SoundLink Max Bluetooth Speaker - Portable Wireless Party Speaker, IP67 Waterproof, Rope Handle, Up to 20 Hours of Playtime, USB-C, Built-in 3.5mm AUX Input, Black

Fantastic speaker—well‑built, durable, and quick to charge. The size is perfect for pool days, parties, or tossing in a bag for travel. I bring it on trips for hotel‑room music, and around the house it never loses connection, even when I’m in another room or out in the backyard. It’s waterproof, so shower use is fair game. It charges via USB‑C, and that same port can top off your phone in a pinch. There’s also an AUX input if you ever need it. Multiple devices can connect via Bluetooth (though that can get chaotic), and it can pair with other Bose speakers. Once you’ve paired your device the first time, it reconnects automatically every time you power it on. Sound Quality: The sound is excellent. You can tweak the EQ in the app, the bass is strong and clean, and this thing gets loud without losing clarity. Treble stays crisp, and overall it’s one of the best‑sounding speakers in its size class. Is it worth the price? I’d say yes. Plenty of speakers check the same boxes, but if you want a bougie speaker that performs - this one is for you.

I am an electronic and gadget freak. I like to try new products and I am always excited when something comes out that gets a lot of buzz. Bose has been around a long time and either like them or you don’t. I always questioned the price to value ratio of there products. One thing I can say everything they make is built to last and it’s always quality. Quality materials and a good customer experience. I owned Bose acoustimass back in the day and upgraded to a full system with 301’s and I loved that system. Great full sounds, clarity and bass. I got away from Bose as I got older because the prices were just too extreme for my budget. I have purchased many Bluetooth speakers from JBL, Soundcore, and Harmon Kardon. They all bring something great to the table. Now I saw the new Bose Soundlink max for $100 off during the holidays and I made the purchase. I love this speaker. It’s my go to when I want something to carry around while doing work around the house or just sitting down with a cocktail. This little speaker sounds full and defies its size. Bluetooth connectivity is quick and responsive. I got the black and I bought a third party case to protect it when I’m outside and it looks great. Battery life around 40% volume I got just past the 20 hour mark as advertised. Kick up the volume you’ll obviously get less. If you get down to 20% battery it takes about 4 hours to charge. The buttons are soft and tactile. You have your power button, multi function button you can program, Bluetooth button, volume up and down and track forward and back/pause. Minimalist lighting which I like. When I use this in the bedroom it doesn’t light up the room. I have yet to try snapdragon sound as I don’t use android. The sound I get through Apple Music lossless sounds great. Good clarity size defying bass and great mids. Full sounding and it makes me smile every time I turn this thing on. There’s an app with eq and everything you need to tailor your sound. Bose should take the route Soundcore does and have more eq settings but what’s here works. I love this speaker and it’s my go to amongst all my toys. At $299 highly recommended at $399 still worth it but it’s Bose it’s a luxury purchase. Totally worth it!! Tried so many Bluetooth speakers and this is the best all rounder for music lovers. If you’re on the fence.. go for it! There are louder speakers out there but they don’t have the sound quality this one has.

Great sound! Sturdy. Love the handle. This is probably user error but I can’t seem to use it. My husband’s phone is connected and it works great. When I want to use it with my phone, it says my phone is connected, but it will not play. Even when my husband’s phone is not there.

Sounds great and all my friends wanted one. Easy to charge and connect to my phone. It is expensive compared to other small speakers but worth the extra money. Great speaker to bring anywhere and loud enough to start a small party.

