Bose SoundLink Mini II

Fails to charge – After only 5 months this Soundlink failed to charge. Not replaced...sent for repair. If it was any other brand it would have been replaced. I will never buy any BOSE item again... EVER! Show details

Died too soon – No longer able to charge. Second unit that has done this. More fool me buying the second. Sounds from the other reviews that it is not worth pursuing with Bose. Obvioiusly a big problem for them but they want top dollar. So disappointed.

Initially happy, but now problematic in powering on – After a few years, when you try to turn it on, it doesn't work. Online troubleshooting suggests to update firmware, which doesn't work. Poor reliability. Wouldn't buy again. Doesn't work. Show details

Temperamental and troublesome unit – Had this speaker two years, but didn't work smoothly as one would expect. It has been temperamental in its ability to charge from about the 3rd month. It sometimes would not work with the provided Bose cord and had to use substitutes, and didn't like certain usb wall plugs either. Was a mission to charge each time. Hence why I didn't always… Read more

pull out the speaker each time we had a shindig going on.

Recently, I saw the red flashing light, spent days going through all the different plugs, eventually seeked online assistance to find that this was a similar issue to many other customers. No wonder why Bose has discontinued this item and been very strict on their warranty time frames. They want to charge me $130 to give it a service even though I was 2 months over the warranty period. I thought consumer law stated a reasonable time, not strictly 12 months.

I don't mind spending a pretty penny for a small speaker, but quality and 'going the distance' is why customers like me will spend money on your products. Sorry Bose, I thought you produced quality. If you can't deliver, don't be surprised if customers jump ship to a product where it's price is reasonable.

This item/experience has been worse than a $5 Rolex from the streets of Bangkok, because at least when you buy it, you know there is no follow up service.

I’ll never buy Bose again.

Will this review get a response from Bose. Well hopefully they may prove me wrong in the aftersales service.

Startlingly good sound from a startlingly small package! – Bought this for our teenage daughter's birthday ... you know how it is with teens these days - everything is on a chip or in a tablet's memory. What use is mum and dad's ageing CD player with its non existent connectivity ... notwithstanding its huge speakers??!! To be honest, the whole system is 26 years old - so who can really blame her!! … Read more

Researched this purchase very thoroughly ... the units are fairly pricey ... so when you're spending this amount of money, you want bang for the buck. Noticed that a recent Choice test showed that the Soundlink II punched well above its weight, even in much classier company. We aren't name brand people ... we simply want the best performance at the best price ... so this intel was enough for us.

First impression was the tiny size of the thing - it seemed simply impossible that it could make the type of sound we were looking for. It's quite heavy for the size, but still very definitely a carry in one hand proposition.

The device is intuitive to use, and will simply pair with other Bluetooth devices when its set to search.

When charged and turned on for the first time I'll never forget the looks around the room as the volume control was slowly dialled up. Gobsmacking sound with crystal clarity. This single tiny thing pretty well relegated our old system, which was very swish, expensive and fancy in its day, to the museum!! One of these days I'm going to sneak off and have a listen to some of my own music on it!

The obvious advantage of having such wholesome sound in such a compact size is its total portability. We often visit our rather primitive holiday house on a large acreage, and daughter now can easily pack her speaker into her tote bag for the trip. It seems perfectly up to a bit of rough and tumble. The delightful sound it puts out seems totally at odds with the quiet and rustic surrounds.

Inbuilt battery offers good play time, and there is a flashing indicator as it gets low. Daughter has never had it run out on her.

Impossible to find fault with this unit.

Ok sound, mediocre volume, terrible Bluetooth range – Having previously purchased a UE Megaboom for the daughter I used some credit card reward points to grab this Bose unit for myself. Side by side the UE makes a better sound and has WAY more volume than the SoundLink II unit. Additionally the UE has a good Bluetooth range (easily 30-40 feet) whereas the Bose starts to drop out at around 10 feet -… Read more

which is terrible. It means you can't walk around with your phone in your pocket, you have to leave your phone sitting right next to the unit.

Battery is good, form is stylish, and the unit feels solid - but what's the point when the sound is 2nd rate and the range is terrible.

Buy a UE or at least try them side by side in the shop, you'll be thankful you did.

ps - on the product support page https://www.bose.com.au/en_au/support/products/speakers_support/wireless_speakers_support/soundlink_mini_ii.html Bose clearly direct you to Download and install the Bose Connect App to "Unlock the full potential of your product". Problem is only once you've downloaded the app and tried to connect the Soundlink to they inform you it's not supported by the app. Are they drunk?

