I went with Bose soundlink max. Although it is missing a lot of basic features like a microphone and on iOS it doesn’t display battery in the battery widget like all my bluetooth devices do. I was gonna get the Sonos Move 2 since it was on sale at $336 but after spending 2 hours at best buy and auditioning 30+ speakers, I had to go with the soundlink max. The sound is so chocolaty and smooth.
@ElonDust The Max is superb. I disabled the Absolute Volume in the developer settings on my phone and the volume almost doubled.... I can't get enough of listening to it!🤤🤭
Soundlink max is the best sounding speaker I have ever heard. PS: maybe I should add that that it is the best sounding speaker that in its category (small and portable)
@@michaelxu9673 nope, go to Best Buy and hear them all by yourself. Soundlink max sound is superior. But for 400 I really don’t think the 20% better sound (in my opinion) worth it. Better buy a Sonos era 300 and that sounds special
i tested them Bose soundlink max and JBL extreme 4 yesterday and i ended up buying the Soundlink max. way too good to listen compared to the extreme. dont care about the price difference, i just after which one sounds better
True....And Many People Cry of tje Distortion from the Max ....BUT ...after a Running in Time over minimum Ten Hours ...with good Quality files and Bass Test Track's ...The Distortion goes near to Zero
I've owned mine for 9 days. The first 6 was me desperately trying to get it not to distort. So I started breaking it in at different volumes. If it didn't, I was going to send it back and write a SCATHING review After I called them to "Let THEM HAVE IT" This past Friday , I sat it outside and said, "Hmm , you sound different. I bought it inside to its spot(s) and the bass wasn't distorting .... shit you not! I had been relaxing those radiators and flexxing those transducers by playing bass heavy Drake, Meg, Cardi, prepping it for a life of Deep House and VOILA! It made every other BT speaker (except my S1 pro+ which can't be touched at a BOSE level 160watts) seem like a wasteof money. Nevertheless, this is Sunday night and we have a Sony Minidisc plugged into it and DAAAAYUM on the floor or Top shelf in a corner BOOOOOM! You can't ask for much more and If you do ? =S1pro+.! The End.
Been waiting for this one! Love mine! Also notable mention: there are TWO bass passive radiators that are in the soundlink max as well as 3 drivers (two drivers and one tweeter) I own a move 2. The soundstage is more linear than the Bose in my opinion. The soundstage on the Bose is wider and robust
I'm always blown away at the volume and low-end performance of my Move 2. It's soo good. And the battery life it crazy. And apparently when the battery gets old, you can exchange it for another one, rather than being forced to buy another speaker entirely. Well worth the price in my opinion. Hopefully they fix the app though lol
In this video, the Bose and the Sonos sound superior. Eventually Bose will allow Stereo Pairing for the Max, but I'm not sure if I want to pay for 2. I have 2 Bose Flexes and they sound excellent in Stereo Pairing Mode. Together, they were $260, vs $800 for 2 maxes. That is a big chunk of money. As always, these videos at Smart Home are thorough and insightful. Thanks for the info.