As a long-time owner of the first-generation Bose SoundLink Mini, I had high expectations for the Bose SoundLink Max, and it did not disappoint. This review covers various aspects of the speaker, including sound quality, durability, ease of use, compatibility, setup, and design. The SoundLink Max lives up to the Bose name. After testing it with a myriad of musical genres, I was blown away by the fullness of the sound. The bass is so powerful that you can feel it, yet it does not drown out the mid and treble frequencies. It is worth noting that the initial EQ settings are flat, which might be why some users have complained about the lack of fullness. This could be addressed by repurposing the shortcut button for quick EQ adjustment. The SoundLink Max meets the IP67 standards, making it rugged, dustproof, and waterproof. Weighing nearly five pounds, it is heavy, but this is an acceptable trade-off for the durability it offers. In a pinch, you could even use it as a brick or a weapon for defending yourself from zombies! Using the SoundLink Max is straightforward. Press the power button, then play to start enjoying your music. When it’s time to change settings, the buttons are clearly labeled. The Max charges via a supplied USB-C cord and power block and can also serve as a portable power device. This is my main point of contention and it is not specifically with the Max, but with Bose as a whole. They have partnered with Qualcomm/Snapdragon for their HD Audio, which is currently confined to the Android ecosystem. As an iPhone user, I felt a little left out in the cold. Straight out-of-the-box, the Max was nearly ready to go. It took two seconds to pair and less than that to start charging, thanks to the included USB-C cable and power brick. The Bose app was easy to find and quick to install. I was able to set up an account and start using the app right away. While the setup was easy, more emphasis should be placed on the necessity of using the app to achieve the best sound, as the default EQ settings are a bit flat. The SoundLink Max boasts a sleek and simple design. There are no unnecessary lights or reminiscent designs to distract you—just a rugged exterior that protects the speakers while delivering excellent sound quality. The rope handle is a nice feature that accentuates the rugged yet simple design. They are easily changeable for other colored handles and shoulder straps, which are available at a steep premium on the Bose website. The Bose SoundLink Max is a phenomenal portable speaker that lives up to the high standards we expect from Bose. After several days of testing in various locations and with different music genres, I have not been disappointed. While there have been some reports of less-than-fantastic sound quality, this issue is easily resolved by adjusting the EQ settings in the Bose app. The final question is, is the SoundLink Max worth the $400 price tag? The simple answer is yes, it is worth every penny.

