Decades ago, when I was working for an audio installation company, we used to have a saying: “No highs, no lows; it must be Bose.” Keep in mind that we were dealing with speakers that cost tens of thousands of dollars, so the idea of anything consumer-grade was laughable.
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Fast-forward to today, and Bose still makes speakers, headphones, and earbuds capable of producing rich, elegant sound with wide soundstages, punchy bass, and crisp highs. Such is the case with the SoundLink Max
I also couldn’t help but notice this speaker’s lack of features. It allows two devices to connect simultaneously, has a three-band EQ (accessible from the minimal mobile app — Android/iOS), and includes a play/pause button. That’s it.
Here’s the thing: a quality portable speaker doesn’t need a deluge of features. I want the device to sound great, have plenty of battery life, and be simple to use. The Bose Soundlink Max easily checks all of those boxes.
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When I started testing this speaker, I changed up my usual testing strategy. Being familiar with the Bose sound, I decided to throw two different albums at it to see how it fared. The first was “Big Generator” by Yes. This album was recorded and mastered at a time that perfectly suited the Bose sound, and it sounded better than I expected. The mids were ideal for Jon Anderson’s chorus, the guitars were perfectly crunchy, and the soundstage was surprisingly wide.
Next, I opted for a genre that isn’t quite suited for the Bose sound: classical. I was taken aback by how George Frideric Handel’s “Wassermusik” sounded. It was rich, lively, and not at all out of place. Of course, no party is complete without a Baroque masterpiece.
As far as the bass is concerned, the Soundlink Max does a great job to around 65Hz. Below that, the bass rolls off a bit, so you’re not going to feel the kick drum as you might with a bigger speaker. Given the size of this device, however, it holds its own on the low end.
ZDNET’s buying advice
If you’re a fan of the Bose sound and want a portable speaker that can fill a room (and then some), the $349 SoundLink Max