Story Time: I have the Sonos Move 2 but it got scratched on one trip and now it doesn’t leave the house. So I bought an Xtreme 4 to not have to worry about dings and scratches.. THEN FLOSSY CARTER hyped the Bose Soundlink Max so much I returned the Xtreme 4 and bought the Soundlink Max instead.. The Bose was a CLEANER sound but NOT LOUDER like these reviews claim. I returned the Bose for the JBL Xtreme 4 again and couldn’t be happier BUT the Bose is more compact but at the expense of battery life. But ultimately the BEST DEAL is the Sonos Move 2 when it goes on sale on Amazon for $379
Both sound like shit. High listen volume, the mid frequency gets severely scooped out with the Bose Max making vocals sound like it's under water and recessed excessively. With the Xtreme 4, the bass nosedive and highs gets excessively boosted, sounding screechy and strange. For outdoors, the soundcore boom 2 is significantly better over these
Hello There..love your style and reviews , decent effort to lay bare pros n cons of speakers..after countless you tube reviews (yours including) n several visits at retail outlets , I chose Bose soundlink Max..I am a fan of JBL..i had charge 4, gifted to my son , who is overseas, then bought charge 5 (recently)- camouflage, a beauty n equally good on sound, but again ended up gifting to my nephew , was yearning for finally one for myself..I almost ordered camouflage Jbl extreme 4 basis youtubers, but chose to cancel n visit retail stores for that first hand experience. I couldn't find extreme 4 but listened to extreme 3 n it was a let down. I also listened to Marshalls too first hand. Acton 3 was great but wired only, stanmore , woburn ,tufton were good , but hefty n not portable.. it was a close call between, Middleton n bose Max.. Middleton matches bose a lot upto 50 %volume in terms of bass plus that cool retro look n those easy knobs , to control bass , treble ..but..at more than 50 % volume, Max blows Middleton in terms of depth in bass while still retaining clarity..What finally, swayed my decision for bose(a first) was everything best /decent at so compact a package..Smaller things get used most ..n max is like omnipotent toy..to entertain you ,be at beach,, party , in a room or a open terrace..its difficult to ignore, if you can pay its premium. The dusky blue colour has killer looks..i have a stationary lg boombox 220 watts n bose tries to challenge its hegemony, that is its USP , being second to none..but frankly , Yes LG scores more being big on RMS n girth. At end...keep on doing the good work.. With Love, from India..
Among my Bluetooth speaker collection I have the Max and the Sonos Move 2. I've been using the Max at work for around seven hours a day in an open space. I also have the Motion X600 and the Charge 5. I rotate them every couple of days. The Max has excellent bass and battery life. After seven to eight hours of play the battery is seventy per cent. This is Bose's best Bluetooth speaker and well worth the cost in my opinion. The sound quality is sublime which is to be expected from Bose. There is zero distortion unless it is pushed past about sixty percent. Bose's inherent trait is quality not quantity and the Max totally delivers without any reservation whatsoever. I've had the Move 2 for about three weeks and I haven't used it yet, but I'll get around to it eventually. As always a excellent review, well done.
"Love my Bose SoundLink Max, but I wish I could turn it on/off via my smartphone. As someone in a wheelchair, this feature would make a big difference in my daily life. I know emails are for professionals, but this issue is important enough that I had to reach out. @Bose, please consider adding this feature and inform your retailers! 🙏 #AccessibilityMatters #BoseSoundLinkMax #Bose #InclusiveDesign #TechForAll"
Thank you for the great video. I think this is a good example of the non-linear cost reality in luxury manufacturing, where to get better quality once you have surpassed a certain threshold your dollar per value cost skyrockets. Simply put, the proposition is for you to pay much more for one product which is only slightly better than the others. Whether it is in fact better - that’s the question.
The Xtreme 3 and 4 is capable of way more bass then you think if you max out the bass in app and use a 3rd party equalizer to increase it more it but you gotta really know what your doing to balance it out
Bro that is bose😅 a beast 🔥🔥 I,ve been using soundlink mini 2 since 2014 and it still new and battery backup is amazing yet unimaginable big sound and this is the daddy bro.
I have the Marshall middleton and i love it. The sound is great and imo better than Bose. I tested both and both Bose and Marshall sound great but for the price Marshall is a no brainer imo. It also has an power bank feature where you can charge your phone, not fast but still it works. Battery is more than 10 hours for me on max volume on the Marshall which is great. The form is also great as you can place it anywhere without rolling or tumbling over. Than the looks, the looks is also an factor for me and its the best looking speaker imo. I always had JBL but i think Marshall sound much better overall. JBL is louder with more bass but the sound quality is kinda meh for me.
