Bose SoundLink Home: The new Bluetooth speaker trades waterproofing for premium design
Bose’s newest $219 SoundLink Home speaker is a cross between a traditional wired home speaker and portable Bluetooth speaker.
The Bose SoundLink Home is new product from the premium audio brand, designed to be used all around the home.
The all-new design features an anodized aluminum shell, with a fabric grille covering the driver and built-in stand. The speaker measures 8.5″ wide, 4.4″ high, 2.3″ deep and weights around 2 pounds. With premium materials and a stylish design, the Bose SoundLink Home should nicely fit in anywhere around the house.
If you’re looking for a portable, rugged, waterproof Bluetooth speaker, you’re best off looking elsewhere. The SoundLink Home is not designed for outdoor use, with no waterproof or dustproof rating. Check out the company’s SoundLink Flex for a portable option, which has just been updated to the second generation.
There are five physical buttons on top of the speaker, including power, Bluetooth pairing, volume up, volume down and a multi-function button, for controlling music, calls and the your device’s voice assistant. The SoundLink Home features built-in microphones for calls and voice assistants.
The SoundLink Home’s battery is good for 9 hours and takes around 4 hours to fully recharge, via USB-C. A USB-C to USB-A cable is included in the box.
It’s a mono speaker that can be paired to another SoundLink Home for stereo audio. The speaker connects to your device via Bluetooth 5.3, with a range of up to 30 feet or 9 meters. You’ll find support for multipoint connectivity, which allows you to quickly switch between two connected devices. The USB-C charging port can also be used as a wired audio input for devices without Bluetooth compatibility. The SoundLink Home is designed to be used solely with other SoundLink Homes. It cannot pair with any other speakers, isn’t compatible with Bose SimpleSync technology, nor the Bose or Bose Connect apps. It also lacks Wi-Fi support for direct music streaming, AirPlay or Chromecast.
Bose SoundLink Home is aimed at quite a narrow band of buyers. If you’re after a portable Bluetooth speaker, this isn’t that, lacking features like waterproofing or a durable design. If you’re after a home speaker that sits in a single space, this also isn’t that, lacking features like Wi-Fi connectivity or multi-room support. The Bose SoundLink Home is exclusively for those who want a speaker for use in multiple rooms around the house.
The speaker is available exclusive from Bose, for $219, in Cool Gray or Light Silver. At this price, the SoundLink Home sits in Bose’s speaker lineup as a more expensive speaker than some of their portable options, but is a cheaper alternative to existing home speakers, like the Bose Smart Speaker 500.
