall, this is an awesome bluetooth speaker. The volume, bass, and sound quality is superior to the Soundcore 2 (which is already great); this isn't quite as portable as the Soundcore 2, or quite as durable (but it's close), and I don't expect the battery life to be quite as strong. If portability, durability, and battery life are most important to you - saving $20.00 by going with the Soundcore 2 is probably your best bet (again - it is still a really great speaker); if volume, bass, aesthetics (the flare is prettier), and sound quality are most important - this does offer a noticeable upgrade to the Soundcore 2 in all those areas. When compared to the SONOS one, this is truly a different product with a noticeable gap between it and the SONOS when it comes to volume, bass, and sound clarity/quality...but for a fraction of the price, I'd take a hard look at this if you think it'll meet your specific needs (its 360 degree music dispersal, and portability are particularly useful features that the SONOS one doesn't have). I also like that this speaker doesn't 'require' an app to use it (whereas the SONOS does) - the app for the flare is nice, but I could still have a friend connect to it and stream their music without having to have them download the SONOS app to do it. The SONOS one was a gift to me (and I do love it)...if I were spending my own $ on a speaker to listen to music on, 9 times out of 10 the Flare would likely be the one I'd go with (save $100 or more - spend that on a second Flare and still save approx $50.00). The 1/10 scenario in which I'd go with the SONOS: if I was getting it as a dedicated home stereo speaker/system, that was never going to leave wherever I placed it in my home...even then, I don't know how two of these Flares (paired to stereo mode) might compare to one SONOS one serving the same function.

I did my research and ultimately chose to purchase the Anker over the JBL. Cost was certainly a factor but not the first. I wanted a good speaker for my daughters to enjoy. Plus, I was sick of listening to them blare their music through the crappy phone speakers. Now at least, I can hear a bit more depth. I took note if this type of speaker when a friend traveled to visit brought his JBL. we had fun putting it in the center of the table on the patio while we chatted and took turns choosing songs on his phone. I decided on the Anker after talking with a different friend who had a different Anker. I purchased a pair of these along with the carry case for each of my two daughers. The sound is great, and can fill a room without trouble. It may not have all the features of the JBL (cant hook 99 of them up in series for a bon fire beach party--bummer?) but they work great, and the ring lighted base that strobes to the beat is pretty cool. It can be turned off, by the way. They take a while to charge, 6+ hours I think. But this speaker puts out strong sound for a long time. Its pretty durable and I like that it stands erect rather than horizontal as it takes up less footprint on a table. Since my car does not have bluetooth or a patch cord, the speaker often gets placed on the dash or between the seats with no problem. I never know how much abuse electronics will get from my daughters who seem to go through screen protectors every month, and this Anker is holding up really well. its pretty rugged. Another reason i strayed from the pricier JBL, thinking that if it got trashed, my sense of financial practicality would not be quite so wounded. All the controls are on the top of the unit and we have had no connection issues at all. I also got the patch cord so they could hook it up to their laptop. So ya, all in all, its been a good purchase and after 4 months, no problems and still going strong.

Outlined Review: Good, for the price. Who are these for: Anyone who wants a convenient speaker but needs the RGB lights as a priority. The Plan: I wanted Bluetooth speakers I could pair together for left and right stereo sound and carry anywhere. First Look Impressions: These look and feel hearty. You can tell Anker put some time into this and built it with quality materials in mind. This has a good weight to it and I expect these to last a long time. I had already done my research on these and had the SoundCore app installed on my phone before they even arrived so I knew the RGB lights were on the bottom and controlled through the app which works well. I also like how compact the speaker is and the rubber flap on the back hiding ports when not needed. The buttons on top have a short travel so barely touching them can toggle the top functions of the speaker. Listening: Here’s where things become mediocre... After pairing with the app and messing around with settings, I settled on what I liked and started playing music. Immediately I heard a lot of mids. So I opened the app back up to see what I need to change. After a brief confusion about where the bass button is, I found it on the top of the speaker and pressed it. The bass boost came on, I saw it light up where the button is, but I can’t hear any change in bass or the music at all. I keep trying off and on to no avail. At this point, I figured maybe it wasn’t picking up the low frequency bass, so I plugged them into my tv using the auxiliary input from the tv to the speakers and have the speakers plugged in for power. No change there either when trying bass. Now I know I am a huge bass fan, it I can’t figure out why I don’t hear any change in bass at all. I bring in other people to see if they can tell I difference and if I was going insane. But they couldn’t tell either. Bittersweet moment, I’m glad I’m not insane, maybe, but I was hoping they could hear it change. I went back and paired them with an iPad to use as I intended to use them with originally. I can’t get past how drowned out how the highs and lows are. The mid sound levels are great but I can get that kind of sound from my iPad already. Feature, RGB Lights on bottom: These are amazing and comes with genius options from the app are more than enough to find what you’re looking for and very unique. I get asked all the time about the lights as they are very eye-catching. Anker has done very well with these... So well, that I usually turn the volume all the way down and just keep them on to watch the lights while listening to things from other speakers I have. In conclusion: Anker is one of my favorite companies on Amazon and anywhere really. Their power banks are second to none as is their customer service, truly outstanding. I have an IT business and use many Anker products daily with multiple customers seeing me use them and recommending them daily... Overall, the speakers are OK for the price. Audiophiles may not find that these meet your needs. I don’t consider myself an audiophile, as I mentioned previously, I love bass. I just wish it was a stronger bass boost than what it is I guess... Pros: - Compact and convenient design. - One of the best app RGB options ever made. - Waterproof. - Quality materials used. Cons: - Missing sound highs and lows. - Sometimes can take a moment to sync with each other. - Slightly loud connection sound once paired (Not sure if this is adjustable.) I would recommend these to anyone wanting a speaker that you won’t request a lot out of but still gets the job done and with an RGB light bonus. With that said, I would not recommend these to audiophiles and bass fans. Thank you

