Verdict
The Anker Soundcore X600 is pitched as an excellent excessive constancy wi-fi speaker. This performs out higher within the tech than the precise sound, however these prepared to fiddle within the app can tweak the audio fairly considerably.
Professionals
- Half steel casing
- Attention-grabbing “spatial” audio mode
- Nice water resistance
- Low bass ground
Cons
- Might not take bodily abuse in addition to some
- Mid vary lacks substance and element
- It’s excessive constancy in tech relatively than sound high quality
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Bass UpThe Bass Up mode permits you to management how bassy the sound is with a single button press, from well mannered to occasion -
Spatial audioThe X600 makes use of an upward-firing driver and sound processing for Anker’s personal tackle spatial audio -
LDACThis speaker helps LDAC, for top bit-rate streams over Bluetooth
Introduction
The Anker Soundcore X600 appears like a departure for Anker. It has grown to be probably the most dependable names in low-cost cellphone equipment together with, yep, the standard Bluetooth speaker.
This can be a a lot higher-end mannequin, although. It’s bigger than the Anker Soundcore audio system I’ve advisable to funds patrons up to now, and at £200 it has to have the ability to compete with some super-solid competitors from manufacturers like JBL, Final Ears and even Sonos.
Its particular trick is an upwards-firing driver. This, with slightly assist from some intelligent digital sign processing, is designed to emulate the form of expansive spatial magic of a Dolby Atmos speaker array.
Good idea, however the Anker Soundcore X600’s usually sterile-sounding mids present that in the case of music, the fundamentals of tuning and tone matter greater than the show-off stuff.
Design
- Steel and difficult plastic building
- Built-in deal with
- 1.95kg weight
When you took the traditional boombox design and tried to present it a mode of its personal, one with a extra grown-up look, you may find yourself with one thing just like the Anker Soundcore X600.
Its complete physique is silver or darkish gray, tones I generally see used within the casings of ultraportable laptops.
This building lets the Soundcore X600 look much less misplaced within the common 2023 residence than one thing just like the JBL Xtreme 3 – a speaker I’ve quite a lot of affection for, however would I would like it in my front room 24/7? Possibly not.
The Anker method makes you query how powerful this factor truly is, although. The entrance half of the physique and the deal with are coated aluminium. Its again half is plastic, as is the underside. The management panel up prime is plastic with what appears like a flippantly rubberised floor.
This can be a dense, hefty speaker that weighs slightly below 2kg, or 1947g in keeping with my scales. I do really feel much less assured flinging this factor round than the nylon weave-topped audio system from JBL or Final Ears, although. More durable surfaces imply the specter of a scratched anodised end or, even worse, cracked plastic, loom within the background slightly.
Nonetheless, let’s get actual. Most of us usually tend to take the Soundcore X600 to a park picnic or a BBQ than up a mountain. It additionally has wonderful IPX7 water resistance, which means it’s made to take a full underwater dunking. Simply be certain the rear rubber port connector is in place. This protects the USB-C charging socket and the three.5mm aux enter.
Options
- LDAC codec help
- Mild-up buttons
Anker’s Soundcore X600 has a companion cellphone app, however you solely want to make use of if it you wish to entry the speaker’s EQ presets or create your individual. The remainder of your key choices can be found proper there on the speaker’s prime floor.
This doesn’t depend on capacitive contact surfaces. There are actual clicky actuators beneath these icons on the highest plate, and so they mild up when the speaker is energetic.
That dotted circle within the center? This isn’t a button, it’s the place the Soundcore X600’s upwards-firing driver lives.
Whereas positioned as a extra superior Bluetooth speaker than most, that is largely a fairly low-fuss, easy unit. And Anker claims its battery lasts an okay 12 hours at reasonable volumes, between the 11 hours of the Sonos Transfer or the 15 hours of the JBL Xtreme 3, however they aren’t in utterly completely different stamina universes. I discovered the stamina was slightly decrease than this when unfold over a couple of classes, however not dramatically so.
Sound High quality
- Pretty deep bass
- Weak mid-range
- Customized EQ software program is highly effective
Anker calls the Soundcore X600 the world’s first transportable high-fidelity speaker. The justification? It has LDAC help, which makes use of larger bit-rates than the usual SBC Bluetooth codec.
Its “spatial” audio is extra attention-grabbing. This has been a tech buzzword time period for some time now, however the Soundcore X600’s tackle it’s fairly easy. There’s an upward-firing driver on the highest, and a few software program manipulation is used to additional lengthen how “massive” the speaker sounds.
