A stellar premium portable speaker with rich, detailed, fun sound that the reviewer rates as the best portable heard in years.
Bose SoundLink Max
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Critics’ consensus
6 professional reviewers tested the Bose SoundLink Max, and 4 recommend it. Most praised: sound quality and battery life. Most common complaint: call quality.
Reviewed by Trusted Reviews, What Hi-Fi?, TechRadar and 3 more
The catch: It is heavy, expensive and slow to charge.
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What do critics say about the Bose SoundLink Max?
Lively, energetic and enjoyable to listen to, with a rugged, easy-to-use design.
A punchy, party-ready Bluetooth speaker that sounds great indoors and out.
A big, bold, rugged Bluetooth speaker with powerful, controlled sound and good battery life.
A mini-boombox with balanced, loud, clear sound that is tough and offers excellent battery life.
The speaker sounds excellent thanks to Bose's processing, but at about 400 dollars it lacks smart features and Wi-Fi and faces cheaper or louder rivals.
Scores are converted to 0–100. "est." means the outlet gave no number, so we estimated one from its verdict and checked our estimates against ratings outlets print. How we check estimates
What critics praise most
What critics dislike most
Not sure about the Bose SoundLink Max?
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Image: JBLCommon questions
Is the Bose SoundLink Max worth it?
Critics are divided: 4 of 6 recommend it. It is heavy, expensive and slow to charge.
Do critics agree about the Bose SoundLink Max?
Critics split: scores range from 70 (The Verge) to 100 (Trusted Reviews), a spread of 30 points across 6 reviews. Reviewers disagree, so read the individual reviews before buying.
What do critics dislike about the Bose SoundLink Max?
Call quality (3 of 6 reviews), Price (3 of 6 reviews), Fit and comfort (2 of 6 reviews).
What is the best alternative to the Bose SoundLink Max?
The Bose SoundLink Plus (critic score 86), top pick, narrowly.