Bose SoundLink Bluetooth Speaker III

I have both. Here is my thoughts: 1. Appearance: SoundLink 3 has a old-timer classic look. The silver part of the box is paint sprayed mesh. the black parts around have a fine texture on it. The top is soft rubber. The whole thing feels like a old radio (in a good way) with a modern touch. I personally like it better than the jawbone box or UE style, which is way too future-ish young-kids looking. SoundLink 3 is also pretty heavy. Won't be a good choice to carry around. All in all, very solid build. SoundLine Mini reminds me the Iphone. It is a whole piece of Aluminum, as least looks like it. Also heavy for its size. but much more portable. 2. Sound quality: Low Volume: SoundLink3 sounds better than SoundLink2 hands down. When played at same low volume, soundLink3 is MUCH better than soundLink2 in my opinion. The sound is much more clear, vocal really stands out. the high pitch is better, but still not quite there. The mini actually sounds the best at low volume. SoundLink 3 has a "deeper/wider/thicker" sound than the mini, but some how the mini sounds more "clear" at low volume and my ear find it very pleasing. When I say low volume, I mean put it on my office desk. close the door and listen to it when working. High Volume: SoundLink 3 can get really loud. I can not bear how loud it gets when I crank it up. but I never liked loud music so keep that in mind. For my life, I will never need that much noise. But you may want it. when turn the volume up, SoundLink 3 start to sounds better than the Mini. I am impressed it can go quite loud without much distortion. I am not saying mini is not loud. To me, Mini is good enough for my medium size room, I don't even need to turn it up that much for it starts to feel too loud. I don't know why I would ever need SoundLink 3's loud volume. Unless I want to throw a pool party. Base: The base on the Mini is just amazing. I still can not believe how such a small thing can pump out that much base. Very good. The main complain I have about UE boom box and Jawbone is they do have better high but the base is just lacking. But that again is a personal preference. My friend loves his UE box and complains every time when he hear my mini saying "too much base no high." But I like the base a lot, the music is "fuller". My opinion, UE & Jawbone sounds tin-can-ish. I don't want that much high with no base. But again "sound better" is your feeling, so listen to them and make your own decision. SoundLink 3 has good base, too. also it can maintain a clear layer of sound with that base. the base is not as heavy flavored as the mini. At low volume, I think mini has a more noticeable base. At high volume, soundLink 3 start to catch up. Conclusion: 1. If you like full base like me, go for Bose, if you likes high pitch better UE boom may be better. it is cheaper than Mini, and has a microphone you can make call, also has a cool app. I totally don't care about those. I want better sound for music. 2. For bose, SoundLink 3 can get much louder than Mini and it sounds better at high volume. If you want loud music so your office mate next door can go complain to the boss, chose soundLink3. If you only need to fill a medium office/living room with clear music, go for mini. 3. don't forget mini is 100 less than SoundLink 3. For me, if I can only keep one, I will keep the mini, it is good for all my needs. But I will keep both, I may start a party in the hall way, you never know. --Update-- One more thing: Do you know that the Bluetooth devices you use to connect to those speaker make a difference? I used Samsung Note phone, Iphone, Ipad & Kindle HDX to test the same song on SoundLink3, they actually sounds different form each device. Which is very strange. Isn't this suppose to be digital? Anyway, They are obviously different to me. The best sound actually comes from my Kindle HDX, Ipad and Iphone are OK, Samsung note sounds the worst. So if you have more than one bluetooth device, try pair them all and find out if they really sound different or I am just crazy.

I think Bosé most products have great sound quality. This particularly is not the best one, but I consider you should know that when you compare the price between most of them. Having said that, lest talk about good and bad things: Pros: - Its portability: Since it has a built-in rechargeable battery that last about 12 hours, you can easily carry it with you. Just be careful since it is not waterproof, - Lightweight: It is not the lighest portable speaker (about 3 pounds or 1350gr), but I consider it light enough to bring it easily in you backpack or even in a women purse (not complaining about the sizes of women purses LOL), - Easy of use: It took me about 4 minutes after I open the box to get it playing my iPhone's music. It is really user friendly device. My 5 years daughter also manipulate it with no problems at all, - Its design is great, despite its totally vertical shape, which in some cases could be a con due to the easiness to let if fall, - Bluetooth connect automatically, I didn't read about how many devices it stores, but in our daily basis, it pairs automatically with my iPhone and / or my wife's one like a charm, - I consider it volume is loud enough for listening to music at home, and even in exteriors, but it would no be loud enough for a party or a crowded place. - Comes with the required power cord just in case you either need to recharge the battery or just prefer to use it attached to the power outlet. - Quality: Bose is synonym of great quality, so I'm going to avoid bore you on this point. Cons: - Its totally vertical design doesn't provide enough support and if you trip it up, probably it would fall. - Like most Bosé, people would say it is louder due to its bass tune. I don't find it a con, but some relatives say so and I consider you would appreciate this feedback too. - The price: Yes, it is Bose, but I consider this is a little bit overpriced. Like this review if you consider the same. Anyway, I would recommend it if you really like to enjoy music at home o in exteriors, with the flexibility of bring your speaker and a great battery duration.

