Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

First off, I am not an audiophile. This is a review from a simple person who wanted music at work. I am a Rural Carrier for the United Stated Postal Service. I deliver mail in an LLV truck and these vehicles are basically mobile tin cans. Every panel rattles, making for quite an unpleasant environment, audio wise. I tried playing music directly off my phone, but alas my speakerphone is only so loud and is constantly drowned out by the LLV. So, I researched Bluetooth speakers and, based on the reviews and popularity, recently purchased two: -Anker SoundCore Bluetooth Speaker with 24-Hour Playtime, 66-Foot Bluetooth Range & Built-in Mic, Dual-Driver Portable Wireless Speaker with Low Harmonic Distortion and Superior Sound - Black -OontZ Angle 3 PLUS Splashproof Bluetooth Speaker - Designed & Engineered by Cambridge SoundWorks for Richer Bass, HD Sound, and 30-Hour Playtime, 10W+ Power, Water Resistant, Portable Wireless Speaker The Anker SoundCore is being returned while I am keeping the OontZ Angle 3 Plus and here is why. I tested both speakers in my home at first. My very first impression, out of the box: OontZ Angle 3 Plus - was nice to touch and just felt solid and very well built. Anker SoundCore - just felt like a simple lightweight brick. It really didn't give the impression of longevity or durability. The set-up guides were quite different from each other. OontZ Angle 3 Plus - Extremely easy to read, follow and understand (remember, I am not a music nut lol. This was my first time ever using a Bluetooth speaker and was in completely uncharted territory.) It was all in English, and only English and the diagrams were detailed and made the entire set-up process seamless and carefree. Anker SoundCore - This guide was very hard to follow. It is printed in darn near every language, in tiny print and the diagrams were quite small as well. I ultimately did get the speaker paired with my phone and figured out what buttons did what, but it took nearly 15 minutes to do so. Bluetooth Pairing With both speakers and my phone lined up on a table (well within the proximity specified in each set-up guide), both speakers paired, however: OontZ Angle 3 Plus - MUCH faster in pairing (mere seconds!). Anker SoundCore - took nearly two minutes to complete the pairing process. Pause/Play Button Since I dismount to deliver packages to a customer's door routinely on my route, I really need to have a simply way to pause my music. I really like how both speakers offer this function on directly on the units, saving me from having to handle my phone. OontZ Angle 3 Plus - I barely press the Play/Pause button and the speaker immediately reacts. There is NO hesitation. Anker SoundCore - I press the Play/Pause button and there is a delay of about 5 seconds.. just long enough to make me think I didn't press hard enough and reach to do it again only for the speaker to finally react. Volume/Overall Playback Quality OontZ Angle 3 Plus - Wow. Just wow. It is truly unbelievable to hear such full sound, and bass(!), coming from such a small unit. I found myself perfectly pleased with the output without ever reaching max volume on the speaker itself. So I am looking forward to how well it will work in my LLV during my first road test. As for now, I am thoroughly impressed! Anker SoundCore - I maxed out the volume on my phone and the speaker and was just not impressed. If I could guess, I'd say the max output this speaker achieved was only about 25% more than my speakerphone alone (while the OontZ Angle 3 Plus blew it out of the water with close to double, if not more, output than my speakerphone alone). I also noted some kind of distortion or interference type background sound with the Anker SoundCore at mid volume and above. Speakerphone/Mic I was able to answer an incoming phone call on both units as described in each set-up guide. The quality of in-call sound on each speaker differed: OontZ Angle 3 Plus - My husband's (the caller) voice was crisp and clear, as if he was sitting talking right next to me. There was no distortion or feedback out of the speaker. Husband reported nothing but a clear voice on his phone. Anker SoundCore - Husband's voice was clear, but echoed horribly. No matter what volume level I used. There was no distortion (I was expecting this given the distortion with the music playback) bu the continuous echoing is a major issue for me. Husband reported a slight "faded" type of echo on his phone. Road Test (in my LLV) OontZ Angle 3 Plus - The sound is amazing in the truck! Thinking I would need it, I maxed the volume on both the speaker and my phone then pressed play on my music. Well, I certainly don't need max volume. I reduced the volume on both the speaker and my phone and found a very happy medium output. This speaker performs perfectly in the loud, rattling setting of a USPS LLV.. even while bouncing down rural dirt two tracks and washboard gravel roads. I am extremely pleased with this tiny speaker. Anker Soundcore - Even with maxed volume settings, I could not get this speaker to perform anywhere near as well as the OontZ Angle 3 Plus. It had volume and was loud enough to hear over the vehicle's own noise, however the distortion/interference mentioned earlier was still present and in the truck during the road test it had what I would describe as an echoing effect on the music, specifically the singers' voices. It just wasn't clear. (I hope that makes sense.) Battery Life/Listen While Charging OontZ Angle 3 Plus - So far, the battery life is impressive. After receiving it, I charged it overnight (as recommended). I then had it connected to my phone for about an hour of home testing. Turned it off and I next used it at work on a Saturday.. had it powered on and connected to my phone and actively playing music for about 5.5 hours. I then used it again on Monday (much longer and busier days in the USPS, FYI).. had it on, connected and active continuously for nearly 9 hours. I have yet to see the low battery light come on. I plan to see just how many days of work I can get out of a single charge. Anker Soundcore - I have no information for this section on this speaker since I am returning it. Exterior/Cleaning At first, I had the OontZ Angle 3 Plus setting on the dashboard of the LLV. This didn't last more than two stops. Despite having the four rubber "feet", the speaker still slid around causing more of a distraction than I would like. I ended up setting it on top of my personal bag, in a bin by my feet with the speaker facing up. This move really helped my piece of mind, knowing it will not go anywhere. This speaker has a soft rubber exterior. It is quite nice and feels luxurious, however... this exterior attracts all dust particles within 50 feet! USPS LLVs are *not* known for being the cleanest and even though I moved the speaker from the dust-ridden dashboard to a bin, it was still slathered with dust and dirt by the end of my route. I figured it was a fair trade, sacrificing the appearance for the gain of having decent music. But.. I got home and went to clean it. I will tell you, my expectations of this working were very low. I didn't think the dust would come off that supple rubber. But with a wet paper towel and a few slow wipes, it did. So, it can be cleaned up! Case I did purchase the case for this speaker ([Official] OontZ Angle 3 Plus Bluetooth Portable Speaker Carry Case, Neoprene with Aluminum Carabiner, reinforced zipper, by Cambridge SoundWorks [NOT FOR OontZ Angle 3]). I was mainly wanting a safe way to transport and store the speaker, but after reading the other reviews I was hoping I would be able to keep it clean in the case and still enjoy my music on my route. I received the case and used it yesterday. The case is extremely nice and I appreciate the interior mesh pocket. I have no need for it now, but I'm sure it will come in handy if I ever take this speaker on vacation and need to take the charging cables along. As for playback while in the case? Yeah, it was terribly muffled. It didn't work for me as it apparently has for others. Yet, the case itself is exactly what I was wanting for taking it to and from work. It is not as thickly padded as I would have expected, however it does protect the speaker. Overall, for my specific purpose and intended use for a Bluetooth speaker, the Anker SoundCore simply won't cut it. However, it is still a nice speaker and will perhaps fit your needs perfectly. After all, most people don't drive LLVs and have the same high demands that go along with that. For me, the OontZ Angle 3 Plus is what I'll be bopping down the road to, mailbox to mailbox. Happy hunting! Hope this review helps you out!