Alongside the highest driver, the Soundcore X600 has two comparatively small front-loaded woofers, two tweeters and an rectangular passive radiator on the again, which Anker doesn’t seem to say on its web site.
The Anker Soundcore X600 can sound good. It could go loud and it has, due to that passive radiator, good bass depth for a speaker of this dimension. Nonetheless, my essential response to the X600 is one among frustration as I don’t suppose Anker has performed a very good job on some points of its tuning.
You’ve two key controls on the Soundcore X600 itself, Bass Up and the Spatial audio button. Every makes fairly a profound distinction to the sound, and I’ve to wonder if their impression has been intentionally emphasised, by considerably neutering the X600 when they’re each off.
Turning off the Bass Up mode appears to do the equal of all however turning off the passive radiator, decreasing low bass to fairly a extreme extent. I like to recommend protecting it switched on more often than not, nevertheless it’s not ineffective. Need to play music whereas different folks in the home are sleeping? Turning off Bass Up means you’ll truly have the ability to have the amount larger with out disturbing anybody.
The Spatial mode I’ve some extra of an issue with, due to the impact on the tonal steadiness of the Soundcore X600. When switched off, the X600 sounds far more boxy. Its soundfield is smaller and there’s not an enormous quantity of spark to the audio.
Spatial mode acts like a shot of adrenaline. It opens up the sound noticeably, and provides a great deal extra vitality to the treble and higher mids.
Your first impression might be “that is extra prefer it.” The Soundcore X600 seems to spring to life. It has an issue, although. On this mode the mids appear skewed and scooped, with all the projection coming from the upper-mids.
It leaves vocal traces with little of the pressure of supply they need to have, pushing them into the background. Songwriter-lead music is robbed of its sense of musicality and I discover the mids sound fairly sterile or artificial because of this.
I attempted fiddling round with the Soundcore app’s EQ presets to enhance issues, however didn’t have a lot luck. That stated, you might wish to leap off the default Soundcore Signature mode and swap to Balanced if you’ll pay attention at larger volumes because the boosted deep bass of the Signature mod makes issues flip stodgy when pushed.
You may have extra of an impression on the mids when you create your individual customized EQ plan. I used to be capable of convey again the misplaced projection of these mid-heavy vocal traces by carving out the form of midriff muffin prime frequency curve I don’t suppose I’ve ever made earlier than. Nonetheless, it really works. The customized EQ instruments are highly effective, however what number of X600 homeowners are literally going to make use of them?
I don’t suppose everybody goes to be bothered by the Soundcore X600 sound in the best way I used to be. The true try at delivering sub-bass, the neat spatial audio idea and the respectable most quantity – all nice. Possibly correctly voiced mids are for boomers now, however I wouldn’t advocate this speaker too strongly when you hearken to extra vocal-led music than pure digital stuff.
Newest offers
Do you have to purchase it?
Sensible appears to be like, good portability: The Anker appears to be like smarter than some bigger Bluetooth audio system on this class, making it a great for at residence use with the occasional journey outdoors — which is is actually prepared for due to IPX7 water resistance. It additionally has good bass depth.
The sound isn’t as spectacular because the tech: There’s a way Anker has targeted extra on the sound tech than the precise sound right here. The lead mode robs the mids of their energy, pushing vocals into the background an excessive amount of.
Closing Ideas
The Anker Soundcore X600 is one among Anker’s highest-quality audio system thus far. It has an upwards-firing driver for extra expansive sound, and a particular mode to make the perfect use of it. There’s LDAC too, a high-quality wi-fi codec.
I feel Anker has the capability to make a greater all-round speaker of this kind in future, although.
When in its prime sound mode the mid-range loses all its substance, making vocal traces appear weaker and, in some circumstances, artificial. You may take management of this utilizing Anker’s software program, however not with out some effort.
How we check
We check each wi-fi speaker we evaluate completely over an prolonged time frame. We use business normal assessments to check options correctly. We’ll all the time inform you what we discover. We by no means, ever, settle for cash to evaluate a product.
Discover out extra about how we check in our ethics coverage.
Examined with actual world use
Battery testing carried out
FAQs
It has IPx7 water resistance, which means it may be absolutely submerged in water.
This can be a Bluetooth-only speaker. It doesn’t have Wi-Fi.
It doesn’t help aptX nevertheless it does supply LDAC, a high-quality codec supported by most Android telephones.
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Jargon buster
IP score
An abbreviation for ‘Ingress Safety Code’, which helps you to know to what extent a tool is perhaps waterproof or dustproof.
