Bose SoundLink Color Bluetooth Speaker (Black)

When my Bose SoundLink Mini started going on the fritz I went on a spree buying replacements. This review will compare what I ended up with. Note: I did NOT get any of these free in exchange for this review, but wish I knew how so many people seem to do so these days, as I'd probably write more reviews, seeing as almost every day is Christmas here thanks to Amazon (just ask the UPS and FedEx guys who know my dogs by name now, lol).The speakers are: Bose SoundLink Color, Bose SoundLink Mini, Bose SoundTouch 30, Inateck MarsBox BP2002 Bluetooth Speaker and Alpatronix AX320 Rugged Splashproof Bluetooth Speaker.The Color is overall the best of the four portables IMHO, so I will use it as the main comparator.Color vs. the Mini:I think the Color has overall better sound than the Mini for general purposes, especially at relatively loud volume, though in reading reviews, I know some others disagree. I don't play classical music on it, just classic rock and such (see below). The sound between the two is very different if you flip back and forth within one song, which the iPod Touch 6 allows me to do, as it will pair with both at once. The difference in sound is rather like the difference in shape of the speakers almost. The Mini is more like the larger Bose speakers. It has deep, rich sound in the lower ranges at the expense of including the upper ranges as fully, so sounds kind of flat sometimes compared with the Color if you go back and forth. The Color has, well, more colorful sound, in terms of having the full-spectrum of sound more equally. It doesn't have quite the depth in the lower ranges, though you can overcome some of that by setting your sound equalizer setting appropriately (discussed later). I guess it depends what kind of music you mostly listen to and what you like. Boston, John Denver and Fleetwood Mac sound better on the Mini; Rush, Journey and AC/DC better on the Color -- though both are more than acceptable on either, especially compared with other speakers. (Yes, I'm a product of the 70s and 80s, I listen to that kind of music.) It's more noticeable the further away you are. I often sit right next to the speaker, in which case it isn't as noticeable, at medium volumes. What is noticeable if you switch with it next to you is that the Color is much, much louder at the same volume setting. I was testing sound quality from across the room at about 15 feet at maximum volume, at which point the quality difference is sometimes striking.The Color is more reliable than the Mini ever was. It works well with two of three of my iPods (a Touch 6, Touch 5 and a Nano 7; the Mini won't pair with the Nano). It tells you (literally speaks to you) when the battery is getting low and will run well when it is on the charger (though I try not to so as to not potentially ruin the battery). The Mini will sometimes die even when plugged in for inexplicable reasons, it's kind of like it overheats or something, because it will come back on after 5-15 minutes for awhile again. The Mini won't work now even when plugged in if the battery is totally dead. The Mini stopped working with it's base and will only charge when plugged in directly. Not a big deal, but strange. I was never sure what the purpose of the base was anyway. The Color is lighter and more portable and has withstood several drops from a few feet off the ground. I don't know for sure how long the battery lasts as I wasn't really paying close attention when working all night. I'd estimate about 6-8 hours depending on how loud you play the music, vs 2-4 for the Mini (though I may have wrecked the battery life on the Mini by leaving it plugged in much of the time -- not sure if it is one that needs to be regularly fully charged and discharged to maintain life, but suspect it is).Color and Mini vs. Bose SoundTouch 30:Got the SoundTouch 30 because I was tired of little speakers running out of battery when working all night and because I wanted something louder than the little speakers. Well, the SoundTouch doesn't run out of battery because it plugs in and it is definitely louder when used with the iPod Touches. With the Nano the loudest ones are the non-Bose speakers yet to be discussed, but the SoundTouch at least produces sound you can hear adequately if sitting within 3-4 feet of it with the Nano. It has the kind of sound you expect from a larger Bose speaker, blowing the Back in Black album out of the water at high volume with the iPod Touch. It can connect with all sorts of other things if one is so inclined to use it that way. I live in the middle of nowhere with DSL worse than dial-up, so don't anticipate using those functions. It does remember which iPod it connected with last and will find that easily, or whatever else is turned on if that one isn't available. However, it doesn't remember to go to Bluetooth first, instead looking for the wireless network, so I have to always push the button to get it to go to that, which is kind of annoying. When playing it side-by-side with the Mini and the Color, the Color performed admirably with things like Fleetwood Mac (less bass) when compared at somewhat similar volumes (max for the Color, about half-max for the SoundTouch), but no comparison with something like Back in Black. The Mini couldn't achieve adequate volume to compare and it's bass advantage over the Color disappeared when compared with this, so was