The EXTREME 4 is priced similarly to the Bose, but offers better features such as a replaceable battery & you’ll get a power boost while it’s plugged in for indoor use.😂
@@richardb2343 I too have x600 it sounds great and way too open but without eq it’s fine but with eq and the speaker playing for few days it really opens up the sound way better
Sono and Bose clearly the best here Epic boom no bass and is clearly the worst one here. LOL JBL fan boys having a meltdown because the xtreme 4 sounds like trash with no bass and a screech fest. Marshall is fine for the price and performance.
The price is just a joke. There are so many BT speakers on the market, which cost a fraction with similar or even better sound quality and battery lifetime. You pay like 250 bucks only for the brand name "bose"...
*Returned the Bose soundlink max IMMEDIATELY after comparing it in person with the JBL xtreme4.* 1) you only get good sound facing directly the speaker 2) battery died too fast. 3) sound didn’t have as much volume and sound range as the JBL. 4) too expensive for what it is. I have ordered the UE Epicboom to compare the JBL Xtreme4 with epicboom. 360 sound is a big selling point for me it is also easier to carry. UE also has a removal battery like JBL, but the battery is quite shorter than JBL. The Xtreme4 has 24Hr while Epicboom has 17Hr. With higher volume life goes down on any speaker so for now xtreme is winning. I guess it will come down to sound quality and physical performance for me. I will decide from there which one fits my preference better in person. This review felt a little biased.
@@edensl8759 clearer treble and the xtreme has a more defined bass..not that boomy , more deep. bose is way too expensive for what it delivers. it is max worth 250 maybe
Overpriced Bose brand sound is terrible muddy bass lacks punch bass is not of good quality too boomy and starts to distort at high volume this review is biased to bose
Hi @SugiRgopal We have never worked with Bose in any capacity or on any video we have ever released. We bought this speaker to review with our own money. As you may know, we are also a retailer and sell some of the speakers that are mentioned in this video, but we do not sell the Bose Soundlink Max. Our opinions in this video are based solely on our experiences whilst testing them. Hope this helps! 😀
@@IAmKAZMO well i have soundcore speakers as well but i know for a fact they they feel cheap without looking at their price. One thing is bang for a buck, and another is get something premium and special
"While not a huge difference", what?? The Bose lost 60% battery while its competitors lost 30%, 20% & 18% respectively...that's a massive difference!
He often reviews speakers and glosses over important details / facts
@@needleontherecord What a shame 😬
The first 2 hours never determines the real battery life when the batter is below 50% the speaker drains quicker
I went with Bose soundlink max. Although it is missing a lot of basic features like a microphone and on iOS it doesn’t display battery in the battery widget like all my bluetooth devices do. I was gonna get the Sonos Move 2 since it was on sale at $336 but after spending 2 hours at best buy and auditioning 30+ speakers, I had to go with the soundlink max. The sound is so chocolaty and smooth.
@ElonDust The Max is superb. I disabled the Absolute Volume in the developer settings on my phone and the volume almost doubled.... I can't get enough of listening to it!🤤🤭
The Bose sounds perfect and has a timeless design👌
Perfect?! The mid frequency gets severely scooped out at high listening volumes (especially outdoors).
Max is overrated and overpriced.
