Bose SoundLink Bluetooth Wireless Speaker - Nylon (Old Version)

by Bose

Product Features

• Clear, detailed sound brings your music to life
• Connects wirelessly to your mobile phone, tablet or other Bluetooth device
• Compact and lightweight - fits in your bag or backpack
• Built-in cover protects system and unfolds into a stand for instant music anywhere
• Rechargeable lithium-ion battery provides up to 8 hours of non-stop music

› See more product details

Product Description

Style: Nylon

From the Manufacturer

Music. Whenever. Wherever.

From your mobile phone or other Bluetooth^® device.

Share the music on your mobile phone with sound quality unlike any other Bluetooth speaker. The SoundLink^® speaker works wirelessly with your iPhone^®, Android^™, Blackberry, tablet or laptop—and goes wherever you do for music whenever the moment calls for it.

Pair and play the speaker with your Bluetooth device. It’s simple—and you only need to do it once. Just press and hold the Bluetooth button on the top panel, then choose the SoundLink^® speaker from your smartphone or other source. It's now memorized, ready to play in an instant. Nothing to connect or dock. The speaker keeps up to six Bluetooth sources in memory. Play your music files or streaming content like Pandora and Rhapsody.

30-foot wireless range lets you keep your phone, tablet or other device with you and place the SoundLink^® speaker where you want.

Ultra mobility lets you take the speaker anywhere; it's small and lightweight enough to carry in one hand or place in a backpack or travel bag.

Play throughout your day with a rechargeable lithium-ion battery. It keeps the music going strong for up to eight hours, even while you text, e-mail or surf the web. If an outlet is handy, just use the included power adapter—it'll charge the battery while you listen. An empty battery usually charges in 2 to 3 hours.

Proprietary speaker technology delivers robust sound with convincing low notes unusual for a Bluetooth speaker this small.

Four small but powerful drivers are teamed up with dual opposing passive radiators. This unique configuration allows such a small, lightweight speaker to reproduce sound so deep and full.

Integrated cover protects the speaker during travel and unfolds into a stand for instant playing anywhere.

Dimensions

• Height 5.1” (13.0 cm)
• Width 9.6” (24.4 cm)
• Depth 1.9” (4.8 cm)

Weight

• 2.9 lbs (1.3 kg)

Speaker details

• Wireless range up to 30 ft
• Battery life up to 8 hrs
• Auxiliary input

In the box

• SoundLink^® speaker
• Wall charger
• Stereo auxiliary cable

Control made easy with power and volume controls on top of the speaker. Your Bluetooth device controls everything else—playlists, streaming music stations, etc. No remote control needed.

Additional covers available separately in Red or Purple nylon and Burgundy or Tan leather to match your style.

Auxiliary input for playing other audio sources, like an MP3 or portable DVD/CD player.

USB port for software updates ensures ongoing Bluetooth device compatibility.

Product Description

Share the music on your mobile phone with sound quality unlike any other Bluetooth speaker. The SoundLink speaker works wirelessly with your iPhone, Android, Blackberry, tablet or laptop-and goes wherever you do for music whenever the moment calls for it.Pair and play the speaker with your Bluetooth device. It's simple-and you only need to do it once. Just press and hold the Bluetooth button on the top panel, then choose the SoundLink speaker from your smartphone or other source. It's now memorized, ready to play in an instant. Nothing to connect or dock. The speaker keeps up to six Bluetooth sources in memory. Play your music files or streaming content like Pandora and Rhapsody.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1,014 of 1,070 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Beautifully designed, good sound, compact size October 26, 2011

By M. Erb HALL OF FAMETOP 10 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Style Name:Nylon|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

Length: 7:58 Mins

UPDATE: 9/27/2012 - Bose has recently released the new SoundLink Bluetooth Wireless speaker II. I have reviewed that separately but simply want to say that it is an evolutionary revision with little change as compared to this SoundLink. In fact, the apparent lower pricing of the original SoundLink would represent a wiser purchase, in my opinion. It could be argued that the new bi-fold design of the cover on the new SoundLink II is actually not as useful as the cover on this SoundLink. See my review of the SoundLink II for all the juicy details.SoundLink® Bluetooth® Mobile Speaker II - Nylon Now back to my original review...

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My rating is closer to 3.5 than 3 stars but Amazon only allows full-star ratings.

I own several bluetooth wireless speaker systems, the most recent of which is this Bose Soundlink. But I also own the Altec Lansing iMW725 inMotion Air Universal Wireless Speaker and considering its sound quality and price, its an extremely worthy consideration.

