Bose - SoundLink Home

I've commented on the state of Bose's product offerings before, but for now, their wireless speaker range *continues* to be confusing.. even **WITH** new products. Bose just today announced the SoundLink Home. It appears to be a SoundLink Flex 2 that you do **NOT** intend to take outside your house. Let's look at a few points: * It is **not** weather **nor** water resistant, and Bose even cautions using it in your bathroom * It **cannot** be setup using the Bose app - therefore, setup depends solely on your device's Settings app * It is **more** expensive than the new SoundLink Flex 2, but has **less** features (no weather resistance, no PositionIQ, etc..) * It has **less** battery life (9 hours on the Home vs 12 hours on the Flex 2) * It **cannot** be linked to other SoundLink Flex/Max/Revolve products, only other SoundLink Home speakers of the same range - and if so, it only supports Stereo Mode (no Party Mode) * This product sadly has **no Wi-Fi** built in - major bummer for me personally, because I've been hoping for a Portable Smart Speaker replacement Let's look at some upsides: * the design is very sleek and modern - way nicer than the Flex, or I'd even argue, the Revolve line * Bluetooth 5.3 with MultiPoint * the USB-C Port can act as a Line-In (something the Flex 2 does not offer) * I'm hoping it sounds just as good, if not slightly better, than the Flex 2 AT LEAST (which is gonna be tough, since this speaker seems to be slightly smaller) So yeah, not really sure who this speaker is for...since clearly the better deal is the new Flex 2... but if anything, I'm glad Bose is trying SOMETHING new, even if this may miss the mark... Links for your reference: Bose site: [https://www.bose.com/p/speakers/soundlink-home-bluetooth-speaker/SLHM-SPEAKERWIRELESS.html?srsltid=AfmBOopfCqvD0qTHTI0LMmhf3ums9UF87xRoQKCSN\_cyteDI0sxU29LI](https://www.bose.com/p/speakers/soundlink-home-bluetooth-speaker/SLHM-SPEAKERWIRELESS.html?srsltid=AfmBOopfCqvD0qTHTI0LMmhf3ums9UF87xRoQKCSN_cyteDI0sxU29LI) The Verge: [https://www.theverge.com/2024/10/1/24259408/bose-bluetooth-wireless-speaker-soundlink-home](https://www.theverge.com/2024/10/1/24259408/bose-bluetooth-wireless-speaker-soundlink-home) Engadget: [https://www.engadget.com/audio/speakers/the-bose-soundlink-home-brings-premium-audio-to-a-small-and-portable-package-171006213.html](https://www.engadget.com/audio/speakers/the-bose-soundlink-home-brings-premium-audio-to-a-small-and-portable-package-171006213.html)

Major bummer for me too! I've been waiting for an update to the Portable Smart/Home Speaker. And yes - I was also under the impression that "Home" in the product name meant Wi-Fi included. Maybe because this still has "SoundLink" in the name, that's supposed to mean portable Bluetooth? This speaker lineup is confusing. It does seem like the Flex 2 is the better overall buy.

Yeah, this design is so nice! I'd personally also enjoy Wi-Fi functionality. Their Portable Smart/Home Speaker hasn't been updated in a while. Sign me up for those Customer Feedback sessions too lol. I'd love to give Bose some insight as a long-time consumer of theirs. I do commend them for at least *trying* some new things - but they have some work to do to streamline this Bluetooth speaker offering (it looks like they're ***still*** keeping around the Bose Revolve+ 2 - which ***STILL*** connects only via micro-USB).

yeah agreed! I bought both the Flex 2 and the SoundLink Home, and definitely kept the Flex 2. It sounds much better, which is so odd.

I find the Bose to be most pleasing of anything available in the market and did not hear any distortion when testing it thoroughly - waiting for some discount on this side of the world before I buy it !

Using an old Bose sound link Bluetooth speaker when I need more sound that the mini provides.

Bose soundlink is a good option. A little out of your price range, but worth checking out IMO.

Yeah, I have the old soundlink and I have no issues with it. I can only imagine the new version is the same if not better.

Flip 6 and Bose SoundLink are both excellent options, but for me personally, after owning both, I’ll go for the Bose. Deeper bass and clarity.

The bose isnt bad at all. There plenty out there that actually sound bad. Also its the only thing i've no latency issues or connection issues. Every jbl i've had has had Bluetooth issues, latency, and broken on me. With bose i've never had a single peice of equipment fail on me since my first acoustimass back in the day

I agree as well. I dont experience any distortion at max volumes. Can vary on audio sample quality as well.

I compared Bose SoundLink, Jbl charge 5, Jbl flip 6, Soundcore Motion X600, Klipsch Nashville and HK luna. I chose Luna from all. The best balanced sound for this price range. I found JBL highs to harsh, bose pretty good but not so open , Klipsch missing any lows, and Soundcore...I liked it but when I listened side by side with Luna...well..I ended up with Luna :)

I have them. They’re cool to show off to your friends right up until the moment that you turn them on. They have zero depth, zero bass, and really aren’t that loud. My Bose SoundLink sounds 1000x better and is much louder. You’ll get better sound from just turning on your stereo and rolling down the windows. I was highly disappointed. I don’t have any connectivity issues like a lot of people. As soon as I drop the gate, it turns on and immediately starts playing music from my phone. I really wouldn’t spend the money unless you hear one in person and decide it’s worth it. Because it’s not.