SoundLink Revolve+ Portable and Long-Lasting Bluetooth 360 Speaker - Triple Black

Size: portable and small Bluetooth connectivity: available, also AUX if need be Speaker quality: superb Color: silver/white Ease of setup: very very easy Lifespan: forever if I may exaggerate I bought this once for my partner and was waiting for the right time to get another one for myself at some point. Today is when I pulled the trigger. The SoundLink obviously has a big brother (which IMO the pricier option, but sound quality is pretty much the same), but I wanted the smaller one. I love that the bass, treble and mids are nicely balanced (I am a bass fan and the 360 sound is just so nice for the ears). I can heavily recommend getting this Bose SoundLink Revolve+ II — if you have a higher budget, get the bigger one. It is totally worth the money. I love this thing to death.

I own and have owned a variety of Bluetooth speakers over the years. I have high end home audio for surround system. (Not Bose) For portable speakers I have owner the Bose SoundDock version I, II and III as well as the Bose Soundtouch 20 Series III, a Jawbone Big Jambox and Sonos Play 5. Wired speakers typically will sound better than portable because you have the extra power and built-in amplifier to drive it. My Sonos Play 5 has clear big sound and plays to very loud levels if needed. Love that speaker. The Soundtouch 20 also plays clear and loud and is punchy with bass. All my speakers serve a purpose and you need to decide what is most important to you. The non-battery portable speakers are great around my house, but I also like to cut the cord and take a speaker outside, to the beach, vacation, etc. I had been using my older Jambone Big Jambox which is a great speaker for its size and has clear sound and nice mid-range, but now 6 years old. Was looking to replace it with something that had long battery life, sounded clear with no distortion and plays to louder levels for outside. This Soundlink Revolve+ is simply amazing for its size. While not the biggest fan of Bose sound in home audio surround systems, I think they do an excellent job of producing great sound on smaller portable speakers. The Bose corporate “sound” can be equalized and bloated, but comes off warm and clear on the Revolve+. The sound never distorts at any level. What really amazes me is the bass out of this thing. Don't expect bass thumping and wall rattling sound, but compared to any portable speaker its size, nothing will beat this. Even better bass extension if you place closer to a wall. The first night I used it was in an outdoor deck gazebo with a few couples we had over. Everyone was shocked at the sound. Even in an open aired environment it sounded great. This speaker will go loud as well. Plenty loud for what I need it to do. Sixteen hour battery life is excellent as well. I downloaded the Bose app and while not fancy, lets you control more things and music playing through it. Also shows battery life on app. The speaker pairs instantly which is great too. Turn it on and it auto connects to the phone if previously added. You can add multiple phones as well in the list. The big test was when four of us were sitting in the four seasons room and I had it on the floor next to fireplace. We had at it low to medium levels while we were all talking. I kept finding myself looking down and seeing how small it was yet the sound was so much bigger. The carry handle is nice and overall look and design of it as well. Very portable. I really have no complaints about it and how it performs. Only thing of course would be wishing it were less money. However, you do get what you pay for here. I highly recommend this portable speaker and the splash proof, water resistant aspect is just a bonus. Go buy one and you won't regret it if on the fence.

I’ve been using this speaker since 2017, and it’s still going strong. It’s been my go-to for outdoor use—especially camping—and it continues to impress with its durability and consistent performance. The 360° sound really makes a difference in open spaces, filling the area evenly without needing to reposition the speaker. Sound quality is clear with solid bass for its size, and it holds up well even outdoors where a lot of speakers struggle. Battery life has remained reliable over the years, and the build quality is excellent—it’s taken plenty of trips and still looks and works great. If you’re looking for a dependable, long-lasting portable speaker, this one absolutely delivers.

