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Bose SoundLink Revolve + Portable & Long-Lasting Bluetooth 360 Speaker - Lux Gray
Purchase options and add-ons
Brand | Bose |
Model Name | SoundLink Revolve |
Speaker Type | Center Channel |
Connectivity Technology | Bluetooth, wireless |
Special Feature | Stereo pairing;Portable |
About this item
- Delivers Deep, loud, jaw dropping sound with True 360 degree coverage
- Built-in mic for speakerphone to take clear conference or personal calls out loud with a wireless range of approximately 30 feet.
- Flexible fabric handle makes it easy to grab and go; seamless aluminum body is durable and water resistant (IPX4)
- Enjoy up to 16 hours of play time from a long-lasting, rechargeable, lithium-ion battery
- Wireless Bluetooth pairing with voice prompts allows you to easily take calls and access your phone’s virtual assistant — Hands free
- Pair two SoundLink speakers together for party mode or stereo mode or use Bose SimpleSync technology to pair with a member of the Bose Smart Home Family to play in sync
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Top Brand: Bose
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This Item Bose SoundLink Revolve + Portable & Long-Lasting Bluetooth 360 Speaker - Lux Gray | Recommendations | dummy | dummy | dummy | dummy | |
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Price | $262.84$262.84 | $188.00$188.00 | $162.62$162.62 | -27% $159.00$159.00 List: $219.00 | -30% $229.00$229.00 List: $329.00 | -30% $229.00$229.00 List: $329.00 |
Delivery | Get it Mar 20 - 25 | — | Get it as soon as Wednesday, Mar 20 | Get it as soon as Wednesday, Mar 20 | Get it as soon as Wednesday, Mar 20 | Get it as soon as Wednesday, Mar 20 |
Customer Ratings | ||||||
Sound quality | 4.6 | — | 4.7 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.5 |
Battery life | 4.5 | — | 4.5 | 4.2 | 4.5 | 4.5 |
Portability | 4.9 | — | — | 4.6 | 4.8 | 4.8 |
Bluetooth connectivity | 4.5 | — | 4.5 | — | 4.5 | 4.5 |
Water resistance | — | — | — | 4.5 | 4.8 | 4.8 |
Sold By | Renovar Tech | Adorama | Esquared Trading | Amazon.com | Amazon.com | Amazon.com |
power source | Battery Powered | Battery Powered | Battery Powered | Battery Powered | Battery Powered | Battery Powered |
connectivity tech | Bluetooth, wireless | USB, Bluetooth | Bluetooth | USB, Auxiliary, Bluetooth | wireless, wired | USB, Auxiliary, Bluetooth |
speaker type | Center Channel | — | — | Multimedia | Multimedia | Multimedia |
mounting type | Freestanding | Plug Mount | Tabletop | Tabletop | Tabletop Mount | Tabletop |
weight | 2 pounds | 3.17 pounds | 1 pounds | 1.46 pounds | 2 pounds | 2 pounds |
control method | voice | application, voice | — | voice | voice, application | voice |
What's in the box
Videos
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This BOSE Beauty Packs a BIG Punch!
Jenerally Speaking
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1:55
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If you are looking for an great bluetooth speaker, got you!
Judy
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Best portable Bluetooth speaker with 360 degree sound
Cruise Reviews
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This Speaker is a BOSS, Bose SoundLink Revolve Speaker
The Vdovines
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Product information
Product Dimensions | 4.1 x 4.1 x 7.2 inches |
---|---|
Item Weight | 2 pounds |
Manufacturer | Bose Corporation |
ASIN | B06XD2WNJZ |
Item model number | 739617-1310 |
Batteries | 1 Lithium Ion batteries required. (included) |
Customer Reviews |
4.7 out of 5 stars |
Best Sellers Rank | #151,071 in Electronics (See Top 100 in Electronics) #3,394 in Portable Bluetooth Speakers |
Is Discontinued By Manufacturer | No |
Date First Available | April 12, 2017 |
Speakers Maximum Output Power | 5 Watts |
Item Weight | 2 Pounds |
Charging Time | 16 Hours |
Number Of Items | 1 |
Warranty & Support
Feedback
Product Description
Meet the Sound Link Revolve+, the best-performing portable Bluetooth speaker from Bose. It delivers deep, jaw-dropping sound in every direction. Place it in the center of the room to give everyone the same experience. Or set it near a wall and sound will radiate and reflect around the room, immersing you in that same feeling you felt at your favorite show. The tapered cylindrical shape with a flexible handle makes this wireless speaker easy to grab and go. Its durable aluminum body provides worry-free protection, and its water-resistant design lets you keep the party going, even if it starts to rain. The rechargeable, lithium-ion battery plays up to 16 hours—for full-day listening. Voice prompts talk you through wireless Bluetooth pairing, and you can easily take calls with the built-in speakerphone. You can even access Siri or Google Now right from your speaker. Pair two Sound Link Revolve speakers in Party Mode for more performance. Or put them in Stereo Mode: Instruments and vocals will naturally separate and spread across an immersive soundstage—making your music sound and feel as you know it should. The Bose Connect app also helps you manage your devices, unlock features and access future updates. You can easily charge the speaker via Micro-B USB port. And the auxiliary input allows you to connect to other audio sources. This mobile speaker is available in Triple Black or Lux Gray. Included: Sound Link Revolve+ Bluetooth speaker; USB cable; wall charger.
