The Bose SoundLink Color II has an on-the-nose address for this need with “Party Mode,” but is it good enough to make your gathering the talk of the town? Editor’s note: this Bose SoundLink Color II review was updated on November 17, 2020, to add deals.
Users can alternate between source devices, access virtual assistants, and control playback functions from the six-button panel. If you don’t feel like doing the Bluetooth pairing song and dance, you can always connect via the 3.5mm headphone jack located at the speaker’s base.
You can pair two devices to the speaker at a time, which is great if you want to keep an ear on incoming calls while streaming music. Bose tries to sneak around this shortcoming with the SoundLink Color II’s passive radiators, which is clever, but results in unclear audio when the volume exceeds 60% or so. Despite how the inaccurate bass response affects the midrange notes, Halsey’s vocal fry is audible during her parts. The SoundLink Color II does a great job of reproducing audio across the spectrum, save for sub-bass notes. Although this isn’t extremely accurate, it tricks our brain into thinking we’re perceiving all auditory detail: most harmonic resonances fall within the treble range. The ability to sync-up two speakers is great for small to medium gatherings and it gives hosts flexibility when it comes to sound placement.
This little speaker has great functionality; plus, being able to update the firmware via the app, gives me hope that connection issues will be resolved. That’s right, this makes it easy to hear music during a pool party, or retrieve the speaker if it was accidentally dropped.
Another great option is the Bose SoundLink Micro: this speaker is about as compact as the Wonderboom series, but takes on a squared off design. Rather than a loop at the top of the speaker, the SoundLink Micro has a strong elastic strap that fits over bike handlebars or a shower bar.
Bose SoundLink Color II review: A great speaker gets even better
The SoundLink Color II can remember up to eight devices paired to it, while its eight hours of battery life — at medium volume levels — is the same as the original’s. I had no trouble pairing and re-pairing the speaker with an iPhone 6S and Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge — there are voice prompts to guide you through the process.
There’s also a companion app for iOS and Android — Bose Connect — that doesn’t do all that much but does allow you to rename the speaker to your liking, disable those aforementioned voice prompts, and check in on your remaining battery life. It had good tonal balance with U2’s “Running to Stand Still” and Eric Dolphy’s jazz track “Sketch of Melba.”
However, tracks where a lot of instruments are playing at once are more challenging for this little guy, and you’ll notice at times that the speaker ratchets back certain frequencies as well as the volume to keep from distorting.
Bose SoundLink Revolve+ review
Combined with the optional charging base, the Bose SoundLink Revolve+ is a great speaker to use at home and on the go. While it’s certainly not the cheapest Bluetooth speaker at $300 (£280, AU$430), it’s well worth the extra $100 over the smaller Revolve if you’re looking for slightly better sound quality and better battery life.
Although it looks like it will weigh a ton, the speaker is surprisingly light for its size, making it easy to take with you to a party. We’re disappointed that Bose didn’t choose to update the speaker with USB type-C as most devices today have moved to the new connector which supports fast charging and the lack of one means that the SoundLink Revolve+ takes ages to fully charge if you run it dry.
The good news is that the bigger SoundLink Revolve+ improves on the sound quality of the smaller Revolve in just about every way, though the tonal balance is identical between the two. The overall balance is slightly warm, which make the Bose very forgiving with compressed music from streaming services. However, the Revolve+ does a better job of rendering bass in the center of the room than the smaller Revolve, which is unsurprising since the speaker is much bigger. The Bose SoundLink Revolve+ is a great speaker, albeit expensive and a bit dated compared to the competition.
It may not have a smart assistant built in for voice controls, but for those who don’t care about that, the Revolve+ is a pleasure to use, especially if you pair it with the dock … which, unfortunately, is sold separately.
Bose Soundlink Mini 1 vs Mini 2 [Special Edition]
However, one area where I think most people agree that Bose do really well in is the portable Bluetooth speaker market. One of the more popular Bluetooth speakers on the market, it has had relative success in recent years. The Bose Soundlink Mini 2 has an improved battery life over the previous model. Although there isn’t a great deal of difference between the two speakers, the Soundlink Mini II definitely has a better audio quality than the former generation. The Bose Soundlink Mini 2 is probably best known for its sound quality, which is surprisingly good for the small size of a completely wireless speaker. At the time, the Soundlink Revolve was Bose’s main Bluetooth speaker they were trying to push.