*FIRST IMPRESSIONS: Listening to music as it comes out of the box, I had two impressions,something is missing from the music and what is that painful squeael in the treble area. while they may sound bad out of the box, the hardware is capable of greatness with the right tweaks. The rest of this review provides information about the basic setup and configuration of these speakers and what needs to be done to improve the sound. * PROS: Sound great; full spectrum with clear highs and lows, but takes work to bring it out. In fact, for the best sound, you'll need an equalizer. Once equalization has been applied, they can have the clarity found in a pair of much higher priced speakers; they have great lows, but can't match the 28Hz lows of the Cerwin Vega D-9s but the highs are reasonably close. Fairly easy to pair with another speaker but see below. * CONS: All detailed below with solutions: 1. Out of the box, it sounds much worse than it actually is. The default equalization was for marketing. The bass is pushed up 4 dB, the midrange down 2 dB and the highs up 5 dB. This may be impressive for a short time, but you may eventually be dissatisfied as the center has been cut out of the music and you'll cringe at the outlandish scream at 6.3 kHz. 2. Connecting to the Bose app involves an overlooked step, Bose should fix this. 3. Interconnecting speakers as a stereo pair is a bit tricky. 4. Serious power management problem which Bose should also fix. 5. Most buttons lack tactile icons for the visually impaired, but they are easy to find and count. For this device, there are six buttons arranged in a single horizontal row on the top front from left to right as follows: (1) power, (2) Bluetooth, (3) link, (4) Volume down, (5) Play/Pause, and (6) Volume up. Note that the function of the Play/Pause button may be affected by your music player and bluetooth configuration. Now for the details: * SETUP: - Connecting To The Bose App: It is hard to get The Bose app connected so you can take advantage of built-in features. This complaint appears often on the Google Playstore. - Getting Into The Configuration App: Download and install the Bose app from the web; it is in android and Apple download sites as well as the Bose web site. For best results, connect your phone to the speaker via bluetooth. Open the app and follow instructions until you get to a page that ought to be showing your device name and which contains the "Add Device" link. * NOTE: Before clicking this link be certain that notifications are enabled on your phone and that you will be alerted when a new notification arrives. Note to Bose, this ought to be stated on that page as a reminder to users. Assuming it has the right device, click the "Add Device" link. You will almost instantaneously get a notification. Open it and click the "Pair" link in that notification. If you are too late or something else happens, go back to that add device link and try again. * CONFIGURING THE SPEAKER: There are two areas of interest in the Bose app, one allows you to make some adjustments to the equalization for the speaker. The other allows you to control automatic power down parameters. - The Built In Equalizer: The built in equalizer has only three frequency bands for you to deal with, the bass, midrange and the treble. By default, these bands are set for marketing impact, to impress casual shoppers with the amazing highs and lows this speaker can produce, but you may find music reproduction very disappointing. If you want this primarily as a portable speaker, use the equalizer controls to produce a sound more to your liking. However, this won't clean up the sharp power spike at 6.3kHz., for that, an external equalizer is required. - Correcting The Frequency Response: If you have an Equalizer on your phone or computer, that equalizer will be far better than the one built into the speaker. Suggested Equalizations are given below. * POWER MANAGEMENT SETTING: Disguised as a profile area is the settings area (top right corner of the apps home page. The primary area of concern is the power setting. By default it is set to automatic. That means the speaker will turn off after 12 hours, even if plugged in. This is a battery safety feature. However, if you're using the speaker at home and have it always plugged in, you can set it to "Never," but be aware that this could be a problem if your power fails for you take it with you and fail to power it down first, the result could be a drained and if it goes long enough, damaged battery. The risk is yours, balance that risk against your convenience. Note to Bose, you should disregard the power down parameter if the speaker is plugged in. I consider not doing so a major engineering defect on your part especially as it could lead to battery problems. NOTE: Keep in mind Listening at high volumes or with very heavy bass will eventually cause the unit to shut down, even while plugged in. Also, under those conditions, the discharge time on full batteries without being plugged in is only three hours. To completely recharge the batteries after a shutdown will take about 5 hours. Recharge time from shutdown can take far longer if you try to turn it on again after a shutdown. * Personalizing The Sound: First, be aware that we all have different preferences in how music sounds, but here is what I did. I am using Equalizer APO on windows, but there are several similar apps for Android phones - Wavelet, Poweramp Equalizer, Echo Equalizer). For Mac users, you can achieve these same results using SoundSource (with an AU plugin) or the 'Expert' mode in eqMac. Unfortunately, iPhone users will have to buy and setup a dongle (an external Bluetooth transmitter with built-in DSP). to apply equalization parameters and transmit the sound via bluetooth. - Equalization Suggestions: The Bose Digital Signal Processor (DSP) is always active. It generally acts like the loudness contour in older amplifiers. It greatly increases the bass at low volumes and reduces the bass amplification as volume increases. It is also intended to produce the "Bose Sound" that is "full, meaning exagerated lows and highs." The response curves and filter/equalization settings below assume moderate volume. They work against the built in DSP settings to extend the frequency range where the response is considered "flat," that is, the range in which the volume stays between + or - 3dB. That is the normal standard for top grade amplifiers and speakers to ensure that you hear the music as intended by the artists who produced it. The following is the list of frequency and power level, in dB that I'm using to correct the factory tuning and achieve a more balanced, high-fidelity sound. I found the following frequency adjustments to be effective. These values help neutralize the sharp spikes and restore the midrange that is missing out of the box. NOTE: These values assume the default Bose equalization has not been changed. If you have altered them and don’t remember what they were, you can do a full reset on the speaker to put it back into factory configuration. This requires a very long simultaneous press of the volume up and volume down buttons. The Bose will eventually respond with a burp. - Equalization Suggestions: Preamp: -3.0 dB For Copy/Paste (Equalizer APO,) copy the following line exactly as written into your config file: GraphicEQ: 100 -2; 250 -3; 630 2; 1000 3.5; 1600 2.5; 4000 -3; 6300 -6; 10000 -4; 16000 -2 For Manual Entry (Mobile Apps & Screen Readers): 100 -2 250 -3 630 2 1000 3.5 1600 2.5 4000 -3 6300 -6 10000 -4 16000 -2 - Alternative Approach - Filters If the program you choose for the frequency corrections has the capability of specifying filter points, a more surgical approach, you might consider these filter specifications: Filter Set 1: Preamp: -3.0 dB Filter 1: ON PK Fc 100 Hz Gain -1.5 dB Q 1.0 Filter 2: ON PK Fc 250 Hz Gain -2.5 dB Q 1.5 Filter 3: ON PK Fc 1000 Hz Gain 2.0 dB Q 1.0 Filter 4: ON PK Fc 2500 Hz Gain 1.5 dB Q 2.0 Filter 5: ON PK Fc 4500 Hz Gain -1.5 dB Q 2.0 Filter 6: ON PK Fc 6300 Hz Gain -5.0 dB Q 3.0 Filter 7: ON HS Fc 10000 Hz Gain -1.0 dB -Alternative Filter Set: Filter set 2 In the following, the lines with the # sign are comments. They are the settings recommended on the internet, I found them to give a booming bass, so I substituted the lines that are not commented out. Make your own choice. Preamp: -6.5 dB #Filter 1: ON PK Fc 100 Hz Gain -1.5 dB Q 1.0 #Filter 2: ON PK Fc 250 Hz Gain -2.5 dB Q 1.5 Filter 1: ON PK Fc 100 Hz Gain -3.5 dB Q 1.0 Filter 2: ON PK Fc 250 Hz Gain -4.5 dB Q 1.5 Filter 3: ON PK Fc 1000 Hz Gain 2.0 dB Q 1.0 Filter 4: ON PK Fc 2500 Hz Gain 1.5 dB Q 2.0 Filter 5: ON PK Fc 4000 Hz Gain -3.0 dB Q 1.5 Filter 6: ON PK Fc 6300 Hz Gain -6.0 dB Q 3.0 Filter 7: ON PK Fc 10000 Hz Gain -4.0 dB Q 2.0 Filter 8: ON HS Fc 13000 Hz Gain 4.5 dB * A comparison of frequency response curves: Bose out of the box: Effective Range +/- 6dB; 60 Hertz to 14,000 Hertz • Using the Equalizer settings: Effective range +/- 3dB;110 Hertz to 5,000 Hertz., limited by that massive cut at 6.3 kHz. Using the first Filter settings: Effective range +/- 2.5dB; 55 Hertz to 15,500 Hertz. Using Filter settings #2: Effective range +/- 3dB; 52 Hz to 16,500 Hz Clearly, the filter settings are the winner. feel free to adjust the equalization values to your own satisfaction, and if you feel the need, you can supply intermediate values. If you increase the power too much, and get distortion from clipping, reduce the preamp value. * Making A Stereo Pair: This area is considered to be a bit flakey, perhaps because people forget critical details or their timing is a bit off. so be prepared to repeat if required. To make a stereo pair. On the speaker you want as the left speaker, do a long press and then a quick second press of the third button from the left (the Shortcut/Link button). After the speaker tells you to do so, do a single quick press of the third button from the left on the second speaker, this will be the right speaker. Be patient, the speakers takes longer than one would expect to respond to the button presses on each speaker; allow 30 to 45 seconds for each speaker. As a side note on volume, I normally listen to these speakers from 20 feet away with the volume set at 55%, so they have sufficient power to fill a large room. * Final Verdict: If you want a "plug and play" perfect experience, this might frustrate you. But if you are willing to spend 10 minutes in the settings and Equalizer , it is likely the best-sounding speaker in its size class.

