Bose’s SoundLink Max Bluetooth Speaker Is Nearly Perfect (Yes, I Said Perfect) (2024)

With its SoundLink Max Bluetooth speaker, Bose went big and small simultaneously. Its size is compact and portable while its sound punches way above its appearance. This portable speaker blew me away in almost every way.

Bose SoundLink Max

9/ 10

Epic stereo sound and deep bass turn good times to the max, letting you feel the music from your head to your toes. And with its compact design and removable handle, you can take the party anywhere you are.

Pros

• Big sound in a compact size
• Rope handle is removable
• Physical buttons are easy to press
• Handy aux in and USB-C ports

See Also

Here Are The 11 Best Bluetooth Speakers Money Can BuyBest bluetooth speakers for outdoor adventures or indoor funAnker Soundcore Boom 2 Plus review: Excellent Bluetooth speaker for the great outdoorsSonos Roam 2 vs Roam 1: what's new for Sonos' portable speaker?

Cons

• No audio-in through USB-C port
• Shortcut button has limited uses

$400 at Amazon$399 at Bose

Price and Availability

The Bose SoundLink Max retails for $399 and comes in blue and black colors. A shoulder strap is available for purchase, as well as extra color rope handles, if you want to make your purchase more personal.

The Right Size, Weight, and Color

Getting the size of a speaker just right is trickier than it may appear. The smaller it is, the tinnier the drivers inside need to be. The battery life gets decreased and so forth. But make a speaker too big and all of a sudden it needs wheels to be moved around. I think the SoundLink Max hits a sweet spot.

The speaker comes in just under 5 pounds and doesn’t feel like a chore to pick up and carry. Its rope handle is comfortable while also somehow a bit stylish. The total dimensions of the speaker make it suitable to use nearly anywhere, indoors or outside.

As much as the color of a speaker doesn’t matter, Bose nailed the blue dusk color. It’s beautiful. The rubber exterior texture is part of its IP67 water and dustproof rating. But more importantly, the exterior feels great. The buttons were easy to press and I never minded running my hand across the side of the speaker.

Beyond those media control buttons across the top, there’s not much else to the speaker. Its 20 hours of listening time feels like a good balance between power, size, and weight.

An aux input next to the USB-C charging port (that can be used to power a phone) on the backside rounds out the physical characteristics worth mentioning.

Big Sound Reigns Supreme

The size, weight, and color of the SoundLink Max were all complimentary, but its sound was the thing that blew me away. Like the trick of too many clowns emerging from a tiny car, the speaker produces way more bass and volume than you would ever guess it was capable of.

Pop songs like “Blinding Lights” by The Weeknd and “Lose Yourself to Dance” by Daft Punk exploded from all sides of the SoundLink Max, both hitting hard on the low end and letting the synths sparkle in the air before drifting away.

I only had to raise the volume to around 50% inside my living room before I was left stunned. Taking the speaker outside wasn’t quite as impressive, but for a backyard patio or a more intimate gathering at a park, the speaker can hold its own. It can get meaningfully loud.

This Bluetooth speaker isn’t meant to be an audiophile's reference speaker—and it's not. It’s meant to inject a sense of vibrancy into your favorite songs and make them sound good. It succeeds wonderfully at that goal.

Four EQ settings in the Bose app help make the speaker sound its best in all circ*mstances. I found the default, flat sound to be pleasant, but I appreciated the Bass Boost mode for outside use. The SoundLink Max is a go-anywhere, play-anything type of speaker.

Perfection Has Its Limits

I’ve spent a lot of time gushing about the speaker because it’s really good. But it has some quirks.

For one thing, the shortcut button on the top only has two options that it can be a shortcut for. By default, it switches to the line in port on the back. The only other selectable shortcut in the Bose app is for Spotify. I was hoping for more than two options. I would love to press it to cycle through EQ modes, among other things.

While it’s nice that the speaker can be used with the Bose app to adjust minimal settings, I wish I didn’t have to grab my phone to switch between the standard EQ and Bass Boost.

Be aware that there aren’t any microphones on the SoundLink Max. It can’t be used as a speakerphone or calibrate itself to a room. Personally, I have no qualms about the lack of microphones but it’s worth noting.

Should You Buy the Bose SoundLink Max?

The Bose SoundLink Max is an ideal size for portability but is capable of big sound. It’s great for an afternoon at the park or inside on a nightstand. Its bass hits way harder than it deserves to and the whole speaker produces robust audio.

It’s such a great speaker that costs just a little more than a lot of people will want to pay, I suspect. To be clear, Bose is not alone in this price category. JBL’s new Extreme 4 speaker retails for $380. The Ultimate Ears Epicboom costs $300. The SoundLink Max comes in at a premium price point, but it doesn't sit there completely alone.

Since the SoundLink Max gets unbelievably loud for its physical size, I’m inclined to think its compactness is worth a premium. If your budget allows for just one speaker to cover most of your needs, I would take a serious look at this one.

Bose SoundLink Max

9/ 10

Epic stereo sound and deep bass turn good times to the max, letting you feel the music from your head to your toes. And with its compact design and removable handle, you can take the party anywhere you are.

$400 at Amazon$399 at Bose