Anker’s powerful home theater on wheels is pure chaos

The Soundcore Nebula X1 Pro is too weird to be found. It takes a 4K projector and Anker’s excellent karaoke microphones Nebula X1 And it places them inside a powerful Google TV party of five speakers on wheels. It’s so ridiculous that it seems like a fever dream for gadgets — and I’m here to make it happen.

At the heart of this system is the same triple-laser, liquid-cooled projector that automatically corrects everything I did a review last summer. It’s an incredibly quiet projector for a 3,500 ANSI lumen projector that claims to be the brightest, most vibrant portable projector on the market. It’s now also the loudest, with 400 watts of sound added to the new Nebula X1 Pro.

Inside the X1 Pro is a large subwoofer capable of shaking the wall. It also hosts four battery-powered speakers that automatically pop in or out to produce a total of seven horizontal channels and another four overhead for wireless 7.1.4 Dolby Atmos immersion.

Other than its size and some intermittent connectivity issues, the only complaint I have is that the Nebula X1 Pro sometimes lags Very loudly. This isn’t something I thought I’d say about an all-in-one portable projector.

If you have $4,999 to burn, Anker’s Nebula X1 Pro is the better choice.

Since the projector’s video and karaoke capabilities are the same as the Nebula X1, I won’t rehash them here. Instead, I’ll focus on why you should choose the X1 Pro: the sound.

When looking at the X1 Pro, you might be wondering where all the speakers are. The subwoofer is internal, of course, and the two front speakers automatically deploy like wings with automated sound at the touch of a button. The two rear speakers emerge from the back of the unit with a powerful push.

The X1 Pro operates in three audio modes: with all speakers plugged in for 2.1 audio (the rear speakers are inactive), with the front speakers open for 5.1.2 surround sound, and with all four distributed around the room for full 7.1.4 separation. For the latter, Anker provides animated instructions to help put together its audio puzzle.

The four satellites are fully wireless with over eight hours of battery life in my testing. It charges via pogo pins when returned to the monitor, or via USB-C. To ensure optimal sound, the X1 Pro features a 4-microphone array to automatically enhance the sound in the room, allowing you to pull the sweet spot into your preferred viewing area. I’ve found that Anker’s Flexwave spatial audio calibration technology works very well in an open-plan living room, but the sweet spot only fits two people.

When separated, the four front and rear speakers sync audio over a 5.8GHz Wi-Fi signal, not Bluetooth, for superior, low-latency, lossless sound. The X1 Pro’s speakers performed flawlessly in my testing. They automatically connected to the monitor when turned on without any of the weird pops or dropouts I’ve seen with the X1’s only pair of speakers. The speakers then went into sleep mode when the X1 Pro was turned off to help save battery.

However, I did experience some inexplicable Wi-Fi connectivity issues with the Google TV. About five times during my two weeks of testing, it was refused to reconnect to my home network, even though my phone and laptop worked fine. A reboot always fixed the issue, but it was very annoying when it disrupted the movie.

The bass produced by the X1 Pro’s 160-watt subwoofer is great for a portable projector. If anything, it can be overwhelming at times. Each front surround houses four 20-watt speakers dedicated to the top, center, front, and surround channels. The smaller rear each houses two 20-watt speakers for the top and rear surround channels. The front and rear satellites have foldable legs and a tripod to help position them.

In 7.1.4 movie mode, with all four speakers disconnected, placed in the four corners of the room, and, uh, Elastic waveThe sound rivaled my Sonos 5.1 system, which was designed around a speaker, subwoofer, and two rear satellites.

I especially enjoyed hearing the helicopters in the sky when watching the Dolby Atmos version Top Gun: Maverick. Everything I threw at the X1 Pro looked great and looked positionally correct, including… Dark Knight, All is quiet on the Western Frontand Blade Runner 2049. Dialogue ripped a hole in the soundscape in the front center channel, bullets appeared overhead, and forlorn instruments crept through the dark spaces around me. At 30 percent volume, my walls were already vibrating, so the X1 Pro should be great for watching movies outdoors in the spring.

I listen to music more frequently than I watch videos, so I like that I can quickly turn the X1 Pro into a nearly silent Bluetooth speaker, without the constant fan noise that most projectors produce. With all external speakers plugged into 2.1 audio mode, the X1 Pro can compete with these behemoths JBL party speakersjust without the extra light show.

Listening to Miles Davis on the X1 Pro sounded exceptional, with the clean horns shining bright on the baseline. I had to turn down the bass on Spotify’s equalizer to enjoy tracks like Ye’s “Black Skinhead” or even Alice in Chains’ “Nutshell.” However, the sound of Bob Dylan in “Masters of War” lost some warmth compared to my Sonos system. I could easily turn the X1 Pro’s volume up to a very loud 50 percent volume and still enjoy the music, but things got muddy beyond 70 percent.

Overall, the sound from the Nebula X1 Pro is a huge improvement over the Nebula X1. But calling the X1 Pro “portable” is a bit of a stretch.

The telescoping handle and wheels make the 435 x 343 x 761 mm (17.13 x 13.50 x 29.96 in) X1 Pro portable, within reason, because you’ll still need help lifting the 32.8 kg (72.31 lb) party box up the stairs or into the car.

And I wouldn’t feel right moving all those tiny optics and electronics over rough terrain. In fact, the fine print recommends using it on hard surfaces like concrete and wood, and “to avoid dragging the projector across grass, large gravel or gravel, or through water deeper than 50mm.” A $400 electric cart Moving your $4,999 projector isn’t a terrible idea.

There’s also an asterisk on the unit’s IP43 water and dust resistance. This only applies when the lens cover is closed and the speakers are retracted and retracted, all of which is unlikely if the X1 Pro is accidentally left outside after a movie night. The projector comes with a slip-on cover for those who show a little more responsibility.

Look, as a gadget geek, I’m pretty excited about the Nebula X1 Pro. There’s nothing else like it on the market and I appreciate Anker’s boldness in building it. But for my money, if you need a portable 4K projector, the Nebula X1 with an optional speaker set is loud even outdoors, and will run you about $1,000. But if you want that bass sound, the Soundcore Nebula X1 Pro won’t disappoint.

Photography by Thomas Ricker/The Verge