Audio review
Soundcore Motion 300 Review: Two Testers Could Not Hear LDAC
It is the headline specification and both reviewers who went looking for the difference found none. The battery, meanwhile, beat its claim by more than three hours.
By Paulo GerchonPublished 2 min read
Illustration, not a photo — we don’t have a licensed image of this product yet.
Anker
Soundcore Motion 300
Excellent · researched from 3 sources
A very good small speaker for the money, with a real nine-band equaliser and a battery that beats its own claim. Ignore the LDAC badge, because the two people who tested for it could not hear it.
- Buy if
- Showers, poolsides and camping, on the IPX7 rating · Anyone who wants proper EQ control rather than three presets · Long days out, on a measured sixteen hours
- Skip if
- Dusty environments, since there is no dust rating · Loud listening with BassUp on, where distortion appears · Anyone who needs a wired input
We don’t list prices, because Amazon’s change hourly.
The specification nobody could hear
LDAC is on the box. It is the feature that separates this from the cheaper speakers it sits beside.
How-To Geek listened for the difference and reports the hi-res codec support proving largely imperceptible, with nothing audible against standard codecs.
Headphone Check, testing separately, describes the LDAC benefits as minimal.
That is two independent reviewers arriving at the same nothing. The explanation is not that Anker implemented it badly; it is that a pair of small drivers in a 200 mm slab cannot resolve what the extra bitrate carries. LDAC belongs on headphones, where it can be heard.
The battery, which is real
Anker claims 13 hours at half volume with LDAC off.
SoundGuys measured 16 hours 15 minutes playing continuously at a level calibrated to peak at 75 dB from a metre, BassUp disengaged.
Three hours and a quarter beyond the claim. In a catalogue where most portable speakers fall well short of their stated figures, that stands out.
Headphone Check supplies the counterweight: about five hours to recharge, and How-To Geek confirms there is no fast charging.
Nine bands, per orientation
Most speakers at this price give you three EQ presets and nothing else. This has a nine-band graphic equaliser, which How-To Geek explicitly contrasts against the five-band controls typical of competitors, with a range of six decibels of cut or boost from 48 Hz to 20 kHz.
And SmartTune sets a different curve depending on whether the speaker is standing, lying flat or hanging, with the option to customise each.
For a speaker that will genuinely be hung from a tent pole one day and stood on a kitchen shelf the next, that is a well-judged feature rather than a gimmick.
BassUp is the weak part
How-To Geek finds it adds physical presence to bass lines and causes distortion at high volume when enabled.
Headphone Check is harsher, calling the effect inconsistent, with some tracks thudding at the bottom while others sound duller, and describing it as an artificial cutoff rather than a natural lift.
Given there is a nine-band equaliser sitting in the same app, shaping the low end by hand is the better answer.
IPX7, and the letter that matters
The X means no dust rating has been tested.
SoundGuys flags it, and it is the difference between this and the IP67 speakers elsewhere in this catalogue. Submersion in water is covered; sand and dust are not.
For a shower, a poolside or a rainy campsite that is fine. For a beach it is a real gap.
How it scored
The overall 8.6 is the weighted average of these five criteria — we never adjust it by hand.
Sound quality
Headphone Check says DSP lifts the low and mid range to compensate for the size, and that bass can mask the mids. How-To Geek reports distortion at high volume with BassUp engaged.
Value
How-To Geek scored 8 out of 10 and Headphone Check 4.25 out of 5, both explicitly on price. SoundGuys calls it an excellent buy for portable outdoor use.
Build quality
IPX7, so temporary submersion is fine, though SoundGuys notes there is no dust rating at all. How-To Geek praises the grippy rubberised exterior.
Ease of use
A nine-band equaliser in the app, which How-To Geek notes is far more than the five bands rivals offer, plus SmartTune adjusting for orientation automatically.
Battery
SoundGuys measured 16 hours 15 minutes at a steady 75 dB against a 13 hour claim. Headphone Check notes a full recharge takes around five hours.
Pros and cons
What we liked
- SoundGuys measured 16 hours 15 minutes against a 13 hour claim
- A nine-band equaliser per orientation, which How-To Geek rates above rivals' five
- SmartTune adjusts the sound automatically for standing, lying or hanging
- IPX7, so it survives temporary submersion
- 30 W of output from a stereo pair of drivers with passive radiators
- Bluetooth 5.3 with a range SoundGuys puts around 328 feet
What we didn’t
- How-To Geek and Headphone Check both found LDAC made no audible difference
- How-To Geek reports distortion at high volume with BassUp engaged
- Headphone Check calls the BassUp effect inconsistent, thudding on some tracks and dull on others
- No dust rating at all, only IPX7
- No 3.5 mm input, so nothing wired
- Sources disagree on weight by about 50 g, and neither figure is light for the size
Specifications
| Battery | 16 h 15 m at 75 dB per SoundGuys, against 13 hours claimed |
|---|---|
| Recharge | About five hours per Headphone Check; no fast charging |
| Power | 30 W, as two 15 W channels |
| Water resistance | IPX7, with no dust rating |
| Weight | 830 g per SoundGuys; just under 780 g per Headphone Check |
| Dimensions | 199 x 50 x 92 mm per SoundGuys |
| Bluetooth | 5.3 with LDAC and AAC, and about 328 feet of range |
| App | Nine-band equaliser plus four presets, per orientation |
| SmartTune | Adjusts automatically for standing, lying flat or hanging |
How we researched this
We have not had this unit on the bench. This review synthesises the manufacturer’s published specifications, independent measurements and owner reports listed below. Every figure on this page comes from one of those sources rather than our own measurement.
3
sources reviewed
SoundGuys supplies the measured battery figure at a stated output level, the dimensions, the power output, the Bluetooth range and the observation about the missing dust rating. How-To Geek supplies the SmartTune detail, the BassUp distortion finding, the equaliser comparison against rivals and the LDAC assessment, and scored it 8 out of 10. Headphone Check supplies the DSP description, the recharge time, the second LDAC assessment and the criticism of BassUp's consistency, and scored it 4.25 out of 5. The two weight figures differ by about 50 grams and both are reported.
What we read
Common questions
Is LDAC worth anything on the Soundcore Motion 300?
How long does the battery last?
Should I use BassUp?
What is SmartTune?
Can I take it to the beach?
The bottom line on the Soundcore Motion 300
A very good small speaker for the money, with a real nine-band equaliser and a battery that beats its own claim. Ignore the LDAC badge, because the two people who tested for it could not hear it.
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