BOTTOM LINE UP FRONT: Anker continues to humble its competition by offering premium performance at a value-oriented price with its new Soundcore Rave Partycast BT speaker. The Rave Partycast does pretty much everything a portable party speaker should...it plays loud, clear, deep, long, is impervious to splashes and other liquid-related accidents, and adds in some fun RGB lighting just to keep things lively--DEFINITELY RECOMMENDED. PROs: - Excellent, full-bodied sound that matches, and even bests, some of the competition costing more than twice as much. We've set it head-to-head against the outstanding performance of the Sony SRS-XB501G and found the Anker to come out on top in terms of sound quality, especially clarity in bass and mid-bass when played back at higher volumes - Loud enough for sound to carry across a large pool/backyard without distorting during playback--the BassUp setting and added passive radiator at the back really adds some nice heft to the lower registers that makes for a fun and engaging listening experience--even if the speaker is just a bit too small to pump out the bass beats that can rattle your rib cage. Vocals and acoustic guitars are lively and clear without becoming too sibilant or harsh, especially when the volume creeps up past 75% or more - Rubberized feet on the side and bottom give you the option for vertical or horizontal placement; add in the ruggedized feeling texture and the design feels suited to the beach, poolside or patio without leaving you worried about marring the finish if you want to set it down on the sidewalk or pavement...there's even a threaded tripod adapter on the bottom if you've got the itch to mount these mid-air or higher - All inputs and the DC charging/power socket are covered by a THICK, tethered, waterproof rubber panel that sits flush inside a recess on the back panel; the IPX7 rating of the entire enclosure means the speaker is rated against full submersion in water. Now, we didn't chuck our speaker into the pool to verify this claim, but it continued to play unabated even after some--"aggressive" splashing courtesy of our youngest daughter. Suffice it to say, you can confidently use this party speaker at the beach or poolside, or in an area where "errant drink splashing" from your guests might be a risk - Soundcore app is a bit more complete than some companion apps we've seen for other BT speakers...use it to customize the LED/light show presets (there are 5 to start with), EQ and bass settings, switch sound-sources on the fly (i.e. go from BT to USB or AUX), play DJ (complete with scratch and drum sound effects as well as manual LED/light control), adjust sleep/power-down settings, and even use the speaker to provide lights and accompanying sound effects for some...ahem...party games (spin the bottle, truth or dare, or timed word games). I honestly can't see anyone seriously using the party game feature very often, and the light DJ function is probably more compelling if you have multiple speakers strewn about and connected via Partycast (Anker claims you can link up to 100 Partycast speakers at once--yikes!) to amplify the sound and light effects, but the app controls seem complete enough to let you do what you would want to with a party speaker without a lot of constant attention/intervention required - Soft-touch, no-profile buttons on the panel underneath the ergonomic carrying handle give you complete control over power, BT connection, bass boost, lighting, Partycast connections to other speakers, volume & playback controls and even access to Google/Siri--and again, because the entire shell is waterproof, you can confidently skip tracks or adjust playback volume poolside without having to worry about finding a towel to dry off first...definitely a plus if you want to make adjustments on the fly without fumbling for your phone - Anker claims battery life up to 18 hours...I honestly don't think that's an unreasonable expectation. We used our Rave Partycast poolside every afternoon for a week in a combination of LED/music and music-only configurations and the battery indicator still showed at least 1/4 charge on the battery. While we haven't let it play continuously to full discharge, this speaker should easily last you through an all-afternoon/night get-together on a single charge, even playing loudly and with lots of LED effects for good measure. Oh, and if you absolutely can't find an outlet or wall charger, the USB port on the back of the Rave Partycast will even keep your phone's battery charged up and topped off while it's connected--NICE! CONs: - The rubber feet that accommodate two different speaker orientations are definitely appreciated, but they barely raise the speaker off the ground...setting the speaker on very rough or very uneven surfaces (bricks, gravel, etc.) still means a good portion of the plastic shell is sitting on hard/craggy items. Yes, the ruggedized plastic finish feels like it can take a little punishment, but slightly more ground clearance would have been appreciated to help keep the speaker looking its absolute best - Remember, this is a PARTY speaker, it is not meant for critical listening (or even stereo, for that matter). Nevertheless, there seemed to be just a bit of hollowness in the mids when playing particularly bassy music (EDM, metal, etc.). But it wasn't that the bass was unnaturally accentuated or bloated, only that bass reproduction seemed to take priority over some of the other frequencies during particularly complex passages, especially those with many multi-layered instruments and vocals all vying for attention at the same time. However, in a party-type or poolside environment, or even just outside of a perfectly quiet bedroom or office where you could really concentrate solely on the music, I honestly don't think anyone would much notice or perhaps even care - It would be really nice if the wall-wart power supply and DC power port was replaced with a USB-C charger and onboard USB-C port; USB-C connectivity and chargers are becoming far more commonplace now, but rather than being able to leverage our growing collection of USB-C cables and chargers (many of which were made by Anker!) that are already lying all over the house/car, we have yet another dedicated power supply we'll have to keep track of...

