[rwp-review id=”0″]
Bose recently updated its SoundLink lineup of Bluetooth speakers, and one of the main attractions is the new SoundLink Revolve+. At AED 1,199 (and AED 799 for its smaller sibling, the Revolve), it’s a water-resistant portable speaker that delivers sound in every direction. Like most Bose products, it’s incredibly easy to operate and beautifully designed. From an audio standpoint, it delivers powerful sonic performance with boosted, rich bass and sculpted, clear high-mids and highs. It’s not a frequency response for audiophiles seeking accuracy in the mix, but it’s a balanced, robust sound signature that will appeal to a wide range of listeners.
Design
Available in black or gray models, the 0.90 kg SoundLink Revolve+ measures 18.5 by 10.4 by 10.4 cm (HWD) and has a somewhat cylindrical contour with a top panel that’s smaller than the base. The speaker has an IPX4 rating, which means it can handle being splashed by water, making it ideal for poolside parties (though it’s not a wise idea to submerge it).
The top panel is rubberized and houses all of the controls, as well as a built-in handle that carries the speaker like a bucket. Audio radiates outward from grille perforations in the lower half of the circular outer panel. At the base, there’s a connection point for the included micro USB charging cable, as well as a 3.5mm aux input. The base itself is rubberized to prevent tabletop vibrational movement, and there’s a threaded universal mount for attaching to tripods.
There are buttons on the top panel for power, Bluetooth pairing, and source (this switches between the aux input and the USB input, while tapping the Bluetooth button switches back to your wireless device). A multi-function button covers playback, track navigation, and call management. There are also volume rocker buttons—they work together with your mobile device’s master volume.
The Soundlink Revolve+ ships with a wall socket power adapter for the included USB cable. There’s no included 3.5mm cable for the aux input, which seems like an oversight at this price. However, the USB cable can be used to play music digitally from a computer, which is a solid, fairly uncommon feature.
The mic offers decent intelligibility—few mics built into Bluetooth speakers offer excellent clarity, but the SoundLink Revolve+ delivers enough for whoever’s calling to understand you.
There’s a free app, Bose Connect, which, unlike most speaker apps, is actually quite easy to use and intuitively designed. It’s also the same app that most wireless Bose devices use, so you can manage multiple products with it. You can control various functions on the SoundLink Revolve+ within the app, including volume, playback, pairing, and party mode (if you have more than one speaker). You can also disable voice prompts, set an auto-off timer to save battery life (it defaults to 20 minutes), and access the user manual.
Bose estimates the SoundLink Revolve+ to have 16 hours of battery life, but your results will vary with your volume levels and your mix of wired and wireless playback.
Performance
On tracks with intense sub-bass content, the SoundLink Revolve+ delivers powerful lows, and at top listening levels, it doesn’t distort. You can hear some digital signal processing kick in at high volumes—the deep electronic drum hits thin out a little in order to avoid distortion. Thus, at slightly less than maximum volume you tend to get the richest, fullest bass response.
A track with very little deep bass in the mix gives us a better sense of the overall sound signature. The drums on this track can sound unnaturally thunderous on bass-forward systems, but through the SoundLink Revolve+, they have a pleasant, strong bass presence that doesn’t sound over the top. Actually, it’s the vocals that receive more richness and presence—they hardly need any added low-mid depth, but they get more here. That would be bad news if the SoundLink Revolve+ didn’t balance things out with a solid high-mid and high frequency presence. Instead of the vocals sounding muddy, however, there’s a crisp treble edge adding definition and clarity. The guitar benefits from this high frequency presence as well. So there’s solid balance, but anyone looking for a truly accurate sound signature will likely be disappointed—this is very sculpted audio.
With hip hop, the kick drum loop’s attack gets a solid high-mid presence, allowing it to cut through the layers of the mix, but it also gets some slightly enhanced low frequency thump. The sub-bass synth hits that punctuate the beat are delivered with some power, but nothing that will make you think there’s a subwoofer hidden in the room. The vocals on this track are delivered cleanly and clearly.
Conclusion
Sonically, the Bose SoundLink Revolve+ is a winner. And its solid, water-resistant build makes it a versatile party speaker. That said, like all Bose products, the Revolve+ feels a smidge overpriced at almost AED 1,200. It’s also quite bulky. If you’re looking for something more portable you’ll do well to consider the Revolve instead of the Revolve+.
While other players in the market make similar decent speakers, some of which pegged at a lower price-point (Sony, JBL, Samsung); few do it so stylishly and beautifully like Bose does. So, if you’re a big Bose fan, the SoundLink Revolve+ will likely make you very happy at your next pool party.