The Bose Soundlink speaker system is a well-made, except for the aux input on the back panel which looks unfinished, otherwise It is substantial in construction. It's a bit hefty for a truly portable speaker, depending on what your definition of portable is. I've compared the sound of the Bose Soundlink to quite a few other speakers, including the aforementioned Altec-Lansing iMW725 and it's got good sound, but it's certainly not the golden standard by which all speakers should be judged....

The integrated cover/stand protects the speaker when its not in use but also serves as the speaker base/stand when the speaker is in use. The magnetic closure works really well and an added feature is that if the speaker is operating, simply closing the cover automatically turns off the speaker. That's a thoughtful touch.

The speaker just exudes quality. I really don't understand how Bose could leave the aux input looking so unfinished though. It's really odd since it's so obvious. Maybe it's not a big deal, but for a relatively expensive piece of gear, I expect more. If feels good, it looks good and the sound is decent although I would not say it was spectacular.

It does have the ability to play very loud and produces a substantial amount of bass for a speaker so small. Bose is known for doing amazing things in the way their speakers produce bass and this speaker is no exception. However good the bass is, I did find this speaker lacking clarity and definition in the mid and high range. When this speaker is compared side by side to the Altec Lansing iMW725, the difference is profound. I can't tell you it's "better" than the Bose because that is a subjective judgement. For me, I do like the clarity of sound the Altec Lansing provides over the Bose Soundlink. However the Bose does produce more bottom end sound so if that's what you like, you may prefer the Bose for that reason.

The Bose Soundlink has the ability to remember up to 6 different bluetooth devices which is great. If you attempt to add a 7th device, it will simply "forget" one of the previously paired devices to make room for the new device. No worries though, you can always add the "forgotten" device back at a later time.

There is no remote control provided and that's not really a big deal because if you're using an iPhone, for instance, you can control the loudness of the output of the iPhone on the phone itself, as well as stopping, pausing or changing song selections. But I can see where having a remote could be an advantage in some situations.

The volume control lacks any indication of where you are on the scale of loudness although the Bose has a volume indicator that will blink twice when the minimum or maximum level has been reached. But you don't really have any idea where you are on that scale visually.

There is no tone adjustment on the speaker, all adjustments of that nature would have to be made on the device from which the Soundlink is paired to.

The ability to hook up an auxillary device via the provided mini-plug cable is very handy particularly if you want to hook up an mp3 player or other device that does not have any bluetooth capability. I've successfully paired a laptop, iPhone and desktop computer, all with bluetooth to the Soundlink with no difficulty whatsoever.

Overall I like the Bose Soundlink although I don't feel as strongly about the quality of the sound. It is quite compact in size yet is solid. I can't really believe that it gets as loud as it does with little distortion (always remember the "garbage in garbage out" maxim though. It will not magically make low bit-rate mp3's sound good.) It "feels" good, has excellent build quality (except for the funky looking aux input,) it looks good and the batteries last a good long time. You can expect anywhere from 3-6 hours depending on how loud you have the system playing.

I would really recommend you listen to it before purchase if possible. As I've said, the Altec-Lansing iMW725 is 30-40% less in cost and to my ears provides an excellent sound, better balanced with no heaviness or boominess in the low-end, with much better stereo separation than the Bose and it has a remote control! But the form factor is different and in that regard I prefer the Bose.

It's worth mentioning that there are a variety of different colored covers available for the Soundlink. They're a bit pricey but do allow you to make yours stand out from the default grayish cover. And speaking of the cover, I do have some concern as to whether the continual flexing of the cover as you open and close it will eventually lead to issues such as the eventual failure of the stitching or cover material itself at the bending point. Time will tell I guess. I'm not docking any stars for this but I am going to update my review if I ever begin to notice any issues with the cover. Since I don't have the leather cover, but the nylon, I have no idea how the leather cover will fare.

I think the speaker is OK, It is solidly built and seems to have very good build quality. I just don't think that the sound quality is demonstrably better than alternative products. I feel that for the premium price it should be accompanied by clearly superior sound and in my opinion it falls a bit short. However, I think that judging sound is very subjective and what one person may find pleasant, another person may disagree. So for this reason it is important that you listen first and decide after that. It's not a bad speaker system by any stretch but it is what it is.

