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I know this is an audiophile forum and usually Bose is hated here. But I’d still write about this able and friendly speaker of mine - the Bose Soundlink II (Nylon). It’s worth this piece!
First of all, the Bose was an impulse buy. I had before that, like many other middle class yuppies, walked into a Bose store for demos (especially of the Bose Wave which I found interesting) and walked out like 90% of them, without buying anything.
But then back in 2014 or so (can’t remember exactly when but was a long time ago), when I walked into a Maple store to buy an iPhone, after I bought the phone I noticed this speaker while waiting for the billing. When I and my wife listened to this small understated beauty playing through Bluetooth from our phones, we both liked it instinctively and paid the Rs 22k or something for it on impulse. Something that I rarely do. Can’t remember before or after that me having bought anything without enough research.
Hooked it up the next day and was hooked on to it! While it impressed right out of the box, it also grew on us more and more as days and months passed by. It justified a constant place on my home desk, and combined with the MacBook/iPhone over the years it has been my window into the world of music. I’ve literally explored a number of genres and artists through them as I progressed in my musical initiation-appreciation journey. Especially with the launch of Apple Music a few years ago (I must have been among the first few subscribers), it was so much easier and better to find old and new music that suited my taste (or widened it) while the Bose SLII unobtrusively played everything without a fuss and to good effect. And it kept doing so for years.
About it’s sound. I have to be conscious that the reader of this piece is used to listening to much more sophisticated hi-end component based music systems. But I shall still dare say that the Bose SL II is both musical and sweet. And I am referring to this particular model only - when I heard the next generation and the min-ilink models later, I didn’t like their sound much). These speakers, even when playing 320 Kbps through Bluetooth, convey the emotionality of the sound - somewhat like the old valve radios may be? But there’s also a certain control. Sound never gets boomy/bloated. Even at higher volumes it has never sounded distorted. And hence it has performed as well in my larger living room and open balcony as in my smaller study/bedroom. The fact that is chargeable and portable makes it convenient - but that’s true about this category of wireless speakers as a whole. The sound is kind of soothing, while conveying the song and music remarkably well. Later on, in the last 2-3 years. I’ve put together two entry level audiophile systems (desktop and home stereo as in my signature) which expectedly outstrip the Bose SLII in terms of detail, focus, transparency, imaging/soundstage and myriad other audiophile parameters. But in terms of pure musicality, symphony/integrity and oneness with the music, they still don’t better the Bose.
Yes of course I have to tone down the expectations on those audiophile parameters to listen to the Bose. But it gets easily done by the middle of the first song as the pluses take over. Add to that the non-fussy behaviour (as against the temperamental behaviour of my tubes and connectors in the home system), means I don’t even give a conscious thought to the equipment. Just one click and I am into the music. There’s something about that - it makes the experience mostly about the music, not about the sound or the equipment.
How the Bose produces such a nice sound out of its small body I don’t understand. There’s some neodymium speaker or such technical stuff some of you might understand better, but I can vouch for the end result. Anyone else has/has heard this speaker? What’s been your experience?
I do realise that technology has advanced, especially the wireless. While Wireless meant Bluetooth in the days of Bose SLII, now it is Wi-fi. These are the days of hi-res streaming. My CXN does that well - but it is meant to be tethered to the home stereo. Should I even be looking for an upgrade to this portable wireless speaker of mine? And if so, which are those definitely sweet and musical sounding new gen wireless portable speakers around that can stream even hi-res? Can I gain without losing on the experience I have explained above? The Naim Mu-So etc cannot be considered portable. Need something that’s the size/form factor of the Soundlink, not too bigger or smaller.
If there’s nothing of that kind available, I am glad to stick to the Bose SLII as its performance hasn’t deteriorated a bit. And if there are some interesting options, I don’t mind looking at them. This post was more to post my experience with the SLII than to explore an upgrade, but it’s good to know what else is out there.
First of all, the Bose was an impulse buy. I had before that, like many other middle class yuppies, walked into a Bose store for demos (especially of the Bose Wave which I found interesting) and walked out like 90% of them, without buying anything.
But then back in 2014 or so (can’t remember exactly when but was a long time ago), when I walked into a Maple store to buy an iPhone, after I bought the phone I noticed this speaker while waiting for the billing. When I and my wife listened to this small understated beauty playing through Bluetooth from our phones, we both liked it instinctively and paid the Rs 22k or something for it on impulse. Something that I rarely do. Can’t remember before or after that me having bought anything without enough research.
Hooked it up the next day and was hooked on to it! While it impressed right out of the box, it also grew on us more and more as days and months passed by. It justified a constant place on my home desk, and combined with the MacBook/iPhone over the years it has been my window into the world of music. I’ve literally explored a number of genres and artists through them as I progressed in my musical initiation-appreciation journey. Especially with the launch of Apple Music a few years ago (I must have been among the first few subscribers), it was so much easier and better to find old and new music that suited my taste (or widened it) while the Bose SLII unobtrusively played everything without a fuss and to good effect. And it kept doing so for years.
About it’s sound. I have to be conscious that the reader of this piece is used to listening to much more sophisticated hi-end component based music systems. But I shall still dare say that the Bose SL II is both musical and sweet. And I am referring to this particular model only - when I heard the next generation and the min-ilink models later, I didn’t like their sound much). These speakers, even when playing 320 Kbps through Bluetooth, convey the emotionality of the sound - somewhat like the old valve radios may be? But there’s also a certain control. Sound never gets boomy/bloated. Even at higher volumes it has never sounded distorted. And hence it has performed as well in my larger living room and open balcony as in my smaller study/bedroom. The fact that is chargeable and portable makes it convenient - but that’s true about this category of wireless speakers as a whole. The sound is kind of soothing, while conveying the song and music remarkably well. Later on, in the last 2-3 years. I’ve put together two entry level audiophile systems (desktop and home stereo as in my signature) which expectedly outstrip the Bose SLII in terms of detail, focus, transparency, imaging/soundstage and myriad other audiophile parameters. But in terms of pure musicality, symphony/integrity and oneness with the music, they still don’t better the Bose.
Yes of course I have to tone down the expectations on those audiophile parameters to listen to the Bose. But it gets easily done by the middle of the first song as the pluses take over. Add to that the non-fussy behaviour (as against the temperamental behaviour of my tubes and connectors in the home system), means I don’t even give a conscious thought to the equipment. Just one click and I am into the music. There’s something about that - it makes the experience mostly about the music, not about the sound or the equipment.
How the Bose produces such a nice sound out of its small body I don’t understand. There’s some neodymium speaker or such technical stuff some of you might understand better, but I can vouch for the end result. Anyone else has/has heard this speaker? What’s been your experience?
I do realise that technology has advanced, especially the wireless. While Wireless meant Bluetooth in the days of Bose SLII, now it is Wi-fi. These are the days of hi-res streaming. My CXN does that well - but it is meant to be tethered to the home stereo. Should I even be looking for an upgrade to this portable wireless speaker of mine? And if so, which are those definitely sweet and musical sounding new gen wireless portable speakers around that can stream even hi-res? Can I gain without losing on the experience I have explained above? The Naim Mu-So etc cannot be considered portable. Need something that’s the size/form factor of the Soundlink, not too bigger or smaller.
If there’s nothing of that kind available, I am glad to stick to the Bose SLII as its performance hasn’t deteriorated a bit. And if there are some interesting options, I don’t mind looking at them. This post was more to post my experience with the SLII than to explore an upgrade, but it’s good to know what else is out there.
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I bought it used and sold it for the same price after 1
Kind of like a coming of Age
