. 1
[Please insert the name of the individual acquaintances] A in this case my colleague -is looking for a Bluetooth speaker and mini encounters on the Bose SoundLink.
. 2
He makes his way to the sample / compare hearing and presented the next morning proud his device.
. 3
Of course, I am absolutely not impressed by the grossly overrated and overpriced Bose. I will respond sensibly 170 EUR for a Bluetooth mini speaker? Ridiculous.
. 4
So after a brief audition I make myself also on the way to the SoundLink mini at least compared to most other speakers.
. 5
It's now been a week that the device is moved over the counter in my hands. A review I find appropriate given the circumstances mentioned.
Pre - Already when I was in the store to buy the device, I realized that waves the product has already beaten. The statement from the seller was about: The last piece yesterday sold. At noon today new supply arrived. Every day, another who wants the part there are always those who have just where it belongs, and are eager to have it. Over the weekend away has probably managed to convey my colleague then the listening experience without relevant sales skills also to other persons. A short audio sample has probably been enough.
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So much for the clarification of the circumstances, in the following I go to the product details, and since I already about the 18 words minimum number in this review long'm over it and will follow some more, enclose a brief outline and Quick rating for all reading lazy about what now follows:
1. The Auspackerlebnis and delivery: 9/10
2. First Impression processing haptics: 10/10
3. Sound: 9/10
4. Operation: 9/10
5. Battery / duration and charging mode: 7/10
6. Conclusion: 8/10
7. For all those interested: use the SoundLink mini as an alarm clock and amplifier line-up
8. Final Words
1. The Auspackerlebnis and delivery: 9/10
Yes, the modern marketing man also evaluated unpacking. And let's be honest: who rejoiced as a child and would be today not because tear open the wrapping paper and receive the content with pleasures. So also with the Bose. Excellent and securely packed, take the device out of sturdy cardboard. All parts are useful in the box tucked including a small slip in the product manual and other stored separately. The environmental and packaging becoming critics forgive me I buy me not every day NEN new Bose.
Scope of supply:
- SoundLink with mini battery (installed)
- Charging Station
-. Including EU power plug adapter
Yes, virtually, no bag at 170 EUR? Criterion yes / no? Yes and it spoils the overall impression a bit, but you can really criticize not. 170 EUR are well spent in my opinion, without pocket. An audio cable for the auxiliary is also missing, also a trifle in total therefore 9/10.
2. First Impression processing haptics: 10/10
About all shadow of doubt! The design is very elegant, but understated. The aluminum makes her a great look, the processing is precise and clean. The buttons feel very good, have a pleasant pressure point and a sensible arrangement. In addition, the speaker is a pleasant weight of 600g excellent in the hand and is stable on its rubber base.
That the charging station to be cheap, I have now read more often. Well, it is made of plastic and the SoundLink aluminum. And now? Processes it is 1a and the device fits perfectly
3. Sound: 9/10
Let's go down to business. I have my speakers really happy with linear frequency curves, possibly a slight bass boost (fun is it indeed do something). Let's forget this point when Bose: It is an extremely compact loudspeaker that is physically limited in principle in terms of stereo image, bass particular sub-bass and sound volume.
So - we forget that last sentence. This Bose here is different .... to describe the sound is not easy, especially as the attempt a reference Recourse is almost bound to fail. At this point, you really have to be very careful that you do not begin to compare apples and oranges and pears with melons. However, I am guided by my Canton GLE50 speakers on my 5.1 system, who are predisposed relatively linear and the devil Bamster (I could also test) as an alternative to Sound Link.
Fact: The Bose sound superb - full, round, full. In any case, one would not expect this sound from the small box. But who knows now also everyone who has read one or the other review. Here is my subjective assessment:
Bass:
That is the strength of the sound links par. The engineers have done an excellent job here any comparison device below 200 EUR draws the short straw here, especially considering the size of the housing and the speaker. 2 active membrane with the 50mm drive 2 passive membrane with. After some research I found out that Bose is in addition to the principle of the acoustic short circuit, in which the speaker can move with the appropriate structure by anti-phase vibrations much more air than usual. This leads to very strong upper bass that are greatly increased, and thus to simulate the human ear deep bass (keyword: psycho acoustics).
That the small Bose with these small speakers can not afford real deep bass of course there is no question. The problem was solved in this way but elegant. The beauty of it: the bass is not just there and rumble, but are precise and defined. For my taste, Bose has yet applied a little too much. Slightly lowering the status quo would have the lower frequency range definitely tolerated, even if the bass perspective to high volume in sound. Arguing at a high level, but the sound overall picture would be more balanced and so would still have enough punch (so now must provide a EQ on music player to serve).
