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Bose SoundLink Wireless Mobile Speaker
- Thread starter DakotaGuy
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I purchased the sound link and the Jawbone Jambox to compare them both...
While I like the lows and mids of the Bose, the highs leave something lacking but playing with the EQ improves this pretty well.
Conversely on the Jambox the mids and highs are very good while the lows don't sound nearly as full...playing with the EQ doesn't help as much here either.
They both have ~7 - 9 hour real like battery use depending on the volume.
The Jawbone wins on size but I have to give overall sound to the sound link.
I was able to get the sound link on sale for $225 with no tax or shipping cost at the base NEX but the Jawbone was almost full price at $190 so I don't think the $35 price difference is worth the minimal savings for the compromise in sound to gain the increased portability.
If the jawbone unit was $100 I think I'd keep it over the Bose unit at the sale price of $225...but I've got 12 more days to play with them and make up my mind😀
While I like the lows and mids of the Bose, the highs leave something lacking but playing with the EQ improves this pretty well.
Conversely on the Jambox the mids and highs are very good while the lows don't sound nearly as full...playing with the EQ doesn't help as much here either.
They both have ~7 - 9 hour real like battery use depending on the volume.
The Jawbone wins on size but I have to give overall sound to the sound link.
I was able to get the sound link on sale for $225 with no tax or shipping cost at the base NEX but the Jawbone was almost full price at $190 so I don't think the $35 price difference is worth the minimal savings for the compromise in sound to gain the increased portability.
If the jawbone unit was $100 I think I'd keep it over the Bose unit at the sale price of $225...but I've got 12 more days to play with them and make up my mind😀
I was lucky enough to win a Soundlink at a charity auction for $160.
I cannot believe how good this small speaker sounds.
I cannot believe how good this small speaker sounds.
DougFNJ
macrumors 65832
I had a Jawbone Jambox which sounds great for small areas, but if you are looking to use it outside for a picnic, tailgating, you won't get very good volume.
I went to a Bose Store and heard a sampling of what this little speaker did, and it planted a seed in my brain.
So after looking at reviews, I decided to plunk down the money and purchase one. My uses are for my office, at home as my exterior computer speakers, outdoor use while doing yardwork with my wife outside, as well as for tailgating, camping, and various multiple uses.
What I would compare this to is the sound of a large Boombox with the size of a hardcover book. I am so impressed with the volume I am able to get out of it. I felt I may lose some sound quality from wireless Bluetooth, but the sound quality has definitely exceeded my expectations. There is ZERO distortion, it plays with amazing clarity, the pairing is immediate, hassle free, and very simple, and it paired easily with my iPhone, MacBook Pro, and iPad.
If you are looking for a high quality extremely versatile speaker system, this could be what you are looking for. The price is a bit steep, but I am finding it to be worth every penny so far, this is after owning it a week. As far as battery, I have been using it a LOT all week after the initial charge and have not yet had to charge again.
I went to a Bose Store and heard a sampling of what this little speaker did, and it planted a seed in my brain.
So after looking at reviews, I decided to plunk down the money and purchase one. My uses are for my office, at home as my exterior computer speakers, outdoor use while doing yardwork with my wife outside, as well as for tailgating, camping, and various multiple uses.
What I would compare this to is the sound of a large Boombox with the size of a hardcover book. I am so impressed with the volume I am able to get out of it. I felt I may lose some sound quality from wireless Bluetooth, but the sound quality has definitely exceeded my expectations. There is ZERO distortion, it plays with amazing clarity, the pairing is immediate, hassle free, and very simple, and it paired easily with my iPhone, MacBook Pro, and iPad.
If you are looking for a high quality extremely versatile speaker system, this could be what you are looking for. The price is a bit steep, but I am finding it to be worth every penny so far, this is after owning it a week. As far as battery, I have been using it a LOT all week after the initial charge and have not yet had to charge again.
jazz1
macrumors 601
I've never been a Bose fan, well I did want a pair of 901's some years ago. I purchased the Soundlink from Bose, and I have to say I am pleasantly surprised. I have a Logitech/Squeezebox Boombox (now discontinued) but my work cut me off the Wifi for extraneous devices. So I've been looking for a relatively small, and portable music system for my office and home. The Bose Soundlink works great at home and at my workplace.