UPDATE: 4/11/2012 - Bose released a firmware update for the Bose SoundLink speaker a few months ago. There is an application you can download from Bose that will update the firmware if it needs to be updated.
[..]
You can't actually check the firmware version on the Bose SoundLink since there is no display. If you bought your SoundLink recently, it still may have older firmware as it may have been sitting on a shelf for a while. The firmware addresses some bluetooth connectivity issues with iPhones I believe. My SoundLink needed the update since my was purchased several months before the update was released. Read more ›

222 of 238 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Wow! September 27, 2011

By leegart

Style Name:Nylon|Amazon Verified Purchase

I am writing this about five hours after having received the Bose SoundLink Wireless Speaker. I opened the box, took the speaker out and in 2 minutes paired it with my Toshiba Thrive Tablet. I then played some classical music and said to myself, "Oh my goodness!" The sound of these speakers is amazing. The violins sound clear and distinct. Horns sound undistorted and smooth. The piano sounds like you are in the first row of the concert hall. The bass is at just the right mix with the mid-level and higher sounding instruments. The clarity of the sound is what stands out.

I then paired up an IPOD touch and played "Never My Love" by the Association. The vocals were clear and distinct and the instrumentation blended in very nicely. I am no audiophile but I am pretty discriminating. At several volume levels, these speakers sound great. They are among the best I have ever listened to.

With all of this, these speakers are portable because of the built-in battery. You can take these anywhere and have this quality of music. Amazing!

I have not seen any indication of some issues a few critics have mentioned. There was virtually no distortion and the sound did not seem to me to be compressed and equalized as some have observed.

Yes, you are paying a premium for a Bose product, but if you want quality, then this product is worth it.

I look forward to many hours of immersion in my favorite music, sounding very clear and true.

Bose hit a home run with this. I want to make it clear that this is an honest review and I have no connection with Bose whatsoever. Buy this and enjoy. I would give it six stars if I could.

157 of 169 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing Speaker September 25, 2011

By Joshua Easters

Style Name:Nylon

I recently purchased a Jambox because I was looking for a small wireless speaker that I could just throw in a bag and take wherever. While the size of the Jambox was nice, I always felt that it lacked in sound quality and felt the max volume was much too quiet. Thankfully Bose introduced this product while I was still in the return period with the Jambox, so I returned the Jambox and payed the extra in order to get the Soundlink. I was not completely sure what to expect from the Soundlink. I have one of the Sounddock speakers, and the sound from that device is amazing, so I was not expecting it to sound as good due to the smaller size, but just wanted something that surpassed the Jambox in volume and sound quality.

When I got the Soundlink home and tried it out, I was completely surprised. This little thing sounds amazing! As some other reviewers said, this really does make the Jambox sound like a toy in comparison. It really is quite amazing that something this small and portable produces audio that sounds this good. It is significantly larger than the Jambox, but its size still makes it very easy to take around in a bag. If you are looking for a portable, wireless, battery-powered speaker, you will not find a better one than the Soundlink Mobile speaker from Bose.

77 of 81 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars By far the best sounding portable speaker! September 22, 2011

By oluv

Style Name:Leather

If you look at all my other reviews, you might notice that i already tried lots of portable speakers. I must confess that i like bass. I am not a "basshead", but there must be a certain amount of base to make the music sound appealing. I hate shrill speakers that sound like mobile phones and cutoff every frequency below 200hz.
So far the best speaker with a nice sound/size ratio was the Bose Sounddock portable, but it was still too large and heavy to be really carried around.

Now Bose announced the Soundlink mobile speaker a week ago, and I became so curious to hear it that I went to a Bose store the next day with the final result to get out of the store with one Soundlink for myself and an additional red cover.

The Soundlink really impressed me a lot already when I played the first tunes in the Bose store. I was also able to compare it directly to the Sounddock portable and the sound of both is pretty similar. The Soundlink sounds a bit like a slightly downsized version, but I would say that the sound was downsized less, than the overall body.
On the Soundlink the bass doesn't reach that low, or let's say: the resonance frequency is lower on the Sounddock, but more present in the upper bass frequencies on the Soundlink. Still both speakers seem to have a similar range regarding bass response, you can really hear deep bass with the Soundlink despite the minuscule size.
On the Soundlink the treble is a bit more recessed, and there is some frequency hump in the upper-mid frequencies that the Sounddock doesn't have, but overall it sounds still comparable and you will only notice it if you listen to both side by side.... Due to the differently tuned Bass the Soundlink might sound a bit boomy in little rooms, but outside it sounds rich and full and has lots of power unlike most other portable speakers, which just scream around, without any base. It makes lots of fun listening to music with the Soundlink. It has enough base to make you dance. Housekicks have enough energy to be really felt, unlike with other speakers where you can only hear "plock, plock...".
I would even say that older recordings from the 70s and early 80s that weren't mastered with such brutal bass-amounts like modern pieces sound still surprisingly powerful on the Soundlink. I was surprised how good and powerful Quincy Jones' perfectly mastered "The Dude" sounded on the Soundlink, also George Benson's "Breezin'" or "In Flight" sound spectacular on the Soundlink. On the other hand some really bassy recordings might be somewhat over the top. I had a tune where i had to set "Bass reducer" EQ on my Iphone in order to make it sound good.

