The launch of smart, voice-activated speakers by Amazon, Google and Apple kickstarted a audio revolution centered around connectivity and mobility. With every smartphone user effectively carrying around a capable high fidelity music player in their pockets, demand grew exponentially for speakers allowing anytime, anywhere wireless music streaming over the last decade.
As a pioneer in premium loudspeaker innovation for over 50 years now, audio giant Bose was uniquely poised to capitalize on this new trend towards portable wireless audio systems by leveraging decades of engineering experience. Indeed, the Bose SoundLink Mini released in 2013 instantly popularized the concept of tiny yet astonishingly powerful Bluetooth speakers. Improved versions along with an expanded SoundLink lineup catering to larger spaces soon followed.
But with rapid annual technology advancements and endless competing options flooding the marketplace, the average consumer today finds it challenging to parse through portable speaker jargon to identify the right pick amidst Bose‘s extensive catalogue themselves.
Complicating matters is Bose‘s preference for keeping technical specifications to a minimum in favor of emphasizing real world usage experiences instead. So you‘ll seldom find frequency response graphs and driver component breakdowns in Bose‘s marketing material. While perhaps understandable from an experiential perspective, this makes relying purely on their sales copy an exercise in subjectivity.
It‘s no wonder then that the Bose Revolve and superficially similar Revolve+ cause much consumer confusion when trying to determine their precise differences and ideal use cases without access to concrete metrics. To achieve clarity once and for all, we‘ll thoroughly dissect every comparable aspect of these two portable speakers to reveal where they overlap and where they diverge.
You‘ll learn key insights like:
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How the larger Revolve+ justifies its steeper price via performance upgrades
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Situations where the smaller Revolve potentially makes for a smarter choice
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Technical design improvements setting both apart from prior Bose portables
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Usability tips for maximizing wireless connectivity and battery efficiency based on field testing
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Future-proofing your investment via details like firmware update eligibility and warranty policies
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And finally – specific usage scenarios and music genre recommendations personalized for your needs
Let‘s get started!
Design and Build Comparison
As members of the same portable wireless speaker family unveiled in 2017, the Bose Revolve and Revolve+ unsurprisingly share aesthetically similar traits. Both sport cylindrically-shaped seamless metal bodies with one end slightly tapered. This gives them a clean, spaceship-like appearance well suited to blending into modern households. Except you’re unlikely to misplace something this eye-catching!
Their premium fit and finish conveys durability promising to survive regular travel duty. Grainy texturing along their perimeter enables easy grip without slippage. Plus makes fingerprints virtually vanish upon contact. Little touches like this demonstrate Bose sweats the details.
The standard Revolve measures 6 inches in height by 3.25 inch diameter and weighs a shade under 1.5 pounds. Small enough to toss into any bag yet sufficiently tall to stand out anywhere. Its proportions get slightly stretched on the Revolve+ now measuring 7.25 inches tall with a 4 inch diameter. Unsurprisingly weight goes up too by half a pound. Still extremely portable by any yardstick but appreciably bulkier nonetheless.
Build quality seems identical with both enclosures fully sealed to achieve IPX4 level water resistance. Feel free to use them worry-free in the kitchen or bath as minor splashing from any direction will not ruin your investment. Do refrain from complete submersion however!
Each contains custom full range upward firing drivers paired to separate tweeters for reproducing treble. Additionally they incorporate proprietary passive bass radiators for boosting low frequencies despite compact dimensions. This novel arrangement facilitates stunningly expansive, room-filling sound belying the speakers‘ sizes.
The regular Revolve omits any handles forcing you to directly grab its metal housing for transport. An integrated flexible handle along the perimeter of the Revolve+ greatly eases portability without adding clutter. Just avoid yanking forcefully!
Functionality remains consistent between the two with playback/volume controls, multipurpose button for voice assistant access, Bluetooth and power on the top face. The Revolve+ enjoys another leg up via an included charging cradle unlike the entry-level Revolve shipped naked. But both recharge identically over MicroUSB. Considering their premium pricing, carrying cases for safeguarding would have proved nice premium touches.
Choose between subtle Black, bright White and shiny Silver finishes on both models guaranteeing one suitable for any space. Only the Revolve+ offers an extra fingerprint masking Triple Black shade. Again showcasing attention to user conveniences.
All said the Revolve+ feels better built to justify costs via nicer touches like convenient handles and an included charging stand. However if maximum compactness outweighs all else, the standard Revolve still impresses for size. Now let‘s examine the crucial matter of sound quality differences.
