Soundcast is a company focused on just one thing: bringing music to people who love the great outdoors. Their portable Bluetooth speakers deliver the type of sound quality you would expect from high-performance stereo speakers, yet they are rechargeable, wirelessly connected, and are highly resistant to weather.
These are not just background music speakers, they are designed to rock out and play loud and clear. And better yet, they do not care if they are sitting in the sand or a snowbank.
We thought we would first cover some of the great technology you’ll have in every Soundcast, then get into each model and its benefits. Hopefully, this will help you decide which Soundcast fits best with how you live outdoors. At the end, you’ll find a reference comparison chart too for a quick look at the differences in models.
All of the Soundcast products are weather-resistant to varying degrees, but unlike other speaker companies, they actually define a spec for how resistant they are! If you are like us, you’ve probably never heard of an IP rating as it pertains to outdoor use, but we noticed all of their speakers had a specific rating.
This was very interesting as no other outdoor speaker company we have ever tested, rates their products on this scale. Researching this IP rating was enlightening for us, so we thought we should share a little bit for your own education as it applies to the Soundcast or anything else you might see it on.
IP, in this case, does not mean intellectual property rights, but is short for “International Protection Rating” or as many call it, “Ingress Protection”. The first digit, which will be a 0-6 is how protected the unit is against solids, including very fine dust, from entering it and doing damage. The second digit goes from 0-8 and defines how protected the unit is from liquids with zero meaning no protection at all and 8 meaning it can operate under deep water for long periods of time with no damage to the unit.
All of the Soundcast products are rated at 6 for solids which means you’ll never have to worry about dust, sand, or pollen doing any damage. They vary a bit on the liquid rating but all are fairly high. When we go over each product, we’ll go over their resistance to liquids.
It was just quite impressive to us that Soundcast went to the trouble to get all of their products certified on this international standard and share the results.
Soundcast went to great lengths to make sure you could always have a long day or more of music from a full charge so you would not have to worry about your music dying out late in the evening. As a matter of fact, some models can play for up to 40 hours. All of them have an indicator to see battery life as well. The first two models are under 3 ½ pounds and quite easy to carry around. As you get into the bigger and more powerful ones, they do get quite a bit more stout. Soundcast has ergonomically designed a great carrying handle on the top three so they are well balanced when you pick them up to move around.
Bluetooth pairing works great on every single one we tested and we felt our phone could communicate with them up to about 100 feet away. They all deploy Hi-Def AAC and aptX™ Bluetooth® codecs for great sound. Every model except the entry-level one also offers ease of pairing with Bluetooth NFC where you just hold your phone up to it for pairing. The basic model can remember 5 phones, while all of the others will remember 8.
With any of the Soundcast models, you can pair two of them together to cover a much larger area and when you do this, they switch to true stereo units. That is a really cool feature in our book!
Proprietary DSP technology delivers great audio and is perfectly adapted for each speaker model. In every single model including the smallest one, the speakers are actively amped with separate amplifiers for the different types of drivers. This allows them to fine-tune the audio to the speaker drivers' characteristics. They all are designed to throw out a very large and wide sound field and to our ears sounded very clear and rich from all directions on everyone but the entry-level, which basically just fires the sound to the front. The sound and durability are what actually convinced the Audio Advice team to offer Soundcast as a portable speaker option. They sound just fantastic for an outdoor speaker and the fact they are portable and rechargeable is a bonus! Many of our “audiophile” clients who have tried them have been super impressed with their big, full sound.
Each and every model gives you the option of connecting an audio source via an auxiliary input on the unit should you wish to connect up a separate playback device like an audio streamer.
Not only can you control them from your smartphone via Bluetooth, but every Soundcast model also has tactile controls on the unit for several functions.
The entry-level Soundcast VG1 is designed to easily fit in a backpack to easily bring music to your next outdoor adventure. It is the most weather resistant of all the models with an IP67 rating, which means it can live for up to 30 minutes under 1 meter of water and keep on working. If you drop the VG1 in the pool or it gets overwashed by the tide coming in, you don’t have to worry. The VG1 uses two 1.5” aluminum full-range drivers with a rear passive radiator. While it can fit in the palm of your hand, it actually goes down to about 90Hz in low-frequency range which is deeper than other portable speakers in its size and class.