the worst of the three. These comparisons were at about 10 feet (across the room in the other direction due to location of the SoundTouch). Close up, putting them next to each other about 3 feet behind me, there wasn't much difference between the two in terms of which I'd prefer, even with AC/DC, at lower volume, actually. The advantage of the SoundTouch in that circumstance is that it doesn't run on a battery. But AC/DC is meant to be cranked, and the SoundTouch is truly great for that. For a portable speaker the Color holds its own in that regard. The Mini wasn't up to the job.Bose Color vs. Inateck MarsBox:The MarsBox is a decent little speaker. It's hardly fair to compare anything to a Bose after all. It doesn't have as full sound as the Color or as much power when used with the iPod Touch at full volume. I went back and forth between the two playing "The Devil Went Down to Georgia" with the Touch 6, since it can connect to two devices at once, for example. The Bose is much louder overall and a bit fuller with the fiddle music. Interestingly, with the iPod Nano, the Color will pair with it just fine, but even with the Nano turned up to max volume, I could not hear it at all unless I put it up to my ear, and then barely. On the Marsbox I could hear it fine across the room 15 feet away with a noisy pellet stove blowing in the background. With the iPod Touch it was about twice as loud as with the Nano at max volume on the MarsBox, so the power of the device obviously makes a difference with these types of speakers. The MarsBox can also be used as a speaker phone whereas as far as I can tell, the Color cannot. It paired with my 12 year old flip phone and worked to make and answer calls. The person on the other end said it was muffled and difficult to hear; however my cell service is poor, so we aren't sure if it was the speaker or poor reception/old phone on my end. In any case, it did do as advertised, even with a 12 year old flip phone in an area with poor cell service. May work better with a modern smart phone in an area with better cell coverage, lol. The radio function works, though the controls are a bit of a mystery (I lost the directions) and it would only find a Bible-reading station. The radio reception here, like with cell phones and internet and everything else is rather sketchy (I live in the woods in the middle of nowhere). However, as it was seeking others would come on, but it would blow by them and I couldn't find a way to stop it to see if they had enough reception to work. I will probably leave this speaker at work to play "Boat Drinks" (Jimmy Buffet - "I shot 6 holes in my freezer. I think I got cabin fever...") for my patients complaining they aren't doing well right now, as they seem to forget every year that February in the Wisconsin Northwoods is a dreary time for all. It will work well for that purpose.Alpatronix AX320 vs Inateck MarsBox (briefly, as you can't compare a little pocket speaker to a Bose):Alpatronix AX320 is a little speaker meant for the shower and carrying around, so different from the above. It is about as loud as the MarsBox, has good sound for this type of speaker, better than the MarsBox with certain types of music, and plays well with the Nano. You can clip it to your belt/waistband, stick it in a shirt pocket (if you have a man's shirt with a decent pocket), or probably tie the wrist strap to something. Only downer is there is no place to attach a carabiner, but I found a way around that. I removed the wrist strap and stuck a piece of pipe cleaner through it to make a loop to attach a clip to, then put a piece of rope through that to tie it around my neck. Definitely worth the small amount of money I paid for it to have a relatively loud stereo speaker I can wear around with me as I am doing things outside on my property if I don't feel like wearing headphones that get tangled up in the things I'm carrying, like tree branches, for example, or running around up and down three flights of stairs carrying things reorganizing the house.To make the best of the sound on any of these speakers takes a little fiddling and trial and error with the equalizer setting on the iPod or whatever device you are playing from. I found that for artists like Bob Seger, Billy Joel, Arlo Guthrie, etc. the "Lounge" setting is noticeably better than all the rest. For most others the "Treble Reducer" setting is better than the others, even "Bass Booster" or "Small Speakers" with much fuller sound. "Late Night" sometimes produces interesting effects. The specific ones like "Rock" or "Latin" or whatever generally don't sound very good, so wouldn't waste my time, but easy enough to check for yourself. In any case, do check for yourself, as it made a huge difference when I discovered that under the music settings on my iPod.Well, that's it, and that's more than enough, if you are still reading. I tried to put in product links, but couldn't make it work. Sorry. If this review was at all helpful to you, please click yes. If it wasn't, please click no. It helps me to know, so that I can decide whether or not to spend my time writing reviews. Any comments or questions are welcome as well. Thanks and good luck finding what you need :)I just ordered another even littler speaker. Will update if useful. (Addendum: new little WAAV rocker is the BEST for wearing around, lasts 4.5 hours, see pics of tiny WAAV rocker and AX320 around my neck.)