Audio Performance Benchmarked
As pioneers in premium acoustic engineering behind legendary products like the industry-leading QC series headphones and Lifestyle home theater systems costing tens of thousands, sonic excellence forms part of Bose’s DNA. So expectations run high for the smallest speakers too. Furthermore considering the Revolve+ retails around $100 dearer, it demands greater auditory prowess to rationalise spending extra.
In practice however you‘ll struggle discerning huge performance variances across casual listening spanning popular genres, especially for portable duties. Both speakers deliver warm, fairly balanced reproduction optimised for modern streams lacking support for hi-res lossless encoding anyway. Highs sound consistently airy and refined with strings and cymbals avoiding harshness or brittleness. Vocals never lose clarity even near maximum volumes.
Midranges feel somewhat recessed occasionally robbing instruments of bite and realism. Likely a byproduct of bass radiators boosting bottom-end warmth. Speaking of which, low frequencies stand out as the core differentiation factor between both siblings. tracks demand. The Revolve pumps out suitable thump given its scale but larger drivers inside the Revolve+ generate significantly greater slam crucial for modern genres like EDM, hip hop, pop and rock. Deeper resonating bass you physically feel alongside cleaner mids and heights.
Soundstage dimensionality predictably suffers due to dimensions versus traditional speakers. But clever upward firing drivers create wider stereo separation with reasonable projection permitting fuller immersion. Just don‘t expect true surround impressions. The Revolve+ again edges ahead here courtesy bigger drivers and enclosure.
Durability can make or break any portable investment so examining construction ruggedness proves worthwhile. Thankfully few worries exist on either front. Precisional aluminium housings feel reassuringly substantial able to easily withstand bumps during travel alongside small splashes or rainfall when outdoors courtesy IPX4 water protection. No egregious flaws present either like easily dented grilles or flimsy buttons in our testing.
What sets both Revolve speakers apart is focus on true portability missing on earlier SoundLink designs. Compact cylindrical outlines slip easily into backpacks versus boxy profiles difficult to stash within tight bags. And their 12 to 16 hour battery lives completely eclipse most rivals only managing 6-8 hours indoors. Feel free blasting tunes confidently on extended hiking trips or beach days worry-free!
Connectivity and Added Functionality
With portable wireless speakers like these intended expressly for untethered enjoyment, robust connectivity and battery efficiencies make/break real world satisfaction. Users demand seamless Bluetooth pairing, extended range from source devices alongside smart safety mechanisms for prolonging playback. Thankfully Bose accounted nicely for such usage scenarios.
Pairing works intuitively the very first attempt by holding down the Bluetooth button atop each speaker prompting them discoverable. They‘ll audibly chime confirmation upon successfully connecting. Each remembers your last eight devices too, automatically syncing again when back in proximity. Such convenience eliminates tedious re-pairing tasks every subsequent usage.
No multipoint support however allowing simultaneous connections to multiple sources. Nor next-generation Bluetooth 5.0 radios minimising latency. You’ll encounter slight lags noticeable during games and video playback versus leading rivals boasting latest hardware. Ideally Bose would issue firmware introducing such capabilities considering the speakers‘ premium stature.
On the plus side range easily stretches 30+ feet even through walls before audio starts distorting or dropping. Fantastic for freely roaming rooms without requiring constant line of sight. Just beware holding devices too far may ruin calls via the tinny integrated speakerphones – their bassy sound signatures not helping. For best results stay closer indoors.
Outdoors proves more challenging contending with similar signals crowding the atmosphere degrading range substantially. Maintain connectivity by keeping paired phones in pockets during such scenarios. Any modern smartphone works seamlessly. Surprisingly no NFC one touch pairing support like on earlier SoundLinks which feels an odd omission.
Thankfully both speakers last ages between charging courtesy beefy batteries. Our real-world testing squeezes out 13 and 17 hours respectively at moderate volumes. Benefitting too is their intelligent auto shut-off kicking in after lengthy idling for maximizing uptimes. Charging fully replenishes empty cells in just over 3 hours. The included Revolve+ cradle makes juicing even more convenient.
Additionally Bose leverages the popularity of personal smart assistants by allowing voice activated access to Siri or Google Now on synced devices at the push of a button. Ask about weather updates, sports scores, even control your smart home gadgets hands-free without reaching for your phone. Only qualm is the slightly convoluted Bose Connect app requirement for enabling Android support. Worth undertaking nonetheless for unlocking functionality making these speakers smarter companions.