Soundlink max is the best sounding speaker I have ever heard. PS: maybe I should add that that it is the best sounding speaker that in its category (small and portable)
that is just bs
@@michaelxu9673stop hating and trolling
🤡🤡🤡
@@michaelxu9673 nope, go to Best Buy and hear them all by yourself. Soundlink max sound is superior. But for 400 I really don’t think the 20% better sound (in my opinion) worth it. Better buy a Sonos era 300 and that sounds special
If you’re looking for a speaker for mainly indoor use, it might be a good choice. For outdoor use, I’d go with the JBL.😊
i tested them Bose soundlink max and JBL extreme 4 yesterday and i ended up buying the Soundlink max. way too good to listen compared to the extreme. dont care about the price difference, i just after which one sounds better
True....And Many People Cry of tje Distortion from the Max ....BUT ...after a Running in Time over minimum Ten Hours ...with good Quality files and Bass Test Track's ...The Distortion goes near to Zero
I've owned mine for 9 days. The first 6 was me desperately trying to get it not to distort. So I started breaking it in at different volumes. If it didn't, I was going to send it back and write a SCATHING review After I called them to "Let THEM HAVE IT" This past Friday , I sat it outside and said, "Hmm , you sound different. I bought it inside to its spot(s) and the bass wasn't distorting .... shit you not! I had been relaxing those radiators and flexxing those transducers by playing bass heavy Drake, Meg, Cardi, prepping it for a life of Deep House and VOILA! It made every other BT speaker (except my S1 pro+ which can't be touched at a BOSE level 160watts) seem like a wasteof money. Nevertheless, this is Sunday night and we have a Sony Minidisc plugged into it and DAAAAYUM on the floor or Top shelf in a corner BOOOOOM! You can't ask for much more and
If you do ? =S1pro+.!
The End.
Hifi floor equipment is unbeatable. What about sonos move 2 ?.
Japp...Thats True...the Max need a " Running in Time" ....and now...Brutal
Indoors, Harman kardon Onyx studio or Harman kardon go+play 3.
For outdoors, soundcore boom 2 or JBL Partybox encore
Been waiting for this one! Love mine!
Also notable mention: there are TWO bass passive radiators that are in the soundlink max as well as 3 drivers (two drivers and one tweeter) I own a move 2. The soundstage is more linear than the Bose in my opinion. The soundstage on the Bose is wider and robust
Thanks for the info!
You certainly know your stuff sir.
@@stevendavies7351thank you
I'm always blown away at the volume and low-end performance of my Move 2. It's soo good. And the battery life it crazy. And apparently when the battery gets old, you can exchange it for another one, rather than being forced to buy another speaker entirely. Well worth the price in my opinion. Hopefully they fix the app though lol
Thanks for sharing. The Move 2 is a great all round speaker.
One recommendation for the battery test. Put them to a similar db-level instead of a relative value of the device. That would make it more comparable.
In this video, the Bose and the Sonos sound superior. Eventually Bose will allow Stereo Pairing for the Max, but I'm not sure if I want to pay for 2. I have 2 Bose Flexes and they sound excellent in Stereo Pairing Mode. Together, they were $260, vs $800 for 2 maxes. That is a big chunk of money. As always, these videos at Smart Home are thorough and insightful. Thanks for the info.
Agreed 👍
always waiting for this kind of comparison in this channel , more interesting and I like it
Thank you.
Story Time: I have the Sonos Move 2 but it got scratched on one trip and now it doesn’t leave the house. So I bought an Xtreme 4 to not have to worry about dings and scratches.. THEN FLOSSY CARTER hyped the Bose Soundlink Max so much I returned the Xtreme 4 and bought the Soundlink Max instead.. The Bose was a CLEANER sound but NOT LOUDER like these reviews claim. I returned the Bose for the JBL Xtreme 4 again and couldn’t be happier BUT the Bose is more compact but at the expense of battery life. But ultimately the BEST DEAL is the Sonos Move 2 when it goes on sale on Amazon for $379
Who doesn't love Flossy....and White Shoes.
Would you say the move 2 sounds better than the Bose? I have the move 2
Both sound like shit.
High listen volume, the mid frequency gets severely scooped out with the Bose Max making vocals sound like it's under water and recessed excessively. With the Xtreme 4, the bass nosedive and highs gets excessively boosted, sounding screechy and strange.
For outdoors, the soundcore boom 2 is significantly better over these
Hello There..love your style and reviews , decent effort to lay bare pros n cons of speakers..after countless you tube reviews (yours including) n several visits at retail outlets , I chose Bose soundlink Max..I am a fan of JBL..i had charge 4, gifted to my son , who is overseas, then bought charge 5 (recently)- camouflage, a beauty n equally good on sound, but again ended up gifting to my nephew , was yearning for finally one for myself..I almost ordered camouflage Jbl extreme 4 basis youtubers, but chose to cancel n visit retail stores for that first hand experience. I couldn't find extreme 4 but listened to extreme 3 n it was a let down.