So, they intended to completely abandon the Mini line for a while, as they focussed on other wireless speakers instead. This prompted Bose to release their Special Edition version of the Soundlink Mini 2.
So, this is something that Bose decided not to change with the Soundlink, even though they’ve updated some other aspects of the speaker. Unlike many other portable speakers out there, the Soundlink Mini 2 wasn’t designed to be waterproof.
The Bose Soundlink Mini ii has an improved multifunction button in comparison to the original, but aside from this they’re very similar to one another. The battery life of the Soundlink Mini II is about average when you compare it to other similar speakers.
It’s definitely also worth mentioning that the Mini II doesn’t actually come with a charging cradle. You can easily turn this speaker on with the large power button, and it is simple to connect to it as well. It’s straightforward if you want to link the Soundlink Mini II up with your Amazon Alexa, and you can easily add the voice assistant feature if you want to use Siri with your speaker too. You can use the volume controls and Bluetooth button on the top of the speaker to set it up quickly and easily. You won’t need to worry about playing deeper music and it struggling, because it copes very well, although the clarity could be improved. Overall, first of all it’s clear to say that it is pretty obvious the Soundlink Mini 2 is a better updated version of the original in a few different ways.
Bose SoundLink Color II Review
Its slender design has rounded ends and a rubberized contour that’s resistant to water—it has an IPX4 rating, so it can withstand splashes and rain, but isn’t submersible for more than a very brief period. Bose estimates battery life to be roughly eight hours, but your results will vary with your volume levels, and your mix of wired and wireless playback. On tracks with intense sub-bass content, like The Knife’s “Silent Shout,” the SoundLink Color II delivers solid low frequency response.
The vocals and guitar strums benefit from a strong high-mid and high frequency presence, however—things are sculpted in this range, and the result is some added clarity and brightness to keep the rich low-mids from upsetting the overall balance. On Jay-Z and Kanye West’s “No Church in the Wild,” the kick drum loop gets plenty of high-mid presence, allowing its attack to retain its sharp edge and slice through the layers of the mix. Orchestral tracks, like the opening scene in John Adams’ The Gospel According to the Other Mary, get some added presence in the lows and low-mids that pushes the lower register instrumentation forward in the mix slightly.
The spotlight, however, still belongs to the higher register brass, strings, and vocals—they have a bright, crisp delivery that is the most prominent aspect of the mix, even with the slightly enhanced bass presence. For its size, the Bose SoundLink Color II delivers a very solid audio experience, with rich lows matched with crisp highs.
Bose SoundLink Color II 4.0 See It $129.00 at Amazon MSRP $129.95 Pros Solid audio performance with rich lows and well-defined highs. The Bottom Line The Bose SoundLink Color II delivers a strong Bluetooth audio experience in a compact, outdoor-friendly design.
Bose SoundLink Color II Review
Dutchman Jaap Hartsen did just that while he was working for Ericsson in Copenhagen. He named it after a Scandinavian king, King Harald Bluetooth, who united the Scandinavian countries of Norway and Denmark in the 10th century. Not always 100% reliable, it has grown in importance in today’s world of mass communication.
This use has extended to us being able to walk about with a small speaker under our arm. This Bose SoundLink Color II Review will look at one such Bluetooth compatible speaker. But before we do, let’s take a look at this company named after its founder Amar Bose.
Bose is a US company whose major shareholder is the Massachusetts Institute of Technology or MIT. Their products are not all USA made, despite claims to the contrary, which seems important to some people. Bose is expensive because of the massive PR and advertising campaigns they enter into.
So, let’s make up our own mind as we take a look through our Bose SoundLink Color II review… Bose SoundLink Color II – An Overview This speaker is an upgrade from the most appreciated and well-liked SoundLink Color I.
It also has a different silicone exterior, which gives it a nice stable feeling to the touch. From the house to the park or to the pool, it will give you quite a big sound packed into a small unit.
And it has some good features, a virtual assistant, and a more than decent sound.
