Bose has made its biggest attempt yet to secure a spot in our guide to the best Bluetooth speakers by launching the new SoundLink Max: a powerful, stylish new wireless speaker that looks ideal for playing a soundtrack. sound during barbecues or picnics with large groups.
The SoundLink Max is Bose’s largest Bluetooth speaker yet, weighing just under 2.27kg and measuring 26cm wide. That’s still a lot smaller than the Tribit Stormbox Blast, but Bose’s rival is more stylish and just as built for the outdoors, with its IP67 rating offering resistance to water, dust and shock.
As you’d expect from the high-end audio brand, it also promises to deliver a heavy but well-rounded sound, thanks to the combination of three transducers and two specially designed passive radiators for bass. Interestingly, the SoundLink Max’s specs also include Snapdragon Sound and aptX Adaptive, meaning it promises to support high-resolution lossless audio and dynamically scale the bitrate of your music.
Another bonus of the Max’s sturdy design is that it promises an impressive 20 hours of battery life, which should last long enough for most outdoor activities. If your smartphone is running low on battery, you can also plug it into the speaker’s USB-C port for fast charging.
Speaking of phones, Bose’s new Bluetooth speaker also supports Google’s Fast Pair standard, so people with Android phones can quickly pair with it. If you’re a bit more old-fashioned, there’s also an auxiliary input to connect it to an MP3 or CD player.
Like Bang & Olufsen, Bose speakers are usually on the more expensive side and that is again the case here. You can buy the SoundLink Max for £399 ($499 / AU$765) when pre-orders start on May 14. We hope to let you know in a review soon whether it is worth that price tag.
A new premium candidate?
There’s no doubt that the SoundLink Max is on the heavier side of what we’d consider a ‘portable’ speaker, so its appeal may well depend on where you typically listen to outdoor music (and how far you need to carry it). .
But on paper it sounds like a promising new contender if you need more power than the average Bluetooth speaker. Ny Breaking’s audio editor Becky Scarrott says: “It’s very interesting to see Snapdragon Sound and aptX Adaptive on the spec sheet, as Snapdragon Sound supports high-resolution lossless audio up to 24-bit/96kHz audio – and aptX Adaptive (the codec used in capable of automatically adjusting to lossless quality) means that if you’re a paying member of one of the best music streaming services, you should be able to hear your playlists in as much detail as possible.
The SoundLink Max’s price tag could be a prohibitive factor for many, considering the current number one choice in our guide to the best Bluetooth speakers is the Sonos Roam, which costs $179 / £179 / AU$299 and packs powerful sound for its size.
But there could certainly be a place for it as a premium option in our guide, with our Audio Editor adding: “It’s a bit pricey, but then again, Bose products rarely enter the budget arena. I can’t wait to hear what it sounds like “.