Bose - SoundLink Micro Portable Bluetooth Speaker (2nd Gen) - Twilight Blue

This is a great little speaker if you like Bose sound. It's compact design make it easy to carry with you, and it's not half bad when it comes to sound. Off-axis listening loses quite a bit of bass, but the highs make up for it by spreading the sound in all directions, really useful for listening to audio books or podcasts while doing the dishes or taking a shower. The USB-C charging is a welcome upgrade, and really makes a difference when traveling, as you really only need to bring a single charger and cable with you for all of your modern devices. I take a star off for the lack of thought to include USB-C to C cables, instead putting A to C cables in the box. Come on Bose! If you have products such as the Portable Smart Speaker, you can connect this speaker to it in order to widen the sound. You can even connect a second Micro for stereo sound, even while playing together with the Portable Smart Speaker, and it will send the new timeing information to all other AirPlay speakers, so you can listen to music across your house and use the little Micros along with it.

I've been waiting on Bose to finally make some much needed improvements to their SoundLink Micro speaker and so far they have delivered. Sounds better, double the battery life and a new versatile strap system for on the go action. I'm glad I waited all these years to finally get a hold of this speaker.

This is perfect for travel and the sound is very very good. It beats any laptop or tablet speaker. Great fit for a traveling/mobile office. Happy with the purchase.

I love this product I have the flex speaker but this speaker for to use at work the sound quality is great

I have owned a Bose SoundLink Micro for about 7 years. It has been flawless in its performance for that period, and still exhibits good battery life and sound reproduction. The option to “test drive” a 2nd generation model was exactly what I needed! So the comparison lets me see what has changed in the near decade since the SoundLink Micro was released. The size of the two is almost identical, as is the impact and water resistance. The 2nd gen is slightly thicker (see my photo). It retains a durable, drop resistant silicone coating over most of the body, with a powder coated steel grille over the speakers, so is perfect for outdoor usage. The revised strap is much more versatile, with a secure hook and look fixation. This can easily attach to your bicycle handlebars, the shower rod in the bathroom, the straps of a tote bag or backpack, etc. The update of the power input port to USB-C makes plugging in easier (its ambidextrous so you don’t have to peer into the socket to see which is “right side up”. To charge from fully spent to full took about 4 hours, so not “fast charging circuit” enabled. The new battery life is much longer, which probably accounts for the thicker body. The Gen 2 weighs about one ounce more (11.2 ounces total), which should not be noticeable. The Gen 1 quoted a 6 hr battery life, and the now quoted playing time is 12 hr. The actual playing duration depends on the volume, obviously, so your real time length will vary. The Gen 1 model is still listed on the BestBuy and Bose webpages, for a mark down of $20 lower from the prior price. The new model lists for only $10 more than the non-sale price of the Gen 1. The Gen 2 comes in black and “Blue Dusk” colors. My Gen 1 was a vivid orange, so spotting it was easy when outdoors. The speaker continues the dust/water resistance rating of IP67, which should be plenty durable for all but the most rugged activities. The standard for IP67 is that it will tolerate immersion under water up to 3 feet deep for 30 minutes. The Micro features one driver and two passive radiators, combined with Bose’s Active EQ system to deliver an amazingly full sound. The bass has exceptional power for a small speaker, while the mid’s remain balanced, and vocals project clearly. Higher volumes invokes some compression, but without perceptible distortion. Basic functions are easily handled with the buttons on the speaker. That includes on/off, volume, and BlueTooth linking to your music source. The BlueTooth protocol for the Gen 2 is 5.4, up from the 4.2 of Gen 1. The Bose Music app offers additional features, including EQ adjustments, firmware updates, and the ability to pair with other Bose speakers for either stereo mode or party mode. Using the free Bose Connect app on my iPhone, I was easily able to connect both SoundLink micro speakers simultaneously, despite the decade between their birth. I could choose between having them be stereo (left and right) or “Party mode” where you can have the same music playing on two speakers in different rooms. Tap into Adjustable EQ via the Bose app and adjust the bass, treble, & mid-levels to your preference. The Gen 2 has an additional button, called the “shortcut” button, that you can customize via the Bose app. One choice is to have the button trigger Spotify Tap, which will immediately connect to your Spotify library. If you are a subscriber to Spotify, you can pick your favorite playlist easier. Since I am an Apple Music subscriber, I did not test Spotify Tap. But linking my Apple Music choices to the SoundLink was extremely easy, but took more than a single button push. Android users can avail themselves to Google Fast Pair for smooth connecting of their mobile to the Bose. Bluetooth 5.4 offers advantages that are a bit more esoteric than simple background music listening. Compared to the Bluetooth 4.2 of my Gen 1, the Gen 2 supports Bluetooth “multipoint”, allowing the speaker simultaneously to be connected to two devices. For finer listening, you get codec support for several levels. The entry level SBC is of lower quality, but uses less data. For finer quality, codec AAC claims to be CD-quality audio via a Bluetooth connection. The top level, aptX Adaptive achieves “lossless audio quality”, part of Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Sound platform. Bose has integrated this technology, but At age 75, my hearing acuity cannot perceive these differences, and the SoundLink micro is probably not the first choice for audiophile listening to nuances of symphonic or classical music. And your audio source might be as much a limitation of this current pinnacle of listening. I had to go to Qualcomm’s website to understand what this all means. From their website: Snapdragon is “an optimised chain of audio innovations and software designed to provide seamless, immersive audio in, and across, devices including smartphones, wireless earbuds and headsets… [it’s] designed to provide a superior sound experience for consumers while listening to streaming music, communicating on the phone, or wirelessly gaming.” Does Apple / iPhone support the aptX? According to my search, Apple does not and is not likely to ever. However, your listening and environment will be more likely the limitation than the codec used, if you are using an Apple device. Real-world impact for Apple users On a high-quality Bluetooth speaker (such Bose): You’re likely hearing AAC, which is very close to transparent for casual and even critical listening in a living room or outdoor setting. The speaker’s amp, drivers, and DSP make a much bigger difference than the codec. 

But aspects of the Snapdragon codec go beyond the connection of your phone to the speaker. The aptX codex will switch to your WiFi if the signal from your phone to the speaker becomes weak (you’re walking around with the phone in your pocket and leave the room where the speaker is). If your WiFi uses the Qualcomm technology, it will avoid the sound dropout, and automatically connect via your WiFi. As I was writing this up, my wife spontaneously commented about the music from the speaker. She said it was “brighter” than the other speakers commonly used in that room, one being a display speaker from a major provider and the other the speakers of the flat screen TV in the room. She also noted the quality of the lower tones, and was surprised at the size of the SL micro creating such “fullness”. Whether you are listening to podcasts, acoustic tracks, or just background ambient soundscapes, it’s an excellent choice. When traveling or going outdoors, and size is an issue, the SoundLink micro would be difficult to surpass. In conclusion, if a portable, compact speaker with a rugged build and modern features is your goal, this is the travel-ready model that should be in your top consideration.