Customer reviews
Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.
To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.
Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers like the sound quality, quality and portability of the speakers. For example, they mention the sound is rich, provides attention to sonic detail and that the build quality is solid. That said, some are happy with the ease of use, and appearance. That being said, opinions are mixed on connectivity, and value.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
Customers are satisfied with the sound quality of the speakers. They mention that the sound is rich, the battery life is great, and the response, imaging, accuracy, and transparency are excellent. The Bose provides attention to sonic detail that makes them listen more closely to albums. The base works well and makes it quick to keep the speaker topped up.
"Sure, it's a bit pricey, but it provides a nice level and quality of sound for an average-sized room." Read more
"...It sounds better than most stereo bluetooth speakers! The 360 degree sound is awesome and incredibly convenient; having to reposition the speaker to..." Read more
"...The speaker will fill a space with comfortable high quality sound without being over powering or tainting the natural setting of our wedding..." Read more
"I love this speaker 🔊, from the sound to the quality it's very loud great bass long lasting battery..." Read more
Customers like the quality of the speakers. For example, they mention that it's an excellent product, with high quality and a solid build. Some say that the speakers are designed perfectly for outdoor use and are reliable and water-resistant. Overall, customers are happy with the quality and functionality of the product.
"...The sound quality is top of the line. Bottom line: Excellent product and well worth the money...." Read more
"...Its the perfect combination of size, quality and sound for a portable good time." Read more
"...The Bose also did very well, but the vocals weren’t quite as forward on the stage...." Read more
"I was looking for a nice, reliable, and water-resistant bluetooth battery speaker to take camping, and other outings...." Read more
Customers generally like the battery life of the speakers. They mention that the battery level is well implemented, and the speakers clearly state its battery capacity when they turn it on.
"...Easy to connect, easy to charge. Battery life is great, getting an audio prompt of current charge with every power on...." Read more
"...I will say that the Bose clearly speaks its battery capacity when you turn it on. It also speaks the name of exactly it’s connecting to...." Read more
"Bought our first Revolve+ in 2017. It still has great battery life and no loss of sound quality...." Read more
"...cheaper versions, and they didn't get loud enough, the battery didn't last long, or the sound was not well-rounded...." Read more
Customers like the portability of the speakers. They say it's phenomenal, lightweight, and has the smallest footprint. It's portable so you can carry it into the bathroom, bedroom, kitchen, car, camping, and it fits anywhere. Customers also say it has the perfect combination of size, quality, and sound for a portable good time. They love the handle and say it can be charged from a battery pack.
"...Lightweight enough to carry around. It was an easy accessory, even on a hike in the jungle...." Read more
"...Its the perfect combination of size, quality and sound for a portable good time." Read more
"...It also has the smallest footprint. However, the Bose is going to get dinged a little for its 3ft USB charging cable...." Read more
"...The housing is sleek and the unit is very light weight. The handle makes for easy carrying...." Read more
Customers find the speakers easy to use. They say it's simple to use, easy to pair with their phone, and convenient. Customers also appreciate the powerful sound and the convenience of the device.
"...Lightweight enough to carry around. It was an easy accessory, even on a hike in the jungle...." Read more
"...The 360 degree sound is awesome and incredibly convenient; having to reposition the speaker to achieve ideal sound quality for listeners is a thing..." Read more
"...It’s definitely the lightest of this bunch and it’s super convenient to just pick it up by the fabric handle and be on your way...." Read more
"...It was super easy to pair with my phone, also with my dedicated camping iPod. I had the iPod a few feet away ~25' and it didn't cut out...." Read more
Customers are satisfied with the appearance of the speakers. They mention that the 360-degree design is great for putting it in the middle of the group, and the retro shape is brilliant. Some say that the Bose is nice, but they'd rather keep the extra $100.
