I use to own the Bose soundlink revolve+ and I liked the sound from it but it was eventually beat out by the Zipp 2 mainly because of the Zipps ability to connect to WIFI and play radio internet stations through the feature rich app which had a type of EQ. the revolve has none of this and at the time I wished it did. The Zipp 2 was also superior in sound.
I received the Bose Portable Home Speaker and setup was pretty straight forward. I long awaited Bose to offer a portable WIFI/Bluetooth speaker and now it is here. It works well with WIFI and Bluetooth. No early dropout. At first listen it wasn’t bad. It has more low end than the revolve+ but it seemed to leave the mids sounding a bit thin. I also noticed that there is a large boost around 85hZ that comes in and drops off sharply as music plays. I think this is due to the design of the passive radiators. There are 3 instead of 2 now. I think Bose are pushing the limit of what the speaker can do and it is a balancing act they usually win but this speaker is not the case. It is that resonating frequency that annoys me because it is so loud compared to all other frequencies.
The only other issue I have is that even at low volume the music sounds over compressed sometimes. You usually don’t get this affect until higher volumes. It is also annoying and not like Bose to do that.
I listen to everything from smooth jazz to hip hop although I prefer jazz so it has been tested with all types of music.
For it’s size it is still amazing that it can produce the sound it does. I think a software update could fix these issues.
On a good note the app works really well with the Bose Portable Home Speaker and even offers a Bass and Treble adjustment. Definitely a first for Bose.
I am a sound engineer so you might not notice these flaws like I did and I know that this is not designed to be a reference speaker so I do not have those types of expectations I have simply owned almost all major brand Bluetooth speakers and many off brands at one time or another. So I know what to expect due to size, design, and price point. For a price of $349.99 this should be up there with the best sounding Bluetooth speakers on the market. Let’s hope Bose sends an update to remedy this.
Update: 9/8/20
The Zipp 2 proved to be a great speaker until it would no longer connect to airplay. I ended up giving it to a friend after purchasing the Sonos Move. It has all the features as the above but sounded way better, and if you are familiar with the app it is pretty amazing and works seamlessly with many different music platforms. Search for Spotify, SiriusXM, Apple Music, Hulu, and title plus more off from the app using one search and it will give you results for each music service all in one. Anytime you move the Sonos Move, hence the name, it will use it seven different microphones to adjust The sound to your surroundings to give it the best possible sound no matter where you put it. It is quite amazing how flat and uncolored the sound is with only a little extra zest in the lower end. Compared to the Bose portable home speaker the cost is $499 but it also includes a halo shaped charger that is very slim and sits on a desk or table and all you do is simply set the Sonos Move in the dock and it will start charging. The Bose portable home speaker charging cradle was a separate cost and it was not included in the original purchase of the speaker itself. I was able to get 12 hours of battery life at a decent volume. Believe me this thing gets pretty loud so it can cover a party no problem whether it’s inside or out and maintains the superb sound that Sonos is famous for. I was able to get 12 hours of battery life at a decent volume. Believe me this thing gets pretty loud so it can cover a party no problem whether it’s inside or out and maintains the superb sound that Sonos is famous for.
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