In the middle:
Chill the lower mids are slightly more dominant than the rest. It was not until about 4-5kHz I have the impression that the light middle gap is overcome. From here hi-hats, cowbells, percussion, etc. you can hear out extremely detailed and transparent. Unfortunately vocals fall off a bit. Total me the resolution in the middle but has definitely convinced as fine details in the overall picture does not go down, a round thing so.
Height:
Here the reduction is more massive than in these centers, it is likely somewhere beyond 12kHz still beads a tick more to my liking. That could however lead to the middle of the overall image fall further. Therefore, no deduction in the rating for this.
To the music selection:
Important to know is now even more that the SoundLink not at all necessarily good for music. Especially good in my opinion put through to modern productions, tested among others with Daft Punk's album Random Access Memories, since it is an excellent production. For this music of Bose also heavy bass grooves like Maroon 5s Moves Like Jagger is built are on the SoundLink mini home. Classical radio productions also come to bear in particular awarded by the crisp bass and subtle midrange (think also of Nile Rodgers Contribute to the Random Access Memories))
Less well make (especially older) Acoustic / Folk / vocal songs. The space seems a bit forced, the vocals and guitars too cautious. Test object was here Bob Dylan Dont Think Twice, which was actually the only song that sounded better on a vicious Bamster worlds as direct and defined. On the Bose of the old Bob unnatural, bass-heavy and farther away from the simple singer / songwriter stuff sounded the times you lodges in a peaceful mood. Modern folk productions (Anais Mitchell's album Hades Town) sound quite good, especially in large instrumentation, with quiet songs with room for improvement.
Otherwise, power rock sounds (Jeff Scott Soto album Lost in the Translation) as part sichs. The skilled person would refer to a lot of eggs, even if electric guitars remain a bit more discreet. 70s / 80s / 90s productions like Foreigner, Journey or even Michael Jackson sound consistently good. Otherwise, I could barely make out so far music that sounds really bad on the Bose.
Overall image (subject to optimum positioning):
Warm, slightly compressed, fully and space while maintaining transparency. Definitely not a linear frequency response, but the need of the loudspeaker as mentioned also do not have. I simply say once quite cheeky that such a similar Frequency response at all is needed to squeeze a so full and spatial sound from such a small speaker. Bose engineers have naturally tricked (including a DSP processor is installed, which influences the sound in order to achieve this sound) and that is in the case just as well. from about 3/4 of the maximum volume of the distorted sound easy.
In principle very well: The speaker has an automatic loudness function; fall since bass tend at lower volumes compared to the other areas to be then automatically raised more than at higher volumes. For my taste to 1/2 volume, the basses are as I said a little too loudly.
Also important: For me no ear fatigue have occurred even after prolonged use.
The overall picture justifies for me so overall a top rating with slight deductions. All sound fanatics and purists (myself included) have for your demanding ears yes still your home stereo.
4. Operation: 9/10
The SoundLink has a very pure and particularly easy to handle. At each change charging / mains operation, on / Switching off Bluetooth Connect the device gives a short beep (can not be disabled, but not pushy) from. Control knobs are located on the top of the device:
- On / off: I think in the morning still half asleep to Anschalter since left positioned outside.
- Volume: Good solution, because the two high / low volume buttons do not like the other are admitted but have a slight curvature, one finds also blind.
- Bluetooth / Aux: Select an either-or keystroke, whether you want to hear about jack input music Bluetooth or (!). In the Bluetooth button in the dark blue LED lights up when first connecting. If the pairing performed once with the music player, the LED lights up white. The device connects to every time you switch automatically to the respective player device. After about 30 minutes of inactivity, the Bluetooth connection is automatically released and the Bose switches off (power-only again manually.
- Options for setting the device as tone control, Bluetooth Timeout or other there is not. Do not, the device has been designed for mobile use and does the job too. I would have still wanted the possibility to keep the SoundLink Bluetooth active longer and possibly a switch to bass rolloff.
5. Battery / duration and charging mode: 7/10
Here are my very early noticed some weaknesses. But first the positives.
- The SoundLink keeps on battery power to the 7 hours after manual. That's an average of not too much, given the fact that the pronounced bass will eat a lot of power but also not a little.
- The battery itself is indeed built into the SoundLink but accessible and upgradeable when you removed the rubber mat on the floor. The rubber mat is anchored using rubber lips around the battery and easy to remove without damage. The battery is connected by means of 4 small Torx screws and can thus actually be expanded by the user.