"...The Bose is nice, but I’ll keep the extra $100 thankyouverymuch!..." Read more
"...The housing is sleek and the unit is very light weight. The handle makes for easy carrying...." Read more
"...The Mini is a brilliant, chic, retro shape with modern materials. This... not so much...." Read more
"...Sound quality is great- Design is great for the speaker-..." Read more
Customers have mixed opinions about the connectivity of the speakers. Some mention that it pairs easily with both I-phones and androids, and it pairs together for party or stereo mode. However, others say that the connection issues are extremely annoying, and the Bluetooth sometimes loses connection. They also say that it loses this pairing every 10 minutes or so and it is often futile to even try to connect it to their Mac computer.
"...It keep tunes coming with ease! Easy to connect, easy to charge...." Read more
"...The Bose and HKs are able to wirelessly connect to similar units. However, the Onyx Studio 5 is only able to pair up with other Studio 5...." Read more
"...My BIGGEST complaint with it is the Bluetooth sometimes loses connection with my iPhone 11Pro Max...." Read more
"...anyone wanting a portable player with excellent sound quality and connectivity...." Read more
Customers are mixed about the value of the speakers. Some mention it's worth the price, while others say it' a little pricey and expensive.
"...As of this writing, the HK Onyx Studio 5 currently is the least expensive of this group. And it’s my favorite sounding speaker!..." Read more
"Sure, it's a bit pricey, but it provides a nice level and quality of sound for an average-sized room." Read more
"...They're cheap.. they're made in a place that is known to make products which dont last, but they do work and they're worth the few dollars." Read more
"...As others have pointed out, this is an expensive speaker. But, you get what you pay for in this case. Best three hundred bucks I've ever spent...." Read more
Reviews with images
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Update: I remember reading a review of this product a few days ago saying that the physical buttons will wear down after heavy use. I won't lie; it did give me hesitation. Well, for those of you who fear the same thing, fear not! I've discovered a way to play this without having to ever touch the buttons! You will need to download the app, however. To turn on the speaker, open the bose connect app. Then, it will show the speaker, asking to connect. Simply swipe down on the image and it will connect the speaker to your device and power it on. To turn it off, just enable to "auto off" feature on the app. To control the volume, sinply do it from the app. I hope this helps!
My wife is now washing dishes for a month in attempt to get me to let her use these. So here is the bottom line... Bose is bose is bose... anyone looking at these speakers understands that bose brings authentic sound quality no matter what price tag they put on it. These speaker truly make that sound quality portable.
I have the bose soundlink color 2 speaker as well (which sounds great as well) so why would I spend so much money on blue tooth speakers you may ask... the pairing of two of these revolve plus speakers with the bose connect app (an
App which is about as finicky as my wife on a full moon btw but i am reviewing the speakers not the app) is just simply perfect.
We will be using my phone with my play list to play music through these two speakers at my wedding reception (out doors in a pavilion) with 50 plus people. The speaker will fill a space with comfortable high quality sound without being over powering or tainting the natural setting of our wedding reception. Its the perfect combination of size, quality and sound for a portable good time.
Reviewed in the United States on May 22, 2020
My wife is now washing dishes for a month in attempt to get me to let her use these. So here is the bottom line... Bose is bose is bose... anyone looking at these speakers understands that bose brings authentic sound quality no matter what price tag they put on it. These speaker truly make that sound quality portable.
I have the bose soundlink color 2 speaker as well (which sounds great as well) so why would I spend so much money on blue tooth speakers you may ask... the pairing of two of these revolve plus speakers with the bose connect app (an
App which is about as finicky as my wife on a full moon btw but i am reviewing the speakers not the app) is just simply perfect.
We will be using my phone with my play list to play music through these two speakers at my wedding reception (out doors in a pavilion) with 50 plus people. The speaker will fill a space with comfortable high quality sound without being over powering or tainting the natural setting of our wedding reception. Its the perfect combination of size, quality and sound for a portable good time.
This particular review is specific to the Harman Kardon Onyx series and the Bose SoundLink Revolve+. My spending cap was $300 on Amazon, so that ruled out other speakers like the Vifa Oslo and B&W Zeppelin. I’d still like to try the HK Play+Go, but don’t have the resources right now. (Unless someone would like to gift me one to review 😊)
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I’ve just spent the past month with the Oontz Angle 3XL Ultra ($100), the DOSS Soundbox XL ($70), Bose SoundLink Revolve+ ($270), the Harman Kardon Onyx Studio 1 (n/a), Studio 4 ($175), and Studio 5 ($164).
I wanted to find the best speaker that fits MY listening profile. My primary focus is on audio quality via Bluetooth with a $300 max price on Amazon. Other factors like portability, water resistance, and battery life are not heavily weighted for me because this speaker is primarily intended for indoor use with AC power.
So…”Long review short”…my preference in order of “Best” to “Really Good”. (None of them are bad.)
The HK Onyx Studio 5 is my favorite. Why? It sounds the best (to me) and costs the least.