ANKER - SOUNDCORE RAVE PARTYCAST PORTABLE BLUETOOTH SPEAKER Built well, Waterproof and up up 18 hours battery life. Nice options for a Bluetooth party speaker. Feels like it is built well and it easy to carry. I have used it in the back yard and on the boat and have yet to charge it. So battery life is great.. you will get a whole day of this speaker. When compared to a unit I own that is over 2x the cost I found the sound of the Rave is a little ‘hollow’. Vocals were actually better than the more expensive unit though. Once I tweaked the custom EQ settings I was able to get them pretty close. The bass may have been a little less on the Rave, but still good. The Bluetooth range is good as well. I have a fairly large yard and could walk anywhere without any connection issues. Set up was normal for any Bluetooth speaker.. No issues. Once connected, you should download the Soundcore app to get all the following options” Light control - EQ settings - Bass up - Play / Pause music - Light DJ (Manually effect lights, play sounds like drums. scream, etc.) - Party Games (spin the bottle with sound effects) As mentioned above, the EQ settings are a nice feature to dial in the sound. If you are an audiophile, then I suggest you go listen to it and compare to make sure it fits your needs. I will say that if you get two of these (or a compatible speaker) to connect together you will have amazing sound. This is where the Partycast technology shines. I was actually able to run dual Bluetooth mode from my S20 phone and it sounded fantastic. The speaker even has a tripod mount on the bottom, So I can imagine putting 1 of these on each side of the party area and you would have a great sounding party. Pros: Great Battery life Durable Bluetooth Range Volume Lice light control options Con: Charging cable (Not standard USB) Overall, I will say this speaker is a good bang for the buck.

FUN LOUD OUTDOOR LIGHTED PARTY SPEAKER W/SOUNDCORE ANKER - SOUNDCORE RAVE PARTYCAST PORTABLE BLUETOOTH SPEAKER - BLACK MODEL:25890VRP Best Buy Tech Insider Network REVIEW: The ANKER - SOUNDCORE RAVE PARTYCAST PORTABLE BLUETOOTH SPEAKER can get very loud and definitely punches above its weight at 80 Watts total output. It is very sturdy, and very well built, and the lights are a fun twist. The Soundcore App even lets you play party games with the speaker and lights. (Spin the bottle, Truth or Dare, etc). It was easy to use and easy to pair with Bluetooth phones, alexa, etc. I also like that it has an analog wired input. One cool feature that I was not able to test (with only one unit) is ability to pair and additional 1 or more speakers to fill the entire room or yard with sound. With 18 hour battery life and waterproofing, I would have no issue recommending this to anyone looking for loud outdoor fun. PRO’s - Waterproof - Fun Lights and App - Long Battery - Solid Construction If I had a few wishes. I would like if it had a standard USB-C port for input / charging, instead of a dedicated power supply. The power cord also has the plugs (prongs) in a weird spot which means it overlaps up both outlets. The prongs are centered in the middle of the charging brick instead of on the edge. Audiophile comments: The Sound is OK, and can be fine tuned via the app with a fully customizable equalizer settings (instead of only few presets as are on some other units). By playing with the Equalizer I can push the speaker from OK to PRETTY GOOD. It does not compare to higher end units that cost 2X to 3X, but overall, it is PRETTY GOOD. Chances are if you are rocking out in your back yard or at the beach this is not something you will notice. I assume the speaker will relax after some break in, but out of the box the sound is a bit muffled. RECOMMENDATION If you want a powerful, fun, and affordable wireless speaker, the ANKER - SOUNDCORE RAVE PARTYCAST PORTABLE BLUETOOTH SPEAKER is worth a serious hard look. Like any speakers, I really suggest you try them out for yourself in your planned listening environment to find the one that best meets your overall listening needs.