Soundcast VG1 Waterproof Portable Bluetooth Speaker
If you are paired up via Bluetooth, the VG1 will turn into a speakerphone for incoming calls. Playtime on the VG1 is up to 15 hours depending on how loud you have it playing and it can recharge in about 3 ½ hours.
We see the VG1 appealing to the person who wants music for their outdoor fun, but cares more about portability and price over the ultimate in sound. We do feel it sounds amazing for its tiny size, but it is pretty small which limits the output. But when you compare its sound to the more well-known brands, we think you’ll find it rocks them out.
(This product has been discontinued.)
When you step up to the VG3, you’ll get a much bigger sound field than the VG1 provides. It is still small and light enough to fit in a backpack, but its mini-tower format helps it perform more like a home audio speaker.
The IP rating on the VG3 is IP64 which means no dust, pollen, or dirt can bother it, and it's fine with the occasional splash from a wave or cannonball. Soundcast uses the same drivers as in the VG1, but they are positioned on each side of the cabinet for more room-filling sound and they are augmented with a downward-firing active subwoofer. Bass just goes deeper and is much more punchy on the VG3 compared to the VG1.
Like the VG1, the VG3 can become a speakerphone and it gives you more battery life with a max playtime of 21 hours. This longer life comes with slightly more time on the charger with 5 hours being needed for a full charge.
If you want something very portable, yet could last for a 3 day weekend of listening around the campfire with full rich sound, the VG3 is probably the perfect choice for you.
The VG5 is like a VG3 that decided to start training for a Triathlon! It has the same form factor, but you’ll need a duffle bag instead of a backpack to tote it around.
At a little over 17” tall and about 8” wide and deep, the VG5 is moving into the serious speaker part of the Soundcast lineup. We do like the rear carrying handle which balances it out, but you probably want to find a better way to tote this 12 ½ pound speaker if you are going more than a couple of hundred yards with it.
The VG5 gets an IP rating of IP64, so like the VG3, it is pretty immune to everything but a long dip in the pool.
SoundCast VG5 Waterproof Portable Bluetooth Speaker
You get a big jump up in speaker components with the VG5 as you move up to two 3” aluminum-cone drivers and a separate 6” powered subwoofer. The configuration is the same as the VG3 with the drivers firing out to the sides for big sound. You’ll be able to feel the bass with the VG5 and fill up a much bigger area than with the VG3. Two of them paired together are a great idea for your next pool party.
Playtime on the VG5 is the shortest of any model at a max of 10 hours, which will take about 4-5 hours with the included charger. Some people may decide to make it a flexible speaker similar to the Sonos Move Battery Powered Smart Speaker and use it both indoors and out.
We see the VG5 as more of an outdoor speaker you take to the boat dock, a tailgating event, or out by the pool. It’s heavy enough, you’ll not want to have to carry it too far, and it does not have the long weekend battery life of the VG3, but obviously sounds much much bigger.
Boy, this one looks really serious! Soundcast moves to a very industrial looking design with the VG7 that we just love. The big handle screams, I am heavy but you can move me if you want to. It does balance surprisingly well when you pick it up for a 21 pound 19” tall by 11” wide and deep speaker.
Soundcast took the 3” aluminum drivers from the VG5 and uses 4 of them on all sides of the VG7 for super big sound and they are complemented by a powered 7” downward-firing subwoofer. They have the same great IP rating of IP64 which protects the big digital amp that provides tri-amplified power to the speaker drivers.
You get a great playtime of up to 21 hours and can fully charge it in 3 hours. The VG7 also has a different battery pack that can hold a charge for up to one year.
This is the speaker that is impressing a lot of our “audiophile” customers with a sound outdoors that reminds them of a nice pair of speakers. Bass is only 3 dB down at 55 Hz, which outdoors, sounds quite full and rich. Like the VG5, it also has an indoor/outdoor eq setting.
With double the battery life of the VG5 and the ability to play with an optional 12v adapter, this is a model you could take on a long camping trip, put by the pool or dock, or be the envy of your friends at a tailgate party.
Take the VG7, stretch it out, add more power with a much bigger battery and you have its special edition version, the VG7SE. Standing at over 2 feet tall and 11” by 11” and 24 pounds, you will definitely need its solid handle to move it around.
