Bose SoundLink Bluetooth Wireless Mobile Speakers - Packs a Punch

Cut the Cord

In this day and age, many use their smartphone as the primary music playback device for obvious reasons. The portable music player is in no way dead and buried, with the iPod Classic still in use and Sony introducing a new model of their own. But the 8GB/16GB of storage offered by many new smartphones is enough to carry a sizable set of your favorite tunes at all times to make them the new preferred players. So with your most favorite tunes on your smartphone, the next step would be to find solutions that can playback audio directly from your mobile phone.

Leveraging on the Bluetooth capabilities of mobile devices, wireless playback is becoming increasingly commonplace thanks to usage convenience. Even high-end audio manufacturers have entered this market segment bringing us products such as the B&O Beolit 12 and the Bose SoundLink. We were present when the SoundLink was launched and now we have it in our labs for more thorough testing.

Nitty Gritty

It is important to note that the Bose SoundLink does not fall in the same category as other Bluetooth speakers we have reviewed previously. Unlike the Jabra Jambox and the Soundmatters FoxL v2, both of which emphasized portability and speakerphone capabilities, the Bose SoundLink is designed for enjoying music in small spaces. As you can see from the snaps below, this particular set of speakers is considerably larger in size and stature. Its 1.3kg weight also means that it is not as conducive to being carried in your hand or briefcase. However the extra weight will not be noticed much if you chuck it into your backpack.

The larger size is because the Bose SoundLink packs much better hardware than the smaller traditionally sized Bluetooth speakers. The speakers are armed with four 2-inch drivers to handle audio duties. Also included are dual opposing passive radiators with a waffle cone enclosure. Quite a mouthful, but this refers to two passive radiators which are intended to help out with low frequency performance. The opposing orientation is a common trick used by portable speaker manufacturers to eliminate the problem of 'skipping' or 'hopping' that the smaller devices encounter at high audio volumes. The waffle cone enclosure is Bose’s own signature touch to the design, intended to help with better bass dispersion.

As if the raw hardware was not enough, Bose has also fitted the SoundLink with a built-in Digital Signal Processing unit. True music lovers and audiophiles will undoubtedly have their own complaints with the amplification prowess of their smartphones. As such, this addition should help remedy the situation to a certain extent.

With an impressive list of specifications up till now, it was somewhat of a letdown to see that the Bose SoundLink uses the Bluetooth A2DP profile for connectivity. A2DP is a lossy format which means that there is bound to be some degradation of audio when Bluetooth connectivity is used. Alternatives like Kleer, which can stream tracks with CD quality, are available on the market and is used by other audio manufacturers in some of their better audio products. Kleer might have lent the Bose SoundLink even greater credibility with sound aficionados. We will have to see how Bose’s decision to go with A2DP impacts performance during our listening tests on the following pages.

Look and Feel

Before starting to evaluate the aesthetics of the Bose SoundLink, we would like to clarify that the device comes in a regular and a premium version. While there is no difference in the technical specifications of the two models, the former comes with a nylon casing while the latter has leather casing. As you can see from the shots, we have the premium, leather clad version of the product in our labs

The device has an overall matte, silver finish with a mesh front face. This combination lends itself to a classic Bose feel that you can easily identify at fist glance. The leather case gives the Bose SoundLink a touch of elegance. The case is also removable and users have an option to choose between different colors of their liking. The case with its magnetic clasp can be opened up to provide a stable base on which the SoundLink can stand upright, thus giving it a crucial functionality to better the SoundLink's usability.

Six large buttons are provided on the top of the device. Those on the right control the volume and provide an option to mute the speakers. On the left you will find the buttons to power on the device and switching on Bluetooth. The Aux button allows for playback from the 3.5mm port situated at the back. A micro-USB port is provided so that the SoundLink can be connected to your notebook or computer for firware upgrades (does not support storage devices for playback). Although the device has a battery life of six to eight hours courtesy of its onboard lithium-ion cells, you can still use a power adapter for continued operation.

Powerful Sound

Bose started off at a time when there were a number of underwhelming audio products. The company was founded on the principle of always delivering quality audio, a promise that many of their speakers and headphones deliver (at least those we've personally tested). Does the SoundLink keep up this tradition? To test out the Bose SoundLink, we brought out our Samsung Galaxy Nexus S and loaded it up with our standard test tracks that you should be familiar with. Of course we've also tried out many other audio tracks from our general usage, but for the purpose of direct comparisons against products we've tried in the past, we'll be reporting on the speaker's performance on these specific tracks.

Melt My Heart To Stone by Adele has turned into somewhat of a starting point for us when we are evaluating speakers. The mellow track is an excellent way to gauge the high frequency performance of any audio product. It also brings to the fore the tonal qualities of the device. The SoundLink displayed that typical 'Bose' audio characteristics that typical audiophiles and Bose owners will instantly recognize, with clear highs and strong mids. Adele’s rich vocals sounded full and bright adding to the overall enjoyment of the track.

