Bose SoundLink Flex 2 overview
Bose SoundLink Flex gen 2 specs:
Value: $149
Colors: Alpine Sage, Black, Blue Dusk, Sandstone
Measurement: 3.56″ D x 7.93″ W x 2.06″ H
Weight: 1.2 kilos
Battery life (rated): 12 hours
Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.3
Bluetooth range: as a lot as 30 ft (9 m)
Custom-made EQ: Certain
Sturdiness: IP67 water and dustproofing
Multi-speaker connectivity: Certain
The model new Bose SoundLink Flex 2, the successor to the distinctive, not-so-hotly reviewed Bose SoundLink Flexwill get rather more correct. The design is pitch good, although it’s an equivalent to the ultimate model. The model new app connectivity is extraordinarily useful, and an infinite step up from what bought right here sooner than. It possibly stumbles a little bit of inside the spaciousness of its audio and likewise you’ll must dial inside the EQ settings to get it to sound exactly the way in which during which you want, nonetheless whenever you’re accomplished it sounds good.
The problem? $149 is not a small amount of money to ask for — significantly compared with the affordable-but-still-great-sounding $79 UE mini roll — so it has to do better than look good to present a great price proposition. The marginally slim soundstage, significantly, is a matter proper right here, nonetheless not one which I uncover to be an outright deal-breaker.
No matter that elevated sticker price, the SoundLink Flex gen 2 ought to search out your self in your consideration guidelines in your subsequent Bluetooth speaker. It’s an infinite enchancment on the distinctive Flex regardless that it’s not pretty as loud or as spacious-sounding as among the many best Bluetooth audio system.
Bose SoundLink Flex gen 2: Cheat Sheet
What’s it? A Bluetooth speaker good for indoor and outside use.
What does it worth? $159.
Who’s it for? If you would like a go-anywhere, do-anything Bluetooth speaker that seems large slick, that’s the speaker for you.
What’s going to we like? Its rugged assemble and steady sound.
What don’t we like? The marginally slim soundstage
Bose SoundLink Flex gen 2: Value and availability
- There are cheaper selections
At $149, the SoundLink Flex 2 is out there in at an equivalent degree to the Remaining Ears Megaboom 4 and the JBL Value 5. These two selections are barely additional at $169, nonetheless they’re greater and would possibly go barely louder. The Bose does sound increased to our ears, however, and the provides utilized in growth are of higher top quality with metal and silicon barely than cloth and plastic.
Not just like the model new SoundLink Homethough, the SoundLink Flex 2 is obtainable all around the world in a variety of assorted territories. In case you want to buy one inside the UK, it is going to worth you £149 — the U.S. seems to be getting the upper deal proper right here.
Bose SoundLink Flex gen 2: Design
- Delicate attractiveness
- Robust, metal growth
- Silicon is a mud and detritus magnet
Bose’s house mannequin is one which I really, really like. It doesn’t shout too loud about its additional premium price, and it’s adequately delicate to swimsuit into most completely various kinds of room decor. I really like that the Flex 2 stands out with its variety of colors, which are all some shade of sunshine, straightforward pastel. The Alpine Shade color, a surprising minty inexperienced, is very praise-worthy and I really feel it seems good.
Not solely does it look good, it’s constructed correctly too because of its metal growth. The first physique of the speaker, which lies below its silicon outer shell, is color-matched to the floor fully. The unmistakable chilly contact of metal supplies the speaker a method of price, worth, and sturdiness. It moreover supplies some much-needed heft to proceedings, although your entire package deal deal continues to be fairly gentle at virtually 1.3 kilos.
I’ve just one criticism regarding the silicon coating that surrounds the speaker: In case you place the speaker in your backpack, its flooring has a conduct of selecting up little bits of lint, mud, and extraneous bits of fabric. It’s nothing a little bit of wipe with a moist cloth gained’t restore, but it surely certainly’s worth noting provided that it is going to usually reside in some sort of backpack or purse.
Controlling the speaker is straightforward adequate, with the requisite buttons all through the best. There’s power, play/pause, pairing, amount up and down, after which a shortcut button. That last button might be personalised inside the Bose app to utilize a voice assistant. Decisions for the shortcut embody activating one-tap Spotify, or linking two audio system together with the ‘Speaker Hyperlink’ carry out. The latter comes as a result of the default alternative out of the sphere.
Bose SoundLink Flex gen 2: Connectivity
- Bluetooth 5.3
- Bose app compliance
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Connectivity-wise, you’re a fairly common set of inputs for a speaker in 2024. There’s Bluetooth 5.3 connectivity for one, so there’s going to be a lot much less latency between the audio and video you is prone to be watching. There’s no Wi-Fi like totally different Bose audio system, although for $149 and 12 hours of battery life you wouldn’t anticipate it.
The speaker moreover hooks as a lot as Bose’s great app, so that you presumably can customise quite a few completely totally different elements of the speaker. This wasn’t obtainable on the sooner model, so it’s a pleasing bonus to have proper right here.
There’s a USB-C port on the side of the speaker, although that’s solely used for charging barely than USB audio provide from, say, a PC or smartphone. That’s a shame, but it surely certainly’s not one factor I ever found myself wishing for.
Bose SoundLink Flex gen 2: Choices
- Stereo and event mode
- PositionIQ tuning
The Bose app compatibility is the precept additional attribute proper right here. That was absent on the sooner mannequin of the Flex, and proper right here it makes for a additional well-rounded Bluetooth speaker. There are some issues you’ll be able to do with the app: The first is to change the carry out of the shortcut button, as I’ve talked about sooner than. Then there’s the availability half, which lets you initialize the multipoint connection.