- Docking at the loading station is really easy (just hang up - charging & mains operation), also it is possible to load the SoundLink by connecting directly to the housing and operate.
- The On-Off button has a charge status indicator LED (red / yellow / green).
- The power supply unit is extremely practical at least for all US customers with the folding pins, for us Europeans there a smart adapter. Probably does not fit into the optional SoundLink Bag by Bose, but only at the margins.
Unfortunately, I have also noted the following:
- The LED will not turn on AC power when fully charged state from, but always remains green. I suspect that part of the Bose design is to use the device only mobile and non-stationary. At least tell me that that the charging station is also only intended for charging, although mains operation is possible.
- ..wobei The power supply is actually not enough power supplies to the unit at higher volume settings to provide at the same time. So it may be that after an hour of loud listening begins with mains operation, the battery after turning off the power again to recharge. As I said LADE station or not, Portable Information Device back and forth. With little effort we could have made a decent customer benefits here. Incidentally, I know this behavior during grid operation also by any other device in entertainment electronics.
- Previous point also suggests that is not bridged by the power supply during mains operation, the battery, but the battery / discharge operation is continuous in charge. When you consider that most likely a lithium-ion / lithium polymer battery is installed, which have an expiration date in charging cycles. Well would be still to cope if not would open up the question:
- Why is there no way to purchase a replacement battery from Bose? He is not listed in the accessory catalog and the consumer should be able to expect 4 Torx screws to solve even without the device in the event of a failure to have to send. The SoundLink there with us only since Summer 2013, I hope that Bose still mending and will offer matching accessories. Until then, I rely on a sufficient long-term capacity of the battery.
These criticisms spoil the overall picture at the SoundLink for me something. One may argue that the Bose-concept is tailored for all mobile users, and was just as planned, useful for those who (like me) use the device at home and therefore be in the charging cradle that is in between, or even mainly, but not. Here Bose is a little too purist at all costs.
6. Conclusion: 8/10
I have not added up the points of the categories. This final overall impression I got when I ask myself how I am satisfied with the Bose on a scale of 1 to 10 degrees. I'll keep the unit well, for me it is at the moment without competition. Only the Bose SoundLink 2 has me more like a tick, but that was just not worth it to me with those who usually larger dimensions and 100 EUR price difference. Since the SoundLink mini is a better compromise. Saved a lot of money and waived little.
Who buys it left tidy money, but a dense matrix algebra equivalent. Please note: Bose concept is absolutely on mobile hand. So check in advance whether the own requirements match the SoundLink profile.
7. For all those interested: use the SoundLink mini as an alarm clock and amplifier line-up
As I myself have been looking for appropriate information to do so;
I wondered, why use only iPhone users your SoundLink with the app as an alarm clock AirAlarm amplifier. Say at night turn on the SoundLink and keep overnight in operation and be woken by the iPhone. Took a long time, but goes well with Android. Called the iPhone alarm clock app sends every 5 minutes a blank audio signal to the SoundLink to keep him active. For example, Android there separate apps like Bluetooth Keepalive (what costs EUR 1). That will make exactly the same In conjunction with the gentle alarm clock the whole just fine.
Otherwise, it is still in the preparation of the speaker to watch, the sound is strongly directed by the small and disproportionately powerful loudspeaker, forward as the basses also backwards. Since the unit is flanked on my bedside table and cupboard of room wall I find myself on my bed in the immediate vicinity in unwanted bass reflex (hab with foam insulation). In larger rooms, this is less of a problem, because on the one hand the necessary distance is given to the device and on the other hand, the bass into perspective at higher volumes. In close proximity to the device, however, you could tell much that there is a sweet spot, where the speakers much better sound than in other positions.
8. Final Words
As I have previously wagered with my colleague to a case of beer that I will not buy the SoundLink after having played it to me and he still wants to do without the box:
I dedicate this review to my colleague, whom I have to thank mainly that he has ever brought these speakers this week, and I thank the initiated by him hearing tasting the spontaneous temptation - spending 170 not this budgeted euros for a Bluetooth Speaker - not could resist. May he burn in hell for it. And thank you both.
Addendum of 09/16/2014:
9/25/2014 appears on - so I've noticed today - the new SoundLink from Bose Colour (with 139.95 EUR VKP on the Bose website indicated).
This can probably even more than the Micro-USB charge and has the option to disable automatic Bluetooth disconnection. Bose has probably taken the customer wishes to heart. Unfortunately, that is not self-evident. It will be interesting ....
