Bose SoundLink Color

Wireless & Bluetooth Speakers / Portable

A wireless Bluetooth portable speaker system.

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CR Expert Take

How did it perform in our expert lab testing?

Overall Score

The Overall Score for this model is derived from our expert lab test results.

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Current Range of Tested Wireless & Bluetooth Speakers

What goes into the Overall Score?

Sound quality

/ 5

Ease of use

/ 5

Versatility

/ 5

Color

/ 5

Detailed Test Results

Sound quality: The Bose SoundLink Color had good overall sound quality. Bass has decent impact but is a bit pronounced, somewhat muddled, and doesn't go deep. Midrange is fairly even but a bit hazy, and treble is sizzly and upper treble is recessed. This speaker has decent recovery of room ambience--sense of an acoustic space, such as the hall or room in which a recording was made--but lacks treble air. We found no significant difference in sound quality whether we used a wired or Bluetooth connection. Although best for close listening, it can provide a decent volume level in a small to medium-sized room.

Ease of use: This speaker was very easy to use overall. Bluetooth pairing was among the easiest of the tested models, as the SoundLink Color is always ready to pair and its controls were well marked and intuitive. It offers verbal cues for various functions, such as Bluetooth pairing. The sound level of the prompts can be pretty loud in quiet environments, but unlike other models in our tests they can be deactivated. This unit lacks a remote, which isn't an issue if it's nearby or being used with a Bluetooth device that can act as the remote, but could be inconvenient in other situations.

About

A wireless portable Bluetooth speaker system with an analog audio input.

Features & Specs

Features

IP rating

Claimed battery life (hrs.)

Adjustable tone settings

Wireless stereo pairing

Speaker phone w/built-in mic

Optional multi-room sharing

Remote

Power source

Battery/AC

Updatable software/firmware

Warranty (mos.): parts/labor

12/12

Other features

None.

Included accessories

AC Adaptor and USB cable

WiFi content sharing technology

Wake timer

Sleep timer

Specs

Wireless type

Bluetooth

Audio format

Stereo

Height (in.)

Width (in.)

Depth (in.)

Weight (lbs.)

Dimensions HxWxD (in.)

5.5 x 5 x 3.5

Connections

Stereo analog audio input

Yes

Optical digital audio input

Headphone jack

Active subwoofer pre-amp out

Other connections

None.

iPod Docking

Price & Shop

Bose SoundLink Color

CR Expert Take

Overall Score

What goes into the Overall Score?

Detailed Test Results

About

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