Upon placing the order (from Amazon) took 2 full weeks before I received it. The daily anticipation was well worth the wait! Upon tearing off the sealing tape and unfolded the cardboard, the beautiful speaker was wrapped in its fine paper cloth. As unwrapped the cloth wrapping, I was amazed by the beautiful blue color AND weight. I'm normally a black electronics colored person but something drew me to this magnificent blue dusk speaker. I couldn't wait for it to fully charge so as I pressed the power button, the first thing it told me was the battery level. The buttons were easy to press and definitely easy to find if you were in a dark area. Setup was a breeze. Just download the Bose app and off you go. I like the fact that you could rename your speaker (with some unique default names.) This speaker sounds incredible! Great base, great treble. Just like you would expect from any Bose product. The Bose app lets you adjust the sound to your liking. The buttons on top are simple, yet easy to find. The shortcut button is useful although just wished that there were more options to chose (other than aux or Spotify.) This thing is a delicate beast in which you want to baby as much as you can but can take a beating. As I waited for the speaker to arrive, I spent countless hours watching previews/reviews. One clip in particular showed the speaker being dropped on the ground waist high and the speaker stood up to the beating. I'm afraid to test this myself but its great to know that this bad boy is durable. One con that I don't like is that it does not have a microphone where I would be able to talk to people on the phone. I tested this and it automatically switches to your phone during a conversation and automatically switches back to the speaker. I guess that's not a bad thing that Bose disabled this. Something to get use to. Overall I think that this speaker could be the best portable speaker of 2024. Simple, yet sophisticated looking, durable, perfect weight to carry around and most importantly, the sound will knock your boots off!