Historical Significance
Before rendering a verdict, understanding history offers useful consumer context surrounding Bose‘s significance championing audio‘s bleeding edge for over half a century alongside milestones leading up to the Revolve series specifically.
Founder Amar Bose pioneered unconventional speaker thinking while teaching electronics engineering at MIT during the 1960s. His disbelief regarding contemporary systems’ poor sound reproduction despite flaws apparent through measurements sparked a personal crusade towards remedying shortcomings. Bose leveraged academic insights coupled with sheer passion for raising fidelity benchmarks, rapidly cementing his upstart business into a globally revered acoustic heavyweight before the 70s ended.
Several innovations soon emerged from their labs like the 901 Direct/Reflecting speaker minimizing sonic distortion through equalized front/rear driver arrays and PhaseGuide geometries for room-filling projectionback whencompact discs ignited mainstream digital audio adoption. Their subsequentVideoWave home theatre displays simulating lifelike silver screen visuals demonstrated continuously pushing advancements through engineering excellence again catapulting sales.
Even traditionally conservative industries like automotives weren‘t spared Bose penetration thanks overwhelming critical reception greeting premium audio solutions tailored to high-end vehicles from the likes of Porsche, GM and Audi promising unparalleled immersive cabins. Owning a car devoid of Bose systems increasingly became an anomaly!
Surviving Apple founder Steve Jobs himself approached Bose seeking noise cancelling expertise assisting development of AirPods long before portable peripherals dominated. Once Bluetooth headlined mainstream wireless audio transmission thanks shrinking silicon chip antennas, launching pocket friendly speakers became inevitable allying Bose’s pedigree to mobility. Hence the SoundLink Mini materialized in 2013 setting benchmarks for scale defying power and fullness. Updated yearly gaining smart functionality while inspiring bulkier and better SoundLink Revolves now including the reviewed Revolve/Revolve+ models for filling bigger spaces anytime.
Indeed everything about the latest Revolves personify Bose’s heritage pushing wireless audio technologies forward leveraging meaningful hardware and software innovations for deepening emotional resonance between consumers and sound. Their compact weather-proofed chassis represent feats of environmental engineering freely relocating musical escape everywhere. Intuitive controls and seamless cross-device interoperability illustrate strides easing once complex user interactions via UX. And custom designed transducer/reflector geometries prerequisite manifesting Bose’s trademark room-enveloping warmth bely portable dimensions.
On all fronts the Revolve series signal acoustic progress benefiting generation after generation. Much like their predecessors shaped hi-fi‘s history.
The Verdict
If choosing between Bose‘s two ultra-portable Bluetooth speakers the straightforward question becomes whether the Revolve+ justifies its steeper $299 asking price over the regular Revolve‘s already substantial $199 tag for most buyers. As detailed above there exist perfectly valid reasons supporting both choices depending on your preferences.
The standard Revolve makes reasonable sense if compact portability eclipses absolute audio performance. Its lighter 1.5 pound chassis measuring just 6 inches tall slides more discretely into average bags while delivering up to 13 hours between charges – handy during extended travel journeys or outdoor excursions lacking power outlets. Sonically too it reproducesexpansive, room-filling audio with rich bass outpacing similarly scaled competitors even challenging much pricier rivals during blind A/B comparisons. All at $100 cheaper upfront ultimately amortising long-run.
Hardcore enthusiasts and discerning audiophiles wanting zero compromises will appreciate the Revolve+ more. An even heftier enclosure over 7 inches accommodating larger drivers render significantly deeper bass warming modern tracks. Marginally louder volumes satisfying larger gatherings or noisy outdoor spaces better as well even if battery life takes a minor hit trimming down to 17 hours max. Sonically though the gains feel worthwhile, especially when entertaining groups craving fuller sounding reproduction.
Thus we‘d happily suggest more casual users on tighter budgets perfectly happy with 13 hours of great audio grab the standard Revolve without feeling shortchanged. Pursuing peak performance see the + variant excelling as Bose’s flagship ultra portable speaker combining best-in-class power within relatively travel friendly dimensions. Ultimately both continue the company‘s mission delivering premium acoustic innovations benefiting wider consumer segments each product generation.
Whichever model you choose, their pioneering heritage guarantees satisfactory sound for years so purchase confidently knowing Bose engineers developed them specifically bringing music‘s magic everywhere!
I‘m glad guiding through every key aspect differentiating both awesome speakers in detail. Let me personally recommend the perfect pick matching your unique tastes and scenarios! Just leave any leftover questions below. Happy listening!