**UPDATE**

I had my unit replaced without question from Bose and the new unit has a decent bluetooth range, so I'm much happier. Great customer service too.

Terrible product, terrible service – Stopped working after 12 months, Considering the speaker cost me $101.97 and to get it fixed will cost me $80 this is far too excessive. I've barely used the speaker and it's only just out of warranty by 4 months. This is the second Bose product I've had issues with and the poor customer service I've experienced I won't be buying from Bose again. Show details

Red flashing LED after 12 months – Don't buy this. After limited use and always on charge the LED started flashing red and would not turn on, battery would not charge. Troubleshooting from Bose very unhelpful. Absolute rip off. Very angry Show details

Awesome bit of kit – We have had the Bose Mini II for 3.5 months. Easy set up to Spotify on an iPhone even for a dinosaur technophobe. I had Spotify and the Blue Tooth hooked up and playing in 10 minutes at most. Great sound and very clear. I had been researching BT portable speakers, and was a little sceptical, due to bad reviews on Product Review, however, this… Read more

thing just plain works and one would think that it was a pair of speakers 10 times the size. Higher frequency with the occasional singer/artist is a little down, according to the kids, but I can't here that anyway, as I have some industrial deafness. At 1/2 volume it lasts 10 hours plus, and fills the 80 sq. metre room, just have to turn it up on full volume if we are dancing and partying. No more CD's on the 110 watt RMS per channel 6) speaker and big amp stereo system, unreal. Great job Bose

Everything expected, has not disappointed at all – I purchased this little speaker almost 12 months ago and it has not disappointed. Its not the loudest speaker for its size but it was perfect for what I use it for, Bluetooth connection is really good and it has never dropped out. Perfect for use either indoors or outside  Show details

Packed it in after 3 months. Total lifespan 2.5years – I paid almost $300 to purchase this unit. The sound isnt as loud compared to a friends much cheaper portable speaker. It stopped working completely after only 3 months. It got repaired under warranty with firmware upgrade and DSP board replacement however the unit only lasted another 2.5 years. Would expect much better quality and longer lasting from Bose.  Show details

Don’t waste your money – Had this speaker one year and it just packed in overnight. Eventually found out that it can be fixed by plugging into firmware updater. Did this and it worked again. Year later it just stopped working again. Firmware update didn’t work this time so Bose asked me to post it to them for repair. Then they called me to say it would cost me $130. So… Read more

much for Bose quality, if they’re that confident why isn’t there at least a five year warranty. I told them to shove it. I’ll never buy Bose again.

This is perfect for outdoor as well as indoor sound solutions – I was looking for any sound solution that I could carry outdoor like beaches. But I didn’t wanted to invest separately for indoors sound. I found this sound solution as best solution that is excellent for both indoor as well as outdoor sound solution. The best thing is sound quality that you really after buying this.  Show details

Thought it would be good, but disappointed – First of all, the sound volume wasn't as loud as my UE BOOM2, and the battery life was bad as well. I thought this would be an upgrade but was disappointed. Black paint on the front and rear speaker grille started flaking after only a few days. Would rather by another UE BOOM2 or even a JBL speaker.  Show details

Little Beast – This little speaker sure packs a punch. After tossing up between this and the UE Boom 2, I upgraded to this from the Lepow Modre. Although the UE Boom has more features, reviewers said the sound from this was better and this speaker also looks subjectively nicer. The Lepow Modre doesn't have any inbuilt playback controls, so having controls on… Read more

this speaker has been really handy for adjusting volume and paying/pausing music. I've found myself using the speaker almost daily since getting it and would highly recommend it to any music lover seeking a portable speaker.

Great sound from such a small speaker – I've had my speaker for about a month now and it has been an excellent purchase. Just by picking it up you can feel that it's a well put together unit, it feels solid and robust. It was also incredibly easy to pair to my phone once charged. Speaking of charging, I really like the base charging unit that it sits on, after using the speaker for a… Read more

while you simply place it back on the charging unit and it charges itself, ready to go for next time. I also like the fact that you get multiple power point head units, great for traveling overseas with. Sound quality is great, as you would expect from Bose, while not ridiculously loud, it certainly is capable of playing music outside at a BBQ or gathering.

All up, a quality product that was worth the money.

