Bose - SoundLink Color Portable Bluetooth Speaker II - Aquatic Blue

While I don't own the first iteration of the Bose Soundlink Color, I do own other Bose Soundlink devices. Generally Bose isn't my go to for sound equipment, but boy - these guys know how to make something small sound big. The color 2, while being a simple monular speaker, includes a decent battery, full sound, and great features. Sound quality is actually pretty good. If you sit too closely it sound pretty bass heavy - but this is by design. Once you back up a few feet, the sound mellows out and sounds quite balanced and is loud enough for a small gathering. The sound isn't as good as my original Soundlink from years ago, but it's significantly cheaper as well. The speaker element is well shielded from the elements by both the silicon housing and a internal structure I can't quite make out without disassembly. I will say the silicon body does seem quite durable, as I let my 16 month old son play with it and it came out unscathed. The build quality is excellent. The device is wrapped in silicon with an attractive color (mine is blue). The buttons are seamless and set apart by both LED (on the power, bluetooth and aux in) and slight ridges. From left to right you have power, bluetooth, aux, volume down, multi-function, volume up. The top also has a microphone that can be used for calls, and Siri/Google Now. One short press pauses, two short goes next track, three short goes previous, and hold for 1 sec start's your device's voice assistant. The device charges via a micro usb on the right side towards the bottom. Right above it is a 3.5mm mini jack for auxiliary in. Interestingly enough, the software experience is more sophisticated than your standard bluetooth speaker. You can download Bose's Connect app, which gives you stats like battery status in percentage, and allow you to connect multiple bluetooth devices. The connection gets choppy if you try to use two Bluetooth sources at once, but if you are careful enough to use one at a time, it's a much better experience than trying to connect a particular device and having them fight to be the active connection. The app also can update the firmware and control other settings, like the voice prompts and auto power down in minutes. All in all a huge improvement over my old 2011 Soundlink. This speaker is definitely a contender. It brings Bose quality along with light weatherproofing. It's a decent step above most in sound quality in it's price range. And from personal experience, I can vouch for longevity of Bose's portable speakers. This is a definite recommend if you're in the market for an outdoor portable bluetooth speaker!

What's on the box? Bold, portable sound. Water-resistant (IPX4-Rated) for real-life use. Durable soft-touch silicone exterior. Enhance with the Bose Connect app. Voice prompts for easy pairing. Make and answer calls with speakerphone. 8 hours per charge. What is inside the box? - 1x Soundlink Color Bluetooth Speaker II Aquatic Blue 5V - 1x USB to Micro USB Cable - 1x Instruction Manual - 1x Important Safety Information Manual - 1x Bose Support Contact Number(s) sheet Testing/Setup/Impressions: So the packaging itself is nothing to gloat about. Its pretty standard when it comes to the way it was packaged. So for some of you (like me) that enjoys the way certain things are packaged, you won't be "WOW'D" by the packaging. But... As I mentioned, its for some of you. People that don't care about packaging; who cares? The unit comes in a solid built box and there's a plastic cover that protects the unit itself. When opening the plastic cover, you'll notice the build quality of this little guy. Its quite heavy for its size but I'm sure its heavy because of the way the build quality is. The material is as advertised, a silicone type of rubbery feel. Personally I like the material because you don't get any finger prints! But... You may end up getting a lot of dust, lint, or random stuff on it; pretty easily I must say. As far as cleaning it goes, I'm sure if you run a paper towel or napkin over it; it may end up leaving some paper remnants. If you use a towel it may leave some lint. I haven't tried it but based off of the material as I have other things in my household with this material, you get left overs when you're trying to clean it with. You get a standard USB to Micro USB cable which is nice but there's no AC adapter. I understand the whole concept of "on the go" but it would be nice to include an AC adapter. That is my personal opinion on the charging method for this unit. I typically don't like plugging stuff into my computer directly to charge it. You get your standard manuals and other information included within the box. So setting it up, it was SIMPLE. Setup was a breeze and I was able to download the app off the store (depending on if you're using an Apple or Android device). You can still use the device if you don't download the app, its not mandatory which is nice for some people. But, I'd recommend downloading the app as its nice to have the standard features managed through an app. The unit itself performs exceptionally well. The voice is clear when listening to music, the base has a great "oomph", and the unit can go quite high in volume to bother your downstairs neighbor. The device is small, but it's raw power as I've posted on the title of my review. I didn't get a chance to test this thing with the IPX4-Rated water-resistant feature. I mean... Why would I? Its a electronic device so its not like I am going to splash water on it purposely. But, IPX4-Rated is supposed to mean that you can basically do things like take it into the shower (bathroom) and the steam and water splash here and there won't damage it. You can have it near the pool and if water splashes on it here and there it won't damage it. You of course can't submerge it or run it under water, its not waterproof; it's water resistant. Being said though, why would you do that to you electronic device...? So for normal day to day usage, you don't have to worry so much about splashing liquids on it (listen to music in the rain). So my wife has the Bose SoundLink Mini II Bluetooth Speaker at work, well her co-worker does. The sound quality on that unit vs this one, its comparable and almost similar. The battery on the Bose SoundLink Mini II Bluetooth Speaker supposedly lasts Monday-Friday with 3-4 hours of listening per day. The Soundlink Color II I haven't tested how "long" the battery lasts, but I'm sure it'll be somewhat comparable to Bose SoundLink Mini II Bluetooth Speaker. Overall, I enjoy this little beast. Its great to carry around to family picnics, pool parties, hang outs, etc. Its a great day to day unit. I would definitely recommend it as the price isn't too damaging on your wallet and it performs excellently. The only "gripes" I have about this unit is that there was no AC adapter and there are NO information at all on the technical specifications of the unit itself. Personally for me when buying ANY electronic device, I love to know what the technical specifications are. The other thing "which is an opinion as well" is the packaging and the material of the unit. The packaging was very basic. For me, I like being "WOW'D" when opening up a new electronic device. The material is really nice as I HATE FINGERPRINTS but it does attract dust and lint which I also don't like. But with these minor "issues", I would still recommend this device. Conclusion: Buy it. If you're looking for a unit that can perform, is portable, and can endure the normal day to day usage of carrying around a speaker; its a no brainier. The cons I provided above is nothing drastic of a REAL con which is why I still gave the unit 5 stars in my opinion. I like the unit, I would use the unit daily, and it has that "BOSE" quality even though its tiny. Spend the money and get it, you won't be disappointed.

