Bluetooth speakers lean to be a matter of extremes . On one end , you’re able to pass very little and get audio that can , at best , be recognized as sound . Some kinfolk are hunky-dory with that . Or you may expend a good number of money and get something that sound skillful , if not bang-up .
The Bose SoundLink Max falls onto the latter side of that spectrum . We ’re still blab about a Bluetooth verbaliser , certain . But we ’re also talking about one that looks darn good . And sound darn good . ( thoroughly enough to land on our list of thebest Bluetooth speakers . ) And it has a lot of the bells and whistles you ’d gestate if you ’re spend this kind of money . And it comes with the prestigiousness ( and , OK , yeah , the terms tag ) that accompanies that iconic logotype . Plus , it ’s portable .
I ’ve spent a few days — just under a week , to be precise — with the Bose SoundLink Max . Is this a speaker that ’s going to go with you to the beach ? Or party with you by the pool ?
Only one way to find out .
The basics
I ’ve used a lot of Bluetooth speakers . They ’re the sort of product for which price provide a upright bit of linguistic context . A $ 50 utterer ? I ’m not bear all that much . A $ 400 speaker , though — which is where the SoundLink Max lands — that ’s raising expectation quite a fleck . That ’s certainly not unheard of in this space , but it ’s still going to have to execute well .
What we have here is a box that ’s about 4 inches by 5 inches by 10 inches . chip in the rounded corners , though , it ’s less a loge and more of , well , a speaker unit . you may get it in any colour you want , so long as it ’s either bootleg or blue ( “ Blue Dusk , ” if you ’re into that variety of language ) . And there ’s a undecomposed spot of heft at just about 5 pounds .
All in all , the Bose SoundLink Max give a very good first impression when you pull it out of the box . And there ’s not much employment to do here . All you get is the speaker , a USB - coulomb cable , and the 3 - amp charger . Nothing more , nothing less . You ’ll desire to charge it up a bit first matter , which is standard operating function when you get a heavy , bombardment - powered gimmick like this .
From the exterior , the SoundLink Max is nicely done and imposingly designed . There ’s no mistaking what it is and what it does . Mostly .
A prompt aside : You ’d be forgiven if you thought this was a bright speaker , which really just means a speaker unit with Wi - Fi and microphone attached to do standalone interpreter command stuff and maybe serve as a speakerphone . The SoundLink Max does n’t do that . It ’s a one - way speaker , and that ’s that . Bose should be commended for avoiding deputation creep , but it ’s understandable if maybe you ’d like that sort of thing in a $ 400 speaker .
And speak of the battery , Bose claim up to 20 hours of battery life , with a 5 - hour recharge meter from the include 3 - amp charger . I ’ve been plug out at 50 % volume for a couple hours at a prison term and have yet to fall below 80 % battery life . Given the ubiquity of portable chargers , battery living just is n’t something I ’d interest about . And if your headphone ’s about to die , you may use the SoundLink Max to shoot down it , thanks to the magic of USB - C. ( Bose would n’t tell me the literal electrical capacity of the battery on board . )
The attachment points are n’t plainly removable , but they are . And they ’re smartly done . you could swop out the broth hold with adifferent - colored rope optionfor $ 25 , if you require . Or for $ 45 , you canget a Mexican valium carrying strapin either black or blue that sort of turns the whole affair into a very heavy purse .
The bottom of the speaker has four pernicious feet to keep less airfoil area in touch with whatever it ’s sitting on . Around back , you ’ll determine the USB - C larboard for charging and a 3.5 mm aux input . And up top are a bevy of buttons : powerfulness , Bluetooth flip , a kind of bull’s - centre / target - looking shortcut push button ( we ’ll get to that in a 2nd ) , book up and down , and meet / interruption .
And a agile tone on the interior : You ’ve got support for Bluetooth 5.3 and AAC and SBC codecs . If you have an Android speech sound that supportsSnapdragon SoundandaptX Adaptive , that ’s uncommitted , too . And that Department of the Interior should remain safe thanks to an IP67 rating , which is good for keeping junk out and everything ironical for up to 30 minutes in 1 time of water . Do n’t take it swimming for extended flow , but it should ( theoretically ) survive if someone kicks it into the pool .