To evaluate the low frequency performance, we shifted over to our bass heavy, techno track Elements of Life by Tiesto. Well defined, round bass meant that the inherent movement of the track was well rendered. The waffle cone enclosure for the dual opposing passive radiators also seems to be doing its job as the SoundLink cast an impressive soundstage for its small stature. In our experience, smaller speakers tend to falter with this song, mainly because they do not possess the capacity to fully recreate the atmosphere required. But we were pleasantly surprised when this speaker held its own and gave a good showing.

Buckethead’s Sail On Soothsayer is a guitar piece that melds heavy distortion with chiming guitar lines. Without the inclusion of vocals, the listener is forced to focus on the instruments. When heard with the Bose SoundLink, the notes had brilliant attack and a certain sharpness which helped bring across the emotion of the song. The distortion itself was also well handled, although in our opinion could have done with an extra dose of definition. The slight sprawling of the rhythm track, though not a huge defect, still took a little shine off the overall performance.

We ended our formal listening tests with the live and acoustic version of Hotel California by The Eagles. With its strong mids and excellent highs, the Bose SoundLink handled the main melody of the song with aplomb. What we were looking out for when performing our hearing tests were how the the subtle nuances of the track were rendered. We found that the shakers and alternate percussion could be crisply heard during our play through, which points to these speakers having a good transient response.

However, there are certain flaws with the SoundLink’s performance. While the 'Bose' sound characteristics can be pleasant, in the case of these speakers, it cannot be classified as neutral. We found that when bumping up the sound levels, the mid tones had a tendency to overpower the rest of the mix. The bass tended to suffer the most from this and sounded subdued. Similarly the attack, which is sharp and pleasant at medium volumes, tended to add to the overall harsh nature of sound at high volumes. In addition, we found the tracks to sound just the slightest bit flatter than expected of their 256-bit variable-bit rate nature, which is most likely due to audio degradation from using the A2DP profile.

Summing its audio performance, at medium volume levels, the powerful delivery of the Bose SoundLink works in its favor. The speakers have a presence and impact that is truly impressive for their size. However at louder volumes, we would say that the device is too powerful for its own good.

The Verdict

The Bose SoundLink almost represents a new genus of product. It is significantly larger and boasts better hardware than the ultra-portable speakerphones such as the Jawbone Jambox and the FoxL V2. However, it is not in same category as docking stations and AirPlay enabled speakers. This new kind of Bluetooth enabled speaker treads the line between them. It offers a certain degree of portability while still ensuring it can be used on a day-to-day basis as well when placed on your room tabletop for example.

A comparable product on the whole would be the Bang & Olufsen Beolit 12 which has a price tag that is almost double of the SoundLink. Both devices have the same set of features and use Bluetooth A2DP to handle wireless streaming of audio. Playback from a 3.5mm port is also possible. From the looks of it, the SoundLink is stocked with every feature than can be expected from a Bluetooth wireless speaker of its kind. With its classier looks and leather covering, the Bose product also comes out ahead of the Beolit 12 with respect to overall looks and design.

It is somewhat difficult to have a starting point when evaluating the performance of the Bose SoundLink due to the dearth of similar products in various form factors. It obviously outperforms the smaller portable speakers by a country mile. However when compared to docking stations in terms of performance, it falls slightly short, most notably when it comes to casting a wide, spacious soundstage. It goes without saying the docking stations also offer a wealth of other features which include charging your phone that this speaker system is unable to provide. Perhaps in terms of sound quality alone, one could use the performance of the Philips AS851 docking station (which also uses A2DP Bluetooth profile) as a reference point.

There is no denying that the Bose SoundLink is an excellent sounding set of speakers. Even with the handicap of using the lossy A2DP Bluetooth profile, the speakers present a good showing. Clarity of highs and strong mids on the SoundLink make sure you have strong audio. Sharp attack and good transient response also ensure that the subtle nuances and details of tracks are delivered. Add in good bass performance and a sufficiently wide soundstage (for its class of portable speakers) and you have the makings of good sound on-the-go. In our opinion and based on our tests, we would say it fared significantly better than the AS851. Our only criticism was the harshness of audio at evident only at the highest of volumes.

So on the whole the Bose SoundLink is a good looking, great sounding set of speakers. Available in two models, the regular version of the product which comes with a nylon case is priced at S$549. The premium luxury model, which has the same hardware but comes with a leather case will cost you $630. In our opinion, both price-tags are somewhat on the high side for the overall package. No doubt its steep price, our main problem is that we do not see a very clear target market for this product at its price point. If we required a Bluetooth speaker for our travels, we would undoubtedly be looking for something that's smaller in size. And with desktop docking stations also offering wireless playback along with services such as charging, radio and other connectivity options for about the same price point (or just a couple hundred dollars more for a high-end one), they seem to be a better bet if you want to stream tunes from your phone or portable music player at home. This leaves the Bose SoundLink stranded somewhat in limbo.

Perhaps audiophiles who would prefer quality audio in a small size (as compared to regular docking speakers) in their individual rooms for some light listening, but yet need to have an option for mobility may find this product more up their alley. In other usage scenarios, we think it would be an excellent companion to outdoor parties where you've a capable portable speaker that isn't too bulky and has good audio to boot. Whatever the case, be prepared to fork out a decent sum for it.

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