Followed by the Onyx 4, and then the Bose Revolve+. The HK Onyx 1 is purely for reference and is no longer available to purchase. I decided not to include the Oontz and the DOSS in this writeup because after hours of testing, they just aren’t in the same game, let alone same sport. They will have a separate review. (Summary of that review: Get the DOSS @$70 or spend an extra $100 to get the HK Onyx Studio 5. That extra $100 will easily justify itself after years of listening pleasure!)
To get the speakers setup, all speakers were plugged in to AC power. If a speaker had an available firmware update, it was applied. All speakers were connected via Bluetooth to an iPhone XS. I used the Amazon Music app (w/full Amazon Music subscription) to test. I selected specific songs that I know well across a variety of music types. The following is a small sampling of the Artists & Albums. Some albums I listened to in their entirety, some I just chose particular songs.
Techmaster PEB – Bassgasm
Chris Stapleton – Traveller
Donovan – Beat Café
Christian McBride – Live at Tonic
Pink Floyd – Dark Side Of The Moon
Gustav Holst – The Planets
Audiolab – Audio Test Tones
The first thing I wanted was something that matched my listening preference as noted above. An upside-down bell curve. Strong bass and treble, and a flat midrange. To me, too much lower-midrange causes most music to sound muddy. Too much higher-midrange and it sounds hollow or echo-y.
The Bose is definitely last place in the bass frequencies. Its single, smaller downfiring speaker just isn’t up to the task of creating bass you can actually feel (or hear at the really low frequencies). You can tell the Bose unit is making an effort, but it doesn’t have that deep sound that you get from the larger drivers on the HK Onyx units, particularly the Onyx Studio 4 & 5. I did try to cheat a little with the Bose by putting it on a surface that would allow it to act like a bass transducer. Unfortunately for that idea, Bose does a fantastic job of isolating its sound from the surface it’s on, so there’s no buzzing or resonance on any surface. This speaker is not going to vibrate itself off any flat surface.
Where the Bose Soundlink Revolve+ shines is because it is a downfiring speaker, it does a much better job dispersing sound evenly throughout a room. The staging of its output just has a certain ‘something’ that is best explained by listening and not with words. Unfortunately, while the overall sound is smooth, it’s missing the low end that I require. Lack of bass response notwithstanding, the Bose most closely resembles the sound of the Onyx 4.
Now on to the Harman Kardon Onyx Studio, models 1, 4, and 5.
As I noted, the Onyx 1 is for reference. A family member has had it for years and I’ve always been impressed. It was time to see what improvements HK has made to its newer models.
The Studio 4 and 5 definitely sound better than the original, but it’s not a HUGE improvement. If they weren’t side by side, most people would be hard pressed to discern a difference. The aural differences between the 4 and 5 are even less. What intrigued me the most between the 4 and 5 was HK’s decision to go from a 2x2 driver setup to a 1x1, respectively. My first thought was that any sound staging would be diminished with the newest model. Surprisingly, there is almost no difference between the two, so “props to HK” for being able to re-engineer the Onyx Studio 5 for better overall sound. If I didn’t have all the speakers side by side, I wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between the 4 & 5. However, ‘they were’ so ‘I could’. HK’s switch to the larger woofer in the 5 makes a notable difference, specifically when testing for sub frequencies. Both in music and using the Audiolabs test album, the 5 was absolutely able to respond down to 40Hz. This is also where the Techmaster PEB album came in to play. The Bose wanted nothing to do with it and didn’t bother to show up to the game. The Onyx Studio 1 at least showed up, but it was the 4 & 5 that actually hit the field to play. The 5 just barely edged out the 4. Again, that single, larger driver in the 5 is what works.
The Studio 5 also managed to have better overall staging and ever-so-slightly better vocals and treble.
On any albums that have more of a “live” sound, the 5 fared slightly better, giving the vocals more presence in the room. The Bose also did very well, but the vocals weren’t quite as forward on the stage.
If classical music is more your thing, it’s a toss up between the Bose and the Onyx Studio 5. Again, the Bose does a fantastic job giving you a full stage of instruments, at the expense of some of them not being quite as crisp or pronounced. You know the individual orchestra pieces are there, but sometimes it sounds like some of them are behind the curtain. Again, it’s really a toss up. Listening to “Holst: The Planets”, there are some very quiet moments that both speakers handle with aplomb. In a perfectly quite environment, I suspect classical aficionados may prefer the Bose for the way it separates the stage, even if it’s only slightly better than the 5.
Summary: Reference Graph #2
- This unscientific, subjective graph is how I hear their respective tuning. The Onyx 4 has a relatively flat response curve. Hence a bit more of the midrange that I don’t like. Around 90Hz, the speakers are pretty even. You can see the Bose falls pretty much in line with the Onyx 4 and 5, but seriously lacks the initial bass response, and overcompensates with additional midrange.
