Bose SoundLink Mini Bluetooth Speaker Review

By Trilobite27, 4 October, 2013

Review Category

Rating

5 Stars

Review

As a totally blind person good sound is something that is incredibly important to me. Over the past couple of years I have spent a large amount of time and money on different speakers and headphones for my IPod touch 4th gen and I phone. As the title of this review hints, I will be reviewing my newly acquired Bose Soundlink Mini. Lets Get started. My first foray into the world of Bluetooth speakers was about a year ago when I came across the Logitech Mini Boom box. This was a tiny yet very loud speaker that paired with my IPod in no time. It was good yet the sound whilst being loud was not very crisp and rather tinny. I decided to look somewhere else and that is when I discovered the Bose Soundlink Mini. At a price of £169.99 in the UK or $199.99 in the US it is reasonably priced among the competition. Once I had received it directly from Bose I sat the box on my desk and unwrapped the cellophane wrapping. What faced me was a heavy duty cardboard slip case. Inside was three separate boxes each containing the device its self, the charger and three pin adapter for here in the UK and a final box containing the charging cradle (more on that later) and supporting information. I started off by first taking out the charging cable and attaching the UK adapter then plugging it into the socket. Then followed the plastic charging dock. This is about 5 inches long by about 2 inches wide and the charging cable plugs into the right hand side of the dock. Once that was all together I opened the heaviest box which contained the Bose Soundlink Mini. What faced me was a very well protected speaker covered by foam and inside a plastic bag. Removing the aforementioned wrapping I picked up surprisingly heavy slab of metal, this was the speaker itself. The device weighs about 650g and measures 7 inches long by 2 inches wide and 2.5 inches in high. Being milled from one piece of Aluminium it looks and feels like an Apple product. Placing the speaker onto the charging dock with the row of rubberised buttons facing me and the charging cable coming out of the right hand side of the dock I heard a chirping trill from the speaker. This INDICATES THAT IT IS CHARGING, It takes 3 hours for a full charge and has a battery play back time of 7 hours. Not BEING ABLE TO WATE FOR IT TO CHARGE I TURNED THE SPEEKER ON WITH THE POWER BUTTON. Before I go on I will quickly explain the row of buttons on top of the device. You know if you have the speaker facing you as the buttons are closest to the front edge. Moving from left tao right, we have the Power button, Mute button, Volume down, volume up, Bluetooth button and the Aux button (you can plug a 3.5 mill jack into the side and play music from a non Bluetooth device). These are very easy buttons to feel and locate as the volume up and down buttons are raised slightly higher than the remaining inlayed buttons. Having Bluetooth already on my IPod touch and pressing the power button on the Speaker I selected the Bose Soundlink Mini in the device list. I wated for about 5 seconds while the speaker and iPod paired. Once paired I heard another trill of notes and Voiceover was coming through the speakers. At this point I started playing the test song I always play with new headphones and speakers to see how they perform. This is Hotel California by the Eagles. As soon as the first notes started playing I was simply astonished at the clarity and tone from the speakers. Then the iconic Bass line came in and I was bowled over. From a device no bigger than my hand it sounded like I had a sub attached. the range of sound this speaker can play is fantastic. Thanks to it being made of one peace Aluminium there is no speaker bounce or movement at top volume. This means that where ever you put it will stay. Having had it for a couple of months now I have had the chance to play almost everything I have in my ITunes and there is nothing that sounds bad when played through the speaker. Even my Wife who is no audiophile loves the sound from this thing. In conclusion the Bose Soundlink Mini is simply the best Bluetooth speaker I have owned or even herd. Even the reviews online are fantastic. I dare you to find a bad one. For the price It can't be beaten. I hope you have found this informative.

Devices Accessory Was Used With

iPhone

Link to Accessory on amazon.com

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00D5Q75RC/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_tl?ie=UTF8&cam…

Disclaimer

The article on this page has generously been submitted by a member of the AppleVis community. As AppleVis is a community-powered website, we make no guarantee, either express or implied, of the accuracy or completeness of the information.

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Comments

The ph one

Hi. Great review. Thanks for that. Can the dock be used to charge your iDevice? Also, how long does a full battery charge last, and is there anyway to get an indication as to the power level remaining in the speaker? Thanks.

The dock can not charge your

The dock can not charge your iphone. It is only for the bose unit think of it as a way to charge it without having to unplug a cord form it anyy time you want to go somewhere. Basically after I use it I just set it on its cradle it charges in the morning when I need it I just lift it off and can walk freely with the speaker. I love this feature, because your not constantly fumbling with cords. Also as a side note you can plug the charger in directly to the speaker when you travel so you can leave the cradle at home.

indicators on the speaker

Hi, I have the bose sound link II speaker. Do you know with the mini speaker, what type of indicator lights are on for mute, bluetooth, and battery status? I know for the soundlink II there are lights that tell you what the statuses are, I.E. Battery, bluetooth, etc. Just thought I'd ask.

In responce

Hi everyone I am glad you liked the review. To answer a couple of the questions: 1. No the dock cannot charge the phone just the Bluetooth speaker. I am sorry for the confusion I read later that Bose calls the dock a "Charging cradle". 2. The play back time is about 7 hours on a full charge and a 3 hour charge time. You can still listen to music while it is charging whether it is sat on the charging cradle or the power cable is plugged directly into the speaker. 3. I don't know about the battery indicator lights as I am totally blind so therefore don't use them. However I can tell you that I have taken it away for a long weekend and the battery lasts for plenty of time. One feature I forgot to mention is that if you fall asleep listening to music or audio books and the music or audio book finish playing the speaker does turn its self off after 5 minis of no music playback. If you would like to know about the battery indicator lights here is a link to the Bose website here in the UK. It is the page for the sound link mini. Look for the link that sais Manuals and click on it. then find the link that sais user guide and download the PDF. (http://www.bose.co.uk/GB/en/home-and-personal-audio/ipod-and-wireless-speakers/wireless-speakers/soundlink-mini-bluetooth-speaker/) Any other information please feel free to ask.

Does the iPhone tell you the

Does the iPhone tell you the Bluetooth battery status? I know for some devices like the aftershocks it will do this. The battery will be to the left of your iPhones are battery.

Unfortunately no

Unfortunately there is no battery indicator that goes on the I phone screen. This would have been a bonus but the pure sound quality that comes from this thing is amazing. you have to here it to beleave it. It beats all my friends Bluetooth speakers hands down. Even the Jawbone Jam box and the Beats Pill.

Hi, does the device turn on

Hi, does the device turn on when you plug it into the socket?

mini soundlink

No. or, at least it doesn't turn on with the big soundlink speaker. You have to push the bluetooth, power, or AUX buttons on the speaker to turn it on. I'm guessing with the mini soundlink it is the same. They are a nice speaker. I have the Soundlink II speaker and it sounds a little better than the mini, but not by much.