Bose SoundLink Dwelling Overview | Tom’s Data
Bose SoundLink Dwelling specs
Worth: $219
Colors: Cool Gray, Mild Silver
Dimension: 4.3″ H x 8.5″ W x 2.3″ D
Weight: 2 kilos
Battery life (rated): 9 hours
Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.3
Bluetooth range: as a lot as 30 toes (9 m)
Personalized EQ: No
Multi-speaker connectivity: Positive
When my Mom says one factor ‘appears good’ and tries to work out methods through which it could match into the lounge decor, you understand that it doesn’t appear to be standard audio gear. The reality is, there’s only one issue she’s completed it with sooner than — a small Bluetooth speaker that now will get moved throughout the nation for various fully completely different conferences. The second, and most recent is the Bose SoundLink Dwelling.
I agree with my Mom. I consider the model new SoundLink residence appears good, with its panels of grey fabric, and unbroken metallic band that surrounds the pores and skin. I’m doing my best to ensure that this one stays firmly inside my fingers, nonetheless, because of it’s really, really good.
From one of the best ways that it sounds to one of the best ways it manages to fill a room with audio, I’ve come to primarily admire the simplicity of the SoundLink Dwelling. To me, it merely ranks among the many many best Bluetooth audio system spherical, and whereas it will not be essentially the most value efficient, it must be extreme in your itemizing of Bluetooth audio system for the home.
Bose SoundLink Dwelling: Cheat Sheet
What’s it? A extremely fashionable Bluetooth speaker.
What does it worth? $219.
Who’s it for? People who want a nice-looking speaker for carrying spherical the house, or leaving in a single spot indefinitely. It’s not one for taking out and about on account of its lack of water and dustproofing.
What can we like? The way in which through which that it sounds, one of the best ways that it appears.
What don’t we like? The dearth of app assist, and the worth.
Bose SoundLink Dwelling: Worth and availability
- It’s not low value
- You can solely buy it from Bose
The SoundLink Dwelling should not be an reasonably priced Bluetooth speaker. It’ll worth you $219, a whole lot larger than audio system of a comparable dimension. The newly launched SoundLink Flex Gen 2 costs $149 — a whole $70 a lot much less — nonetheless you don’t get the flamboyant design from the Dwelling. The Dwelling moreover sounds increased, with a richer, further mature sound signature. That doesn’t suggest that the Home is worth the extra, nonetheless it goes some choice to explaining why it has been priced as such.
There’s further availability weirdness along with. The speaker is barely accessible inside the U.S. as of time of writing, and there’s no clue as as to if it could journey all through the seas or not. It’s moreover solely accessible on the Bose website. That’s no draw back, nonetheless it does suggest it is a should to rely upon a single provide to your new speaker.
There is a bundle you can purchase that locations two of them within the equivalent subject (and use them linked collectively in stereo mode) for the same worth as searching for two individually. Come on Bose, only a bit low value for getting two will be good.
Bose SoundLink Dwelling: Design
That is doubtless one of many giant highlights of the SoundLink Dwelling. As a result of its ceaseless metallic band throughout the outside and clear fabric facias on each side, there’s a form of retro minimalism to the whole factor. It wouldn’t look misplaced in a darkish wood-covered sixties office, alongside reclining leather-based chairs and a pervasive mist of tobacco smoke.
It’s positively a speaker that’s not designed to be moved spherical very rather a lot. It’s not considerably heavy at 2 kilos, nonetheless you get the feeling that Bose wants you to find a spot for it and let it dwell there for the dimensions of its hold in your own home. There’s no carrying take care of to speak of (although the elevated metallic foot might probably be used as such), and there’s no water or dustproofing that you simply simply might anticipate from one factor that’s designed for outside use. That’s completely an indoor speaker.
It wouldn’t look misplaced in a darkish wood-covered sixties office, alongside reclining leather-based chairs and a pervasive mist of tobacco smoke.
It’s a straightforward affair all through the very best as successfully, with a sequence of buttons for administration. There’s an affect button, a pairing button, a amount key, and a wise button. That closing button does just a few varied issues. When used together with the minus amount button you’ll change the language of the standing voice, as an illustration. Its most essential job is to connect two SoundLink Homes collectively for stereo listening.
Previous the dearth of weatherproofing, the speaker is constructed like just a little bit fabric-covered tank. The metallic exudes top quality, and offers some heft to the speaker. The fabric grills on the doorway and the once more actually really feel top-notch, and easily acquired right here out on prime as soon as I dropped the speaker from waist prime onto my office room’s carpeted flooring. The buttons click on on with reassurance, they often actually really feel associated adequate to their metallic atmosphere that I’d wager they’re made out of the equivalent stuff. In hand, the SoundLink Dwelling looks as if its worth every penny of that prime asking worth.
