The Bose SoundLink Plus is a good speaker for the seashore this summer season

I’ve been testing the $269 Bose SoundLink Plus, which is the corporate’s newest transportable Bluetooth speaker. It’s sturdy, enticing, and designed to hitch you wherever you go, due to strong development and an IP67 score. You may toss it in a small backpack or clip it to the surface of 1 for straightforward transport to the seashore or round city.

Nevertheless, at $269, the Plus falls right into a no man’s land of Bluetooth audio system. It’s dearer than equally sized rivals, together with the JBL Cost 6, Sony ULT Subject 3, and Sonos Roam 2, which all price $200 or much less. The Plus can also be about $100 cheaper than barely bigger choices with extra expansive options, like stereo audio system, Wi-Fi, or sensible assistant integration. What it does, it does very properly, however there’s little that makes it stand out from the pack.

The SoundLink Plus is a mono speaker with a tweeter, 4 passive radiators, and a rear-facing subwoofer, which is anticipated for its worth. It may be linked with one other Plus to create a stereo pair or linked with different current-gen Bose Bluetooth audio system for Social gathering Mode, the place all audio system play the identical sign. Solely a single Plus was despatched for testing, so I didn’t get an opportunity to check Social gathering Mode (or Stereo Mode, for that matter).

The SoundLink Plus is roughly the identical measurement as a 20-oz water bottle and falls between the SoundLink Max and SoundLink Flex (second-generation). However the measurement belies how impressively loud it could actually get.

It gives a great quantity of low-end thump, and the general tuning delivers clear vocals with a crisp excessive finish. The bass line in the course of the verse and refrain of Billie Eilish’s “dangerous man” has good tone and definition, though the Plus will get challenged a bit within the bridge, and as an alternative of the bass hits feeling larger, they’re a bit of compressed. All through, although, the finger snaps and synth are clear and trip on prime of the cruising bass.

At mid-to-high quantity ranges indoors, the higher frequencies can get fatiguing, which I discover is mostly the case with Bose merchandise. That is notably true with excessive hats or metallic-sounding results, as may be present in “Tremendous Bon Bon” by Soul Coughing. These frequencies may be tamed a bit by the EQ if wanted. And when the Plus will get actually loud — round 80 p.c and up — some distortion creeps in.

The Plus is wrapped in a silicone coating and has a powder-coated metal grille that matches the accessible Black, Blue Nightfall, or Citrus Yellow finishes. The silicone is sturdy, clean, and immune to getting marked up if dropped, however I used to be continually wiping off the lint, mud, and pet hair that it attracted as I moved it round my house and out of doors. Fortunately, it’s straightforward to scrub.

The buttons alongside the highest present a satisfying click on when pressed. There are mild indicators subsequent to the facility, Bluetooth, and shortcut buttons. The shortcut button may be assigned to both hyperlink two Bose Bluetooth audio system collectively or open Spotify.

Aside from turning the speaker on, nevertheless, I hardly ever used the contact controls. The speaker doesn’t present a strategy to advance tracks — only a play / pause button — and the Bose app is comparatively naked bones. You may choose a supply, change the three-band EQ (or choose considered one of 4 presets), assign the shortcut button, and alter the amount. It was simpler to remain in my music streaming app and management the amount with my iPhone.

The speaker has an IP67 score, which implies it could actually stand up to submersion as much as three toes for half-hour, making it secure to make use of across the pool or on the seashore. I crammed up the bathtub and tossed it in. The Plus floats, though face down, so you’ll be able to’t hear it whereas it’s floating. After being submerged, the facility button mild will blink white and orange, indicating that the speaker’s USB-C port can’t be used till it’s dry.

It lacks linked audio choices that many rivals embrace, such because the Beats Tablet and even different Bose transportable audio system just like the SoundLink Residence (each of that are inexpensive). It helps multipoint connection, permitting two Bluetooth units to be linked concurrently, but it surely lacks Wi-Fi, Spotify Join, and AirPlay help. It’s Bluetooth or bust.

The SoundLink Plus is rated for as much as 20 hours of playback time, which appears to be correct primarily based on my time with the speaker at average volumes to date.

The Plus will also be used as a 15W energy financial institution, through its USB-C port, for telephones and different units, which is able to clearly scale back the playback time. I used to be in a position to cost my iPhone 15 Professional by 10 p.c in a bit of below an hour. That’s gradual, so I assume it’s solely helpful in a pinch. It additionally takes 5 hours to cost the speaker, so that you’ll need to plug it within the evening earlier than a seashore day.

The SoundLink Plus is a strong, sturdy, and great-sounding Bluetooth speaker that fills the hole between the Max and the Flex in Bose’s lineup. Nevertheless, when contemplating its options in relation to its worth, which is increased than that of comparable transportable audio system, it turns into a much less compelling prospect. For those who’re a fan of the Bose sound and are in search of a seashore or pool companion for the summer season, the Plus is for you. And even in case you’re not a Bose fan, the Plus is value contemplating, however it is best to most likely watch for a sale.