Following on the success of last year’s SoundLink Bluetooth Mobile Speaker II, Bose did the next logical thing. Go small. At a recent event in the Vanderbilt Hall of New York’s Grand Central Station, the Boston-based audio giant announced two groundbreaking products: one of which was the SoundLink Mini Bluetooth speaker.
Coming in at a svelte 1.5 pounds, the SoundLink Mini, while small, manages to belt out some of the best sounding audio we’ve ever heard. And not just for a product this diminutive. Bose built a tiny room in the middle of Grand Central Station to show off the SoundLink Mini’s prowess and we were truly impressed.
While the music Bose chose to show off what this tiny speaker is capable of highlighted its abilities, they were nice enough to give us some hands-on time with it so that we could test it out with our tunes. We easily paired the SoundLink Mini to two devices: an HTC One running on AT&T’s network and a Samsung Ativ S running on T-Mobile. The SoundLink Mini is designed to remember connections to up to six devices, so once you pair a device, you should be good to go for the duration.
According to Bose, the speaker boasts a range of about 30 feet as well an auxiliary port that lets you connect non-Bluetooth devices. We played a variety of music and everything from R&B and hip hop, replete with all of the deep bass that you’d expect, to acoustic music from the likes of Ray LaMontagne and Damien Rice. All sounded amazing.
While the lows in the more bass-heavy music were perfectly deep and solid, the highs in the acoustic selections were very crisp. And this device can get plenty loud without losing any clarity.
The SoundLink Mini sports a rechargeable lithium-ion battery and, according to Bose, users can expect up to seven of hours of continuous play.
Bose offers two charging methods with the SoundLink Mini. There’s a stylish charging cradle that’s great for when you’re at home. If you’re on the go, a wall charger that plugs into the charging cradle can also plug into the speaker itself. Add to that, Bose claims the speaker can be fully charged in three hours.
With the SoundLink Mini Bose created a very stylish piece of gear. The guts are encased in a single piece of aluminum and while this looks and feels great, we worry about scratches. To that end, Bose is offering a plethora of protection options for the SoundLink Mini including a variety of soft covers that come in several covers as well as a nifty carrying case. Expect to pay around $25 for the soft covers and $45 for the carrying case.
Speakers
Bose designed the tiny speakers in the SoundLink Mini from the ground up.
The insides of the SoundLink Mini were specifically designed to move as much air as possible, resulting in bass that was shockingly good for a device so small.
The SoundLink Mini easily connects to any Bluetooth-enabled device.
Early verdict
If there’s one thing Bose is known for it’s quality audio products. And to that end the SoundLink Mini Bluetooth speaker upholds that tradition.
Sure the Bluetooth portable speaker scene is crowded with the likes of Jambox, Monster and Beats, but anyone who’s interested in portable audio would be remiss to not give the SoundLink Mini Bluetooth speaker a listen.
Powered by WPeMatico