Most importantly: This thing rocks. I never bought a case or charging cradle for it and I don't think you need to. This thing is quite sturdy on its own. I've traveled around with it plenty, it holds up fine in a backpack. I didn't bring it camping or fishing or anything like that, but I've flown with it in my carry on plenty of times. Specifics: I ordered this speaker two years ago and think it is one of the best electronics purchases I've ever made. It sounds awesome at both high and low volumes, can get quite loud, the battery lasts forever, and the device never gives me trouble. I know the Bose brand is dissed as being a marketing-focused company, but this product is great. I don't use any other Bose products and have been disappointed when trying out Bose headphones, but this speaker is awesome. I use it daily by myself and when I have guests over. Even when having 15-20 people over in an apartment, this things gets plenty loud enough for a party. Two things that slightly bug me in light of using competing high-end bluetooth speakers: 1) Only one device can be paired to this speaker at a time. I've seen other good bluetooth speakers that allow multiple simultaneous pairings which is really convenient. (The UE Boom can do this, is cheaper, and sounds 85% as good IMO) 2) The Bose SL3 does not have any audio controls besides volume and mute. You can't pause or skip songs from the speaker, you must pause/skip on the phone or computer thats paired to it. Lastly, one word of note: This speaker doesn't sound nearly as great outdoors, but that is true for all portable speakers.

Best bluetooth speaker I have heard so far. Jawbone big jambox not as rich sounding by far. Treble on Jambox seemed to be good. But if looking for full rich sound, Bose is the way to go. Bass is great, highs are crisp and clear. Features seem to be lacking, but sound quality makes up for that. If you want excellent sound then look no farther. After trying Big jambox, and pill xl I would choose bose as the overall winner for the quality of sound. Sound link mini is also an excellent option if not trying to spend extra cash. Bose has a definite winner for price and portability on that one. Produces very good bass for its size. But sound link 3 sounds richer with more detail. Since the sound link has 4 drivers, it is another plus when thinking about which speaker to buy. Vocals are very nice with sound link 3 also. Very warm sounding with a good amount of bass. Sounds good near a wall also. Works as stated. bluetooth is solid. Have had for a couple weeks now, and haven't had any problems. Have had the sound link mini for over a year, and love the sound from that also. Can't go wrong with bose. So if you are looking for an portable speaker in this price range, and sound is the most important look no further than the sound link 3 or sound link mini. Will not disappoint.

Extremely Disappointed with the Used and Defective Speaker I am writing this review to express my utmost disappointment with the recent purchase I made from this buyer. To my dismay, I received a used and defective speaker that is completely non-functional. Firstly, the fact that the seller sent me a used item without disclosing its condition is highly unethical. It is evident that the speaker has been previously owned, as there are visible signs of wear and tear. This is not what I expected when making the purchase, and it reflects poorly on the seller's integrity. Furthermore, the speaker does not even work! No matter what troubleshooting methods I tried, it simply refuses to turn on. It is frustrating to receive a product that cannot fulfill its primary function. I have wasted my hard-earned money on an item that is essentially useless. The lack of quality control on the part of the seller is truly disappointing. I had hoped for a seamless transaction and a functioning speaker that would enhance my listening experience. However, I have been left with nothing but frustration and regret. I strongly advise potential buyers to steer clear of this seller. Their lack of transparency, coupled with the sale of a faulty product, demonstrates a complete disregard for customer satisfaction. Save yourself the trouble and find a reliable and trustworthy seller who values their customers' experience. In conclusion, this purchase has been an absolute letdown. The used and defective speaker I received has been a waste of both time and money. I hope my negative experience serves as a warning to others, prompting them to make more informed decisions when considering this seller.

