The Bose SoundLink and SoundLink II Bluetooth speakers impressed us so much that they each earned a PCMag Editors' Choice. However, at $299 and nearly three pounds, both speakers were a bit bulky and pricey for some users. Bose is hoping to change that with its newly announced SoundLink Mini, a smaller, less expensive version of the SoundLink speaker.
The SoundLink Mini, unveiled yesterday during an event at New York's Grand Central Station, is a 1.5-pound speaker measuring 7.1 inches wide and 2.3 inches deep, less than a third of the size of the SoundLink II. According to Bose, it uses a pair of new neodymium-based transducers that can move twice the air as other, similar-sized transducers, and a pair of reverse-facing passive radiators further help to give the small speaker big sound.
I can't give a lab-quality opinion based on listening at the press event, but what I heard impressed me. I had the opportunity to test a SoundLink Mini with my own devices for a few minutes, and it seemed to handle our bass test track without distortion (a rare occurance for speakers this size). Keep an eye on PCMag.com in the next few weeks for a full, Labs-tested review.
Bose also announced its newest earphones, the QuietComfort 20 model. The in-ear headphones use active noise cancelling and audio processing to keep noise out. Two microphones measure sound on the inside and outside of the earphones, while a processing chip creates a noise-cancellation signal that filters the outside noise. The noise cancelling also offers an Aware Mode, which dampens low frequencies but keeps sounds like people talking nearby audible, so listeners can stay aware of their surroundings. Again, I can't give a full verdict based on a few minutes of listening, but the noise dampening the earphones seemed to offer against what Bose said was 85 decibels of street noise was stark and impressive. The earphones also feature new crescent moon-shaped StayHear+ eartips that seemed very comfortable during the demonstration.
Bose will launch the SoundLink Mini in July, when it will retail for $199.95. It will have an anodized aluminum chassis, but orange, green and clear, and blue and clear covers will be available for $24.95, while a leather travel bag will be available for $44.95.
The QuietComfort 20 headphones will launch later this summer and retail for $299.95 for the 20 and 20i versions. Both pairs of earphones are effectively identical, except the 20 has a one-button in-line remote for Android devices and the 20i has a three-button in-line remote for iOS devices.
For more, see PCMag's top lists for earbuds and Bluetooth speakers.
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