Bose SoundLink review
Bose SoundLink: Portable Bluetooth Speaker with Protective Cover
The Bose SoundLink Bluetooth Speaker II has significantly upgraded in comparison with the previous, SoundLink I versions. Now, it has better sound with more bass and more robust construction.
Dimensions
Due to the large battery inside, the unit weighs a bit more than 2 pounds, being just as heavy as an average book. In terms of size, the speaker measures 1.9 by 9.6 by 5.1 inches.
Features
The speaker supports a Bluetooth connection, but you can't connect more than one device at once. Nevertheless, it remembers up to 6 previously connected devices and pairs with them automatically.
In order to check the quality and stability of the Bluetooth connection, I connected my phone to the speaker several times. For this, I activated Bluetooth on my phone and pressed the Bluetooth button on the speaker for 3 seconds. The Soundlink beeped informing about a successful connection as I paired it with my phone. All the connections I've performed were made on the first try, so there are no problems with that.
The speaker gives you around 8 hours of uninterrupted music streaming if you won't increase the volume level by more than 60%. The Bose SoundLink Bluetooth Mobile Speaker II charger gets the speaker fully charged in about 3 hours.
The SoundLink II sounds better than the SoundLink I, and this is the biggest upgrade from the original version. The speaker provides you with a powerful sound, considering its compact size, but it isn't super-clean. Low frequencies are okay, and songs with a great amount of bass don't get distorted at the top volume level. The signal processing algorithm has also been significantly improved in comparison with the first version, giving you a sound reproduction of higher quality.
So, to my mind, the overall sound quality is somewhere between 8 and 9.
The package includes the Bose SoundLink Mobile Speaker II manual and the AC power adapter; no additional cables are included.
Design
From a visual standpoint, the SoundLink II is similar to the SoundLink I. It's a square-shaped speaker that comes in the protective cover, attached to it by two screws, and this, definitely, brings a lot of conveniences. Moreover, the speaker automatically turns off when you close the cover. The cover features a so-called "bi-fold" design meaning that it folds up, and you can flip it underneath turning it into a stand for the speaker. However, be careful with that: this stand has a very small footprint, and the speaker easily tipped over when I bumped it with one finger. This way, it's better to have some sort of support behind it, like a wall or a backrest, for example.
The back of the Bose SoundLink Bluetooth Mobile Speaker II has a panel with AUX in, USB service port service port and AC in. AC in. Six large, square-shaped buttons are located on top of the unit (Power on/off, AUX, Bluetooth, Mute, and volume control buttons). There are also Bluetooth, Mute, AUX, and Power LED indicators, located below the buttons.
The manufacturer claims that the speaker is resistant to fog, features a reinforced design, and has been drop-tested.
Since the speaker isn’t water-resistant and also isn’t very compact, it’s not the perfect option for outdoor use, so I give it 8/10 for the design.
Conclusion
The Bose SoundLink Mobile Speaker II gives you all the basic features you expect from a portable model: quick and trouble-free Bluetooth pairing, two wired connectors, and a set of onboard buttons. It also comes in a sort of a "smart" protective cover that turns off the speaker as you close it. The sound isn't meant to satisfy audiophiles, but it's still decent for average listeners.