Top critical review
2.0 out of 5 starsSerious battery and other issues
Reviewed in the United States on July 21, 2021
Bose SoundLink Revolve (with latest firmware update as of 2021 07 21)
Purchased 2019 11 07 (almost 2 years experience with this unit)
Likes:
Solid build, tiny size, loud, Bluetooth sensitivity is very good. You can be a distance from your source and it does better than some other devices I own.
Dislikes:
Sound quality. To make it seem more impressive, Bose seems to have chosen to emphasize the bass to the point that the bass is overwhelming and muddies music and especially lecture voices. It's really, really excessive. There are no tone controls on the unit.
Yes, you can tame this if you have access to tone control or an equalizer on your input source--but you will need to adjust this each and every time you use it. Do you really want or need to do this? I seldom need to do anything at all with my other devices.
Bluetooth connectivity gaff: I have a number of Bluetooth speakers and headphones. When you turn them on, they automatically connect. Done. If you are out of range and they disconnect, once in range, they will reconnect.
NOT the Bose. You turn it on. It connects. Then I must go to my laptop and "select" Bose as the sound source each time or it remains silent. This is unnecessary with any of my other devices. Also, if I go out of range and it disconnects, it's an utter mess. It will not reconnect randomly and often, I must turn it off and on or reset my source to connect with it all over again. Combine this with the need to adjust the sound profile each time--and I spend far too much time "playing" with the Bose before I can begin to enjoy music or listen to a lecture. If I didn't have other Bluetooth devices and know how simple they are--I would probably think this is how it must be. But I do. Bose is behind the curve here seriously.
Battery: This should be a red flag for most buyers to steer clear of this product. The Bose has the potential to be a great unit by its physical design--but software controlling Bluetooth and the battery are in need of repair--repair that is not coming. Bose has moved on. If you search the web (I spent endless hours searching for answers) for battery complaints and read the frustration of all the various methods people have tried to fix the battery problems--you will be amazed. One of the major issues people had about it reaching full charge levels--I did not have. But the rapid discharge rate I experienced from the beginning and it has never changed. It's bad.
My other Bluetooth speakers, you turn them off and go away for a month, turn it on and it's ready to go. Charge is still there. With Bose, after a month, it will be dead. I have tried everything and this has never changed since day one or with any of the firmware upgrades. You can even force it to supposedly turn off the Bluetooth 100%--but no difference. It will discharge rapidly. Turn it on and off each day and you will hear the voice tell you how much it lost in a day. It's insane.
Many people who keep it plugged in or buy the charging stand for it to sit on at all times, will never have experienced this. But I charge it to full and may not use it for a couple weeks or more at times. When I do, I realize I cannot take it with me to use because the charge has decayed so much I'll have little time to use it--so I grab another "lesser" Bluetooth speaker instead. If you intend to leave it plugged in always--then great--you only have to deal with tone and Bluetooth connectivity issues. But most people get a battery device to be portable and ready when you need it. This Bose speaker cannot do that.
I regret buying this speaker, especially at the discount price (I thought) of $143 at the time (I since saw it drop to around $85--even then it's too much.) It's nice to look at and touch for sure--but with all the negative issues, you should pass. Bose is aware of all the issues since before I purchased nearly 2 years ago and they are still not solved--which means they cannot or will not do it through a firmware update. They have introduced newer versions since then and the complaints do not seem to phase them. It's possible there is an internal design flaw causing the battery drain--something they actually cannot correct without a major recall. I have no other explanation. So Bose is a great name--but for this item--let the buyer beware. You have been warned.