The original SoundLink Color was a smooth, hard plastic affair with just a little rubber edging. The obvious one means it can withstand a bit of splashing or a downpour. IPX 7 or 8 are waterproof, which means they can be submerged in water for a brief time. Bit of water splashed from the pool or a light shower, and it will be fine. The cable is included, but unfortunately, there is no USB AC power plug.
It might not be that much of a problem because any standard phone or other device chargers will probably suffice. But if you hope that it will handle a large outdoor bar-b-q, you might be disappointed. Jazz and simple classical pieces, live music, and soft rock are all fine. Clear and concise, they are delivered with minimum distortion when it is pushed.
That is the price you pay for a compact unit with relatively small speakers. You will also notice that if there are many instruments playing at the same time, possibly an orchestral piece, the speakers pull back a bit. That isn’t really possible from a speaker this size, but we would not feel let down by its general sound. A little bit of thought is all it takes to make control labels self-explanatory. They are located on the top of the speaker and are quite visible, but that is not the problem. Pairing is quite efficient and quick and even quicker with NFC devices.
Pairing with other Bluetooth phones or devices is then easy for using your playlists or streaming music. There is a memory facility which will remember the last eight numbers you recently connected to.
The speaker and the mic are located on the top panel. There is also a drag and drop facility that makes connections easy.
Bose SoundLink Color II Pros & Cons It certainly isn’t a Bluetooth speaker system that is packed with features.
The sound is good but is not particularly loud, and the silicone finish is tougher than the original plastic. Though the rubberized silicone does a good job of attracting dust and other airborne materials. You may well be carrying a phone or tablet charger around anyway, which will do the job. As we said at the beginning, Bose products tend to come up a little more expensive than their equivalents.
It is what it is, a simple Bluetooth speaker and not meant to be anymore.
Bose SoundLink Color II review
The Bose SoundLink Color II offers good sound quality and tons of features in a compact, splash-proof body. Thankfully, however, the Bose SoundLink Color II compromises very little for good sound and, while it’s not perfect, it’s still a great choice for those looking for a wireless speaker to use at the beach or on a hike. The SoundLink Color II continues is improvements upon the original by adding IPX4 water resistance, which makes it splash proof but not waterproof.
You’ll find all of the speaker’s buttons on top, which includes playback controls, volume adjustment, power, Bluetooth pairing and Aux-In.
The SoundLink Color II offers a good dynamic range for a speaker of its size, giving us nice bass extension and impact. But, on the debit side, its 8 hours of battery life is average compared to the competition and we’d like to see Bose make the SoundLink Color III last even longer.
Competitors like the $99 (about £79, AU$129) Fugoo Go offer better water resistance, a unique mounting strap and better battery life (10 hours), but lack features like an aux jack, speakerphone support and NFC. It’s not perfect but if portability, sound quality and features like NFC, multipoint bluetooth and speakerphone support are important to you, we think you’ll love the Bose SoundLink Color II too.
Bose SoundLink Color II Review
The Bose SoundLink Color II provides top-notch sound quality, splash proofness, and lasted 13 hours in our battery testing. Even those who spend inordinate amounts of time adjusting the EQ on their home stereo will probably be relatively happy with this model’s sound. It does represent a noticeable step down from the top performers (namely the Bose SoundLink Revolve) with a bit less powerful bass and just a tad less clarity.
The SoundLink Color II about an average size and weight, but is much more portable than the other tops scorers in our sound quality test.
The Color II earned an 8 out of 10 in our volume testing, putting it towards the top of a metric where scores ranged from 4 to 9. We did have some very impressive performers in this test, so though we were pleased with the Color II’s battery life it only earned a score of 5 out of 10.
When you consider the full range of portable Bluetooth speakers available, the Bose SoundLink Color II’s price is about average. The Bose SoundLink Color II strikes a near-perfect balance of sound quality, portability, and price.
Sure, you can get slightly better sounding or more portable speakers, but the Color II is such a great blend that we doubt anyone will be disappointed with it.
SoundLink Color II – Water-resistant Bluetooth Speaker
Or switch to Stereo Mode for dedicated left and right playback giving you a full and dynamic surround sound experience.
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