Most “portable” bluetooth speakers are either (1) very small novelty speakers that have poor sound and unimpressive battery life, or (2) are very large and have great sound and mediocre battery life (or are AC-dependent). Portability always comes with sacrifices. The best bluetooth speakers are not sensibly portable - they are bulky and typically require AC power. The weight and size usually contribute to the quality of the bass in the music and AC power is usually needed to push-out an impressive volume. This Bose Soundlink Color II portable speaker is designed around smart compromises: it focuses on clarity of sound over powerful volume and packs that sound into a portable size with an impressive battery life. I found that if you use the speaker according to the directions, you can get clear reproduction of your music even at maximum volume. The front of the speaker is full range and the bass is pumped-out from the back of the speaker (like a tiny subwoofer) - you get the best sound if the speaker is slightly elevated with the back of the speaker near a wall (or something solid that will reflect the bass). Again, what is impressive is the clarity, not the volume of the music and I’m very OK with that. The bluetooth reception is great - the guidelines recommend keeping your bluetooth music source within 30-ish feet of the speaker and in a clear line of sight but I was able to stream without dropouts from two rooms away (at 30+ feet with two walls separating my iPod and the speaker). The speaker also takes input from an aux cord. When the speaker is paired with a smartphone, it can be used as a speakerphone (the speakerphone feature works really well!) and you can do simple navigation of your music tracks using the buttons on top of the speaker. The speaker allows you to connect to two mobile devices at once - so, for example, you can connect with your smartphone and stream music from someone else’s bluetooth device (that’s one of those features that sounds excessive until you use it the first time). The exterior is a soft silicone that is water resistant - the buttons have a soft feel to them and work very well. The specifications for the speaker advertise an 8 hour battery life per charge - I have never been in a situation where I have tested it for that long but I’ve gone 5 hours at full volume with no sign of it quitting on me. So there’s that. There are only two issues I have had with the unit so far and neither one is a deal breaker. The first issue is that it took the speaker longer to charge than I expected - but I think my expectations might have been off base with that (not everything can charge fully in an hour). The second issue is a strange one - on the top of the speaker is a button that is not identified in the literature that comes with the device - it is an input selector button that changes the input from bluetooth to the aux input - I had to go to the full user’s manual online to figure out what that button was for (the quick setup guide included with the speaker neither identifies nor describes what the button is for). But back to expectations. I’m not aware of any speaker that can push-out volume and rich bass in a battery-driven device with a small footprint. This speaker is truly portable and solid (the Bose web page describes the weight as being “just a little more than a football”) - the sound is very clear and you can fill a room with sound but don’t expect to rock-out your whole house - the speaker adds a clean layer of bass to supplement the music (it fills-out the music but it won’t rattle the furniture). Bose has focused on clarity of sound, portability of size, and the utility of having a dependably long battery life. This Soundlink Color II is magnificent for what it is - but you have to be realistic with your expectations - if you want more power or more bass you’re going to need a much bigger unit (probably an AC unit). Oh…and the aquatic blue is definitely the best color!

I use these everywhere. I’m a Chaplain and I find that music is helpful when spending time with people with dementia. Having this very light weight, speaker that connects to my iPhone (or any phone) is absolutely great!

One of the best small Bluetooth speakers I have ever bought I bought another one to pair with it very durable weatherproof great sound a product fair price

Outstanding quality for the size. Of course it depends a lot on your source, Spotify works from a smart phone great!

Decent sound quality but not very loud especially outdoors. Indoor sound is good.

Delivery was delayed, however,, it arrived before holiday.. Great product. Easy to setup and use by my wife.