[REVIEW] Anker Soundcore Infini Soundbar

Adam Matlock

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Mar 28, 2017
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One of the most memorable quotes from the 90s comes from a little-known movie by the name of Toy Story – maybe you’ve heard of it. It was first uttered by the patron saint of comedy, Tim Allen, guised as the fancy Spaceman, Buzz Lighter. I can remember it like it was yesterday, when Buzz first uttered the words “To infinity and beyond.” Well, apparently this beloved phrase and character left a lasting impression with Anker. Maybe not so impressed, but enough to carry on the name – minus the “ty”, - when they named their new Soundcore Infini. I felt a bit like my eyes were playing tricks on me at first, but yes, the name is spelled “Infini.” However, regardless of spelling, the sound quality is mostly to infinity and beyond… mostly, but the price point is excellent. Let’s take a closer look at the Anker Soundcore Infini.

"If you go into it with the expectation of having a great, inexpensive soundbar, then you’ll be very happy with your purchase. If you go into the purchase expecting Bose or Harmon Kardon quality, then you’re going to be less impressed."​

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What’s in a Name? The Anker Soundcore Infini builds off of their long tenured line of products that carry the Soundcore name. Moving into uncharted territory, Anker has decided to take a jaunt front the ordinary and make a soundbar. Soundbars in themselves have been wonderful little inventions that have helped to reshape the ideas that we have regarding home audio, and removing the necessity for a giant receiver, and giant tower speakers. Anker has been making audio accessories for quite a while and I have had the privilege of reviewing quite a few of them, so I feel like this product is a solid move, and a logical progression into the future of Anker audio products.

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What’s in the Box:
- One Anker Soundcore Infini Soundbar
- Power Cord
- Mounting Brackets and Screws
- An optical cable
- A/C stereo cables
- Instructions and documentation
- Remote control (batteries included)

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Mounting Bracket and Screws: I don’t want this to get lost in the rest of the review. The Soundcore Infini comes with a set of mounting brackets and screws so you can mount the speaker to the wall! I thought this was really cool and unique, and worth highlighting.

"This soundbar is definitely the most enjoyable, and impressive soundbar that I have ever used at the $100 price point."​

Performance: The sound quality on the Soundcore Infini is good, but the full spectrum of sound can be elusive at times… However, before you continue reading, I do want to say that the Soundcore Infini is definitely the most enjoyable, and impressive soundbar that I have ever used at the $100 price point. Moving on… As you can see from the pictures, there is no external subwoofer. The soundbar does have subwoofers, but they are crammed into the speaker housing with the regular speakers. In total, the Soundcore Infini has two subwoofers, and two tweeters. What does this mean? It means that with the lack of external subwoofer and the tiny package, that a) there is only so much power that the speaker can produce, and b) the speakers are crowded and only have so much airspace to push the sound through. That's not to say that this speaker doesn't get loud (because it does), it just means that sometimes clarity falls short at peak volume. One of the biggest complaints that I have had with entry-level soundbars is that they don't get very loud. Well, the Soundcore Inifini definitely gets loud, which I was very happy about. Overall, The Soundcore Infini has flashes of greatness, especially when the music isn’t too busy. If you like playing video games, watching Netflix, or listening to 80s or pop music, then this soundbar will make you very happy with your purchase. If you like a lot of bass or frequently listen to rock or alternative music, then there will be good days, and there will be frustrating days - the sound depth and squished speakers are the culprit for this.

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Sound Quality: The volume is more than adequate, but when you get to 100% volume range the shortcomings of the speaker are most evident. If you want to fire up some Disturbed, Alter Bridge, Creed (anything that demands a lot of power and covers the gauntlet of the mid-range sound spectrum, you will start to notice some crackling at times, or certain instruments and sounds will fade into the background. At face value, if you’re just playing video games or watching Netflix, this is one heck of a soundbar. It recreates vocals very well, and the speakers really love a nice baritone voice. I think one of the biggest drawbacks for the sound quality (other than the speaker size and lack of external subwoofer) is the lack of equalizer presets – there are three. The preset equalizer settings offer different options for the types of sound that you are experiencing: dialogue (vocals), music, and movie mode. Each of them focuses on different ranges of sound and try to offer the best possible experience for those specific audio types. However, I don’t want this to sound like the sound quality isn’t good – because it mostly is. It has nice, natural sounding vocals and mids, which help to present an excellent viewing/listening experience for most things… as long as you don’t need bass depth, or distinction and clarity in the highs. The key to getting the best sound out of this soundbar is to use digital audio input, and to play music at HD quality levels. Overall, I give the sound quality a 7 out of 10.

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Functionality: The functionality of the Soundcore Infini is one area where this soundbar really shines. There are three different output options on the back: 3.5mm, Optical, and Coaxial – the speaker even comes with the 3.5mm to RCA connections, and an optical cable, which is really nice. The remote and the buttons are straight forward and have all of the normal things you would expect for sound controls: skip (backwards and forwards), volume up/down, power, input select, mute, and sound preset buttons. The way this speaker goes the extra mile for me is the Bluetooth connectivity, which allows you to use it as a wireless speaker for your phone, tablet, or any other Bluetooth enabled device – and it’s easy to setup. All you have to do is hit the Bluetooth button on the remote control once, and it will be readily available on your device’s Bluetooth menu for connectivity. I spent most of my time using the speaker as a wireless speaker for the music on my phone, and for playing games on my TV utilizing the included optical cable.

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Conclusion: Overall, the Soundcore Infini is a great addition to an office or bedroom setting, where you want to have a better sound experience over your stock TV speakers. Of course, the speaker is more than adequate when compared to TV speakers, and it even has the ability to get pretty darn loud – which his great for playing video games or watching movies. However, the sound quality and volume have their limitations, which you can generally avoid either by listening to high quality audio, adjusting the volume, or tempering your expectations. It has smooth, well represented vocals and at times the bass can be impressive, depending on the type of bass and sound source. Additionally, the Bluetooth connectivity helps to elevate the Infini over it’s fellow $100’ish soundbar classmates. Hands down, this is the most impressive $100 price range soundbar that I have ever used. However, at the end of the day it’s still a $100 soundbar. If you go into it with the expectations of having a great, inexpensive soundbar, then you’ll be very happy with your purchase. If you go into the purchase expecting Bose or Harmon Kardon quality, then you’re going to be less impressed.

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If you’re interested in picking up one of these fancy, slim-profile soundbars, you can pick one up through Amazon for the low price of $99.99 - https://www.amazon.com/Soundcore-An...ag=hawk-future-20&ascsubtag=UUimUvbUpU3086129 - The speaker only comes in one color: black. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to leave them down in the comments section.