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My only portable speakers were Bose Soundlink Minis. They are pretty much the reference standard for small Bluetooth speaker sound. I wanted something more suited for outdoors. But importantly I wanted stereo sound in a portable package. Most people only review stereo pairing bluetooth speakers as single units. This review focuses on the stereo capabilities. I wanted something that could get close to the Bose soundlink mini base response at lower volumes. I started with JBL Pulse 3s. They had the greatest light show features I have ever seen. But the stereo was very flaky. The entire implementation is proprietary and relies on a running app. The longest I ever got it to work was for 3 minutes. Also the low volume bass response was non-existent despite the reviews. Returning them I went for these Soundcore Trance speakers. First the sound. Decent low volume bass although not quite at the Bose level. Decent mids and highs. Very good when aimed at the listener. They will go loud but that is not how I use them. The light features are nowhere near what the JBL Pulse will do but it's Ok. Where these things really shine is the stereo feature. Once they are initially paired they stay that way. It is standard TWS as far as I know and it works well. It gives verbal and visual clues as you turn them back on. It takes about 20 seconds to power them back on and for them to link to one another. There are other cool little features once they are paired in stereo mode. When you use the app to change the light show, both speakers change in sync. The JBL Pulse could not do that. When they are paired, if you turn off one, they both turn off. The only time I have ever had a problem is when I was playing music and messing around too much with the app. I think that overloads the processor and the stereo drops. So if you just get it set up and then play music, everything seems to work. The stereo field is very impressive. They produce an expansive sound field when positioned correctly and being cordless, that isn't hard. It sounds like headphones except it is all around. They are a little big and heavy but the handle helps with that. For what they cost, I am pretty happy.
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I tried 3 different bluetooth speakers: Soundcore Trance, W-king X10, and W-king T9.For outdoor use, the Trance is the clear loser of the bunch.While the Trance has deeper bass at low volumes, the mids sound generally muffled and it distorts at high volumes. After extensively adjusting the EQ, the Trance still didn't sound as clear as either W-King.The bass on the Trance is very nice. It hits deep. Despite that, the Trance just can't compete once you crank the volume up. What good is deeper bass if the speaker starts to distort and the sound is muffled? If you plan to use the speaker outdoors, I just can't recommend it. At high volumes, the X10 and T9 blow the Trance out of the water -- plain and simple. They are significantly louder, clearer, and don't distort. At max volumes, the bass on the W-kings packs an equal punch to the Trance so it loses its only edge there.I'd consider the Trance only for indoor use and lower volume levels. You'd have to EQ the mids to get it to sound good. But you'd get a lovely deep punch from the bass that you don't get from the W-kings at lower volume.My picks:X10 if you need a waterproof speaker for use outdoors (clear & loud).T9 if you want the best sound quality (plus loudest of the bunch), but is NOT waterproof.Trance if you like bass but plan to use indoors + lower volumes only. At high volumes, it just can't compete.
