Bluetooth speaker. Anything better than Bose soundlink?

[paulguitar]

Hello everyone, as per the title really. I am about to get one of these... before I go ahead, is there anything better out there in anyone's experience?

[illmonkey]

Yes, any of the others I have used are better than that. The operation of it is useless. I have one, so do a few mates and we all say the same. Connecting to a phone takes several attempts, if it works. Usual work around is to repair.

Volume sometimes gets stuck really low and won’t change with the buttons or the phone. Randomly disconnects my phone. Says ‘connected to iPhone’ 3 times when I turn it on. Doesn’t ‘listen’ for devices for very long, you have to press to ‘connect’ button if you go out of range, even for 2 minutes. There is a option you can set to allow it to stay on longer, which seems to do nothing.

My £20 Anker does everything it needs to, works like a treat, just doesn’t sound that good. I’d take that over sound quality, as it’s generally just background music I play anyway.

[XFRFred]

Sonos 1 play and the B&O Beosound A1 are worth a listen to, both offer something on par to the Bose Soundlink2, maybe a bit more pricier though.
But for circa £120, the Bose is a good Bluetooth speaker.
I have two Soundlink1 and one Soundlink 2.

[Poppiecock]

illmonkey said:

Yes, any of the others I have used are better than that. The operation of it is useless. I have one, so do a few mates and we all say the same. Connecting to a phone takes several attempts, if it works. Usual work around is to repair.

Volume sometimes gets stuck really low and won’t change with the buttons or the phone. Randomly disconnects my phone. Says ‘connected to iPhone’ 3 times when I turn it on. Doesn’t ‘listen’ for devices for very long, you have to press to ‘connect’ button if you go out of range, even for 2 minutes. There is a option you can set to allow it to stay on longer, which seems to do nothing.

My £20 Anker does everything it needs to, works like a treat, just doesn’t sound that good. I’d take that over sound quality, as it’s generally just background music I play anyway.

I've had one for a few years - it gets taken everywhere with me - usually just being slung in an overnight bag / case for business trips.

Never had any of the issues you describe.

They're a great balance of quality and price. Surprisingly loud for something so compact.

Quite heavy, though.

[stevemcs]

I hate Bose but have the soundlink and for its size its perfect for what we use it for. I've had no issues either

[paulguitar]

XFRFred said:

I have two Soundlink1 and one Soundlink 2.

Is the second version notably better than the original?

[XFRFred]

Sound quality, don't think so, as it's pretty much the same.
However Bose have added the ability to take phone calls through the speaker, and there is also the option to turn off power saving mode. This was not an option on the Soundlink1.

As mentioned above by others, the speaker is normally thrown into the luggage bag and goes all over with me.

[illmonkey]

Poppiecock said:

I've had one for a few years - it gets taken everywhere with me - usually just being slung in an overnight bag / case for business trips.

Never had any of the issues you describe.

They're a great balance of quality and price. Surprisingly loud for something so compact.

Quite heavy, though.

Strange. I’ve got through resets and all sorts. Given up on it really!

Mine does these things on and off, it’s very frustrating to just get the thing to work, so it takes a back seat. I have the cheap one for trips etc, so if I leave it, it’s £20, not £120.

[Driver101]

You can pick up an Ultimate Ears Megaboom 3 for around £100.

You will struggle to buy better for the price.

[paulguitar]

illmonkey said:

Strange. I’ve got through resets and all sorts. Given up on it really!

Mine does these things on and off, it’s very frustrating to just get the thing to work, so it takes a back seat. I have the cheap one for trips etc, so if I leave it, it’s £20, not £120.

I've been using Mrs. Guitar's Bose without issues for a few months, but she's reclaimed it and so I need my own.

I did actually buy a £30 Anker, but after the Bose, it sounds crap.

[Mr Pointy]

There are loads of review sites but this one is actually unafraid to be critical:
https://www.youtube.com/user/clavinetjunkie/featur...

He has a website but it's got some issues. The Bose is a common go-to speaker but I found it over bassy, heavy & it's not particularly rugged so I went for a Denon Envaya Mini in the end. I have the original version so I can't comment on the current one.

[paulguitar]

Mr Pointy said:

There are loads of review sites but this one is actually unafraid to be critical:
https://www.youtube.com/user/clavinetjunkie/featur...

He has a website but it's got some issues. The Bose is a common go-to speaker but I found it over bassy, heavy & it's not particularly rugged so I went for a Denon Envaya Mini in the end. I have the original version so I can't comment on the current one.

I was watching that site last night, funnily enough. he does some very detailed written reviews, too.

Which exact Denon model do you have and do you think it genuinely sounds better than the Bose?

I realize the bose is bass-heavy, but I think it sounds pretty amazing for its size.

[NDA]

I recently picked up the B&O Beoplay A1. Very pleased with it. Maybe worth looking at?


https://www.amazon.co.uk/Bang-Olufsen-Portable-Blu...

[KenD]

I bought the Denon Envaya mini 150 in preference to Bose, much better sound quality and a bargain at £99.

[Deranged Rover]

Another vote for the Beoplay A1 here.

A friend also bought one after hearing mine. It replaced his Bose soundlnk!

[Mr Pointy]

paulguitar said:

Which exact Denon model do you have and do you think it genuinely sounds better than the Bose?

I realize the bose is bass-heavy, but I think it sounds pretty amazing for its size.

I bought the original Envaya Mini:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Denon-Portable-Premium-Bl...

The sound was more balanced than the Bose, it was considerably cheaper & at the time the Bose didn't have USB charging so you had to carry the base & charger around as well as the speaker. Mine has been replaced by the DSB-150BT:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Denon-DSB-150BT-Portable-...

I haven't heard it so I can't say how it sounds or how loud it goes. The one issue I have (& for me it's a big one) is that buttons & controls on the side are much more difficult to use than those on the top as you have to use two hands; one to stop the speaker sliding & the other to push the button. The other feature I would like is a speaker that plays USB audio but I haven't found one that does this yet. I use it with my laptop all day so it would be nice to just have the USB lead rather than use an audio lead as well.

If you have used the Bose & like it then there's no reason not to go for it. They aren't terrible (although note Olav's comments about the treble performance), but I think many people are so impressed by how loud they are that they don't really notice it's all bass & a bit of middle (the Bose sound?). More neutral speakers with a flatter response don't sound as impressive initially. Of course the name carries a cost premium as well.

[Mogsmex]

Deranged Rover said:

Another vote for the Beoplay A1 here.

A friend also bought one after hearing mine. It replaced his Bose soundlnk!

another vote for the A1 here, went to the airport with in my head to buy the Bose after listening to most of the offerings I came out with the Beoplay A1

love it, great sound nicely designed and the battery lasts ages highly recomended

[paulguitar]

Thanks, everyone, great advice all around.

I have ended up ordering the B&O A1.

[illmonkey]

As there seems to be a few Bose owners, I have a question...

When I’m using BT to listen to music off my phone and I get a call, I swap to ‘iphone’ for The call, but the Bose keeps taking over and the sound comes back out of that. I have to turn the unit off, to get it to stop.