Bose SoundLink Dwelling: Connectivity
- Bluetooth solely, no Wi-Fi
- USB-C audio connection
That’s the place some people might take umbrage to the SoundLink Dwelling. The one strategy to attach with the speaker is thru Bluetooth 5.3, and it doesn’t hook up with the Bose app identical to the SoundLink Flex 2. To me this isn’t a deal breaker, nonetheless it does elevate an attention-grabbing question regarding the speaker itself.
As I’ve already talked about, the SoundLink Dwelling looks as if a speaker that’s designed to take a seat down concerning the residence, collaborating in you music from its fairly eternal residence. It’s not going to go looking out its strategy outside, and if it does, it solely be when the local weather is truthful. An absence of Wi-Fi feels uncommon, notably given its presence in several Bose Bluetooth audio system.
I, for one, am not too bothered by the Bluetooth-only connection and lack of app. There’s a element of simplicity that comes with a Bluetooth devoted speaker, and given it’s a small audio machine, you’re not going to reap too a lot of the sound top quality benefits that embody a W-Fi connection.
When you occur to truly want the extra fidelity it’s essential use the USB-C audio mode, and play your music over a cable. That does ship some audio extras, nonetheless not adequate to make you desire to for a Wi-Fi connection. Positive, it’s further restricted, nonetheless I on no account found myself asking for further in my testing.
Bose SoundLink Dwelling: Choices
As I alluded to sooner than, you’ll be part of two SoundLink Dwelling gadgets collectively for stereo sound. You provoke it with the button on the very best, after which benefit from a wider soundstage than a single speaker is ready to pumping out.
Previous that, there’s not rather a lot. No customizable EQ, no sound modes, and nothing that the SoundLink Flex 2 will get. As soon as extra, though, I on no account found myself missing them over my testing, however once they’re points that bother you, you’ll want the additional transportable Bose selection.
Bose SoundLink Dwelling: Sound
For such a small speaker, the SoundLink Dwelling does a stellar job at filling a room with sound. Whereas it could solely be a mono speaker, as nearly every model this dimension is, there’s some clever audio trickery to make it seem a whole lot greater. It’s capable of sending some thick, chunky lows out too, adequate to make the underside of my seat rumble in my small testing home. I found it best to concentrate a small distance away. When you’re too close to it, like subsequent to you on a desk, the lower notes can flip into overwhelming. When a suitable distance away it should get further of a chance to breathe, and the music widens out.
The dance beats of Porter Robinson’s Shelter are impactful and deep, with a great deal of mid-bass hit. The synthesized vocal line ebbs and flows amongst the layered soundscape, although the compression on the digital drum line is immediately obvious. It’s a comfortable effectivity fairly than a vigorous one, as you might anticipate from one factor designed for the home, nonetheless it’s a pleasant one nonetheless.
Caligula’s Horse’ and The World Breathes With Me deal with a suitably spacious, proggy experience. The speaker doesn’t have the very best dynamic range, so the quieter components are largely the equivalent amount as a result of the louder ones, nonetheless its nonetheless a shocking listen. The vocal strains are a highlight proper right here, with some good readability to the sung components of the monitor. The dancing bass guitar is loads of fulfilling as successfully, nonetheless when the quantity is cranked it almost turns into an extreme quantity of.
Lastly, Windowlicker by Aphex Twin brings an altogether further… unhinged time for listeners. The sub-bass kick is bigger than present proper right here, whereas the vocal affectations layer extreme of the modulated synths with confidence. It’s loads of fulfilling, that’s for constructive, and it highlights the facility of the speaker to sound greater than its physique suggests.
Bose SoundLink Dwelling: Battery life
Battery life must be stronger, and it’s the precept downside I’ve with the Bose SoundLink residence. It solely nets you 9 hours of listening on a price, and I acquired spherical that whereas I listening all through a chunk day. Given it’s going to be in and spherical the house it’s unlikely going to be too distant from an outlet, nonetheless it must get larger than 9 hours. The equally sized SoundLink Flex 2 will get as a lot as 12 hours out of a price, so it’s uncommon that this one doesn’t. It’s my one fundamental mark in direction of the speaker.
Bose SoundLink Dwelling: Verdict
The Bose SoundLink Dwelling is a superb speaker, make little query about it. It appears good sitting spherical in your lounge, and in case you get two, you’ve the makings of a powerful little residence audio reply. Nonetheless there are just a few points that I can’t overlook that stop it from getting the entire 5 stars.
It’s pretty expensive and turns into way more so if you are going to buy two for stereo mode. If you need an equivalent experience nonetheless don’t must spend as rather a lot, then you have to take into consideration the SoundLink Flex 2. The battery life will be lower than par, as 9 hours merely isn’t adequate endurance in 2024. Nonetheless to me, these are minor factors with what’s in another case an exquisite Bluetooth speaker.