Thus, as I noted at the beginning, the HK Onyx Studio 5 is the speaker that most closely matches the way I like to hear music and wins the overall award.
Now that I’ve determined the speaker that sounds the best to me, let’s discuss the other factors that distinguish these units.
Overall Volume / Loudness:
Reference Graph #1
This graph is how I perceived their volume at given frequencies. This is a very unscientific way to do this. (Again, it’s all subjective.) I first set all speakers to approximately the same perceived volume using 1000Hz as the frequency to normalize the volume. The volume does not get adjusted for the remainder of this test. Next, I went back and started with 40Hz and stepped up to 16kHz. The graph represents where I perceived an increase or decrease in volume relative to 1000Hz. This is completely unscientific because higher frequencies will seem louder than lower ones. Once in the higher frequencies, its more about which speaker seemed louder than the other at that frequency. Take the graph for what you will. (I’m doing this review for free. I’m not spending the additional time & effort & equipment required to record a channel sweep of each speaker and display the results. *laughing*)
Worth noting on this volume graph… There was essentially no perceived volume at 16kHz. And none of the speakers are crystal clear at their max volume. But this could be due to numerous compounded factors: The encoded bitrate of the Audiolabs album that is streaming from Amazon; The usable frequency spectrum handled by the Bluetooth protocol. From this testing, I also believe that once you push Bluetooth past about 80%, the BT itself becomes the primary source of distortion, not the speaker & its amplifier. If I had done a direct line-in using my actual/physical Test CD, that would entirely eliminate any of those possibilities. Again, I didn’t feel it worth additional time & effort. 😊
- I found it interesting that while the Bose wasn’t as loud at lower volumes (a percentage of total volume adjustment), ultimately the Bose did play louder than the Onyx 5. It would seem that the Onyx ramps up and plateaus faster. The Bose also had a flatter volume response, whereas the Onyx units got a little peaky in some areas. If someone is paying attention, the graph would seem to run counter to my claim that the Bose was overall louder at max volume. Subjectivity at its finest!
- Earlier in my testing with the Bose, I found that controlling volume with the VOL+/- on the iPhone, there are 20 steps. However, using the volume buttons on the speaker, there were 5 steps for every 1 of the phone. So the Bose effectively has a volume adjustment of 0-100 when done manually at the speaker. I did not test manual volume control on the HK units.
Portability & Aesthetics:
- The Bose Soundlink Revolve+ definitely wins in the portability category. It’s definitely the lightest of this bunch and it’s super convenient to just pick it up by the fabric handle and be on your way. It also has the smallest footprint. However, the Bose is going to get dinged a little for its 3ft USB charging cable. 3ft is not a lot when you’re looking to have your speaker plugged in and use it at the same time. That being said, check out someplace like Amazon/Monoprice for longer USB cables to make this less of an issue.
- Neither the 4 nor the 5 are particularly portable, as in, “throw it in a backpack and head out for a day trip”. The HK Onyx Studio 4 retains the same general setup since the original. A cup on the top-back to carry it, and two non-detachable legs sticking out the lower back. On the Studio 5, HK changed it up and went to a design that now looks more like a woman’s handbag, having a full handle on top. The Studio 5 is also quite a bit heavier than the 4. The plus side to it being a heavyweight is that it stays where you put it and is less prone to vibrate the surface it’s on. When specifically comparing the Studio 4 to the 5, the 4 seems like it would fall over easier if something knocked it from behind. That’s just an observation and not a likely scenario.
- Of the four units, I like the Bose the best for button layout. The Onyx 1 & 4 next. The Onyx 5 is the least favorable for button layout. It hides its buttons on the top-front of the speaker fabric. And the audible feedback of the HK isn’t nearly as intuitive as the Bose. The Bose talks at you; The HKs just play tones (most of the time).
- Due to the downfiring, 360° nature of the Bose SoundLink Revolve+, I think if you had high ceilings and hung them like light fixtures, the audio in the room would be amazing! Or if you’re using them outside, hang them on some really tall Shepard’s Hooks. Technically, you could do the same thing with the Onyx Studio 5, but the speaker is much more directional, so you’d probably want to have them in corners firing inward.
Serviceability:
I’m only calling this out because the original Onyx Studio 1 had both a removable grill so you could see all the speakers, as well as the ability to open up the body and replace any component, including the failed rechargeable battery (which I replaced while reviewing this lineup). The Bose and newer HK Onyx’s are sealed up tight with no apparent way to crack ‘em open.
Extra features:
- As I noted in the beginning, extra features aren’t really on my radar. I want a speaker that plays my music. The other stuff doesn’t really concern me as much.