I did a ton of research on speakers in this class, with the main competitor being the JBL Xtreme 3. The biggest complaints I kept seeing about the BSM were the price, the limited EQ options, and the battery life compared to JBL. Honestly, the 3-band EQ on the Bose is more than enough for the average person, and the speaker sounds amazing even without adjustments—so the EQ is just a bonus for me. The battery life is great for its size and power. Even if you listen at around 80% volume, it lasts long enough, and worst case, you can just plug it in while using it. People forget that even 8 hours of playtime is actually really good. Who’s listening to music straight for 8+ hours anyway? Just be responsible about charging it—you already charge your phone. As for the price, I genuinely don’t care. You get what you pay for, and this speaker is worth every penny. It sounds so good that I get excited every time I turn it on. The area where I’ll give the JBL Xtreme 3 a win is the included shoulder strap, while Bose charges $45 for theirs. Call me crazy, but I’d still buy the Bose even if the JBL were much cheaper—it’s that good. The sound this thing produces is insane. I’m not great at describing audio, but it has a warmer tone that doesn’t hurt your ears as you turn up the volume. The passive radiators do an excellent job dispersing both the sound especially the bass, creating an incredibly enjoyable listening experience. If you mainly listen to rap or very bass-heavy music, the JBL might be the better choice—but for everything else, this speaker is my pick. If you can grab this speaker on sale like I did on Black Friday, do it. I would still buy it at full price too if you miss the sale. Update 12/27/25 : I have had this speaker for a little over a month now and it still hasn’t disappointed me. I have shown it to many of my friends and family and all were blown away and compared it to the sound you might experience at a theater. It plays all genres extremely well but it excels in classical (especially pieces with heavy violin). Take my advice and raise the bass, mid, and treble to 9 and play Time by Hans Zimmer on a louder volume and you will be transported to a different world.

Excelente equipo, contrario a varios comentarios en contra que vi en youtube, la calidad del audio y las características de esta bocina son superiores. Es doble canal, uuufffff..... sonido estereo, ademas de que la puedes vincular a otra MAX con la aplicación de Bose, es mentira que no se puede, ya lo hice. En la publicidad menciona que es la bocina que todos quieren conectar, bien dicho, la enciendes y ya no se escucha la grabación de a que dispositivo se conecta, nada, ya no escuchas el "conected to tablet ", o "tablet disconected" cero voz, esto me pareció un puntazo enorme, la enciendes, emite un sonido agudo y ya....... dispositivo que este transmitiendo a ese se conecta. Muy buen equipo, excelente.....

If there were two ratings, one for the speaker and one for the Seller (Amazon), Speaker gets 5 Stars and Amazon gets 2 Stars. The speaker doesn't deserve a low rating due to Amazon. I watched a lot of reviews and had a hard time to decide between JBL or Bose, only because of the Bose price. I already have 2 Bose Soundtouch 300s and 1 Bose Wave Sountouch, so I already knew the rich sound Bose puts out. Because of the sound quality of my previous Bose I figured I would take a chance on the Pricey Bose Soundlink Max. Before I go any further, I do need to say first, Amazon should be ashamed of themselves, selling OPEN BOX for BRAND NEW. I don't believe this is the fault of Bose, it is Amazon Re-Selling their returns, as I bought 2 Bose Soundlink Max's "Shipped by Amazon" and both were OPEN BOX which was not stated in the selling add. They were at a good sale price, but i dislike not being told they were OPEN BOX, especially when paying close to $400 CAD for 1 speaker. Even though the speakers are outstanding I am thinking of returning both speakers due to this unless Amazon can do something about it. 90% of my purchases are through Amazon, and having this done disgusts me. Back to the Bose Soundlink Max. This review is based on only one evening of trial. For starters I had no issues with the bluetooth, it was very easy to connect both my Samsung phone and Samsung tablet, and that was without the Bose App installed. Once I was linked, I started playing all types of music. Pop, Dance, Rock etc, and with a bit of bit of fine tuning with the built in EQ on Samsung, this little speaker fills the room with such amazing rich sound. I read a review once where it said this speaker sounds great out of the box. It sounds ok, but tune an EQ on it and it is amazing. I would shut the EQ off and On while playing and listening to this speaker through an EQ makes a world of difference, which BTW would be the same with any speaker. The build of the speaker is very nice. Does not have a cheap plastic feel. A good portion of the speaker has a grippy silicone feel. The weight of the speaker alone tells a lot about the build Quality, Not too heavy, but also not too light, its very solid. The carry handle is very sturdy and well connected as well. I still need to try the linking feature between the two speakers. Will update soon

Worth every penny

I bought this speaker about a year ago as an upgrade for my old Bose speaker. After using it every day, I can honestly say I love this speaker! With anything though, it does have its pros and cons. Pros: - great sound - bluetooth connects quickly - can charge your phone from the speaker - can use the Bose app to customize the sound - water resistant Cons: - battery does not last very long when the speaker is playing at its loudest volume (usually 1 full day playing at its loudest volume) - charges slowly (~5-6 hours) Overall, it’s a great speaker and I recommend it. I mainly use mine in my house, so the battery and charging doesn’t bother me. However, if you’re looking for something that will last days without being charged, this may not be the speaker for you.

Suena súper bien materiales muy bien hechos lo que no me gustó es que la batería no duró mucho pero si lo mantienes conectado sigue funcionando..