I’ve had a few portable sound systems in my life - dock, Bluetooth, even old school line-in and RCA. I’ve always been the girl who makes sure we have good music playing on trips and at get togethers. So the ability to have good sound wherever I travel is important. The problem is that good sound and portability haven’t really been that compatible. You get a lightweight speaker, but the bass isn’t great and the highs are tinny and the sound is more or less a jumbled mess. You get a heavy-duty dock, but it’s heavy as all get-out and has parts attached that can (and do) break. I got the original Anker SoundCore first, recently. While the sound is great, it wasn’t knock your socks off amazing. It’s not the replacement speaker for a nice system, but good for casual listening. (Here: https://www.amazon.com/Anker-Soundcore-Portable-Bluetooth-Playtime/dp/B016XTADG2) I decided to try the Soundcore Flare instead. It looked cool, with unique features of mood lighting, waterproof housing, and the ability to connect multiple Flares for a more immersive audio experience. The pillar design was pretty. The idea of 360° sound was also enticing. I couldn’t wait to try it! Unboxing, it’s well packaged and protected. Definitely a lot of thought into the appearance alone. It’s intuitive to connect; just turn on Bluetooth and pair it. But the sound??? WOW. I was awed! From bass-heavy tunes to lyrical melodies to classical symphonies, this little speaker plays beautiful music! The sound is clear like you’re having your own private concert. The bass is bright yet deep, the treble has a clarity and cleanness that rings true to life. Not like someone is trying to amplify the sound to make it louder. It feels like you’re in the same room as the music is being created. I’ve never heard such beautiful sound! On top of that, the speaker is durable and quite portable. It’s lightweight and aside from the initial concern over a pristine new acquisition, that angsty feeling of possible damage without a protective case faded to one of content security in the design. It also lives up to the 360° claim. I brought the Flare to my friend’s house, set it in the middle of the space, the side, the wall...the sound ricocheted equally to my ears. Everyone at the party commented on how amazing it sounded and looked, and asked me about the speaker and where I bought it. We played with it and changed the lighting in the app to set the party mood. It was quite fun. Also of note, the sound was still clear even when the volume was low so we could just chat and hang out. Quite perfect. A note on the security, it actually has firmware updates. Something I VERY much appreciate in our Internet of Things society nowadays. I appreciate that Anker takes their product security as seriously as I do! I’ve attached a video with a couple of songs as examples. Definitely give the Soundcore Flare a go. I believe you will be delighted as we all are!!!

Sound Quality: The sound quality is pretty good for $60. The bass up feature actually sounds good but the only downfall is lack of a real EQ. The app lets you change between 4 presets but it doesn't let you actually customize those presets at all. However, it looks like this could be added in the future through the app 4/5 for this Build Quality It feels pretty solid overall and has a nice weight to it. The fabric has a nice feeling and the rubber bass and top seem high quality. The water proofing is great and I think Anker nailed this category 5/5 Lights The lights look nice. The light features look good but once again there isn't much customization. Once again this might be able to be fixed with the app but until then I'd give it a 4/5 Random cons: -This speaker could use a hole for a clip or carabiner so you can carry it around easier but I knew that wasn't there so no deduction. -no USB type C. It's the connector of the future and it's time to ditch Micro USB My personal big con: -When playing sound through the aux cord there is a noticable delay compared to other speakers. This is unfortunate because you can't connect it to an existing sound system through aux because everything will be very delayed on this speaker. This might just be my speaker but I doubt that OVERALL I give it a 5/5 for the price it reigns king By the way for the light sync to fix it you could make the color be based on a certain frequency that a specific channel (left or right) is playing and the brightness is based off how loud that specific channel is playing.

I work in an ICU in CT full of COVID 19 patients. I bought this speaker to bring to work as a way to cheer up the staff since there are no visitors and the patients are all sedated, so whos going to mind a little music? It was an inexpensive speaker so I figured if it got ruined at work who cares. It proved to be a great little speaker. It sounds way better than I would have expected. The battery lasts through a 16 hour shift at a pretty high volume and it brings some much needed stress relief to the overworked and understaffed unit. We have opened 4 extras ICUs in the hospital and everyone wants to work in the one with the music! My only regret is not buying two when they where on sale so I could put one at both ends of the unit and link them. The exhaust fans that maintain our negative pressure make it hard to hear at the far end of the ICU so a second speaker would have been a good idea.. Overall a great product. Forgot to mention its waterproof so I spray it with sanitizer at the end of each shift, a nice little bonus!

Pros: I loved the sound quality and lights on the speaker, I also loved the ability to pair two Soundcore Flares for a surround sound effect. It is also quite nice that it has a ipx7 waterproof rating (can be completely submersed up to 3ft). Cons: My biggest issue with this product is that the advertised battery life is not accurate, instead of 12 hours it lasts about 5.5 hours on max volume. The Soundcore app frequently has an issue pairing with the devices and requires me to re-pair the speakers in order to try again. One of the speakers also suddenly stopped working after 5 days which was also highly aggravating and I am currently attempting to get a refund/replacement. I would say these are still worth the purchase as they are great but it is important to know their drawbacks as well. Edit: I received the refund for the defective speaker and I am currently happy with the speed of delivery and simplicity of returning my defective item. I am crossing my fingers that these two speakers continue to work just fine. Edit #2: After owning these two speakers for a couple years now, I can absolutely say that they are reliable and a worthy purchase. After the defective speaker was replaced, I continued to use these on a daily basis. They have suffered numerous drops onto hard surfaces and have not broken yet (I’m gonna try to stop dropping them anyways). I am changing my review from a 3 star to 5 star!