The team at Headphones SG is super excited to introduce you all to the new BOSE SoundLink Revolve+, one of the best performing speakers from BOSE yet. It's deep, loud. and immersive. This true 360° speaker was engineered to spread deep, jaw-dropping sound in every direction. That means, when everyone stands around it, everyone gets the same experience. If you set it near a wall, sound will radiate and reflect around the room, immersing you in that same feeling you felt at your favorite concert. And with a flexible handle, it’s designed to go wherever you want to bring the music. Read our in depth review below to see if the Bose SounLink Revolve speakers are right for you!
SoundLink Revolve VS. SoundLink Revolve+
First things first, one of the most common questions we get about these speakers is - what's the main difference between the Revolve and Revolve+ models? In a nutshell, Bose’s two 360° SoundLink speakers are fairly similar. The SoundLink Revolve is smaller and lighter and features a 12 hour play time, while the SoundLink Revolve+, plays louder and lasts up to 16 hours and includes a fabric handle for easy portability. Both versions of the speakers are available in two different colors - triple black and gray lux. With that out of the way, let's take a look at the design, features and functionalities of these speakers.
Design & Build
The Bose Soundlink Revolve is a 360 degree sound speaker, designed in a similar vein to other omnidirectional products. It is cylindrical in shape, reaching 6 inches tall and 3.25 inches deep. The actual exterior is made of aluminum, and Bose has designed this speaker without any seams in the casing.
The exterior casing on this speaker is remarkable for more reasons than its lack of seams. The casing is highly durable, which means that the speaker will hold up to daily bumps. This product is designed to be portable, and part of portability is carrying the item. This speaker can be safely tossed into a bag without having to worry about damage.
This durability extends to outside use. The speaker may look primarily like indoor technology, but it can be used outside without concern. It is also resistant to water, allowing it to be a very versatile product. It can be safely used in most locations without worrying about the casing breaking, water damaging the technology, or similar concerns.
This speaker is equipped with a threaded tripod mount on the bottom of it, which allows it to be attached to things like a wall mount or a stand. The threaded tripod mount is universal, meaning that it can be successfully attached to almost any tripod. This expands the versatility of the product because it can be placed in a safe and stable location to ensure that it stays in good condition during an event like a party.
The bottom of this speaker also has a rubber base, so the speaker will grip to flat surfaces. This reduces the likelihood that the speaker will slip around. The rubber also extends to the buttons on the speaker to ensure that the user can easily grip and press them.
The speaker only weighs 1.5 pounds, which makes it the perfect weight for portability. It is heavy enough to not be easily knocked over and light enough to not be a burden to carry around.
Connectivity
Every function that the Bose Soundlink Revolve can perform is accessible via the rubber buttons on the top of the speaker. These buttons are volume, playback, Bluetooth, power, and a multifunctional button that controls things like Siri or Google Assist. There is an auxiliary input that allows other audio sources to be connected to the speaker.
The Bluetooth feature can remember up to eight devices at a time. It only takes input from one device at a time but does have a memory. This Bluetooth feature is how a phone or tablet connects into the speaker. It also allows for phone calls to be taken through the speaker. In measurements, it has about 30 feet (10 meters) of range. This is the equivalent of 10 yards as well, and it may help to envision 10 yards on a football field for comparison.
This speaker also has NFC technology. NFC stands for Near Field Communication. This speaker can be used with other NFC devices, such as a smartphone. Touching NFC devices together will transfer data between the devices. For example, if a smartphone is playing music and is NFC compatible, tapping it against the speaker will make the speaker play the music from the smartphone.
NFC is not the same thing as Bluetooth, although it may seem like it. Bluetooth requires multiple steps to connect and has a longer range. NFC has a range of about 4 centimeters, and simply requires that proximity to transfer the data. Bluetooth needs to be connected to an available source and needs to be done manually. NFC connection is automatic if the speaker is available. NFC makes it quick and easy to use this speaker, and Bluetooth provides a longer range option.
Features
The Bose Soundlink Revolve is equipped with quite a few special features that make it a unique and high-quality product. This speaker does provide 360 degrees omnidirectional sound. This claim is proven to be true and that the Bose Soundlink Revolve can be placed almost anywhere and still provide high-quality sound.
Many times, an omnidirectional speaker is placed in the center of a room to maximize the sound potential. However, the Bose Soundlink Revolve does not need to be centered. In fact, the bass quality is clearer when the speaker is placed in a corner or next to a wall.
This is because the wall projects the sound back out into the room. The speaker can be tucked away into a corner, but the sound will be bounced back around the room. This creates an omnidirectional effect without needing to center the speaker.
