Review: We test an outdoor sound system that's great for summer parties

When you're shopping around for a portable wireless speaker, it quickly becomes apparent that there's a lot of choice out there.

From compact, punchy mini speakers, to huge disco units you need a trolley to move around, the choice really comes down to the amount of power you want, balanced against physical size and, of course, the cost.

Soundcore has always been good at hitting sweet spots when it comes to audio tech, but their latest launch, the Boom 2 Plus, really does tick a lot of boxes for a lot of people.

I've tested some of this speaker's siblings, from the Motion X600 to the standard Boom 2 and, as I was unboxing the new Boom 2 Plus, I wondered how much more it could do to impress me. The Motion X600 was an incredibly competent high-fidelity speaker, while the Boom 2 added even punchier bass and some trick party lights.

The Boom 2 Plus, however, to put this into a musical context, turns everything up to 11. Actually quite literally. While the Boom 2 hikes up the power output from the X600's hefty 50 watts to a very beefy 80 watts, the Boom 2 Plus pumps out a moderately ridiculous 140 watts.

To put that into context, it will shake a garden table about, if you turn it up a lot. And while there's no need to ramp the sound up too much in smaller gardens, it does mean you get a beautiful rich, full sound with plenty of detail at lower volumes.

It also means if you're having a bigger party in a field, for example, or perhaps on the beach, the Boom 2 Plus has more than enough grunt to keep everyone on their feet long into the night.

And then we come on to the built-in party lights. As with the Boom 2, they're built in to the sides of the unit, and they work in a similar way, responding to the beat of the music.

Truth be told, they're a little lost in broad daylight, but as the light subsides and you move into the darker hours, they're incredibly effective.

The Soundcore app lets you set up patterns and scenes which alter the way the colours respond, and it's all very addictive.

There's other things I like, too. The app gives you more control over that thunderous bass, but you don't really need to use it. The Bluetooth connection hooks up simply without it, and there are basic controls on the top panel.

There's no 3.5mm aux jack, which is a shame, but it comes with a really meaty strap, which helps you carry it around.

And then there's one of its most impressive features. It floats. This has been true of all the recent Soundcore speakers, but the Boom 2 Plus is quite a hefty beast, so it's surprising to see it still has the IPX7 water-resistance - and that's a high enough rating to submerge it. Remarkable stuff.

Battery life is also pretty good. Don't expect miracles if you're running it at a high volume, but it's good enough to give you a decent bit of volume and some party lights as you while away an afternoon.

It's time to talk about the price, though. It's nearly double the cost of the Boom 2, depending on where you shop. Using Amazon as a guide, because there's some good voucher deals on at the moment, the Boom 2 is currently £95, while the Boom 2 Plus is about £180.

And, to be honest, I'm not sure it's twice the speaker. It is, admittedly, nearly twice as powerful, but there's still some amazing sound to be had from the Boom 2. And it's a bit more portable. And it still has funky lights and supports the Soundcore app.

The Boom 2 Plus, then, is for those who can either afford the very best, or who need that phenomenal power.

If your garden is big enough to justify it, or if you've a penchant for pool parties and huge family picnics, then go for the Boom 2 Plus. It's fair to say very little on the market gives you this much bang for your buck.