First off, this item does not need any more reviews. It has plenty. But I feel I need to write one because, while there are a lot of reviewers who "get it" there are many who do not. This is a portable speaker. It was designed to be taken with you. It is *not* meant to replace your home theater system. So, to be fair you should only be comparing this speaker to other portable Bluetooth speakers. OK, so now we've got that out of the way. Here is what I was looking for when I set out to find a worthy replacement for my previous Bluetooth speaker - I wanted a good-sounding speaker that was portable enough, and rugged enough that I could take it with me when I travel, to the beach, on my deck, in my garage, in my workout room, and even as a tail-gating music source. Notice that I did not mention anything about replacing my home theater system!To set the record straight, I am not an audiophile although I do love music and know enough about AV equipment that I feel I can provide a relatively thorough review. Next, I want to mention the categories that are important to me when evaluating a portable speaker:1. Sound quality2. Portability3. ConnectivityLet's talk about #3 first. It is, by no means, the most important consideration BUT trust me - if you cannot easily connect your source device to your Bluetooth speaker it is a major bummer. I know from experience. My previous Bluetooth speaker (which sounded pretty darn good) took all sorts of voodoo magic to get my iPhone to connect (ie: turn Bluetooth on, turn speaker on, forget connected device, turn Bluetooth off, reboot speaker, cross fingers, turn Bluetooth back on, etc). And most of the time this routine was unsuccessful! So, believe me when I tell you that ease of connectivity is a feature not to be underrated. With that said, the connectivity on this device is amazing. It works exactly as I expect. Let me clarify - if you have Bluetooth enabled on your source (eg: iPhone) and you then turn on this speaker, it will connect instantly. However, if you turn on the speaker first, and *then* enable Bluetooth on your iPhone you will likely have to choose the device from your list and press it. But that's it. It works each and every time. Frustration factor = zero!OK, now for the really important aspect - sound quality. Here's my one word review - Fantastic. Now, for the details. For comparison purposes I am going to explain how I reached my conclusion with respect to two other speakers which I compared against. The first one was the Cambridge Soundworks Oontz Angle Plus. I have been a fan of this company for almost 30 years so I had high expectations. When I received the Oontz I excitedly tore it from its shipping container and set it up immediately. And I was immediately disappointed. Have you ever taken your iPhone and stuck it inside an empty glass? It's actually a quick way to amplify and enhance the sound that emanates from the built-in speakers. The Oontz sounded slightly better than that. Not what I was looking for. So that went back to Amazon (easy returns as always). The next one I tried (actually I tried two together) were the Bose Soundlink Mini and the Bose Soundlink Color (the one you're reading about). My search ended here. For the record I chose to listen to the re-mastered version of Fleetwood Mac's "Dreams" as my test track. It has a great combination of highs, mids and lows while not being over-laden with studio trickery and post-production enhancements. First, the Mini. This one sounds fantastic and, to my ears, sounds even better than the Color. It has a deep, warm bass that is so characteristic of Bose products. I have to say I really loved the sound. If you're like me, you probably have some audiophile friends who constantly disparage this company and its products. It's understandable. I liken it to the way a wine connoisseur treats boxed wine. Basically, Bose makes top-notch audio equipment for non-audiophiles. Since most of us do the majority of our music-listening in rooms other than recording studios, we know what sounds good to our ears and that's all that really counts. For the record, I have drank some tasty boxed wine.So if the Mini sounds so good, why then did I choose the Color? Like I said in the beginning, I wanted something uber-portable. While the Mini is small it just doesn't scream "portability". It's a rather elegant piece of audio equipment. It's also heavy. I mean heavy in terms of not wanting to haul it around in a backpack or a cooler. The Mini would be an ideal choice for someone living in an apartment who wants to occasionally move their music from the living room to the bedroom. I just wouldn't feel comfortable dropping it in the sand. In other words it doesn't look like it was designed to go outdoors.When I compared the sound of the Mini to the Color I did not hear a huge difference. If I had, I probably would have rationalized some way to make the Mini more portable and "go-anywhere" (eg: there are some nice silicon covers available for the Mini that make it a bit more portable). It's worth mentioning that the $70 price differential also helped tip the scales in favor of the Color. I wouldn't let $70 be the deciding factor in my choice but it didn't hurt, either.One additional advantage the Color has over the Mini is that it can be charged using a standard USB-micro cable. While not a deal-breaker, it is nice knowing that, when I travel, I will not have to lug around an extra cable and power-supply.Bottom line - the Bose Soundlink Color has the best combination of sound, portability, and usability that I know of. I am impressed every time I turn this thing on and start cranking tunes.*** Update June 29, 2015 ***This sucker is still going strong and now that I've owned it for about a half year let me provide some deeper insights:1. The battery life is beyond impressive. I rarely have to charge it and when it *does* get close to needing a charge it gives you ample warning - kinda like the fuel gauge on your dashboard (you just know you still have like 60 miles before you bonk out).2. This morning I knocked the speaker off the table onto the hard concrete slab floor in my basement. I mean it took a beating. Bounced around and everything. I half-expected to find myself grieving humpty-dumpty style over a pile of blue plastic shrapnel. But much to my surprise the Bose was unscathed - not even a scratch! So let's just go ahead and add another category - Durability, for which this thing rates an A+But all is not perfect in Bose-land. Yes, I can be critical, as well. So here it is. I think the ergonomics of the design could be improved by making the base a little larger than the top. In other words I would prefer a more tapered design. Although it is durable to a fault, it is also a tad topsy-turvy. Hopefully a future model will incorporate that design "opportunity". Despite that trivial shortcoming, I have only managed to topple the Color once during the 6-months that I've owned it.*** Update December 17, 2015 ***I recently took my speaker on a business trip and used it to create white noise in my hotel room (long story). Anyway, I forgot to plug it in before I fell asleep. It ran all night into the morning CRANKING so loud so that it literally sounded like an industrial air conditioner. The punch line is that it was still going strong 8 or 9 hours later. So anyone who disparages the battery life of this thing must have had a dud because mine is a freakin' trooper.