Finally, a Bluetooth speaker that sounds great and is built to last

ZDNET’s key takeaways

The Bose SoundLink Max retails for $399 within the colours Black and Blue Nightfall
This unassuming Bluetooth speaker delivers the high-quality sound that Bose is thought for, with the battery life to maintain the celebration going all night time.
The common worth is likely to be a turn-off, given you may get completely succesful audio system for much less.

extra shopping for selections

Bose’s SoundLink Max transportable speaker is on sale for $299 at Amazon. This deal solely applies to the Black shade possibility.

A long time in the past, once I was working for an audio set up firm, we used to have a saying: “No highs, no lows; it should be Bose.” Remember that we have been coping with audio system that value tens of 1000’s of {dollars}, so the thought of something consumer-grade was laughable.

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Quick-forward to at the moment, and Bose nonetheless makes audio system, headphones, and earbuds able to producing wealthy, elegant sound with extensive soundstages, punchy bass, and crisp highs. Such is the case with the Bose SoundLink Max Portable Speaker.

When listening to the SoundLink Max, I am very a lot reminded of the unique SoundLink, an amazing speaker from a couple of decade in the past that I at all times felt was top-of-the-line I would ever used. This new iteration is even higher, as it could possibly push the quantity to new heights with out the slightest little bit of distortion.

Though the sound won’t fulfill the ears of a discerning audiophile, its huge bass and highly effective quantity are actually a crowd-pleaser. Let’s get into it.

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The very first thing I seen about this speaker was the everyday Bose processing, which makes the sound appear a bit ethereal. This pairs very properly with audio from well-liked genres that usually do not demand an excessive amount of from the {hardware}, and is because of how Bose processes midrange sounds for a stereo impact. Sadly, it could possibly translate into imprecise midrange sounds which might be barely off-color. I’ve skilled that with virtually each Bose speaker I’ve bought or examined.

It is not a foul factor; it is only a Bose factor.

I additionally could not assist however discover this speaker’s lack of options. It permits two gadgets to attach concurrently, has a three-band EQ (accessible from the minimal cell app — Android/iOS), and features a play/pause button. That is it.

Here is the factor: a high quality transportable speaker would not want a deluge of options. I would like the system to sound nice, have loads of battery life, and be easy to make use of. The Bose SoundLink Max simply checks all of these packing containers.

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After I began testing this speaker, I modified up my normal testing technique. Being aware of the Bose sound, I made a decision to throw two completely different albums at it to see the way it fared. The primary was “Huge Generator” by Sure. This album was recorded and mastered at a time that completely suited the Bose sound, and it sounded higher than I anticipated. The mids have been ultimate for Jon Anderson’s refrain, the guitars have been completely crunchy, and the soundstage was surprisingly extensive.

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Subsequent, I opted for a style that is not fairly suited to the Bose sound: classical. I used to be greatly surprised by how George Frideric Handel’s “Wassermusik” sounded. It was wealthy, energetic, and in no way misplaced. After all, no celebration is full with no Baroque masterpiece.

So far as the bass is worried, the SoundLink Max does an amazing job to round 65Hz. Beneath that, the bass rolls off a bit, so you are not going to really feel the kick drum as you would possibly with an even bigger speaker. Given the scale of this system, nonetheless, it holds its personal on the low finish.

ZDNET’s shopping for recommendation

In case you’re a fan of the Bose sound and need a transportable speaker that may fill a room (after which some), the $399 SoundLink Max is the plain alternative. In case you’re iffy concerning the Bose sound or desire extra EQ choices than three bands, then you need to try the Anker Soundcore Motion X500, which can also be on sale for $80.

In the end, followers of the Bose sound will take pleasure in this speaker, and on condition that it is constructed like a tank, you will not have to fret about it at a crowded celebration.