The speaker is also resistant to dust, water, and shock. Dust resistance is important, as it makes it difficult for small particles to get into the technology and mess with the equipment. This speaker is not fully dust proof, so it may be best to not use it in a place with a lot of particles, such as the beach.
The water resistance is not the same as waterproofing, but there are not a lot of situations where a waterproof speaker is necessary. This speaker can be splashed with water without any danger of damaging it. This makes it usable in the kitchen or by a pool. Of course, it should be safely away from any bodies of water it could potentially fall into. However, this speaker does sound better than competing products that are fully waterproof.
The shock resistance is a major factor in how portable this speaker is. It doesn’t have to be handled with extreme caution, making it safe to place it in a bag or other similar environment. It can take bumps, being knocked over, and other similar shocks. It is not shock proof, so it shouldn’t be thrown around carelessly. However, it can safely handle the regular shocks of daily life.
The speaker has an IPX-4 rating. IP stands for either Ingress Protection or International Protection. These two labels refer to the same thing, though. They are related to how protected a piece of technology is against dust and water.
The ‘X’ in this rating is a placeholder for the dust rating. It means that this product has not been rated for dust. The 4 refers to water protection. Water ratings are between IPX0 and IPX8, so the Bose Soundlink Revolve is about in the middle. This rating says that this device is protected against splashing water. It is also safe for this speaker to be caught out in the rain. The main situation to avoid is submerging the speaker into liquid.
The Bose Soundlink Revolve also features an integrated microphone. This means that the speaker can be used to talk to someone over the phone as a speakerphone, a way to use tools like Siri and Google Assist, and allows the use of voice commands.
It also comes with the ability to connect it into a stereo pairing through the Bose Connect application. The Bose Connect application is available for IOS and android. This requires two Bose Soundlink Revolve speakers, but it allows for the stereo experience wirelessly. The Bose Connect application is simple to use, providing both a Party Mode and Stereo Mode.
The Party Mode will connect two speakers to amplify the sound. The Stereo Mode will naturally separate instruments and vocals across the two speakers, similar to a stage performance.
Sound Quality
The Bose Soundlink Revolve is one of the best products in its class regarding sound quality. The speaker may be physically small, but the sound is big. The sound quality in this speaker is undoubtedly superior to competing products, such as the UE Boom 2, JBL Flip 4, and the Beoplay A1.
The Bose Soundlink Revolve handles bass well. It has a better bass response than competing products in general, but it especially shines in bass distortion. Where other products start distorting bass, the Bose Soundlink Revolve holds onto the clear and natural sound it is known for.
The Bose Soundlink Revolve also has better detail. This goes hand in hand with the lack of bass distortion. The speaker can handle intense, loud, complicated music without sacrificing quality. The Bose can output high-quality sound in situations where competing products begin to distort or lose detail. This speaker can fill a medium sized room, such as a dorm, home office, or bedroom.
This speaker does not have a difference in sound quality depending on the method of power. This means that if the speaker is plugged into the wall it will sound the same as it would while just running on battery power.
Battery Life
The battery life on the Bose Soundlink Revolve is 12 hours long if used at a moderate volume. This is significantly shorter than competing products. For example, the Beoplay A1 has a battery life of 24 hours, doubling that of the Bose.
The Bose sacrifices battery life in lieu of creating the best sound quality possible. This tradeoff is probably going to be worth it to most consumers because the Bose can still be used while plugged into an outlet. Also, a speaker is seldom used for 12 hours at a time, giving intervals for the user to charge it back to full battery life. When the Bose Soundlink Revolve is completely out of battery power, it takes 4 hours to fully charge.
The speaker does not come with a charging dock. There is a charging dock available to buy as a separate product, however. Without the charging dock, the speaker is charged with a basic USB port, similar to an I-Phone.
The battery in this speaker is a rechargeable, lithium-ion battery. Lithium-ion batteries are common in most electronics around the house. These batteries are very low-maintenance, so they only need to be charged. There is no scheduled cycling to worry about, and the discharge is minimal.
What’s Included?
The Bose Soundlink Revolve may not come with a charging dock, but it does come with other things. It comes with the speaker, a USB cable, a USB power supply, and AC power adapters. The speaker is the speaker that has been discussed throughout this review, the Bose Soundlink Revolve.
USB stands for Universal Serial Bus. A USB cable is a cable that is compatible and designed for USB. An example of this is an Apple charger or other electronic chargers. The USB power supply is the wall charger. It is the box shaped piece that connects into an electrical outlet, and the USB cable connects in the power supply. The AC power adaptors convert electrical currents. These components are what are used to charge the speaker.