I also listened to Marshalls too first hand. Acton 3 was great but wired only, stanmore , woburn ,tufton were good , but hefty n not portable.. it was a close call between, Middleton n bose Max..
Middleton matches bose a lot upto 50 %volume in terms of bass plus that cool retro look n those easy knobs , to control bass , treble ..but..at more than 50 % volume, Max blows Middleton in terms of depth in bass while still retaining clarity..What finally, swayed my decision for bose(a first) was everything best /decent at so compact a package..Smaller things get used most
..n max is like omnipotent toy..to entertain you ,be at beach,, party , in a room or a open terrace..its difficult to ignore, if you can pay its premium.
The dusky blue colour has killer looks..i have a stationary lg boombox 220 watts n bose tries to challenge its hegemony, that is its USP , being second to none..but frankly , Yes LG scores more being big on RMS n girth.
At end...keep on doing the good work.. With Love, from India..
Among my Bluetooth speaker collection I have the Max and the Sonos Move 2. I've been using the Max at work for around seven hours a day in an open space. I also have the Motion X600 and the Charge 5. I rotate them every couple of days. The Max has excellent bass and battery life. After seven to eight hours of play the battery is seventy per cent. This is Bose's best Bluetooth speaker and well worth the cost in my opinion. The sound quality is sublime which is to be expected from Bose. There is zero distortion unless it is pushed past about sixty percent. Bose's inherent trait is quality not quantity and the Max totally delivers without any reservation whatsoever. I've had the Move 2 for about three weeks and I haven't used it yet, but I'll get around to it eventually. As always a excellent review, well done.
a strap for 45 quid?! Madness! It should have been included.
You think that it would priced at $399.99 right? That’s Bose for you.😂
Can you tell me if the Middleton model can be turned on or off with a smartphone, for example, through the app?
"Love my Bose SoundLink Max, but I wish I could turn it on/off via my smartphone. As someone in a wheelchair, this feature would make a big difference in my daily life. I know emails are for professionals, but this issue is important enough that I had to reach out. @Bose, please consider adding this feature and inform your retailers! 🙏 #AccessibilityMatters #BoseSoundLinkMax #Bose #InclusiveDesign #TechForAll"
@@gaetandeschampsrollingman Go into the app and set it to Auto Off in 5 or 10 minutes, if not in use.
Thank you for the great video. I think this is a good example of the non-linear cost reality in luxury manufacturing, where to get better quality once you have surpassed a certain threshold your dollar per value cost skyrockets. Simply put, the proposition is for you to pay much more for one product which is only slightly better than the others.
Whether it is in fact better - that’s the question.
Sonos all the way
Lol. No one buys Sonos
it's a google pod type speaker. not portable and overpriced
Interesting. I think the Move 2 is on another level.
The Xtreme 3 and 4 is capable of way more bass then you think if you max out the bass in app and use a 3rd party equalizer to increase it more it but you gotta really know what your doing to balance it out
Bro that is bose😅 a beast 🔥🔥 I,ve been using soundlink mini 2 since 2014 and it still new and battery backup is amazing yet unimaginable big sound and this is the daddy bro.
Thanks for the review..so expensive..any alternative to that?
I have the Marshall middleton and i love it. The sound is great and imo better than Bose. I tested both and both Bose and Marshall sound great but for the price Marshall is a no brainer imo. It also has an power bank feature where you can charge your phone, not fast but still it works. Battery is more than 10 hours for me on max volume on the Marshall which is great. The form is also great as you can place it anywhere without rolling or tumbling over. Than the looks, the looks is also an factor for me and its the best looking speaker imo. I always had JBL but i think Marshall sound much better overall. JBL is louder with more bass but the sound quality is kinda meh for me.