Just what I needed to celebrate the return of summer. My Soundcore Rave Partycast pairs easily via Bluetooth with my cellphone or iPad as well as other devices. Amazing sound and deep bass from the large front speakers. Awesome lights surround the speaker ports with a choice of colors set via the Anker App. I was shocked to see you can link over 100 devices for a party as big as your space allows! Can you imagine the celebration? Taking this to the beach or on a picnic is no hassle thanks to its light weight. And the music plays forever with the built in batteries. I can power my cellphone off the built in USB power port. No wires to Bluetooth's rock solid connection.

This is one serious booming speaker that packs a lot of bass. It’s actually one of the better party speakers I have tested in recent years and was quite fun to use. I haven’t yet to test Party Cast but I assume it works fine if you have multiple speakers connected. I do have a Soundcore Flare and not a Flare 2. I can tell you now everything you looking for a party speaker is pretty much here. This is a true wireless Bluetooth party speaker due to the fact you can unplug this and take it with you on the go, it has its own battery and can charge mobile devices with the USB port in the back of the speaker. This is Anker and their backup battery packs are usually great but now it’s in a speaker. There is also an AUX port on the back as well. There is a booming sound that can reach a wide range. My initial test was at a barbecue with family just to see if it can hold its own with battery life. There is a feature called “BassUp” technology; this speaker is extremely bass-heavy and if you are a fan of bass these are it. The best part is the bass feature didn’t drain the battery life rapidly. Even at the loudest and bass cranked up; it lasted my entire outing. The sound is phenomenal and I love it you can hear everything from the speaker and I don’t know what it is but the bass just rattles the entire area for the size they are. Really I would love to see multiple Rave Part cast speakers together. It’s perfect for what I listen to. You can also have it near water activity and it’s IPX7 giving you peace of mind when water gets on this thing. I haven’t dunk this in the pool but I can say it lasted fine with splashes around. Design-wise it’s pretty much nice. It’s in line with most modern party speakers. RGB lighting up for me never gets old, definitely a head-turner. Perhaps my favorite feature of the speakers is the RGB lights for Rave-like moments. Most likely to look cool paired up with multiple of them, giving an awesome rave look. Sony party speakers at one point used plastic and strobe lighting which easily cracked. Herewith Soundcore none of that is a worry Because the design was meant for a bit of ruggedness. There is an app that Soundcore provides that gives you a wide range of options. You can do equalizers for the indoor/outdoor. The app is clean and speedy. There is a party feature where are you can play truth or dare, change the lighting on the speakers, and DJ the lighting. Don’t want to use the app you can just use Bluetooth just for the music itself which works absolutely great. The speaker is black, thick, and colorful. It looks really good near any other RGB‘s you may have in the room. Looks better if many other PartyCast speakers were with it but I love it. I also think that the pricing that’s pretty much affordable for a speaker like this. You really are getting a lot for your buck here; I think the features set is totally it. If you go into a party grab the speaker, throw it in the car, and have fun where ever you go.