- The Bose and HKs are able to wirelessly connect to similar units. However, the Onyx Studio 5 is only able to pair up with other Studio 5. It doesn’t have HKConnect technology, so you can’t connect it to any previous Onyx models. As such, it’s also not recognized by the HKConnect app.
Reviews for all the speakers have plenty of people complaining about the ability to pair their speaker with the exact same model. It would seem that grass isn’t perfectly green on either side of this fence.
- I think both the HK and Bose handle incoming phone calls… Don’t know, didn’t try.
- The Bose I received had an available firmware update that went very smooth. I hooked up the speaker to my Windows 10 system and it recognized it without issue. I downloaded Bose’s Windows app and updated the firmware without issue.
Looking at HK’s site, neither the 4 nor 5 appeared to have a firmware update.
Battery life:
I didn’t do any rundown tests. I’m going to keep my speaker on a shelf and/or near AC power, so battery life isn’t a big factor for me. I will say that the Bose clearly speaks its battery capacity when you turn it on. It also speaks the name of exactly it’s connecting to. That’s a nice feature I wish the HK’s had.
Price:
As of this writing, the HK Onyx Studio 5 currently is the least expensive of this group. And it’s my favorite sounding speaker! That’s a WIN for me! The Onyx Studio 4’s audio quality is right up there in a close 2nd place to the 5, but it’s currently more expensive. And then there’s the Bose which is currently selling for more than $100 over the Onyx Studio 5. Apparently, you are going to pay for the Bose name and portability. And possibly the battery life or other features I didn’t cover. The Bose is nice, but I’ll keep the extra $100 thankyouverymuch!
All in all, if you’re not nearly as particular as me, any of these three speakers will treat you well. I’m obviously recommending the HK Onyx Studio 5 because it sounds the best and cost the least. However, if you aren’t nearly as picky and have a concrete spend limit of $100, I’d go with the DOSS Soundbox XL for $70.
Reviewed in the United States on January 19, 2019
This particular review is specific to the Harman Kardon Onyx series and the Bose SoundLink Revolve+. My spending cap was $300 on Amazon, so that ruled out other speakers like the Vifa Oslo and B&W Zeppelin. I’d still like to try the HK Play+Go, but don’t have the resources right now. (Unless someone would like to gift me one to review 😊)
------------------
I’ve just spent the past month with the Oontz Angle 3XL Ultra ($100), the DOSS Soundbox XL ($70), Bose SoundLink Revolve+ ($270), the Harman Kardon Onyx Studio 1 (n/a), Studio 4 ($175), and Studio 5 ($164).
I wanted to find the best speaker that fits MY listening profile. My primary focus is on audio quality via Bluetooth with a $300 max price on Amazon. Other factors like portability, water resistance, and battery life are not heavily weighted for me because this speaker is primarily intended for indoor use with AC power.
So…”Long review short”…my preference in order of “Best” to “Really Good”. (None of them are bad.)
The HK Onyx Studio 5 is my favorite. Why? It sounds the best (to me) and costs the least.
Followed by the Onyx 4, and then the Bose Revolve+. The HK Onyx 1 is purely for reference and is no longer available to purchase. I decided not to include the Oontz and the DOSS in this writeup because after hours of testing, they just aren’t in the same game, let alone same sport. They will have a separate review. (Summary of that review: Get the DOSS @$70 or spend an extra $100 to get the HK Onyx Studio 5. That extra $100 will easily justify itself after years of listening pleasure!)
To get the speakers setup, all speakers were plugged in to AC power. If a speaker had an available firmware update, it was applied. All speakers were connected via Bluetooth to an iPhone XS. I used the Amazon Music app (w/full Amazon Music subscription) to test. I selected specific songs that I know well across a variety of music types. The following is a small sampling of the Artists & Albums. Some albums I listened to in their entirety, some I just chose particular songs.
Techmaster PEB – Bassgasm
Chris Stapleton – Traveller
Donovan – Beat Café
Christian McBride – Live at Tonic
Pink Floyd – Dark Side Of The Moon
Gustav Holst – The Planets
Audiolab – Audio Test Tones
The first thing I wanted was something that matched my listening preference as noted above. An upside-down bell curve. Strong bass and treble, and a flat midrange. To me, too much lower-midrange causes most music to sound muddy. Too much higher-midrange and it sounds hollow or echo-y.
The Bose is definitely last place in the bass frequencies. Its single, smaller downfiring speaker just isn’t up to the task of creating bass you can actually feel (or hear at the really low frequencies). You can tell the Bose unit is making an effort, but it doesn’t have that deep sound that you get from the larger drivers on the HK Onyx units, particularly the Onyx Studio 4 & 5. I did try to cheat a little with the Bose by putting it on a surface that would allow it to act like a bass transducer. Unfortunately for that idea, Bose does a fantastic job of isolating its sound from the surface it’s on, so there’s no buzzing or resonance on any surface. This speaker is not going to vibrate itself off any flat surface.