I'm a headphone guy, but there are just sometimes I have to use a speaker for non-critical listening. Sometimes I just can't be tethered to a headphone amp. and DAC.
The beauty of the Bose is that I can use it at work with my Macbook Pro, At home with my iPhone or iPad, or iMac. I just wish that there was a custom fit bag for the Soundlink for transport. I do have a small Timbuk2 messenger bag that may fit the bill if I only want to lug around my iPad and the Bose.
I also have the original Jambox (small one) and I have to say that the optional 3D sound was interesting when I want to listen to music without disturbing other co-workers. But at volume the Bose beats the Jambox (small one) hands down. The new "Big" Jambox looks promising, but it doesn't look as mobile as the Soundlink. The Bose fits just fine in a Jack Spade canvas laptop bag with my 15" Macbook Pro and iPad.
I like the retro look, and I did pop for the chrome/leather version. Customer service from Bose has been great! I did three calls with some basic questions just to test them out. Each time they did a great job of answering my questions.
Maybe my needs are a little strange regarding mobile sound? But the Soundlink works great for me!
I'm a headphone guy, but there are just sometimes I have to use a speaker for non-critical listening. Sometimes I just can't be tethered to a headphone amp. and DAC.
The beauty of the Bose is that I can use it at work with my Macbook Pro, At home with my iPhone or iPad, or iMac. I just wish that there was a custom fit bag for the Soundlink for transport. I do have a small Timbuk2 messenger bag that may fit the bill if I only want to lug around my iPad and the Bose.
I also have the original Jambox (small one) and I have to say that the optional 3D sound was interesting when I want to listen to music without disturbing other co-workers. But at volume the Bose beats the Jambox (small one) hands down. The new "Big" Jambox looks promising, but it doesn't look as mobile as the Soundlink. The Bose fits just fine in a Jack Spade canvas laptop bag with my 15" Macbook Pro and iPad.
I like the retro look, and I did pop for the chrome/leather version. Customer service from Bose has been great! I did three calls with some basic questions just to test them out. Each time they did a great job of answering my questions.
Maybe my needs are a little strange regarding mobile sound? But the Soundlink works great for me!
Just thought I would post an update since it has been about 9 months since I got my Soundlink Mobile. I have to admit I am still very happy with this purchase. The battery has held up well and the whole device has excellent "built to last" build quality. The sound coming out of the little speaker sounds great and impresses everyone that hears it. Bose has posted a firmware update on their customer service site and it is very easy to update. Just make sure you have a USB to micro USB cable laying around and the whole update process is straight forward. Since updating I have noticed that BT connection is faster now.
So far I have used this little speaker a lot in many different situations and it has totally replaced any sort of docking device that I have used in the past. BT audio quality isn't perfect, but Bose has done a darn good job getting the most out of it. There is a slight difference when connecting using the 3.5 mm input compared to BT, but so slight only the best ears can really hear the difference.
So far I have used this little speaker a lot in many different situations and it has totally replaced any sort of docking device that I have used in the past. BT audio quality isn't perfect, but Bose has done a darn good job getting the most out of it. There is a slight difference when connecting using the 3.5 mm input compared to BT, but so slight only the best ears can really hear the difference.
Now some words from me too, as in September it will be a year that i have been using the Soundlink.
Mine looks already a bit tattered due to the heavy use. I use it in the garden, we had it at the beach, at home, in the car. The sides got a bit scratched from the transport and the additional red cover that i bought looks already quite dirty (the original grey cover is still like new though, because i have hardly been using it), but the Soundlink still works as it did on the first day. I had no issues so far. In case there was some connection error, i simply reset the device by holding the mute button for several seconds.
My only complaint so far is of sonic nature. The Soundlink sounds best outside at slightly higher volumes aimed at the listener. This is not a 360° speaker, like some other ones. For example the JBL On Stage 400P sounds nearly the same regardless if listened from behind or frontally. The Soundlink has the best sound if it stands at ear-height aimed to the listener. The treble disappears if you listen to it from upside down or sidwards. This is quite a letdown for a portable speaker that i put somewhere but move around it all the time. I have to turn it where I am, otherwise I hear only bass drowning everything else. It would have been nice, if Bose did the Soundlink bidirectional, maybe design it like a lying prism where both sides have their own drivers and spread the sound to both sides upwards. As there is hardly any stereo separation possible from the actual design anyhow, i think a dipole design would improve sound dispersion without compromising stereo effect much further.
