Soundcore Trance Review
If you buy through our affiliate links, we may earn commisions, which helps support our independent reviews. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases at no cost to you.
Is the Soundcore Trance the ultimate party speaker? Let’s review it and find out.
Sound Quality
If you need to fill a large area with sound, you’ll have no problem doing that with the Soundcore Trance. The speaker’s app has settings for both indoor and outdoor environments, boosting the sound a little more to help spread music a little further when outside.
The highs and mids sound great, except for some distortion when the speaker volume is around 85% or above. However, with the volume at around 60%, the speaker is loud enough to fill a large room or a back yard.
Bass Performance
Bass performance on the Soundcore Trance is very good and provides a decent “thud” to all those nearby. Soundcore’s “Bass Up” feature is on by default, and the speaker does sound a bit anemic without it. The Bass Up feature can be controlled via a dedicated button on the top of the speaker, or via the Soundcore app.
However, I didn’t find the bass to be as strong as the Sony SRS XB-32 which is a lot smaller than the Soundcore Trance. So if you’re “all about the bass,” you may be slightly disappointed by the Trance’s bass performance.
Features
- LED Lights: Besides the sound, one of the features you’ll likely notice right away are the two LED light rings on the front of the Trance. There are different animations you can select by tapping the lighting button on the top of the speaker or via the Soundcore app. Quick note: there actually is not a speaker behind the bottom LED light ring; it’s just there for show.
- Party games: The Soundcore App can act as a “spinner” for Truth or Dare or Spin the Bottle. You can spin the virtual dial in the app and the lights on the speaker will animate in a spinning motion as well, along with some sound effects. You can also play “Light DJ” and spin the virtual turntables in the app and see it reflected in the LED light rings on the speaker. Totally a gimmicky feature, but it’s a nice inclusion for this party speaker.
- USB Charging port: The speaker has a massive battery that can be used to top off your phone by using the full-sized USB port under the rubber flap on the back of the speaker.
- Waterproof: The IPX7 rating means this speaker can resist water splashes and even submersion in water up to 3 feet deep for up to 30 minutes. So no worries if it accidentally gets dropped into the shallow end of the pool.
- Carrying handle: This speaker is large (7.05 x 6.97 x 13.35 inches) and weights almost 8 pounds, so the attached carrying handle at the top is appreciated.
- AUX input: You don’t need to use Bluetooth if you would rather use the AUX input to play your music.
Check out my Instagram post to see the party features in action!
https://www.instagram.com/p/B6yQScRgOH\_/
Bluetooth Range
I was able to walk around my house and even into other rooms without interrupting the music. I would say I could get about 40 feet away from the speaker indoors before I started to notice the music breaking up.
Reception outdoors and line of sight between your phone and speaker can reach ranges up to 66 feet.
Battery Life
A speaker this large has room for a large battery (OK, maybe not that large as it’s only 4900mAh) so you can get up to 18 hours of playtime with this speaker. The speaker takes about 4.5 hours to recharge.
Recharging the speaker requires the use of a proprietary charger, so be sure not to loose the wall charger as it may not be easy to get a replacement. Unfortunately, it utilizes a barrel connector instead of the more standard USB-C connection.
Our Verdict
The SoundCore Trance provides great sound and can get really loud for large gatherings or outdoor events. The SoundCore app unlocks some additional features and games, such as Light DJ where you can control the LEDs on the front. Long battery life and IPX7 water resistance make it ideal for all party situations.
PROs
- Great sound quality and bass
- Gets very loud (80w)
- 2 LED light rings on the front
CONs
- Large size can limit portability
- Proprietary charger