ZDNET's key takeaways The Bose SoundLink Max retails for $399 in the colors Black and Blue Dusk
This unassuming Bluetooth speaker delivers the high-quality sound that Bose is known for, with the battery life to keep the party going all night.
The regular price might be a turn-off, given you can get perfectly capable speakers for less. View now at Bose View now at Amazon more buying choices
Decades ago, when I was working for an audio installation company, we used to have a saying: "No highs, no lows; it must be Bose." Keep in mind that we were dealing with speakers that cost tens of thousands of dollars, so the idea of anything consumer-grade was laughable.
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Fast-forward to today, and Bose still makes speakers, headphones, and earbuds capable of producing rich, elegant sound with wide soundstages, punchy bass, and crisp highs. Such is the case with the Bose SoundLink Max Portable Speaker.
When listening to the SoundLink Max, I'm very much reminded of the original SoundLink, a great speaker from about a decade ago that I always felt was one of the best I'd ever used. This new iteration is even better, as it can push the volume to new heights without the slightest bit of distortion.
Although the sound might not satisfy the ears of a discerning audiophile, its big bass and powerful volume are certainly a crowd-pleaser. Let's get into it.
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The first thing I noticed about this speaker was the typical Bose processing, which makes the sound seem a bit airy. This pairs very well with audio from popular genres that typically don't demand too much from the hardware, and is due to how Bose processes midrange sounds for a stereo effect. Unfortunately, it can translate into imprecise midrange sounds that are slightly off-color. I've experienced that with almost every Bose speaker I've purchased or tested.
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