The other problem is, that the Soundlink sounds better at slightly higher volume levels. At low volumes in small rooms it sounds boomy and the bass is too dominant. Bose usually adjusts bass response according to the volume and loudness contours which is a good thing. But the Soundlink is quite a bit treble shy to begin with, and Bose doesn't seem to do anything about the treble. They should also boost treble at lower volumes like they do with the bass.
I also think that the Soundlink is a bit too large for real portable use. It could have been even smaller. I am still thinking of some kind of portable version of Bose's Computer Music Monitors. A single speaker could be perfect for portable use, even if it was mono. If you want stereo just connect both wirelessly (similar to the Nokia Play 360°). I tried the Nokia and it is quite big already, overall the capacity is larger than that of the Soundlink but the sound is flat without any bass. A single Computer Music Monitor is about half the size of the Soundlink, but even a single one sounds very mature with deep powerful bass. I even prefer the sound of the Music Monitors over the Soundlink, they just sound more refined with better mids, treble and even a slightly nicer bass which is less boomy than that from Soundlink.
If both were connected wirelessly for a complete stereo-system, you could even gain real stereo separation by separating both speakers a couple of feet.
Meanwhile I have tried a lot of other different portable speakers smaller than the Soundlink and about the size of a Computer Music Monitor or even larger, which sounded much worse, without any bass. I am not a basshead by any means, but there must be some "base" in the music to make it fun listening to.
It seems only Bose is really able to squeeze some serious sound out of small speakers. I haven't heard the BIG jambox yet, but it is already larger than the soundlink (by about 35%) and although it is supposed to have better sounding mids/treble, the bass is claimed to be more deficient than that from the Soundlink.
Although i really like the Soundlink as there is still no better alternative, i also hope for another solution, maybe even smaller. I doubt Bose will announce anything like that anytime soon, but I don't see any other company which would be able to create something really exceptional. Maybe Audyssey, but so far I haven't heard anything from them. I don't count on JBL or Harman as their speakers always sound worse from battery if they are able to be operated from batteries at all. The go+play sounds wonderful when played from AC-power, but from batteries it sounds thinner than the Soundlink. The same story with the Logitech Wireless Boombox, it has comparable sound to the Soundlink when plugged in, but play it from battery and it sounds like a clock radio.
Until then i will continue using my Soundlink, although I would prefer it with slightly clearer Treble.
Mine looks already a bit tattered due to the heavy use. I use it in the garden, we had it at the beach, at home, in the car. The sides got a bit scratched from the transport and the additional red cover that i bought looks already quite dirty (the original grey cover is still like new though, because i have hardly been using it), but the Soundlink still works as it did on the first day. I had no issues so far. In case there was some connection error, i simply reset the device by holding the mute button for several seconds.
My only complaint so far is of sonic nature. The Soundlink sounds best outside at slightly higher volumes aimed at the listener. This is not a 360° speaker, like some other ones. For example the JBL On Stage 400P sounds nearly the same regardless if listened from behind or frontally. The Soundlink has the best sound if it stands at ear-height aimed to the listener. The treble disappears if you listen to it from upside down or sidwards. This is quite a letdown for a portable speaker that i put somewhere but move around it all the time. I have to turn it where I am, otherwise I hear only bass drowning everything else. It would have been nice, if Bose did the Soundlink bidirectional, maybe design it like a lying prism where both sides have their own drivers and spread the sound to both sides upwards. As there is hardly any stereo separation possible from the actual design anyhow, i think a dipole design would improve sound dispersion without compromising stereo effect much further.
The other problem is, that the Soundlink sounds better at slightly higher volume levels. At low volumes in small rooms it sounds boomy and the bass is too dominant. Bose usually adjusts bass response according to the volume and loudness contours which is a good thing. But the Soundlink is quite a bit treble shy to begin with, and Bose doesn't seem to do anything about the treble. They should also boost treble at lower volumes like they do with the bass.