While the VG7SE has the same speaker components and configuration as the VG7, Soundcast doubled the power inside for every driver and increased the bass driver cabinet size to provide far more output. They also doubled the battery capacity to an amazing maximum of 40 hours of playtime! It will take about 6 hours to fully charge or you can get 20 hours with about 3-4 hours of charging.
Bass reaches down to an incredible 3 dB down of 40 Hz on the VG7SE which betters a lot of big floor standing indoor speakers. Soundcast paid special attention to the DSP to really fine-tune the sound of the VG7SE for a sound that will bring a smile to any music lover. We really want to test out two of these paired together in stereo!
If you want some ambient light, the VG7SE has some downward-firing lights you can adjust to your mood, which might come in handy at the campsite or for keeping someone from stubbing their toe on this beast in the dark.
The VG7SE is for someone who wants the ultimate in outdoor sound and wants to be able to rock out for hours. We see it being used mostly for pool or dock parties and tailgating. Watch our review below to explore the VG7SE features - available exclusively at Audio Advice!
Compared to many of the best high-volume capable portable Bluetooth speakers, Soundcast is in a class of its own. Their speakers are not just background music speakers — they are designed to rock out and play loud and clear. And better yet, they do not care if they are sitting in the sand or a snowbank.
The flagship model — VG7SE — is the biggest, loudest, and the “baddest” portable outdoor speaker they make. It even topped our list of Best Portable Bluetooth Speakers for the rich, world-class sound coming out — but their more portable VG5 is an absolute outdoor powerhouse that will bring “serious speaker” performance to the picnic table at an affordable price-point.
The VG5 is larger than the Sonos Move, it's more rugged, and unlike anything, we have seen in the portable Bluetooth speaker category for the money. The VG5 is about 7 inches taller compared to similar outdoor Bluetooth speakers like the Sonos Move — and substantially larger than pill-shaped speakers that can slide into a backpack such as the Sonos Roam. But the trade-off in size and weight is greater sound coverage for entertaining medium to large outdoor occasions with crystal clear sound at low volume.
When you step up to any of the larger models in Soundcast's lineup, you do get a big jump up in speaker components. If you are looking at all the portable Bluetooth speakers on the market designed for outdoor use, but want something more rugged, then you have our permission to splurge on any of these premium Bluetooth speakers. Pairing two together is a fantastic idea for your next outdoor occasion as it really spreads out their rich sound even more.
| VG1 | VG3 | VG5 | VG7 | VG7SE | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Speakers | 2- 1.5" with passive radiator | 2- 1.5" with 3" subwoofer | 2- 3" with 6" subwoofer | 4- 3" with 7" subwoofer | 4- 3" with 7" subwoofer |
| Frequency Response | 90 Hz – 17 kHz ±5 dB | 75 Hz – 17 kHz ±5 dB | 70Hz – 18kHz ± 5 dB | 55 Hz – 20 kHz ±3 dB | 40 Hz – 20 kHz ±3 dB |
| Amp Power | 15W RMS stereo (7.5W + 7.5W) | 30W RMS bi-amplified (20W + 10W) | 44W RMS bi-amplified (30W + 14W) | Stereo 60W RMS 2.1 tri-amplified (30W + 15W + 15W) | Stereo 120W RMS 2.1 tri-amplified (60W + 30W + 30W) |
| Weight | 1 lb | 3.5 lbs | 12.5 lbs | 21 lbs | 24 lbs |
| Size (H x W x D) | 2.9” x 6.8” x 2.3” | 8.9” x 3.75” x 3.75” | 17.2” x 8.25” x 8.25” | 19” x 11” x 11” | 25.2” x 11” x 11” |
| Max Play Time (Hours) | 15 | 21 | 10 | 21 | 40 |
| Recharge Time (Hours) | 3.5 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 6 |
| Indoor/Outdoor Settings | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Child Keypad Lock Out | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Hands Free Speaker Phone | Yes | Yes | No | No | No |
| Bluetooth Memory Slots | 5 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 |
| Stereo Pairing | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| IP Weather Rating | IP67 | IP64 | IP64 | IP64 | IP64 |
| USB Phone Charger | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| NFC Bluetooth Pairing | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Mood Lighting | No | No | No | No | Yes |
We hope this overview has given you a good idea of which Soundcast model might best fit your outdoor entertaining or adventure needs. If you have any questions at all, feel free to reach out to us via email, chat, or phone and we will be happy to help you add some great music to your outdoor fun.
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