There’s a moment every Australian summer when the playlist matters as much as the food. The esky is open, someone is arguing over the tongs, and the whole afternoon quietly depends on whoever has control of the music. Get it right and the day hums along. Get it wrong and you spend three hours with a tinny phone speaker propped against a bowl of chips.
Sprout, the Australian tech accessories brand, is aiming at exactly that moment with the Soundwave 2 range, a trio of portable Bluetooth speakers built for beach days, backyard barbecues, road trips and everything in between. Prices start at $99.
The Soundwave 2 lineup takes its cues from the landscape. Three colourways draw on native flora: Gum Green, Pepperberry Black and Bluebell Blue. Even the startup sound gets a local touch. Switch a speaker on or off and you’re greeted by a sonic logo inspired by the call of the Australian whipbird, a sound many of us will know from bushwalks and early mornings in the scrub.
It’s a small detail, but it says a lot about the intent. This is a speaker designed to feel at home outside.
What’s new this generation
Compared with the previous Soundwave, Sprout says the new range delivers longer battery life and improved audio performance. It also adds two features that stand out.
The first is customisable ambient lighting. The dynamic LED lights let you set the mood for a night in the garden or a late campsite session.
The second is bigger. For the first time, the Soundwave range supports Auracast™ broadcast audio, which lets you share your audio with additional Auracast enabled speakers. In practice, that means the music doesn’t have to live in one spot. Hosting a backyard gathering, setting up a picnic or running a summer celebration across a few areas, you can take the listening experience beyond a single speaker.
Across the whole range you also get Bluetooth® 6.0 connectivity, IP67 dust and water protection, and a 24 month warranty.
Meet the range
Soundwave 2 Lite, $99
The compact one. Sprout describes it as small in size but big on sound, with rich, detailed audio and up to 20 hours of playback. It’s the easy pick for everyday listening, weekends away and anything that involves a backpack. Available in Pepperberry Black, Bluebell Blue and Gum Green.
Soundwave 2, $159
The all rounder. Designed to fill a room with energy, it offers up to 26 hours of playback, the longest in the range. Six built in sound settings let you tune the audio for music, podcasts, and indoor or outdoor listening. Available in Pepperberry Black and Bluebell Blue.
Soundwave 2 Pro, $209
The big one. Sprout positions it as the biggest sound in the range, with deeper bass, crisp detail and up to 22 hours of playback. It also doubles as a built in powerbank, so you can charge compatible devices while you’re out and about. Available in Pepperberry Black.
Where to take it?
The IP67 rating is what makes this range so easy to say yes to. Some natural homes for a Soundwave 2:
- The beach or the pool: splashes, sand and sunscreen fingers are all part of the plan.
- The backyard: a barbecue, a birthday or a long Sunday session, with Auracast letting you add more speakers as the crowd grows.
- The road trip: pack the Lite for the boot, or bring the Pro if the car is full of people who all want a say in the playlist.
- The campsite: long battery life and a bit of ambient lighting go a long way after dark.
- The living room: the Soundwave 2’s sound settings make it a good fit for podcasts and background music indoors as well.
As Sprout General Manager Ben Hicks puts it: “Music is such a big part of how Australians come together, whether that’s spending a day at the beach, having friends over or heading away for the weekend. We wanted to create a speaker range that fits naturally into those moments, with dynamic sound and practical features. From the latest sound technology to the little touches inspired by our beautiful country, we wanted to create something that feels genuinely made for the way Aussies live.”
The soundtrack: 10 songs for your summer playlist
A good speaker only does half the job. The other half is what you play through it, and right now the ARIA charts give us a pretty clear picture of what Australia is listening to as the weather warms up. Here is this week’s top 10.
- Housewife, Tate McRae. Sitting at number one, it has held the top spot for its fourth week on the chart.
- Choosin’ Texas, Ella Langley. A true slow burner, it has now clocked 45 weeks on the chart.
- Rein Me In, Sam Fender and Olivia Dean. It has been charting for 51 weeks and has previously reached number one.
- Babydoll, Jamie Miller. Climbing from number six last week.
- Man I Need, Olivia Dean. A number one hit that has now spent 65 weeks on the chart.
- Stop The Wedding!, Ashe. Up one spot from last week.
- Nicole Kidman, Adéla. It peaked at number three and is nine weeks in.
- Boston, Stella Lefty. Up from number nine, and 29 weeks in.
- Dracula, Tame Impala. Jumping from number 13 to number nine, after 55 weeks on the chart.
- Ordinary, Alex Warren. Another number one hit, now at an enormous 92 weeks in.
The Speaker Facts
- Range: Soundwave 2 Lite, Soundwave 2 and Soundwave 2 Pro
- Pricing: $99 (Lite), $159 (Soundwave 2), $209 (Pro)
Battery life: up to 20 hours (Lite), up to 26 hours (Soundwave 2), up to 22 hours (Pro) - Colours: Gum Green, Pepperberry Black and Bluebell Blue, with availability varying by model
- Connectivity: Bluetooth® 6.0 and Auracast™ broadcast audio
- Protection: IP67 dust and water resistance across the range
- Lighting: dynamic, customisable LED lighting
- Extras: six sound settings on the Soundwave 2, built in powerbank on the Pro
- Warranty: 24 months on all models
- Where to buy: sproutinc.com.au
The Soundwave 2 range is built around a simple idea: good sound should be easy to take anywhere, and sharing it should be even easier. With three price points, local colours and a few clever extras, there’s a speaker here for most summer plans.