The setup
If you need to just jump the right way in to using the Bose SoundLink Max , you’re able to . It pair just like any other Bluetooth gadget . And I could very easily make the argument for doing so and not thinking doubly about the Bose app .
I have a slight bone to pick with the Bose app in the context of a Bluetooth loudspeaker , in that it says “ to set up a Bose smart speaker or soundbar , you ’ll need to create an bill . ” I ’m setting up a Bluetooth loudspeaker , which absolutely does not want an app to workplace . It ’d be overnice if the app differentiate you that . Again , that ’s a very belittled nit to blame , and I do n’t blame Bose for force folk to its app .
But it also could say , “ You do n’t ask our app to use this speaker . But if you do , you ’ll get entree to firmware update and EQ setting that are n’t otherwise available . ” That ’d be the right thing to do . And it ’s also why I say go forrader and create an account with Bose and join the speaker in the app , because there might well be a microcode update at some stop . ( I did all our examination on v1.4 , for what that ’s worth . )
You ’ll also be asked if you want to give the Bose SoundLink Max a cute little name like “ Beach Bum ” or “ Earth Shaker ” or “ Party Starter ” or “ Porta Party ” or “ S’more Music . ” I do n’t endure by such antics and was happy to find “ Bose SoundLink Max ” at the goal of the list . Or you may choose your own custom name . Like “ Speaker . ”
The sound
The most important part about any of this , of course of study , is how it sound . You do ask to temper your first moment a lilliputian considering that we ’re blab out about a portable speaker that ’s belike going to drop more sentence outside in raucous environments than it will in a uninventive listening room . And that ’s a good thing — music should be fun .
The bottom personal line of credit , though , is that what you get out of the Bose SoundLink Max will be very good . ( And for $ 400 , it better be . ) My go - to on the back porch is stilla stereophony pair of senesce Sonos Play:1s — you just ca n’t beat that setup , particularly at a distance .
What I ’ve settle on is n’t especially surprising . The SoundLink Max sounds very well up close or indoors in a modest - sized room . Up close , theSonos Move 2has a picayune more scope , and a piece more volume . But unless you put them next to each other and flip back and forth ( which I did ) , you ’d probably never notice . That ’s a pretty good secondment , in my book .
Sound timbre starts to fall off a bit outdoors and at aloofness , but that should be expect . ( And , again , it does n’t defend a cd to my stereo - paired Sonos setup . ) It ’s a very solid hybrid — the kind of speaker I might get if I had the budget for just one form of speaker and could n’t send to a consecrated apparatus , or if the flexibility of portability was a must .
And go back to the buttons for a further sec : The SoundLink Max supportsBluetooth multipoint , which is not bad because you may easily plug in two gimmick and just as easily switch between them . Just obligate the Bluetooth push like normal to sum another twist , and press it once to switch . There ’s also the shortcut button , which really should be called the Spotify button because it ’ll probably be used for that most often , provide you utilise Spotify . Press it once to resume Spotify if some other beginning was being used . And press it a 2nd time to terminate up a playlist of recommend song . Or , you’re able to rig it ( in the app setting ) to flip to the audio line - in .
Should you buy it?
There are no two ways about it : $ 400 is a good bit of hard currency to spend on a undivided speaker for most common people . The time value you get in the SoundLink Max is in its intercrossed nature . It ’s really good indoors as a single speaker system . It ’s good enough outdoors in a party setting .
You also will find value in the feature — in particular multipoint , which makes it exceedingly easy to switch from machine to twist , whether it ’s a phone or computing machine or even a Bluetooth - corroborate phonograph .
And the build quality reflect that price . Nothing about the SoundLink Max feel garish . But at the same time , nothing about it feel cherished . It look and feels like a portable loudspeaker system that ’s meant to get out and see the world a sound minute , as punctuated by the design of the handle and the means the Mexican valium link it to the dead body .
And for many , the Bose brand remains a agent in the purchasing decision — particularly if you have other Bose products , as the SoundLink Max will mould in concert with them via its SimpleSync scheme , which allows Bose speakers to twin up and operate together .
And there ’s also nothing untimely with just buy for the Bose name , especially since the pattern , build , and , in the end , the execution of the sound itself all live up to that legacy .
