Bose SoundLink Max Review: Bringing the Portable Party

Bose is one of the most famous audio marks in the world, and there is a good reason for it. Its devices deliver high quality performance across the line, whether you are listening to its Best Bluetooth speakerWireless speakers, True wireless earbuds or Over ear -brush -canic headphones.

Soundlink is Bose’s range of portable speakers, and within that there are a few different devices: the small soundlink micro, medium sized Soundlink FlexSuper Smart Bose Soundlink Revolve+ II, and the largest of the group – on review here – Soundlink is Max.

I have been using the largest Bose-laitable for a few months as my Go-to Bluetooth speaker, and I have used it a lot. During that time it has been a party speaker, a park speaker, a bathroom speaker and a chilled night speaker. And of course it is better suited for some scenarios than others – as I come to in my below review.

Is SoundLink Max worth it?

Bose Soundlink Max is available to buy right now from several retailers including Bose and Amazon. It was launched at £ 399 / $ 399 / AU $ 599.95, depending on your region.

However, you can regularly find discounted offers. For example, at the time of writing, it has been discounted at £ 349 in the UK, $ 299 in the US and $ 475 in Australia-check out the embedded shopping widow above for live and updated results.

How big is Bose Soundlink Max?

Bose has developed a fairly clear design language for its Soundlink speakers – and Max Supersize it.

A rectangular device covered with smooth silicone, it looks and feels premium. You can buy one in black or blue. As you can see from my review pictures I tested the blue version – and it fits nicely when I am placed on a shelf in my living room.

At 12 x 26.5 x 10.5 cm and 2.13 kg, Bose Soundlink is max a fairly large piece of kit, so you won’t carry it around all the time. But it comes with a practical rope strap over the top for when you do it.

The steel body under the silicone is robust and will survive blows and bumps, which is convenient if you intend to put it on the back of the car to take on camping trips or days out. And IP67 water and dust resistance Protects it from the elements. If the speaker gets water inside, it will notify you with a flashing amber and white light so you can wait for it to drain out.

Bose SoundLink Max

(Image Credit: Future)

Above the top there are a few buttons to control the music, including the standard volume controls that you can also use to skip backwards and forwards through tracks, and a game/pause button, as well as the Bluetooth button and the shortcut button (which I had set to Play music from Spotify).

The battery should last about 20 hours of playback, depending on your listening volume. To save the power, it turns off after 20 minutes of inactivity and you can check how long you have left by pressing and holding the power switch.

A full charge takes about 5 hours through the USB-C port on the back, so I usually connected it overnight. You can also use that port to charge your other devices like your phone if you run out of juice. But it is a slow charger, which is one of my main criticism.

Connection to the speaker is most easily made through its Bluetooth 5.3 connection, and it supports multipoint so you can share DJ responsibility by connecting to multiple phones, tablets or laptops at once. You will also be given the opportunity to use a wired connection with 3.5 mm audio gate on the back.

Unlike some other similar speakers, this one does not have a built -in microphone, so you will not be able to call it and also be able to talk to the phone’s voice assistant.

Does SoundLink sound something good?

The name ‘Max’ feels very suitable for the execution of this speaker, as it is powerful and loud – with a base so thriving that it will be sure to get some party running.

However, this is very much a party speaker. I used it for a quiet dinner with friends and thought that the standard housing positions were overwhelming, but it worked a treat when I hosted a lively barbecue party in the garden.

Bose SoundLink Max

(Image Credit: Future)

Listening to High Energy Spare Like Ezra Collective’s The streets are ringingSoundLink Max delivers its best work. The bouncing baseline is electrifying, but still shoots every instrument through engaging. Similar, Pencil full of lead By Paolo Nutini utilizes this speaker’s rich performance, while allowing crystal clear songs and plenty of room for piano, brass section and drums to keep their own.

In the Bose-smart phone app there is a three-band manual EQ and four preset sound modes including base increase, base reducer, treble boost and treble reducer. I used a lot of the bass reducer a lot when it was just I listened, which did a good job of balancing the sound a bit-so far when it came to more relaxed tracks.

Bose SoundLink Max

(Image Credit: Future)

To create an even greater sound, you can connect max to another compatible SoundLink speaker. Although it will not be needed for the most part – because it is high enough and basic enough on its own.

The app doesn’t have a lot of functionality yet. You can use it to change what the shortcut button is doing, you can set it to link two Bose speakers, switch sounds to your AUX-In drive or resume Spotify. You can see the speaker’s battery percentage, change the volume, adjust the auto-power settings, manage the voice messages and even change the name of the speaker if you want.

Bose SoundLink Max Review: Assessment

Bose SoundLink Max

(Image Credit: Future)

If you are looking for a powerful portable Bluetooth speaker to listen to music outside, Bose Soundlink is Max Ideal. This thriving Bluetooth unit will be happy to pump out songs and be heard over dozens of voices. Even more if you connect two of them, but I can’t see many people who need to Power level.

The maximum design is narrow and robust, the life of the battery is solid and it is fantastic that you can connect your devices via a wireless or wireless connection. It is very useful to also be able to charge your phone from it in desperate situations – I used that feature more times than I would like to admit.

But it is missing in a couple of small ways. There is no microphone to call and it takes ages to charge. You should not buy it unless you think regularly to be worth more than a couple of people either, as audio performance is not particularly suitable for relieving listening.

Also consider

Get Sonos Move 2 If you want something a little more functional. A T3 5 star ranked speaker, it provides excellent sound whether you use it in the house or outside. You can connect with either Bluetooth or Wi-Fi and it works with your other Sonos speakers as well. The life of the battery is limited to about 11 hours, but it will still be more than enough for a day out.

A similar size and in the same way prices to SoundLink Max is JBL XTREME 3. It is super durable and has a long strap to carry it. Like Bose, it will deliver punchy, loud sound that will carry far outside. It is an excellent choice for parties and even has a bottle opener connected, although the battery life is limited to about 15 hours. However, it is much cheaper, which will be a major appeal.

drenews

Bose SoundLink Max Review: Bringing the Portable Party

Kaneb

Kaneb

Related Posts