It's worth noting the speaker vibrates quite a bit, too-kudos to Bose for ensuring the rubber base never allows the speaker to budge a centimeter, but if you have a resonant wooden table top, the speaker could easily make other objects on it dance around. Generally speaking, the SoundLink Revolve delivers modest response in the sub-bass realm, plentiful presence in the lows and low-mids, and sculpted highs to match. The higher register brass, strings, and vocals, however, retain their crisp, bright edge-there's just more robust bass response to stand alongside the bright highs. Orchestral tracks, like the opening scene in John Adams' The Gospel According to the Other Mary, get an extra dose of lows and low-mids, which brings the lower register instrumentation out of its supporting role and a little more front and center in the mix. Meanwhile, all three vocal performances are delivered with solid clarity-the sibilance seems a little more pronounced than usual here, but not in an unpleasant way. The sub-bass synth hits that punctuate the beat are delivered with admirable push for a speaker this size, but it's not an overwhelming, deep bass presence. On Jay-Z and Kanye West's "No Church in the Wild," the kick drum loop receives plenty of high-mid presence to keep its attack sharp, allowing it to slice through the layers of the mix. Luckily, the high-mids and highs are dialed up somewhat, too, so the vocals get some treble edge and contour and the mix never gets muddy. Callahan's baritone vocals, on the other hand, get a heavy helping of low-mid presence, which makes them richer than they already are. The drums on this track can sound overly thunderous on bass-forward speaker systems, but here they sound fairly natural-there's a solid thump, but nothing that evokes subwoofer-style rumble. At more moderate levels, the bass depth is actually more robust and full-this is because, at higher volumes, the digital signal processing kicks in to limit strong bass frequencies and prevent distortion.īill Callahan's "Drover," a track with far less deep bass in the mix, gives us a better sense of the overall sound signature. On tracks with intense sub-bass content, like The Knife's "Silent Shout," the SoundLink Revolve delivers laudable bass thump for its size, and manages to avoid distortion at top volume levels. You can also disable voice prompts and set an auto-off timer to save battery life (it defaults to 20 minutes). With the SoundLink Revolve, you can use the app to control volume, playback, pairing, and party mode (if you have multiple Bose speakers). It's the same app that most wireless Bose devices use, so you can manage multiple products within it. The free app, Bose Connect, is easy to use and well-designed. The built-in mic offers decent intelligibility, though clarity is not spectacular-it's basically par for the course in the realm of Bluetooth speakers. The micro USB port can also be used for playing audio from your computer, and there's a 3.5mm aux input for wired playback from mobile devices (though there's no included cable). Bose estimates battery life to be 12 hours, but your results will vary with your volume levels and your mix of wired and wireless playback. (Opens in a new window) Read Our Harman Kardon Onyx Mini Reviewīose sells a charging cradle for $29.95, but it utilizes the cable and wall adapter that come with the speaker, so all this accessory really does is enable you to charge without plugging and unplugging the USB cable. Both models are IPX4-rated, meaning they can withstand poolside splashes and some raindrops, but prolonged water exposure isn't wise. It's available in black or gray, and aside from being smaller, the other primary difference between it and the Revolve+ is its lack of a built-in handle. The 1.5-pound SoundLink Revolve measures roughly 6.0 by 3.3 by 3.3 inches (HWD) and has a circular base and a slightly smaller circular top panel, giving the speaker a shape similar to a salt shaker, albeit significantly larger. For its size, the SoundLink Revolve delivers laudable audio performance, but for its price, it has some strong competition. There are rich lows and sculpted, well-defined highs here. From an audio standpoint, the Revolve is less powerful than its larger sibling, but it can still hold its own. It shares quite a bit in common with the SoundLink Revolve+, including an almost cylindrical contour, the same control panel layout, and a water-resistant build.
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