I also think that the Soundlink is a bit too large for real portable use. It could have been even smaller. I am still thinking of some kind of portable version of Bose's Computer Music Monitors. A single speaker could be perfect for portable use, even if it was mono. If you want stereo just connect both wirelessly (similar to the Nokia Play 360°). I tried the Nokia and it is quite big already, overall the capacity is larger than that of the Soundlink but the sound is flat without any bass. A single Computer Music Monitor is about half the size of the Soundlink, but even a single one sounds very mature with deep powerful bass. I even prefer the sound of the Music Monitors over the Soundlink, they just sound more refined with better mids, treble and even a slightly nicer bass which is less boomy than that from Soundlink.
If both were connected wirelessly for a complete stereo-system, you could even gain real stereo separation by separating both speakers a couple of feet.
Meanwhile I have tried a lot of other different portable speakers smaller than the Soundlink and about the size of a Computer Music Monitor or even larger, which sounded much worse, without any bass. I am not a basshead by any means, but there must be some "base" in the music to make it fun listening to.
It seems only Bose is really able to squeeze some serious sound out of small speakers. I haven't heard the BIG jambox yet, but it is already larger than the soundlink (by about 35%) and although it is supposed to have better sounding mids/treble, the bass is claimed to be more deficient than that from the Soundlink.
Although i really like the Soundlink as there is still no better alternative, i also hope for another solution, maybe even smaller. I doubt Bose will announce anything like that anytime soon, but I don't see any other company which would be able to create something really exceptional. Maybe Audyssey, but so far I haven't heard anything from them. I don't count on JBL or Harman as their speakers always sound worse from battery if they are able to be operated from batteries at all. The go+play sounds wonderful when played from AC-power, but from batteries it sounds thinner than the Soundlink. The same story with the Logitech Wireless Boombox, it has comparable sound to the Soundlink when plugged in, but play it from battery and it sounds like a clock radio.
Until then i will continue using my Soundlink, although I would prefer it with slightly clearer Treble.
New version is out: Bose Soundlink Bluetooth Mobile Speaker II. It has a new folding cover and according to Bose improved drivers and besser processing for improved mid-treble response. I am going to compare both old and new one today in the Bose store to see if there is really a difference in sound.
Oluv, a comparison between I and II would be awesome! 🙂
I spent the weekend reasearching the SoundLink (first version) and was about to hit the "order" button on Amazon when I stumbled upon this thread. I'm just waiting to read your review and see if the SoundLink II is worth the extra $30 (on Amazon: $269 for the SoundLink vs. $299 for the SoundLink II).
Thanks!
I spent the weekend reasearching the SoundLink (first version) and was about to hit the "order" button on Amazon when I stumbled upon this thread. I'm just waiting to read your review and see if the SoundLink II is worth the extra $30 (on Amazon: $269 for the SoundLink vs. $299 for the SoundLink II).
Thanks!
ok, here you go: i have compared both quite intensively, and indeed i bought the new one too. one of them will be a present for my mother.
the biggest improvement is of course the new cover. it doesn't need such a big footprint anymore, and even when open it sticks to the bottom of the speaker and won't dangle around.
there is definitely a difference in sound between both, but it is not that easy to explain.
soundwise it depends a lot how to judge the old soundlink, especially at which volume setting, it sounds considerably different dependent on the volume you set it.
usually i always turned up the volume on my player to the max and then set the volume on the soundlink to an adequate level. but meanwhile i noticed that the old soundlink sounds considerably more balanced if you set its own volume to the max, and then turn the volume on your player down to the right level. as the old soundlink emphasizes both mids and treble at its highest setting, this trick will result in a more natural sound with a better controlled bass at lower levels, otherwise the bass tends to drown everything else.
interestingly this trick doesn't seem to have any effect on the new version. it sounds equal independent of the volume setting.
if the trick is not applied on the old soundlink it will sound boomy and muffled compared to the new one. but if you apply this volume trick the differences are not that huge anymore. still the new one has better defined mids, vocals sound more natural and the bass is tuned deeper, which doesn't have that boomy character of the old one. unfortunately with the new one the upper treble is more reduced than before. i can hear some hihats and tambourine sounds on the old one, that are hardly noticable on the new one. i still think that the new one has the more balanced sound, but i would have preferred the treble clearer.
