Customer Ratings & Reviews

I am a huge fan of Bose overall, and I was very excited to get to use this speaker! It certainly has a lot of volume and can really fill a room or even a backyard with good audio! However, I will be transparent: I was a little less than thrilled with the bass range, particularly given that it is much of what Bose is lauded for in its audio products and that “deep bass” is literally part of this speaker's marketed description. I installed the Bose app on my phone and played around with the EQ settings, but I could never quite get this speaker to sound right. Maybe it is due for an eventual firmware update that will allow the speakers to better demonstrate their capabilities. What I did find rather fun about this speaker was hooking it up to our Soundlink Micro via party mode. We like to host get-togethers with friends, and it is really cool to have the same playlist rocking through our outdoor and indoor speakers. This partylink hookup makes that setup a breeze! I also appreciate this speaker’s build quality and resilient features. It picks up fingerprints and oils like nobody’s business, but this is because of the rubberized material that is covering it, which looks like it is really made to handle some bumps and bruises. The waterproof and dustproof features of the speaker also make me feel more than comfortable having it with us near water and outdoors in general. Overall, I am impressed with this speaker but would like to see what happens over time with updates or firmware changes that might make it sound a bit more worthy of its namesake and price tag. Thanks for reading and I hope that this review has been helpful!

The Bose SoundLink Max SE is a portable Bluetooth speaker that weighs about 5 pounds but still delivers a serious punch. It produces the kind of full, room-filling sound that works just as well for relaxing at home as it does for backyard hangouts, cookouts, poolside listening, or trips to the park. One of the best things about the SoundLink Max SE is that you do not have to baby it. With an IP67 rating, it is built to handle dust and water exposure, making it a great option for enjoying your favorite music just about anywhere. It measures approximately 4.73 inches high, 10.42 inches wide, and 4.13 inches deep, so it is compact enough to carry around without taking up too much space on a table, shelf, or in a bag. Sound quality is easily the main highlight. Music comes through clear, detailed, and surprisingly big for a portable speaker. The bass has plenty of punch without overpowering the song, while vocals and instruments remain clean and balanced. It handles a variety of music styles well, whether you are listening to hip-hop, rock, pop, country, or your favorite podcasts. For a portable speaker, it creates a wide and impressive soundstage. It is able to do that with three front-facing drivers: two 2.5-inch midrange speakers and one 0.79-inch tweeter. The midrange drivers help produce clear vocals and detailed instruments, while the tweeter brings out the higher-frequency detail in music. Together, they give the speaker a fuller and more balanced sound than you might expect from something this portable. Battery life is another major plus. Bose rates the SoundLink Max SE for up to 16 hours of everyday listening, which is more than enough for a full day of music without constantly searching for an outlet. Actual battery life will vary based on volume level, music type, settings, and whether you use the USB-C port to charge another device. USB-C charging is convenient, and the speaker can even provide USB-C power to a compatible phone when needed. Bluetooth connectivity is simple and reliable, while the Bose app gives you additional control over settings and sound. The SoundLink Max SE also includes an AUX input, which is a nice bonus if you want to connect a device with a wired audio cable. Many portable Bluetooth speakers have dropped that feature, so it is useful for older devices or anyone who wants a quick wired connection. Overall, the Bose SoundLink Max SE is a great portable speaker for anyone who wants bold, balanced sound on the go without having to worry too much about the elements or battery life.

