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Bose has upscaled its portable audio by unveiling the SoundLink Max, its biggest and most capable Bluetooth speaker to date.
The SoundLink Max promises a richer sound than its mono-only Flex counterpart with a stereo sound generated by two passive radiators and three transducers. It’s noticeably bigger at over 10.4 inches long and a weight of nearly 5lbs (there’s an included detachable handle), but Bose is clearly hoping the design will be used for outdoor parties and other moments where output is more important than size.
Bose has also given the SoundLink Max high-quality wireless audio through AptX Adaptive. If you’d rather have a wired link, a 3.5mm jack lets you plug in to many other sources. Battery life is a healthy 20 hours.
Bose will ship the SoundLink Max starting May 16th for $399. That puts it in competition with Ultimate Ears’ Epicboom, Sony’s new ULT Field 7, Sonos’ Move 2 and other high-end portable speakers.
Each speaker is targeting a slightly different audience, though. The Epicboom emphasizes 360-degree sound. The ULT Field 7 is more expensive at $499, but offers lighting, guitar input, and karaoke-friendly microphone support. The $449 Sonos Move 2 is more of an around-the-house speaker for listeners who occasionally move their smart audio outdoors.
With the SoundLink Max, Bose is aiming at those who are happy with high-quality stereo and want something powerful but still relatively easy to carry.