i also have the impression as if the new one doesn't sound that harsh and strained at maximum volume in return the new one seems to have a slightly lower maximum volume than the old one, this is probably also due to the more balanced sound while the old one pushes bass even stronger to the background, which is again an advantage at lower volume.
it's a hard pick, if i got the old one for a resonably low price i would definitely go for the old one and then maybe buy an additional new cover and keep the original one as replacement. still the new one sounds better with vocals, but you could tweak any of them to your liking with some EQ. unfortunately the EQs from apple are not really usable, therefore i prefer if the sound is perfect from scratch.
also note that i really compared both side by side and i am quite picky soundwise. many people might even not notice any big difference between both. 😱
i hope this helps, although i have the impression as if it won't 😉
the biggest improvement is of course the new cover. it doesn't need such a big footprint anymore, and even when open it sticks to the bottom of the speaker and won't dangle around.
there is definitely a difference in sound between both, but it is not that easy to explain.
soundwise it depends a lot how to judge the old soundlink, especially at which volume setting, it sounds considerably different dependent on the volume you set it.
usually i always turned up the volume on my player to the max and then set the volume on the soundlink to an adequate level. but meanwhile i noticed that the old soundlink sounds considerably more balanced if you set its own volume to the max, and then turn the volume on your player down to the right level. as the old soundlink emphasizes both mids and treble at its highest setting, this trick will result in a more natural sound with a better controlled bass at lower levels, otherwise the bass tends to drown everything else.
interestingly this trick doesn't seem to have any effect on the new version. it sounds equal independent of the volume setting.
if the trick is not applied on the old soundlink it will sound boomy and muffled compared to the new one. but if you apply this volume trick the differences are not that huge anymore. still the new one has better defined mids, vocals sound more natural and the bass is tuned deeper, which doesn't have that boomy character of the old one. unfortunately with the new one the upper treble is more reduced than before. i can hear some hihats and tambourine sounds on the old one, that are hardly noticable on the new one. i still think that the new one has the more balanced sound, but i would have preferred the treble clearer.
i also have the impression as if the new one doesn't sound that harsh and strained at maximum volume in return the new one seems to have a slightly lower maximum volume than the old one, this is probably also due to the more balanced sound while the old one pushes bass even stronger to the background, which is again an advantage at lower volume.
it's a hard pick, if i got the old one for a resonably low price i would definitely go for the old one and then maybe buy an additional new cover and keep the original one as replacement. still the new one sounds better with vocals, but you could tweak any of them to your liking with some EQ. unfortunately the EQs from apple are not really usable, therefore i prefer if the sound is perfect from scratch.
also note that i really compared both side by side and i am quite picky soundwise. many people might even not notice any big difference between both. 😱
i hope this helps, although i have the impression as if it won't 😉
Thanks a lot!
Your review was very helpful. Just ordered the Soundlink II on Amazon and should have it here by Friday 😀
I'm not planning on using it to blast music at max volume so I figured I'd go with the better sound balance present in the II.
Cheers!
Your review was very helpful. Just ordered the Soundlink II on Amazon and should have it here by Friday 😀
I'm not planning on using it to blast music at max volume so I figured I'd go with the better sound balance present in the II.
Cheers!
please let us know how you like it. 😎
seems bose also sorted out the bluetooth connection issues they had with the old version. sometimes the old one wouldn't like to connect to already paired devices if the soundlink was turned on while bluetooth was still not active on the player.
now the new soundlink connects immediately to any already paired bluetooth device!
seems bose also sorted out the bluetooth connection issues they had with the old version. sometimes the old one wouldn't like to connect to already paired devices if the soundlink was turned on while bluetooth was still not active on the player.
now the new soundlink connects immediately to any already paired bluetooth device!
Thank god I found this thread, been procrastinating about what dock to buy for the last two days and finally came down to the soundlink (The new logitech wireless boombox would have got my cash if it didn't look like a girls handbag), then saw this thread in my umpteenth google search.
Soundlink II leather ordered direct from Bose as you get 4 months interest free 😎
Soundlink II leather ordered direct from Bose as you get 4 months interest free 😎