One-minute assessment
For a small, comparatively inexpensive product, the transportable Bluetooth speaker has an terrible lot of bins to tick earlier than it may be deemed ‘aggressive’. Fortunately, the Bose SoundLink Flex ticks loads of them – some with a giant, fats everlasting marker.
Battery life? At twelve hours or so, it’s superb. Portability? The Flex is compact and light-weight. Sound? The Bose has unlikely scale, equally unlikely bass presence and a really profitable approach with rhythms and tempos. Management? Take your choose – voice, app or onboard controls are all obtainable.
So the Bose SoundLink Flex has loads going for it, and that’s earlier than you’re taking the cachet and credibility of its model emblem into consideration. If it had a bit of extra expressiveness to its low-end replica, or a bit of extra self-discipline to its general sound whenever you hear at important volumes, it will be approaching ‘no-brainer’ standing.
Bose Soundlink Flex value and launch date
- Accessible now
- $149 / £149.95 / AU$199
The Bose SoundLink Flex is on sale now, and it prices $149 / £149.95 / AU$199.
In fact, it’s not like Bose has the market to itself. The Sonos Roam (presently our choose for the perfect Bluetooth speaker) doesn’t price way more than this, and there’s each probability you might need your head turned by very succesful and equally priced alternate options from manufacturers like Final Ears, Bang & Olufsen, or Sony. So the Flex goes to need to do a bit extra than simply present up trying and sounding half-decent.
Design and options
- 9 x 20 x 5cm and 600g
- IP67 score for water and dirt resistance
- Resilient supplies and durable development
First issues first: the Bose SoundLink Flex, not like fairly a couple of nominal rivals, is an authentically transportable Bluetooth speaker. Some manufacturers appear to suppose being battery-powered and light-weight sufficient to select up makes a speaker ‘transportable’, however Bose understands what’s required.
So the Flex is sufficiently small (simply 9 x 20 x 5cm), mild sufficient (600g) and, crucially, sturdy sufficient to suit the invoice. The chassis (obtainable in black and ‘smoke’ white in addition to the ‘stone’ blue of our assessment pattern) is usually of soft-touch silicone with numerous ‘give’ in it, whereas the entrance grille is of powder-coated metal. There are little moulded ft to permit the Flex to lie on its again or stand upright in ‘panorama’ mode, whereas a sturdy cloth loop at one finish means it might dangle off a hook or carabiner. Due to accelerometers (or ‘PositionIQ’, as Bose would somewhat self-importantly have it), the Flex is aware of its orientation and can modify its EQs accordingly.
An IP67 score suggests the Bose will resist publicity to water and dirt for much longer than any conscientious proprietor will enable, and by the use of a bit of celebration piece the Flex is buoyant sufficient to drift in water. Battery lifetime of twelve hours or so (so long as you’re not listening at prime quantity, in fact) provides to its ‘go-anywhere’ credentials, and may the worst occur the Flex may be brimming with energy once more after a few hours on the mains by way of its USB-C socket.
The SoundLink Flex is simply as thoughtfully specified elsewhere. Bose isn’t precisely making with the main points of amplification, or DAC, or driver configuration – however there are some issues we all know and others we’re ready to take a position about. So sound is delivered by one full-range dynamic driver and bolstered by a few passive radiators. We’re unsure how a lot energy is shifting that driver, however we’re fairly positive it’s of the Class D selection.
Equally, the native decision of the on-board DAC is a thriller, however what our testing has revealed is that it’s hi-res sufficient to take care of some TIDAL Masters recordsdata – however not the most important and most hi-res of them. The Flex is joyful to permit a 24bit/192kHz file on board, however will probably be downscaled earlier than you get to listen to it. Wi-fi connectivity courtesy of Bluetooth 4.2 can’t be serving to issues right here, both – though the Flex does a minimum of pair quickly and with seemingly unshakeable solidity. And it’ll pair with two gadgets at a time, which is helpful.
So far as controlling the SoundLink Flex goes, effectively, you’ve loads of choices. There are a couple of bodily controls alongside the highest fringe of the chassis (when the Bose is within the ‘panorama’ place) which cowl ‘energy on/off’, ‘quantity up/down’ ‘Bluetooth pairing’, ‘play/pause’ and ‘skip forwards/backwards’. Voice management is offered by way of Siri or Google Assistant, and there’s some (however not fairly sufficient) operability obtainable within the Bose Join app.
Within the established Bose method this app is secure and clear, however on this implementation it goes with out EQ adjustment – which is an oversight – however does a minimum of provide the chance to create a stereo pair utilizing the Flex and fairly a spread of different Bose audio system.
Audio efficiency
- Daring, assertive and punchy sound
- Can get barely ragged at quantity
- Spectacular dynamics and rhythmic expression
Bose suggests the SoundLink Flex is able to delivering ‘room-filling sound’ – however except it’s an uncomfortably small room we’d counsel that’s not fairly the case. However be in little doubt, given its dimensions and asking value, this Bose speaker is an upfront, assured and, sure, loud little speaker.
If it’s scale you’re after, you could possibly do worse than give DJ Shadow’s Midnight in a Excellent World a hear. The Bose serves it up with ample low-frequency presence – bass is fuller-figured and extra substantial than is perhaps anticipated from a speaker of this measurement.
These passive radiators clearly assist lots on this regard, however additionally they dictate a low-end sound that’s as wanting superb element as it’s full-bodied. ‘Punch’ is an admirable trait in a transportable Bluetooth speaker, ‘monotonal’ just isn’t. Within the nice outside, although, assertive bass sounds are a particular bonus.
The Flex is equally assertive on the reverse finish of the frequency vary. Treble sounds are substantial, however fortunately carry a good bit extra element relating to timbre and texture than their counterparts down on the backside. Should you determine to crank the amount up the Bose’s prime finish can get fairly spiky and abrasive, however again it off just a bit and the treble sounds are disciplined and plausible. There’s loads of chew and crunch right here at any quantity stage – so if issues get out of hand what to do.
The Bose handles the loping rhythm effectively, too – not each inexpensive transportable speaker may give correct expression to rhythms and tempos, however the Flex proves fairly sinuous the place any variety of rivals tends to stomp a bit mindlessly. However for all its virtues, this isn’t the recording with which to check midrange constancy – and so a change to Meek Mill’s Flexing is so as.
The Bose SoundLink Flex proves distinct and detailed sufficient via the midrange to make the entire rapper’s objectionable, self-aggrandising misogyny completely plain – so that you’re by no means in any doubt as to his motivations or stage of vanity. It is a stage of articulacy that’s not at all frequent in merchandise of this sort and value.
Integration of the frequency vary is clean (appropriately, given it’s nearly fully delivered by a single driver), and the Bose demonstrates greater than sufficient dynamism to make massive volume-switches or adjustments of sonic emphasis plain. In truth, all it must develop into an genuine front-runner is a bit more decorum at excessive volumes and a bit of extra eloquence the place the bottom frequencies are involved.
Ought to I purchase the Bose Soundlink Flex?
