Bose SoundLink Flex review: A Bluetooth speaker with striking looks, pleasing sonics
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At a glance
Expert’s Rating
Execs
- Fantastic seem for a mono speaker
- Handsome physical appearance
- Far more thump than you might assume
- Can pair for stereo.
Downsides
- Monaural audio
- No EQ in app
Our Verdict
The IP67-rated Bose SoundLink Flex outdoor speaker is correct at residence all over the pool, or at the seaside. It’s also interesting, and delivers the two obvious monophonic sound and a hefty total of thump for its dimension.
Price tag When Reviewed
$149.00
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$149.00
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I commonly assume fantastic audio from Bose products and solutions, and the climate-proofed, $149 SoundLink Flex simply fulfilled my expectation. In fact, I was a tad amazed to learn that it was a monaural speaker offered the dulcet tones radiating from its enclosure.
The Flex is a bit bass-centric, but presented the youthful audience, which is the two understandable–and fascinating. To heck with that. I like it as effectively.
This review is portion of TechHive’s protection of the ideal Bluetooth speakers, where you will find testimonials of the competition’s choices, plus a buyer’s tutorial to the attributes you ought to think about when procuring for this variety of product or service.
Style and design and characteristics
The SoundLink Flex measures 3.6 x 7.9 x 21 inches (HxWxD) and weighs 1.3 pounds. It feels considerable, but not like an anchor in the backpack. It’s available in stone blue, black, and white smoke. I analyzed the stone blue, and to be trustworthy, it’s my favored of the three colours.
The non-grill places of the Flex are coated in a grippy silicone materials, so it doesn’t slip from your grasp all-around or in the pool. The trade-off is that the substance has a inclination to assemble grime. There is also a small material utility loop so you can dangle/have it on one finger or hang it on whatever’s useful. You could also use the loop to tether a longer lanyard if you so desire.
Bose provides the speaker an IP67 rating, indicating it can withstand up to 30 minutes submerged in up to a meter of water, and that particulate make a difference (dust, sand, and the like) will not penetrate into its essential components namely, the electronics. It floats, even though it is fairly shut to neutral buoyancy, creating it exciting to poke in the pool. You are going to obtain an in-depth explanation of IP codes at the previous url.
The controls on the Bose SoundLink Flex.
Jon L. Jacobi/Foundry
Within the Flex is a single 60 mm (about 2.3-inch) comprehensive-assortment driver, as well as approximately 3-inch vast rounded rectangular radiators firing forward and again via the big front, and lesser back again grills. Bose has an animated exploded illustration of the SoundLink Flex halfway down the website page at the preceding website link. Also on board is a microphone for handling phone phone calls and summoning your smartphone’s voice assistant.
On top of the device are the electrical power, Bluetooth pair, quantity up/down, and a multi-operate button, as effectively as the Bluetooth and electric power standing lights. The speaker depends on a USB-C port to charge its battery, but there no other connections–which is abnormal.
Bose presents an application (see the up coming part for screens) to help connecting the Flex to your cellphone or tablet, should you not know how to do so manually. I was hoping for an EQ operate, but no dice. There are, nonetheless, a users’ guide and services to link with other Bose speakers in Get together (unison/repeater) or Stereo (R/L stereo) modes.
Seem, Bluetooth, and Battery
Inspite of remaining a mono speaker with no channel separation, the SoundLink Flex is a quite superior sounding speaker in simple fact, it’s one of the superior-sounding monaural speakers I have examined. I’d have loved to hear a pair in stereo, but Bose only sent us the a person.
I was specially impressed with the clarity of vocals. In actuality I’m tempted to say the enclosure might’ve been tuned with them in intellect. If you like to sing together with the right lyrics, you’ll by no means blunder phrases listening to the Flex. There’s also a reasonable sum of bottom end–and it’s limited, not boomy.
Speaking of growth, it appears to be that Bose optimized for standard bass (above 60Hz), not sub-bass, which is only hinted at. This was a tad surprising as 1 ordinarily connotes the existence of the other. I’m not a enormous enthusiast of sub-bass, but if you are, verify out the Spark Mini.
The Bose SoundLink Flex connected speedily through Bluetooth (there is version 4.2 radio onboard). Which is fantastic, mainly because there is no auxiliary input. My run time with the 3.2aH battery was at all over 7 hrs in the course of comparatively minimal-degree listening with all-around 30 % lifetime (declared by way of voice prompt) remaining. Bose promises up to 12 hrs.
Bose’s Join application can assist you hyperlink the Bluetooth with your unit, as nicely as convert on the Bash or Stereo website link modes with other Bose speakers. There is, nevertheless, no EQ functionality.
Jon L. Jacobi/Foundry
Great things
Although it’s a little bit expensive, the Bose SoundLink Flex is trendy, seems fantastic, and delivers a awesome amount of money of thump. Remaining carefully h2o-proofed, it is also a great speaker for all around the pool or at the seaside. It’s one of–if not my favorite–speakers of this size.
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