This bluetooth speaker still desperately wants five stars, but it's lack of features now holds it back. The sound quality when compared to my Mini II and a UE Megaboom is excellent (for a portable bluetooth speaker). I think the retro styling is sort of cool, and it's size is convenient if you're looking for something that has better audio quality than the Mini II. I think it should come with the optional charging cradle like the Mini II so you can give it a permanent home next to a wall somewhere where it will sound the best and keep it charged for when you want to take it somewhere. Paying an extra $30 for a weighted piece of plastic with a couple electrical contacts built in is a bit ridiculous. As Bose suggests, it does sound better when placed with it's back a few inches from a wall (meaning the depth of the bass improves). However, near a wall, or in the middle of the room, the Soundlink III sounds provides much better sound than either the UE Megaboom I tried or the Mini II that I own. It's not really much louder than the Mini II when I tested it with a dB meter, but it doesn't distort the way the Mini II does at those high levels. The bass is still clear and defined at high volumes whereas the bass on both the Mini II and UE Megaboom distort with a low raspy buzz (yuck). The Megaboom is a tad louder than the Soundlink III, but not by much, and comes with that distorted (not in a good way) rather than clean sound (along with a few other issues). Even when you back the Megaboom off to a comparable volume with that of the Soundlink III, you can still hear the Megaboom breaking up and distorting a bit. Compared to other similarly sized portable speakers currently on the market, I think the Soundlink III's battery life is somewhat lacking, but good enough. You'll need to remember to charge it more than you'd probably like to. Unlike the Mini II there is no audible cue that tells you exactly where the battery level is at, only a light which changes color displaying full, medium, and low. I'm sorry, but that's lame. Knowing whether it's at 40% or 70% makes a big difference as to whether or not I'm going to need to charge it. Also, the volume controls, well, I think they, in a word, suck. There is no cue to tell you when the audio is at full, so you find yourself pressing on the button until it doesn't seem to be getting any louder. Wait, was that only the song getting louder, or the speaker, how do you know...so you keep pressing a little longer. To make matters worse, the volume buttons only seem to respond to a continued press rather than working incrementally. So, you've finally reached full volume, but that's a bit too loud so you want to back it off a couple increments. Well, you tap the "-" button a couple times, and nothing seems to happen, a couple more, did it change? So, you hold the button down, whoops way too far down now. I'm a surfer, and this is like trying to surf blindfolded. Surfing blindfolded would be a stupid thing to do. Adjusting the volume on the Soundlink III is similarly ridiculous. So, I guess at this point in time the Soundlink III desperately needs a feature and battery update to remain competitive in its price point. If you're all about the sound quality, and could care less about the lack of some simple use-ability features, then the Soundlink III is still probably the clear choice (even after the 3 years since it's release). However, if battery life and some of the other features competitors are offering are attractive for some reason, then you may want to shop around a bit more. If Bose releases something with the same or better audio quality, better battery performance, and some additional use-ability features, it would stomp all the competition, and regain that last star.

I am impressed with this little guy. I was hesitant to plunk down $300, especially since there are others that are almost as good. But I'm glad I did. My criteria for a portable speaker was that it had to be simple to use, that it could operate even if wireless options were on the blink, and it had to fit on a bookshelf. I am not a big Bose fan. In fact, I avoid most Bose products since they tend to lock you into their ecosystem with proprietary connectors, batteries, etc, not to mention the premium price. This one was pleasingly different though. There's nothing proprietary. It uses Bluetooth as the primary connection. And if that doesn't work for you, or if you prefer using a line-out signal from your music device, it supports a 3.5mm jack line-in. Some may prefer other options, such as USB that would also charge your device at the same time. That would nice, but I'm not missing it like I though I would. The controls on the unit are just right. Power, BT pairing, volume, mute. Could it benefit from song skip buttons, sure. But for me the speakers are remote, and I'm using my device (phone or iPad) to do the controlling. The music fills a room with no problem. It seems to be at it's best when it's in the medium to medium-loud range. Like any speakers, cranking it will lead to distortion. And, in typical Bose fashion, it's a bit bass-heavy. Not annoyingly so, but be aware. If you're looking for surround sound, get a surround system. But if you're looking or portable sound that just works, take a definite look at this one.

After reading reviews comparing the Bose Soundlink III with the Bose Soundlink Mini, I found myself confused on which one to buy. Most reviews that I found were passing to some extent the idea that paying $100 more for the Soundlink III might not be worth it. But I have heard both of them in my home side by side and have to say that the Soundlink III is a very different beast from the Soundlink Mini. I've had the Mini for a while. Now I have purchased the Soundlink III. From an initial hearing of the Soundlink III, I have to say that the Soundlink III has more depth more fullness and more stereo richness than the mini. Past a certain volume the two small speakers drivers in the Soundlink Mini are just barely adequate enough. Depending on the kind of music I played, say Hiphop, Rock, Pop (bass heavy music) the drivers just didn't perform well at the volumes I wanted. Just barely adequate at moderate listening levels. I was finding on the Mini that the DSP was attenuating the volume too much easily that it degraded the music where it wasn't enjoyable to my ears. But the Soundlink III is different. The Soundlink III with it's extra pair of drivers and more powerful amplifier takes the work load off the other speakers and allows it to reproduce music with more fidelity, more fullness and more volume. I have also noticed the Soundlink III has much more clearer highs and much more fuller and deeper bass than the Mini. Putting the extra battery life and the extra weight aside I have to say that yes, the $100 extra for just the sound you are getting on the III is very worth it.