Where the Bose Soundlink Revolve+ shines is because it is a downfiring speaker, it does a much better job dispersing sound evenly throughout a room. The staging of its output just has a certain ‘something’ that is best explained by listening and not with words. Unfortunately, while the overall sound is smooth, it’s missing the low end that I require. Lack of bass response notwithstanding, the Bose most closely resembles the sound of the Onyx 4.
Now on to the Harman Kardon Onyx Studio, models 1, 4, and 5.
As I noted, the Onyx 1 is for reference. A family member has had it for years and I’ve always been impressed. It was time to see what improvements HK has made to its newer models.
The Studio 4 and 5 definitely sound better than the original, but it’s not a HUGE improvement. If they weren’t side by side, most people would be hard pressed to discern a difference. The aural differences between the 4 and 5 are even less. What intrigued me the most between the 4 and 5 was HK’s decision to go from a 2x2 driver setup to a 1x1, respectively. My first thought was that any sound staging would be diminished with the newest model. Surprisingly, there is almost no difference between the two, so “props to HK” for being able to re-engineer the Onyx Studio 5 for better overall sound. If I didn’t have all the speakers side by side, I wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between the 4 & 5. However, ‘they were’ so ‘I could’. HK’s switch to the larger woofer in the 5 makes a notable difference, specifically when testing for sub frequencies. Both in music and using the Audiolabs test album, the 5 was absolutely able to respond down to 40Hz. This is also where the Techmaster PEB album came in to play. The Bose wanted nothing to do with it and didn’t bother to show up to the game. The Onyx Studio 1 at least showed up, but it was the 4 & 5 that actually hit the field to play. The 5 just barely edged out the 4. Again, that single, larger driver in the 5 is what works.
The Studio 5 also managed to have better overall staging and ever-so-slightly better vocals and treble.
On any albums that have more of a “live” sound, the 5 fared slightly better, giving the vocals more presence in the room. The Bose also did very well, but the vocals weren’t quite as forward on the stage.
If classical music is more your thing, it’s a toss up between the Bose and the Onyx Studio 5. Again, the Bose does a fantastic job giving you a full stage of instruments, at the expense of some of them not being quite as crisp or pronounced. You know the individual orchestra pieces are there, but sometimes it sounds like some of them are behind the curtain. Again, it’s really a toss up. Listening to “Holst: The Planets”, there are some very quiet moments that both speakers handle with aplomb. In a perfectly quite environment, I suspect classical aficionados may prefer the Bose for the way it separates the stage, even if it’s only slightly better than the 5.
Summary: Reference Graph #2
- This unscientific, subjective graph is how I hear their respective tuning. The Onyx 4 has a relatively flat response curve. Hence a bit more of the midrange that I don’t like. Around 90Hz, the speakers are pretty even. You can see the Bose falls pretty much in line with the Onyx 4 and 5, but seriously lacks the initial bass response, and overcompensates with additional midrange.
Thus, as I noted at the beginning, the HK Onyx Studio 5 is the speaker that most closely matches the way I like to hear music and wins the overall award.
Now that I’ve determined the speaker that sounds the best to me, let’s discuss the other factors that distinguish these units.
Overall Volume / Loudness:
Reference Graph #1
This graph is how I perceived their volume at given frequencies. This is a very unscientific way to do this. (Again, it’s all subjective.) I first set all speakers to approximately the same perceived volume using 1000Hz as the frequency to normalize the volume. The volume does not get adjusted for the remainder of this test. Next, I went back and started with 40Hz and stepped up to 16kHz. The graph represents where I perceived an increase or decrease in volume relative to 1000Hz. This is completely unscientific because higher frequencies will seem louder than lower ones. Once in the higher frequencies, its more about which speaker seemed louder than the other at that frequency. Take the graph for what you will. (I’m doing this review for free. I’m not spending the additional time & effort & equipment required to record a channel sweep of each speaker and display the results. *laughing*)
Worth noting on this volume graph… There was essentially no perceived volume at 16kHz. And none of the speakers are crystal clear at their max volume. But this could be due to numerous compounded factors: The encoded bitrate of the Audiolabs album that is streaming from Amazon; The usable frequency spectrum handled by the Bluetooth protocol. From this testing, I also believe that once you push Bluetooth past about 80%, the BT itself becomes the primary source of distortion, not the speaker & its amplifier. If I had done a direct line-in using my actual/physical Test CD, that would entirely eliminate any of those possibilities. Again, I didn’t feel it worth additional time & effort. 😊
- I found it interesting that while the Bose wasn’t as loud at lower volumes (a percentage of total volume adjustment), ultimately the Bose did play louder than the Onyx 5. It would seem that the Onyx ramps up and plateaus faster. The Bose also had a flatter volume response, whereas the Onyx units got a little peaky in some areas. If someone is paying attention, the graph would seem to run counter to my claim that the Bose was overall louder at max volume. Subjectivity at its finest!
