This and That:
I've seen the same speaker offered by multiple brands. Though, there seems to be some variation and not all are absolutely similar, as some seem to use a slightly different speaker setup and layout.
Included are a 3.5 mm to 3.5 mm cable as well as a charging cable.
The protective speaker grilles are made of plastic and covered with polyester fabric. For cleaning, they are easy to remove; then the two full-range speakers and oval passive radiator are exposed. What bothers me is that the full-range drivers are positioned offset instead of facing each other.
While the full-range drivers and the oval passive radiator are well protected, the small, round passive radiator located on the underside of the loudspeaker is not really protected; they should've added a plastic grille or something like that to protect it.
Overall, the speaker feels a bit cheap due to the black soft-touch plastic that is used.
The volume adjustment wheel doesn't feel crisp or precise at all. The rotation isn't recognised all the time either.
I like the design of the upper side with the touch-sensitive surface and the LED indicators.
LEDs not bright enough outdoors.
Unfortunately loud guitar jingle when turning the speaker on or off. Cannot be adjusted in volume.
The "MODE" button switches between indoor and outdoor mode; the indoor mode provides a powerful bass boost while the outdoor mode removes the bass but increases the maximum volume.
Sound:
No synced volume control (at least when using Android OS devices, such as my Asus/Google Nexus 7 (2nd generation), which also served me as my main wireless source), so the source and speaker volume need to be adjusted separately.
In addition to the two full range drivers, which play in stereo configuration, the speaker also has two passive radiators (an oval large one and a round small one). If the size and cabinet volume are calculated correctly, these serve to increase the bass extension despite the limited space, which is why many compact loudspeakers, despite their compact dimensions and small drivers, can still provide surprisingly good bass extension for their size.
The speaker doesn't hiss at low and medium volumes (as long as one doesn't position it within 5 centimetres to one' ears), but this changes when the volume is high in wired mode or when the internal volume is set close to the maximum. Then other artifacts can occur as well.
Tonality:
The sound in indoor and outdoor mode differs in that the SoundCup-L has a powerful and full, warm bass in indoor mode, which can be helpful at low volumes to achieve a fuller and, depending on personal preference, more pleasant sound.
In outdoor mode, on the other hand, this emphasis is removed and the volume of the midrange and treble is slightly higher.
The difference between the two modes in terms of frequency response is, as I said, mainly in the bass range, which has a strong emphasis of around 12 dB in indoor mode between 100 and 150 Hz, but is in fact mainly limited to the upper bass and lower fundamentals, which, unlike the BT28S, means that the fundamental range doesn't tend to bleed as much into the rest as much and only adds some not unpleasant warmth in the lower fundamentals and punch in the bass to the sound. So it's fair to say that the SoundCup-L's boost is rather well implemented.
Below approx. 95 Hz the bass rolls off, but still has an adequate level down to approx. 70 Hz.
If one switches to outdoor mode, the bass boost is removed and there is only very little added warmth left in the lower fundamentals. However, the extension is also audibly reduced in outdoor mode and there is only enough energy left down to about 90 Hz.
The mid and high frequencies are identical in both modes, which means that the loudspeaker has a mildly v-shaped tuning, with the central mid frequencies around 1 kHz slightly in the background, with a lift in the bass/fundamental range and area between 2 and 12 kHz.
I can't hear any sudden drops or peaks when playing sine sweeps, which is good. Generally, the frequency response is pleasantly even and seems to be coherent.
The moderately v-shaped tuning makes voices sound clear and at the same time they have a little more body, whereby the clarity is ultimately more present than the warmth without appearing unpleasant.
The treble can be described as "brilliant" without sounding unpleasant, sharp or spiky, even though it doesn't achieve the naturalness of the Xiaomi Mi Bluetooth speaker.
In outdoor mode, reducing the highs a bit might be a good idea, since due to the reduced bass, the sound is somewhat thin in outdoor mode.
Resolution:
Even though the tuning is done pretty well, the sound of the speaker sucks for one specific reasons.
The reason for that is that a compressor is used for the low frequencies, and it is implemented very unvafourably, highly audible and super annoying.
At low and moderate listening levels, it makes the bass pump and changes the lows' volume constantly. That's definitely not how the lows are supposed to sound on a good speaker. Whether the loudspeaker is in wired or wireless mode doesn't make any difference. That compressor is really nasty and ot integrated well at all!
At higher volumes, however, this phenomenon fortunately no longer occurs, but should not have been present in the first place.
Apart from that, the loudspeaker's detail resolution is quite good for the price and the SoundCup-L is much more convincing in this area than the EasyAcc BT28S.
The bass range has good control and speech intelligibility is also good, all seen in relation to the price, of course. When it comes to treble separation, there's nothing to criticise either and the sound is homogeneous.
Spatial Presentation:
Most small Bluetooth loudspeakers, even if their chassis are connected in stereo configuration, only have a very moderate soundstage at best.
The SoundCup-L is no exception and sounds relatively one-dimensional in spatial terms, with only a very slight right-left effect, which, due to the offset mounting of the full-range drivers, also appears rather diffuse and literally "crooked" when the loudspeaker is used at a relatively small distance.
I think that a symmetrical positioning of the two full-range drivers would definitely have been the better choice, even if it would have required a slightly larger cabinet.
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Compared to the Xiaomi Mi Bluetooth Speaker:
Both speakers are similar in size, but the SoundCup-L is about three times as thick as the Xiaomi.
As far as design is concerned, I personally like the EasyAcc a bit better, but the Mi is ultimately superior to the cylindrical Bluetooth speaker in terms of perceived build quality and materials.
As far as the features are concerned, both are comparable, but the version of the Mi intended for the Asian market has an additional micro SD card slot that allows for music playback without any additional source device.
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The Mi has got a volume-dependent DSP implementation, which amplifies the bass and lower fundamentals as well as parts of the middle fundamentals at rather quiet listening volume. At higher volume, lows' boost gradually decreases until the loudspeaker sounds very neutral at some point. However, the DSP boost cannot be deactivated.
The EasyAcc is equipped with two sound modes, one of which brings a powerful bass boost, whereas the other one sounds somewhat lean.
Tonally, the SoundCup-L sounds somewhat v-shaped with recessed mids, while the Mi is quite flat in the midrange.
The treble of the EasyAcc loudspeaker is emphasised and brighter, which makes it sound more brilliant at first, but less natural sounding compared to the Mi that has got flatter, more natural sounding highs.
Fortunately, the Mi Bluetooth Speaker doesn't have a compressor in the bass range, while the SounCup-L has one, and it's implemented so poorly that the lows sound bad as they are constantly pumping and changing volume.
Therefore, the EasyAcc's bass is less detailed and duller than that of the Mi.
Midrange and treble resolution as well as speech intelligibility are also somewhat higher on the Mi.
The midrange resolution and speech intelligibility of the Mi is also somewhat higher.
The Mi's soundstage, even though not spacious either, is implemented better as there's at least a slight left-right effect.
Conclusion:
The EasyAcc SoundCup-L sucks because of a constantly pumping compressor in the lows as well as full-range drivers that aren't installed symmetrically but at different heights.