The Bose Soundlink Max is a really good portable speaker if you are more serious about sound when out and about. There are of course a ton of smaller and lighter speakers that are easy to carry in a backpack that deliver decent sound boosts compared to your phone, but the Soundlink Max is good for larger gatherings, parties, or just when you are in a larger area and want your sound to travel further and have more depth to it. First to note, is that this is portable, but NOT pocketable, nor would it be comfortable to carry in a backpack. It has a handle for a reason. It’s just under 5 pounds, and approximately 6 ½ by 10 ½ by 4 inches in size (give or take). The handle has a nice rubber grib with rope” on each tip/side, and you can remove the handle and replace it with other colors if that’s your thing. The Max comes with your standard USB-C charger and cable, but unfortunately not a remote, though you can control more of it via the Bose app from your app store. When you initially turn the speaker on via the power button on top of it, it goes into pairing mode, and my phone immediately recognized it and paired up with no issues. A popup reminds you to download the app, and once you do, you do need to create an account to get going on it. From the app, you can set a timer for the speaker to shut off, program a shortcut button that’s on top of the speaker, check the exact battery level, do some basic equalizer settings, connect the speaker to other Bose speakers, and update the firmware, among others. In other words, to get the most out of your speaker, you really do need the app. Sound quality out of the box is very good. Slightly more bass and muffled at times than I like, but each person has their own preferences. Just a quick bass/treble adjustment in the app makes it perfect. The sound is deep and can fill up a space quickly without getting anywhere near the top of the volume range. I don’t use Spotify, but you can connect to that service if you like via the app as well. Charging is done on the back via the USB-C port, next to an AUX port if you want to use a cable to connect to other devices. The battery takes around 5 hours to fully charge and they quote “up to” 20 hours of use, but that is going to depend on volume and other factors. I have no issues playing the Max through the day and into the night listening to background sounds when sleeping. Bose lists this model as “water proof” and I’m always leery about testing this out. It’s definitely going to handle light rain or splashes, but I would not tempt fate by dunking it in a pool or bathtub – protect it as you would any speaker. Overall I really like the Soundlink Max. It’s attractive with a nice smooth look, the handle is sturdy and looks nice, it’s quick and easy to set up for initial use, and the sounds it cranks out are good. My only complaints… no remote control, you have to use the app for any advanced functions, and the price. Though very nice, it’s pricey. But as always, I say look for it to go on sale and then go for it, as I do recommend it.

Bose really make the best headphones and speakers. The SoundLink Max SE is no exception. With Fall starting and Halloween around the corner, I've been using the Bose Max SE outside as we cleaned up early fall leaves and started unboxing and sorting out our yard decorations. Setup was easy, the Soundlink Max SE connects via Bluetooth (if you do that, you get a prompt to install the Bose app - free) or you can use an Aux cable. Of late, my partner and I have been using our old iPod, so we used the wired connection. There's no Aux cable included, but fortuntately my box of saved cables, saved the day! Bass is deep, much more than you would expect from a portable speaker. Vocal tracks are clear and well balanced. In terms of battery life, we worked outside all day, with the speaker at a reasonably high volume and there was no need to charge or recharge. My only comment is the Soundlink is heavy, I'd guess it's 3-4lb. So yes, it's portable but I think it's more suited as portable outdoor speaker vs a portable carry anywhere with you speaker. That's even though the handle is very good and heavy duty. The only other thing you should know is it charges using USB C and there's both a USB C cable and a proper charger/wall wart plug included. Kudos to Bose for including the charging plug. Oh, and if you have other SoundLink capable Bose speakers, you can connect them together wireless for even more surround sound. Overall, great speaker, well built, brilliant Bose sound, and it will get heavy duty use this Halloween as we play scary songs during trick or treat!

I picked this up because I needed a small speaker with a big punch. I had previous experience with bose and how a large sound can come from small speakers, but this was more than what I expected. The price is on the upper side of speakers this size, but the performance is similar to a few speakers I have that are 10 times this size. It has good all around directional like sound, and fill my house easily. I wanted this for a conference room holds 30 people comfortably. I can keep this tucked away on a cabinet top and just kick it on at the beginning of a gathering, and this can easily fill that room with sound. It is a bit bass heavy, but the 3 equilizer ranges are easy to tweak and make sound pretty good. The tones are clear in most settings, but if not balance, the bass adds a bit of a muffle to it. The app worked well with it, and I like the 3.5 mm jack input also, because I do use cd players with this at times. I am impressed with the sound, but underwhelmed by only 3 bar equilizer, I wish I could tweek it a bit more. Overall, I think you are paying for a name here. It seems a bit expensive, great performance with loudness and clarity, almost too much bass, but I feel it is a solid 4 stars.