Having had these for a few months now o think ita time I review what might possibly be my favorite purchase from Amazon in a long time. This is my third Bluetooth speaker from Bose and I know I should know what to expect from Bose by now but these completely blew me out of the water. I promise you will love these especially if you catch them on sale Like I did ($225, taxes included) Sound: The bass is the first thing anyone can notice from these. The amount of bass you get out of a speaker these size is rather impressive and feels rich. The mids are very clear, crisp, and full of life. The highs are present in good quantities and finely detailed. I listen to a variety of music and these speakers can handle everything from classical to pop and rap(where it truly shines) my favorite part about the speakers is that they adapt to wherever they are place to sound best. For example let's say I place then in the corner of a room, it will modify the way it sounds to blast the sounds off the wall best. It does similar adaptations if placed near a single wall, center of the room, or even hanging from a headphone rack next to my computer. Battery: Although I haven't fully done a battery test I can tell you that they will last at least 16 hours of sporadic use before it asks for some juice. I personally would spend the extra cash on a charging dock. My speaker for some reason has issues registering when it's connected to a charger via its micro USB port. I have to turn on the speaker first in order for it to start charging. It's a weird glitch but it doesn't bother much since the battery lasts a while. Based on my usage (at home and at work) I only charge them about 3 times a full week. Pairing/Connectivity: Right out of the box when you turn in the speaker you will receive voice prompts on how to set up the speaker which is pretty straightforward. I can be about 90 feet away and in another room without having connectivity issues. I cannot recall what Bluetooth version these are on. I'll update the review after I figure it out. It does however support being connected to 2 soundlink devices at once. I have 3 different soundlink speakers being the Micro, the Revolve, and the Revolve+, and they all pair with each other flawlessly. I suggest installing the Bose connect app since it is just much simpler connecting things from the app. You can also connect to the speaker even if it's off as long as you have paired to it previously which I think is great. Lol saves me the energy to physically turn them on.

Honestly I love speakers and especially portable speakers. I have a lot of them and always continue to find a way to buy more. I really don't like Bose that much but that pretty much turned around once I spent time with this speaker. So let me tell you about it and compare it to one of my favorites. The Sony SRS XB31 The build quality of this is great and I love the aluminum. It is very durable and I haven't quite scratched it yet which says a lot because I'm rough on electronics. I also took this on vacation and it still looks great. The Sony feel a little cheaper but holds up well. Overall 10/10 Sound quality is amazing though you get better bass on the xb31 and maybe a tad more volume. The highs are crisp and not over powering. the mids are very much there and theres not too much of it. The bass gets louder the more you turn it up and is very punchy. I will note that I use this with a galaxy note 8 and YouTube music/GP music. Overall 8/10 The battery is great I use this thing all day and by the time I get to the end of the day its like at 50% at the very least. The xb31 is a little less great but still lasts very long. Overall 9/10. Price was the thing I had to overlook to get this and its the main reason I don't like Bose. It is definitely not worth $300 and as soon as these go on sale grab one ASAP. You can also get an xb31 or even the bigger 41 for a lot cheaper and with those you get lights. 5/10 Overall its a great speaker and I love it. But the price is a little bit high and you could get a lot of other speakers for a lot cheaper. If you want a "cheap" speaker that sounds great and don't care a lot about the look or material look at the Sony SRS XB31-41. If you want durable metal, pleasing looks, and good 360° sound and maybe also don't care about the price. Get this it is worth it. That's if for this review and I suppose I'll leave some pics for you guys

PREFACE: Any time you read a review about speakers that was not conducted in a lab with calibrated tools, it is going to be subjective. This review is subjective. It means that the results of my test are only as I my ears & brain perceive them. Everyone hears the exact same audio differently. Everyone has a preference as to what sounds “best”. You hear people refer to music as “warm” or “bright” or “tiring” or “smooth”. I like to think of it like this: You probably have an EQ on your car radio or home audio system. How do you have it set? What does the ‘curve’ look like? Some people don’t like the obnoxious thump of bass, so they turn that frequency range down. Some people don’t like the ‘hissing’ sound of cymbals, so they turn those frequencies down. My preference is a curve that is high on the ends (Bass and Treble) and low in the middle (Midrange). This directly impacts what is heard in music. 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.

This is truly the BEST portable / wireless / Bluetooth speaker EVER. The sound quality is AMAZING...it’s LOUD (without the rattling or shaky, tinny, scratchy sound that always seems to happen with the cheap ones)...it has serious bass....it is super easy to connect and use. I didn’t set anything up... I charged it, turned it on, connected to it, and started playing music. Honestly, if I didn’t know where the music was coming from and then I saw this speaker, I’d be floored. Because it’s so small, and the sound quality is THAT GOOD. One thing that I LOVE (but I’m sure I can change it in the settings) is the fact that it doesn’t ding or ring through my phone if I get a call or text. I have the Bose noise canceling headphones and anytime a notification or call comes through, it blows out my ear drums. So not having that happen is an awesome feature. I don’t love the little handle on top, but it’s absolutely necessary. It keeps the speaker clean from your hands and makes it easy to move from one spot to another; it also gives you the option to hang it. Bose rarely disappoints; in fact, they keep impressing me. While this one is expensive, it’s worth every single penny. Quality over quantity.

Love it sounds great

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Excelente calidad!! Excelente sonido. Ligera para llevar a todos lados. La recomiendo muchísimo.

Gracias