Compared to the very popular Jambox or Foxl bluetooth speakers, I would say that there's just no comparison. Both Foxl and Jambox sound like toys compared to the Soundlink. The Soundlink really doesn't compromise any frequency of the music. You can hear and feel the bass, the mids are smooth and treble is clear, although i would have preferred it slightly clearer. Especially when listening to the Soundlink off-axis the treble becomes a bit dull. It sounds best when having it directly in front of you.
You can also turn it up pretty loud and it won't distort at all. I often wanted to crank up my Jambox but it already started to distort while being still much too low for my taste. The Bose Soundlink sounds perfect at levels which the Jambox can't even reach. It is only at even higher levels, where you start hearing some slight compression to the peaks of the music. At highest levels also bass level is reduced, but the Soundlink still sounds pretty audible and music never falls apart. I didn't experience any distortion yet and to tell the truth i prefer a slightly compressed sound to a distorted one.

A better competitor to the Soundlink would be the Logitech S715i or their similar upcoming Bluetooth Boombox. Plugged in the Logitech sounds quite good, but the Bose still has a better defined and lower reaching bass. Treble is much harsher on the Logitech. If run from batteries the Logitech loses the whole power and starts sounding shrill while the Soundlink being louder and more powerful in bass department at the same time.
I would even claim that the Soundlink sounds more powerful than the Harman Kardon go+play when run from batteries, this was also my main critisim with the go+play, just like with most other speakers from JBL/HK that they just sound worse from batteries. It impresses me a lot and proves how much of their know-how Bose has put into this speaker and how little other companies do. They all claim to produce full and powerful sound, but none comes even close to the Soundlink.

The maximum volume is certainly lower than the Sounddock portable, I would say the Sounddock is able to play double as loud as the Soundlink. But at highest volume the Sounddock already distorts considerably and compresses music much more than the Soundlink. The Soundlink is still louder than most other portable speakers of this size. If some still know the Virgin Boomtube EX: The Soundlink has a similar high output, while having much more powerful bass!

When I showed my new toy to my wife at first she asked me if was crazy to buy another speaker. But meanwhile she doesn't allow me to use it as she claims it is her's!

Of course the Soundlink cannot compete with mini speakers like Jambox as it is much larger. I think about 4 Jamboxes would fit inside the Soundlink. But even 4 Jamboxes wouldn't sound that convincing like a single Soundlink. And some might argue about the high price, but have a look at the price of the Jambox or a Tivoli PAL, so the price doesn't appear that high anymore. It is also 100 bucks cheaper than the Sounddock portable, if this is not an argument...

I couldn't test the battery life yet. Bose claims 8 hours at normal levels. I am sure it would play even longer as already Bose's claims regarding the Sounddock's battery life were very conservative. The Soundlink battery has 23Wh and is replaceable, although according to Bose there are still no spare parts, but I was able to take the battery off when removing 2 screws with the same Allen key that came for mounting the alternative cover.

If you really want a perfect sounding portable speaker, i think the Bose will just give you that. You cannot put it into your trouser pocket, but it is still small enough to find a place in a bag or backpack!

Kudos to Bose for giving us such a nice little gadget. I am sure me and my wife will have lots of fun with this. The only problem now: What shall we do with our Jambox? ;-)

Update: Now with the recent release of the BIG Jambox I was able to listen to both side by side and I still think that as a portable solution the Soundlink is unbeaten. It has a much better form-factor than the BIG Jambox, which is around 30-40% bigger in overall volume. The sound is better and more refined on the Soundlink. While many tend to think the Soundlink sounds too muffled or too boomy, in reality it has a stronger Bass in order not to get lost when played outside. Played inside in small rooms the Bass can indeed become a bit too much. If you think the same, try applying the following trick: Turn up the Soundlink-volume to the maximum, at the same time turn down the volume on your player accordingly. As the Soudnlink reduces Bass at highest volume settings (in order to avoid distortion), you will notice that with this trick treble and bass will fit together much better, no need for any additional EQ-Settings etc. Read more ›