Tech bytes for tea?

Curious as to the performance of the newly launched Bose SoundLink Wireless Mobile speaker, I paid a visit to the Somerset showroom of Atlas Sound & Vision to try it out.

Bose SoundLink Wireless Mobile speaker @ 111 Somerset

The Atlas showroom at 111 Somerset occupies two levels, with three sound rooms on the upper level. The shiny white sound rooms reminded me of the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey. – minimalist with round corners and viewports that looked out onto the Somerset Road outside.

The first impression of the Bose SoundLink Wireless Mobile speaker was how compact it was – less than two inches thick and about the size of a hard cover text book.

At 1.3 kg, it’s not exactly feather weight, but it’s definitely light enough to tote around to a party, a hotel room or even throw in the back of a car. The design is sleek and classy as well.

Setting up is straightforward. Open the cover and fold it backwards to become a stand – like the cover for the iPad 2. Closing the cover back automatically turns off the speaker.
To connect, simply turn on Bluetooth on the mobile device – be it a smartphone, tablet or laptop – and press a button on the speaker. The two devices hook up automatically and gives you a beep.

Sleek and classy design

Simply play the song on the mobile device. You can control the volume from the mobile device itself.

Sound wise, the quality was surprisingly impressive, considering I had reservations about the degradation that the Bluetooth connection would impose.

Mid-range and treble was excellent, although the bass could be stronger. But considering how small the speaker was, the bass performance was already pretty impressive.

Placing the speaker against the wall improves the bass somewhat – 3 dB according to the sales staff.

And if you don’t need the wireless connectivity, you can bypass the Bluetooth degradation by connecting an audio cable from the source to the speaker.

Bring the SoundLink to the beach as a boom box!

As with other Bose audio products, the SoundLink Wireless Mobile speaker does not come cheap, but its price tag reflects the confidence that Bose has in its audio products.

The standard speaker is priced at S$549 while the LX model, with premium trim level and leather cover, sets you back by S$639.

Accessory covers in nylon (bright red or royal purple) and leather (burgundy or tan) are available separately for S$59 and S$99, respectively.