Bose Soundlink Micro: an ultra-portable that deposits

Ergonomics

The first ultra-portable speaker from Bose opts for a pebble shape with dimensions allowing it to fit entirely in the palm of the hand. Fully coated with soft silicone, it provides a secure and pleasant grip.

The controls located on the upper side, just before the protective grid, are very complete. They allow the song to play / pause, go to the next / previous track, manage calls and adjust the volume. The latter offers very fine precision: each level on a smartphone corresponds to 6 notches of adjustment on the speaker, which gives almost the feeling of a knob for continuous adjustment.

Something promised, something due: the Soundlink Micro is indeed waterproof (IPX7), and resistant to soapy water, chlorinated and salted - yes, we tested it with soap, salt and bleach. Its coating also gives it good resistance to impact and falls, but collects all the hair and dust elements that pass in the corner.

On the edge, there is the power button, which automatically displays the battery level on the 5 allocated LEDs, and indicates it in a synthetic voice if you double press it. Bluetooth pairing is extremely fluid, accompanied by these very practical voice prompts always specifying which device the speaker is connected to (it is possible to connect to two devices simultaneously). The edge also accommodates the micro-USB port to recharge the speaker. Our description of the connectors ends there, with the noticeable absence of the mini-jack port.

At the back, a strap allows you to hang the speaker on any type of support: a bag strap, a bicycle handlebar ... or even use it as a capo, if you want. Very practical, it hangs and hangs easily, while ensuring reliable support.

We measured a 6:30 hour autonomy at three quarters of the volume, an acceptable value, but in the low average of ultra-portable speakers.

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Audio

Besides active noise reduction, if there is one thing Bose is known for, it is its expertise in terms of volume / bass ratio. In this field, the unsurpassed mastery demonstrated by the Soundlink Mini upon its release had ensured it the best-seller status in just a few weeks and had propelled it to the rank of regular companion for laptops.

The latest addition here honors its ancestry: it is simply the most efficient ultra-portable speaker that has passed in our sound lab, measures in support.

It is easy to compare the curve above with that of the best speakers in our comparison, such as the Roll 2, the JBL Go or the BT2600, to conclude that none happens to him ankle. The extension in the bass force of course respect (we can see the push of the passive radiator around 50 Hz, then the speaker really audible from 90 Hz), but the most impressive is the balance made proof the enclosure throughout the spectrum. Despite the fairly round bass and highlighted, each frequency range is fully represented, no gray area is to be deplored. All the sound actors are reproduced in an intelligible way, with a coquetry for the voices and the bass, Bose signature obliges. The peak at 120 Hz is quite noticeable, accompanied by an accentuation - less visible on the graph, but just as audible - around 250 Hz (≈B / Si 3) and 450 Hz (≈A / La 4). The microphone, obviously monophonic, suffers on the other hand from a pronounced directivity: the second half of the spectrum is strongly penalized as soon as the speaker is heard off-axis. This is all the more unfortunate in view of its shape, and the absence of a foot at the back (we think in particular of Samsung and its small Level Slim).

The power is very good, with a very well controlled distortion. Once is not custom, we add to this test said measurement, which shows a rate particularly contained for an enclosure of this size. For comparison, here are those of the Wonderboom, the Spin360 Max, the Pulse 3 or even the Ryght - all portable.

The Soundlink Micro does not have the aptX codec; it is therefore in SBC that it communicates with the devices. The latency is 200 ms, a value a little too important to view a film without perceiving the difference between the image and the sound. Since there is unfortunately no mini-jack, the only solution is to watch your videos on software allowing you to adjust this offset ... or support it!

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Conclusion

With the Soundlink Micro, Bose is once again demonstrating all its expertise in terms of bass and power in a very contained volume. Ergonomics is not lagging behind, offering very complete controls and excellent resistance. Be careful however: the absence of a jack can cool more than one!

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