Awesome sound for a little speaker – I bought this speaker after hearing a friend's. I tried another main competitor speaker that another friend had that was a cylinder shape but the bose had by far much better sound. I don't find it goes to loud, but loud enough generally for you to hear in a largish room or in a neighboring room. definitely would recommend and buy again in future.  Show details

Great sound – Have had this for about a year now. We use it outside mainly when having guests for bbqs etc. Its very portable and easy to connect to Spotify or internet radio or stored music. Great sound and surprisingly good bass for such a small speaker. Easily fills a medium sized room or space.  Show details

Great product – Awesome little bluetooth speaker, with a long lasting battery life, great bass and high quality sound that remains when volume is loud. Have had some issues with bluetooth connection dropping in and out even when my device has been less than a meter from the speaker but this can usually be resolved by turning the speaker off and on again. Overall a great product - would highly recommend.  Show details

Doubt at first but Amazed in the end! – Bought this over on eBay and was a little sceptical about the sound quality as it wasn't cheap and out of the box it fit onto your palm. The weight is heavy and build is sturdy and can find fault there. Onto the sound quality, the pairing was a breeze and started to test using apple music. WOW! the quality of it ....JUST AMAZING! Those online… Read more

reviews were right. This is one of the best portable Bluetooth speakers out there.

Moving on, since my second TV doesn't have a soundbar. I was meddling with the idea of using the Bose as the soundbar. Yeap, it worked and it still performs like a champ!

Definitely no regrets and battery life is incredible!. Awesome product by BOSE!

Little Box sounds like a large setup – If you walk by a group of people sitting outdoor and you wonder where their stereo system is hiding, they might be listening to a Bose Soundlink. With its impressive soundscape and the lasting battery this little speaker offers a lot of fun. It does not habe plenty of output power of course but it is very convenient even for situations that are… Read more

not too quiet.

Of course, connections with any Bluetooth device I ever needed to setup was quick and easy.

Its build quality is excellent and makes you feel confident for taking it outdoor - and if you purchase a colored cover, it even looks fancy. Back at home you simply place it on the docking plate to recharge. No hassle with cables - unless you need to use the included analog AUX input of courde.

Don't waste your money – The unit has an awesome sound and is easily paired to any apple device however; After about 6 months it wouldn't turn on without being on the dock, even when the battery was full. This wasn't enough of a hassle to return it to the place of purchase (online through my credit card points) and be without it for weeks so we persisted. The issue… Read more

remained right up to the day it decided to stop working all together which was about a month out of warranty.

I took it to the Bose store and was told they can refurbish it for a figure that wasn't far short of the purchase of a new one. I won't make that mistake again.

If Bose could make them more reliable, it would get my 5 stars.

Boom box of the 21st century – soundstage: amazing for the size. i didnt believe it. bass: extremely hard hitting, for the size i would've thought ti'd be a portable hifi system mids: clear, defined, very articulate mids highs: little bit muddled but still extremely serviceable bluetooth: excellent, can handle multiple devices overall a good product, i got the silver one for the mac look.  Show details

Don't like it – Definitely not for heavy music. Sounded like I threw a blanket over it when I played metal and Industrial music. Pop and synth sounds just ok. I don't like the way the bass sounds on this and it is not loud enough for me personally at full volume. My 8 year old speakers from another brand were much better. Will be returning these for speakers that can handle loud heavy music. Lesson learned.  Show details

Crystal clear sound with plenty of volume – Bought this to replace shelf stereo as we were downsizing . Couldn't be happier with it . I am currently playing a sony walkman thru it and the sound is amazing. I use a Sony walkman sitting pretty much beside it so can't comment on range . Battery holds a good charge . Small, stylish and portable . Win win win .  Show details

A great portable speaker – I have owned one now for over 18 months, and use it quite a bit. I find that it pairs easily, produces great sound and that the battery lasts for quite some time. As an example, I washed and polished our car with this playing the entire time with no battery issues. My only con would be that the speaker wouldn't be loud enough for an outside party, but in the house or in the shed it's great.  Show details

Not charged properly – I purchase my speaker just last year n it's working all good. Now it's not worth and cant figure it out what is the problem.Red light is flashing when changing and no green light. Why is this? We only just used it less then 10 times. Can you please tell me what to do  Show details

poor connectivity – this product started off well. connectivity via bluetooth seemed good, but it keeps on discconecting all the time which is a realy shame. the sound is fantastic, but due to the connection always dropping out i have started to use a homebrand speak from kmart which doesnt stop mid-song!!! :(  Show details

Great !!! – A prefect addition to listen to and share the music from my iPad and it's small enough to take anywhere.The sound quality is amazing from such a small unit ..I also have Bose Bluetooth headphone which a great for when alone. I am very happy with both products ,highly recommend!  Show details

Love it – Very nice compact unit with very good sound quality. The bass is great. They recommend keeping it near a wall for max bass. Good charging time and usage time. No real faults as far as I can see. Easy connection to iPhone and any other booth devices. No complaints from me.