- Earlier in my testing with the Bose, I found that controlling volume with the VOL+/- on the iPhone, there are 20 steps. However, using the volume buttons on the speaker, there were 5 steps for every 1 of the phone. So the Bose effectively has a volume adjustment of 0-100 when done manually at the speaker. I did not test manual volume control on the HK units.
Portability & Aesthetics:
- The Bose Soundlink Revolve+ definitely wins in the portability category. It’s definitely the lightest of this bunch and it’s super convenient to just pick it up by the fabric handle and be on your way. It also has the smallest footprint. However, the Bose is going to get dinged a little for its 3ft USB charging cable. 3ft is not a lot when you’re looking to have your speaker plugged in and use it at the same time. That being said, check out someplace like Amazon/Monoprice for longer USB cables to make this less of an issue.
- Neither the 4 nor the 5 are particularly portable, as in, “throw it in a backpack and head out for a day trip”. The HK Onyx Studio 4 retains the same general setup since the original. A cup on the top-back to carry it, and two non-detachable legs sticking out the lower back. On the Studio 5, HK changed it up and went to a design that now looks more like a woman’s handbag, having a full handle on top. The Studio 5 is also quite a bit heavier than the 4. The plus side to it being a heavyweight is that it stays where you put it and is less prone to vibrate the surface it’s on. When specifically comparing the Studio 4 to the 5, the 4 seems like it would fall over easier if something knocked it from behind. That’s just an observation and not a likely scenario.
- Of the four units, I like the Bose the best for button layout. The Onyx 1 & 4 next. The Onyx 5 is the least favorable for button layout. It hides its buttons on the top-front of the speaker fabric. And the audible feedback of the HK isn’t nearly as intuitive as the Bose. The Bose talks at you; The HKs just play tones (most of the time).
- Due to the downfiring, 360° nature of the Bose SoundLink Revolve+, I think if you had high ceilings and hung them like light fixtures, the audio in the room would be amazing! Or if you’re using them outside, hang them on some really tall Shepard’s Hooks. Technically, you could do the same thing with the Onyx Studio 5, but the speaker is much more directional, so you’d probably want to have them in corners firing inward.
Serviceability:
I’m only calling this out because the original Onyx Studio 1 had both a removable grill so you could see all the speakers, as well as the ability to open up the body and replace any component, including the failed rechargeable battery (which I replaced while reviewing this lineup). The Bose and newer HK Onyx’s are sealed up tight with no apparent way to crack ‘em open.
Extra features:
- As I noted in the beginning, extra features aren’t really on my radar. I want a speaker that plays my music. The other stuff doesn’t really concern me as much.
- The Bose and HKs are able to wirelessly connect to similar units. However, the Onyx Studio 5 is only able to pair up with other Studio 5. It doesn’t have HKConnect technology, so you can’t connect it to any previous Onyx models. As such, it’s also not recognized by the HKConnect app.
Reviews for all the speakers have plenty of people complaining about the ability to pair their speaker with the exact same model. It would seem that grass isn’t perfectly green on either side of this fence.
- I think both the HK and Bose handle incoming phone calls… Don’t know, didn’t try.
- The Bose I received had an available firmware update that went very smooth. I hooked up the speaker to my Windows 10 system and it recognized it without issue. I downloaded Bose’s Windows app and updated the firmware without issue.
Looking at HK’s site, neither the 4 nor 5 appeared to have a firmware update.
Battery life:
I didn’t do any rundown tests. I’m going to keep my speaker on a shelf and/or near AC power, so battery life isn’t a big factor for me. I will say that the Bose clearly speaks its battery capacity when you turn it on. It also speaks the name of exactly it’s connecting to. That’s a nice feature I wish the HK’s had.
Price:
As of this writing, the HK Onyx Studio 5 currently is the least expensive of this group. And it’s my favorite sounding speaker! That’s a WIN for me! The Onyx Studio 4’s audio quality is right up there in a close 2nd place to the 5, but it’s currently more expensive. And then there’s the Bose which is currently selling for more than $100 over the Onyx Studio 5. Apparently, you are going to pay for the Bose name and portability. And possibly the battery life or other features I didn’t cover. The Bose is nice, but I’ll keep the extra $100 thankyouverymuch!
All in all, if you’re not nearly as particular as me, any of these three speakers will treat you well. I’m obviously recommending the HK Onyx Studio 5 because it sounds the best and cost the least. However, if you aren’t nearly as picky and have a concrete spend limit of $100, I’d go with the DOSS Soundbox XL for $70.