Then there’s an essential part of the app — the EQ settings. Proper right here, you get a three-band equalizer that lets you dial inside the sound to be additional to your fashion. It’s environment friendly too, and whereas I’ll get into the way in which it really works later, merely know that it’s a big soar over the older model.
Lastly, there’s the concepts button, which tells you the way in which your speaker works. It’s all fairly self-explanatory, but it surely certainly’s worth taking a look in an effort to review the ins and outs of your new gadget within the occasion you’re new to the Bose ecosystem of audio system.
You may too be part of a lot of copies of the speaker together with the Stereo mode and Celebration options, although there is a stipulation: You’ll’t be part of the model new model to the outdated model and you might solely provoke stereo mode with one different Flex Gen 2. Celebration mode is barely completely totally different in that it performs the equivalent music barely than a stereo signal over 2 audio system (for additional amount and punch barely than additional immersion), which is a pleasing attribute, nonetheless you may want to select up a second Flex 2 should you want the perfect sound.
Bose SoundLink Flex gen 2: Sound
- You’ll need to make use of the EQ
- Lacks broad soundstage
- For its class, it is rather good
Bose hasn’t really executed all that lots to the {{hardware}} contained within the SoundLink Flex 2, but it surely certainly does permit you to play with the signature in an effort to get the sound you want. Whilst you pull the speaker from the sphere, it is going to sound almost an equivalent to the Gen 1 SoundLink speaker, with some chunky bass that manages to overtake among the many additional delicate highs. In case you alter the EQ inside the Bose app, however, you might get some good sound out of the SoundLink Flex 2.
Whereas there’s a great deal of bass inside the stock configuration, it’s fairly skinny. I found that cranking it up spherical 5 to six areas acquired me the definition and have an effect on that I was trying to find. I principally left the mids alone, although you may want to lower them by spherical 1 to let the highs sing a bit of additional. On these highs, I like them to have additional presence so as to not be taken over by the mid-bass. I raised them up three areas, although you may want to dial in them in a setting lower for barely a lot much less crispness up excessive.
As quickly as all dialed in, the SoundLink gen 2 manages a additional collaborating audio effectivity than its predecessor, although it’s nonetheless a little bit of lazy in the long run.
Delain’s Moth to a Flame has a great deal of bounce, and whereas the speaker does an admirable job of inserting some emphasis on the vocal strains, it struggles with among the many vitality. There’s some good edge to the distorted guitars because of a mid-heavy signature, and there’s some depth and have an effect on to the bass. You gained’t be succesful to select every pluck of a bass string, nonetheless you’ll have a superb hear in some other case.
There’s a lot to like proper right here within the occasion you alter over to 1 factor additional stripped once more. Mykur’s Leaves of Yggdrasil will get picked out in good aspect. The plucks of the strings are specific and actual, whereas Myrkur’s haunting vocal effectivity supplies methodology to simply delivered violin strains. There’s some aspect misplaced when the piece will get additional involved, nonetheless the last word piano notes finalize an ethereal effectivity.
Proper right here on Earth by Tim McGraw is a sort of songs that sounds good on nearly one thing you’re taking heed to it on, and the SoundLink Flex 2 isn’t any completely totally different. There’s some hefty weight to the background synth strains, whereas the bagpipes peer by means of and the guitars sing. It’s a massively layered observe, and whereas some get misplaced alongside the way in which during which, there’s nonetheless lots to take pleasure in.
There’s just one predominant downside with the sound of the SoundLink Flex gen 2 — and that’s the sound stage. There’s a profound directionality of the audio, the place I normally like my Bluetooth audio system to create one which’s lots broader. The Bose SoundLink Home is great on this regard, nonetheless the speaker we’ve acquired proper right here isn’t pretty almost nearly as good. It could very effectively be fixed with stereo mode, nonetheless you then’re spending $300 on a wider soundstage.
Bose SoundLink Flex gen 2: Battery life
About par for the course, the SoundLink Flex gen 2 lasts throughout the same as comparable audio system in its class. Remember that the 12 hours does depend on how loud you’re taking heed to the speaker, so within the occasion you crank the quantity and dial up the bass you’ll get fewer hours on a value.
In fact, Bose says you’ll solely get 3 hours when listened to at max amount. I found this out the onerous method as soon as I went to verify the bass response and the way in which correctly it would fill a room — I was about to resolve on a model new observe after just a few hours of listening, and it stopped.
Most listening isn’t going to defeat it, however.
Bose SoundLink Flex gen 2: Verdict
Very not usually do I uncover myself wanting to buy a second sample of 1 factor I’ve been despatched for overview. In my line of labor, you get despatched so many different gadgets of drugs that you just don’t need to buy one thing anymore — so it ought to speak volumes for the SoundLink Flex 2 that I’m considering together with one different one to my moveable audio arsenal.
It has a great deal of battery life on faucet, sounds good, and doesn’t take up lots home in a backpack. Inside the barely fetching inexperienced shade that I’ve been despatched, I’d say it’s one among many best-looking Bluetooth audio system spherical, even when it’s not one among many best-sounding.
I’d nonetheless counsel the Sonos Roam 2 a look as correctly, because of its net connectivity and barely additional detailed soundstage. If that’s not what you’re trying to find, however, and likewise you’d barely persist with Bose, the Flex 2 will ship good sound and magnificence with aplomb.