Middleton ass at Max volume
The EXTREME 4 is priced similarly to the Bose, but offers better features such as a replaceable battery & you’ll get a power boost while it’s plugged in for indoor use.😂
Has the firmware been updated on the EpicBoom?
Just paid £266 via Amazon Germany ...
Possible to compare against the Soundcore Motion X600? I have that and its excellent.
This Bose support bluetooth 5.4 version not 5.3 version🤔
Buy marshall stanmore 3
Jbl❤❤❤
Still can't beat the UE Hyperboom... though i like the bose smaller form factor 🎉
Plenty of comparisons show the Max outperforming this Hyperthingy
Love Apple Music lossless quality
Max vs mania
Soundcore motion x600 should be included in this comparison
I had one but returned it.
Without fiddling with the EQ for many genres, the sound was muddy.
@@richardb2343 I too have x600 it sounds great and way too open but without eq it’s fine but with eq and the speaker playing for few days it really opens up the sound way better
it's a distorting mess.
@@edensl8759 I didn’t here any distortion I have one with me I don’t know why people say bogus thing like that
@@edensl8759 just checking the dxo mark ranking bro lol people these days without knowledge
Bose is the loudest?
Nah,i watched a review about SoundLink and Xtreme 4 from like 15-20meteres distance and jbl won hands down
Sono and Bose clearly the best here
Epic boom no bass and is clearly the worst one here.
LOL JBL fan boys having a meltdown because the xtreme 4 sounds like trash with no bass and a screech fest.
Marshall is fine for the price and performance.
The price is just a joke. There are so many BT speakers on the market, which cost a fraction with similar or even better sound quality and battery lifetime. You pay like 250 bucks only for the brand name "bose"...
Yeah buy some Chinese Soundcore. Save your money
*Returned the Bose soundlink max IMMEDIATELY after comparing it in person with the JBL xtreme4.*
1) you only get good sound facing directly the speaker 2) battery died too fast. 3) sound didn’t have as much volume and sound range as the JBL. 4) too expensive for what it is.
I have ordered the UE Epicboom to compare the JBL Xtreme4 with epicboom. 360 sound is a big selling point for me it is also easier to carry. UE also has a removal battery like JBL, but the battery is quite shorter than JBL. The Xtreme4 has 24Hr while Epicboom has 17Hr. With higher volume life goes down on any speaker so for now xtreme is winning.
I guess it will come down to sound quality and physical performance for me. I will decide from there which one fits my preference better in person. This review felt a little biased.
overpriced. better get a marshall or jbl xtreme for 100-200 euro less while sounding better
cap. they don't sound better at all
@@edensl8759 clearer treble and the xtreme has a more defined bass..not that boomy , more deep. bose is way too expensive for what it delivers. it is max worth 250 maybe
Overpriced Bose brand sound is terrible muddy bass lacks punch bass is not of good quality too boomy and starts to distort at high volume this review is biased to bose
My speaker doesn’t do that at all
@@TemujinScott80well said.
Sounds like someone that’s never heard a Bose speaker before
@@bass4life294 as you know sound is subjective for anyone what sounds good to you might sound crap for someone else 😜
How much did u get paid from Bose ??
Boss? Please spell correctly if you're going to be asinine, again.
Hi @SugiRgopal We have never worked with Bose in any capacity or on any video we have ever released. We bought this speaker to review with our own money. As you may know, we are also a retailer and sell some of the speakers that are mentioned in this video, but we do not sell the Bose Soundlink Max. Our opinions in this video are based solely on our experiences whilst testing them. Hope this helps! 😀
kiddo. go save your 90 dollars for the boom 2 instead of complaining
@edensl8759 You mean he will be spending $90.⁰⁰ per year or 2. Soundcore doesn't replace batteries 😆. But ya know, who does??
@@IAmKAZMO well i have soundcore speakers as well but i know for a fact they they feel cheap without looking at their price.
One thing is bang for a buck, and another is get something premium and special