Do not buy this rubbish, – Bought from a Bose registered dealer in Thailand. Power female socket actually in the speaker came away from the circuit board. Over heated. complained to Bose. ignored the fire warning. Will never pay premium price for this crap name again. Several other people complained to the shop about this product.

Excellent Buying Experience and Product – I was very pleased with the buying experience from Palings. Very efficient, good price and fast delivery. The Bose SoundLink Mini 11 is an excellent Bluetooth speaker. While it does not have NFC, the automated voice linking with two Bluetooth devices works perfectly, and once linked, they connect automatically with the device I am using. For a… Read more

small speaker, they give good base and clear mid tones. Phone calls on my HTC M8 are clear and instant.

Highly recommended.

Great unit ,compact ,big sound ,very portable – I started looking at Bose Soundlinks when I wanted bluetooth speaker to listen to at work and carry over at weekends etc. Started with Bose and then shopped around looking at all other brands etc around the same price.Eventually came back to Bose for the sound,quality of unit and general functions. I bought a Soundlink 1 from Myers , had it… Read more

for 3 months and one day stopped working. Wouldn't charge or switch on,apparently a known fault with the earlier models (I think it was old stock). Reported it to Bose and returned it via the Sydney Bose shop. Was eventually replaced with brand new Soundlink Mini 2.

So far the sound seems to be just as good , a few added features thrown in.Only time will tell.

Packs a Punch – Got the SoundLink Mini II as a Christmas present and what a surprise it was. Amazing sound, easy to use and super portable. I use either my IPad or Android phone to link up with bluetooth to the SoundLink to play Spotify. It's super easy to do, and as others have mentioned the voice tutorial guides you through it the first time. It has great… Read more

battery life at around 10hours and the sound quality for its size is pretty amazing. As with Bose products the bass is very clear and punchy. The device has a good weight to it, feels solid. The dock is handy, but not really needed as you can plug in and charge from the device itself. The voice prompts are helpful, eg. "Connected to *insert your Ipad/phone name*", and the battery life remaining message on power-up. The battery life will also turn red when it's nearing the end, but you're reminded every time you power it up by the voice prompt how much is left anyway (eg. 100%, 90%, 80%, etc).

Bose advise to put the speaker so the back is facing a wall/surface to get the best out the sound and bass, but I've not noticed a great difference when not doing that. It sound fantastic anywhere.

I have not tested it to its volume limits yet, but have used it for dinner parties/gatherings of 10-12 people and even then it was on a low volume and still very clear. Great for background music, but still could be blasted if needed. Being able to just pick it up and take it outside during gatherings, or even to put the washing out, is a massive plus over larger non-portable devices. Everyone has commented on the sound quality, especially the bass, in comparison to the size.

Cons: Not many cons, just that the bluetooth light when connected (turns white) turned off while playing. It has done this twice since Christmas 2015. Once charged it worked again. Did a test the second time, by simply plugging it in to charge and it turned back on, then disconnected and it stayed on. It's a very rare issue (twice), that seems to reset it self once connected to charge.

Not really a product con, but just remember when using a phone to stream music, if you get a call it will also come through your SoundLink speaker, ringtone and all. So if your girlfriend calls, maybe be careful where the speaker is before picking up.

Price. I didn't deal with these because it was a gift, but my initial feelings would be that it is rather pricey. However, the build quality, sound quality and portability make it completely worth the price tag.

Surprisingly good sound – This gizmo has revolutionised my home office. I have subscribed to Pandora and now have excellent quality music on my desktop - no more straining to hear the sound system in the lounge room. The base sound is particularly good considering the size of the device. No trouble linking the device to the Bluetooth on my iPhone and I am not a techno wiz!… Read more

You can also use the Soundlink as a speaker when watching on demand television programmes such as ABC iview on your iPad and that improves the experience immensely. I hesitated when I heard the $299 price but I don't regret this purchase one little bit. Highly recommended.