Bose SoundLink Flex review: A Bluetooth speaker with striking looks, pleasing sonics

At a glance

Expert’s Score

Pros

• Excellent audio for a mono speaker
• Handsome visual appearance
• Extra thump than you may well be expecting
• Can pair for stereo.

Disadvantages

• Monaural audio
• No EQ in application

Our Verdict

The IP67-rated Bose SoundLink Flex out of doors speaker is proper at house all around the pool, or at the beach. It is also interesting, and delivers both equally very clear monophonic seem and a hefty amount of money of thump for its sizing.

Value When Reviewed

$149.00

Most effective Costs Now

$149.00

No cost

$149.99

Cost-free

I typically anticipate good sound from Bose products and solutions, and the climate-proofed, $149 SoundLink Flex very easily fulfilled my expectation. In point, I was a tad shocked to discover that it was a monaural speaker presented the dulcet tones radiating from its enclosure.

The Flex is a bit bass-centric, but given the youthful viewers, that is equally understandable–and attractive. To heck with that. I like it as nicely.

This overview is section of TechHive’s coverage of the greatest Bluetooth speakers, the place you are going to find reviews of the competition’s choices, in addition a buyer’s guideline to the characteristics you should really think about when browsing for this sort of product.

Structure and functions

The SoundLink Flex measures 3.6 x 7.9 x 21 inches (HxWxD) and weighs 1.3 lbs .. It feels sizeable, but not like an anchor in the backpack. It is offered in stone blue, black, and white smoke. I examined the stone blue, and to be sincere, it is my beloved of the a few colours.

The non-grill regions of the Flex are coated in a grippy silicone materials, so it does not slip from your grasp close to or in the pool. The trade-off is that the content has a inclination to acquire grime. There’s also a little cloth utility loop so you can dangle/have it on just one finger or cling it on whatever’s useful. You could also use the loop to tether a longer lanyard if you so need.

Bose presents the speaker an IP67 ranking, this means it can endure up to 30 minutes submerged in up to a meter of h2o, and that particulate subject (dust, sand, and the like) will not penetrate into its essential areas particularly, the electronics. It floats, although it is relatively near to neutral buoyancy, producing it fun to poke in the pool. You will uncover an in-depth clarification of IP codes at the preceding connection.

Jon L. Jacobi/Foundry

Inside of the Flex is a one 60 mm (around 2.3-inch) whole-variety driver, as perfectly as about 3-inch vast rounded rectangular radiators firing forward and back by way of the significant entrance, and smaller back again grills. Bose has an animated exploded illustration of the SoundLink Flex halfway down the webpage at the preceding backlink. Also on board is a microphone for dealing with cellular phone calls and summoning your smartphone’s voice assistant.

On prime of the unit are the electricity, Bluetooth pair, volume up/down, and a multi-perform button, as effectively as the Bluetooth and electricity standing lights. The speaker depends on a USB-C port to cost its battery, but there no other connections–which is unusual.

Bose supplies an application (see the following portion for screens) to assistance connecting the Flex to your phone or pill, ought to you not know how to do so manually. I was hoping for an EQ perform, but no dice. There are, having said that, a users’ guideline and amenities to backlink with other Bose speakers in Party (unison/repeater) or Stereo (R/L stereo) modes.

Seem, Bluetooth, and Battery

Despite getting a mono speaker with no channel separation, the SoundLink Flex is a very great sounding speaker in simple fact, it is a single of the far better-sounding monaural speakers I have tested. I’d have beloved to hear a pair in stereo, but Bose only despatched us the just one.

I was especially impressed with the clarity of vocals. In truth I’m tempted to say the enclosure might’ve been tuned with them in brain. If you like to sing along with the appropriate lyrics, you will never mistake text listening to the Flex. There’s also a truthful amount of money of bottom end–and it’s restricted, not boomy.

Speaking of boom, it would seem that Bose optimized for ordinary bass (higher than 60Hz), not sub-bass, which is only hinted at. This was a tad astonishing as a person ordinarily connotes the presence of the other. I’m not a huge enthusiast of sub-bass, but if you are, check out out the Spark Mini.

The Bose SoundLink Flex connected swiftly by way of Bluetooth (there is version 4.2 radio onboard). Which is fantastic, since there is no auxiliary input. My operate time with the 3.2aH battery was at around 7 hrs all through fairly reduced-amount listening with all over 30 p.c life (declared by way of voice prompt) remaining. Bose claims up to 12 hours.

Jon L. Jacobi/Foundry

Great stuff

However it is a bit expensive, the Bose SoundLink Flex is attractive, appears good, and provides a nice quantity of thump. Currently being totally drinking water-proofed, it is also a terrific speaker for all-around the pool or at the seaside. It’s just one of–if not my favorite–speakers of this measurement.