If you had asked me in 2023 what form of a portableBluetooth speakerI’d expect to get for $ 25 , I ’d probably have laughed and said , “ crappy sound , little to no water or detritus protective cover , and terrible battery life . ” Then I would have encourage you to spend a scrap more to get a much better ware . That was before I tried the new Soundcore Select 4 Go .
I ca n’t tell you how Soundcore managed it , but this incredibly affordable little speaker defied all of my expected value . And , thanks to a variety of fun color options , it does n’t even fall dupe to the boring pitch-black - boxwood design of so many previous brassy speakers .
About the worst matter I can say about the Select 4 Go is that it follow in pliant packaging alternatively of cardboard , making it hard to recycle responsibly . In the boxful you get the speaker , a quick - start templet , and a USB A - to - USB coulomb charging cable . Given that many companies have stopped including these cables , I ca n’t help oneself but marvel if Soundcore could have shaved another dollar off the toll if it had chosen to drop it .
At just 9.3 ounces — about the system of weights of a set of wireless phone — you could barf this matter in a backpack or even lop it to a backpack ( it includes a closed circuit but not a carabiner ) and you ’ll never comment it . If you ’re like me and have a affectionateness for cargo shorts , it will fit in one of the pocket .
control the speaker system is a cinch . Powering it on for the first clip mechanically pushes it into Bluetooth pair style . There ’s no Google Fast Pair , but that just means you ’ll need to take the extra footstep of opening the Bluetooth menu on your phone to find it .
From there the rubber - protect button are almost ego explanatory : plus and minus for exchange the volume , fun / interruption ( single - pressure for play and pausing , double- and treble - presses for data track skipping ) , and a Bluetooth button to put the speaker unit back into conjugation musical mode . It supports multipoint , so you and a friend can share DJ duties , but if you pick up a second Select 4 Go ( which at this price you may well want to do ) the Bluetooth button can also be used to enable stereo pairing between them .
Soundcore state the Select 4 Go is ratedIP67 , which means it ’s effectively dust- and waterproof . I do n’t have a pool or a beach nearby , but I have plenty of swallow hole and bath and I can attest to the utterer ’s ability to survive full water immersion . ( Just verify you keep the natural rubber flap over the USB port wine firmly seated . ) I can also vouch for its floatation — it will happily bob on the surface either right - side up , or upside down . unusually , it only go a little softened when upside down .
Overall , the Select 4 Go sounds really good — for the monetary value . It does n’t have quite as much low - end bass voice as the more expensive JBL Clip 4 ( I do n’t have the Clip 5 yet ) , and it ’s nowhere virtually as muscular as theUltimate Ears Minirolldespite being very like size of it - wise . As you might ask , that means some strengths and helplessness . For soda water , rock , wind , and any other musical genre that does n’t rely on throbbing bass , it ’s a perfect picayune associate . That proceed for podcasts or vocals - dominant artists like Adele , too . If you ’re into rosehip - hop or Hans Zimmer , or you were hoping to employ the Select 4 Go for movies , I think of , you could — I just do n’t think you ’ll enjoy it .
What you get is clear , well - poise sound that remains almost altogether distortion - liberal throughout its volume scope .
Speaking of bulk , this is not the verbaliser for powering a whole political party . But stick it in the heart of a room ( either on its back or its bottom infantry ) and you ’ll be surprise by how well its 5 watts of top executive can fill a space . And not that I need to dump on other product , but if you listen to the Select 4 Go and the first - genMarshall Willen($120 ) you might come to the same stopping point I did : for fooling hearing , the Select 4 Go is a way better economic value .
you may use the speaker with Soundcore ’s app to get access to 4 EQ presets and a 9 - ring equalizer , but just keep your expectations in stay : These are small tweaks that are squeamish to have , but they wo n’t massively alter the sound signature .
Then there ’s the battery . Soundcore says that , count on the volume level , you could get 20 time of day out of it . At 50 % volume , I think that issue checks out , but any louder and it ’s going to be less — possibly as little as 16 - 17 hours . Do n’t get that get you down ; most portable speaker — even ones that be many multiplication more than the Select 4 Go — ca n’t do any better and many are far worse . There ’s definitely enough endurance for a full day of adventure with elbow room to spare .
Is it missing anything ? Yes , but nothing that should be reckon a tidy sum - circuit breaker at this toll . You ca n’t use it as a speakerphone , you ca n’t apply the inner battery to shoot down your other devices , there ’s no subsidiary input for other audio sources , and there ’s no support for mellow - qualityBluetooth codecs .
I ’ll finish by paraphrasing my presentation : If you need a tiny , rugged , portable Bluetooth loudspeaker in your life , go in advance and buy the Soundcore Select 4 Go . For $ 25 , you ca n’t go faulty . I suspect it will make its fashion into alotof stockings this vacation time of year .
