Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

First off, this item does not need any more reviews. It has plenty. But I feel I need to write one because, while there are a lot of reviewers who "get it" there are many who do not. This is a portable speaker. It was designed to be taken with you. It is *not* meant to replace your home theater system. So, to be fair you should only be comparing this speaker to other portable Bluetooth speakers. OK, so now we've got that out of the way. Here is what I was looking for when I set out to find a worthy replacement for my previous Bluetooth speaker - I wanted a good-sounding speaker that was portable enough, and rugged enough that I could take it with me when I travel, to the beach, on my deck, in my garage, in my workout room, and even as a tail-gating music source. Notice that I did not mention anything about replacing my home theater system! To set the record straight, I am not an audiophile although I do love music and know enough about AV equipment that I feel I can provide a relatively thorough review. Next, I want to mention the categories that are important to me when evaluating a portable speaker: 1. Sound quality 2. Portability 3. Connectivity Let's talk about #3 first. It is, by no means, the most important consideration BUT trust me - if you cannot easily connect your source device to your Bluetooth speaker it is a major bummer. I know from experience. My previous Bluetooth speaker (which sounded pretty darn good) took all sorts of voodoo magic to get my iPhone to connect (ie: turn Bluetooth on, turn speaker on, forget connected device, turn Bluetooth off, reboot speaker, cross fingers, turn Bluetooth back on, etc). And most of the time this routine was unsuccessful! So, believe me when I tell you that ease of connectivity is a feature not to be underrated. With that said, the connectivity on this device is amazing. It works exactly as I expect. Let me clarify - if you have Bluetooth enabled on your source (eg: iPhone) and you then turn on this speaker, it will connect instantly. However, if you turn on the speaker first, and *then* enable Bluetooth on your iPhone you will likely have to choose the device from your list and press it. But that's it. It works each and every time. Frustration factor = zero! OK, now for the really important aspect - sound quality. Here's my one word review - Fantastic. Now, for the details. For comparison purposes I am going to explain how I reached my conclusion with respect to two other speakers which I compared against. The first one was the Cambridge Soundworks Oontz Angle Plus. I have been a fan of this company for almost 30 years so I had high expectations. When I received the Oontz I excitedly tore it from its shipping container and set it up immediately. And I was immediately disappointed. Have you ever taken your iPhone and stuck it inside an empty glass? It's actually a quick way to amplify and enhance the sound that emanates from the built-in speakers. The Oontz sounded slightly better than that. Not what I was looking for. So that went back to Amazon (easy returns as always). The next one I tried (actually I tried two together) were the Bose Soundlink Mini and the Bose Soundlink Color (the one you're reading about). My search ended here. For the record I chose to listen to the re-mastered version of Fleetwood Mac's "Dreams" as my test track. It has a great combination of highs, mids and lows while not being over-laden with studio trickery and post-production enhancements. First, the Mini. This one sounds fantastic and, to my ears, sounds even better than the Color. It has a deep, warm bass that is so characteristic of Bose products. I have to say I really loved the sound. If you're like me, you probably have some audiophile friends who constantly disparage this company and its products. It's understandable. I liken it to the way a wine connoisseur treats boxed wine. Basically, Bose makes top-notch audio equipment for non-audiophiles. Since most of us do the majority of our music-listening in rooms other than recording studios, we know what sounds good to our ears and that's all that really counts. For the record, I have drank some tasty boxed wine. So if the Mini sounds so good, why then did I choose the Color? Like I said in the beginning, I wanted something uber-portable. While the Mini is small it just doesn't scream "portability". It's a rather elegant piece of audio equipment. It's also heavy. I mean heavy in terms of not wanting to haul it around in a backpack or a cooler. The Mini would be an ideal choice for someone living in an apartment who wants to occasionally move their music from the living room to the bedroom. I just wouldn't feel comfortable dropping it in the sand. In other words it doesn't look like it was designed to go outdoors. When I compared the sound of the Mini to the Color I did not hear a huge difference. If I had, I probably would have rationalized some way to make the Mini more portable and "go-anywhere" (eg: there are some nice silicon covers available for the Mini that make it a bit more portable). It's worth mentioning that the $70 price differential also helped tip the scales in favor of the Color. I wouldn't let $70 be the deciding factor in my choice but it didn't hurt, either. One additional advantage the Color has over the Mini is that it can be charged using a standard USB-micro cable. While not a deal-breaker, it is nice knowing that, when I travel, I will not have to lug around an extra cable and power-supply. Bottom line - the Bose Soundlink Color has the best combination of sound, portability, and usability that I know of. I am impressed every time I turn this thing on and start cranking tunes. *** Update June 29, 2015 *** This sucker is still going strong and now that I've owned it for about a half year let me provide some deeper insights: 1. The battery life is beyond impressive. I rarely have to charge it and when it *does* get close to needing a charge it gives you ample warning - kinda like the fuel gauge on your dashboard (you just know you still have like 60 miles before you bonk out). 2. This morning I knocked the speaker off the table onto the hard concrete slab floor in my basement. I mean it took a beating. Bounced around and everything. I half-expected to find myself grieving humpty-dumpty style over a pile of blue plastic shrapnel. But much to my surprise the Bose was unscathed - not even a scratch! So let's just go ahead and add another category - Durability, for which this thing rates an A+ But all is not perfect in Bose-land. Yes, I can be critical, as well. So here it is. I think the ergonomics of the design could be improved by making the base a little larger than the top. In other words I would prefer a more tapered design. Although it is durable to a fault, it is also a tad topsy-turvy. Hopefully a future model will incorporate that design "opportunity". Despite that trivial shortcoming, I have only managed to topple the Color once during the 6-months that I've owned it. *** Update December 17, 2015 *** I recently took my speaker on a business trip and used it to create white noise in my hotel room (long story). Anyway, I forgot to plug it in before I fell asleep. It ran all night into the morning CRANKING so loud so that it literally sounded like an industrial air conditioner. The punch line is that it was still going strong 8 or 9 hours later. So anyone who disparages the battery life of this thing must have had a dud because mine is a freakin' trooper.