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Bose SoundLink wireless Bluetooth speaker review: It lives up to the hype

If you're willing to pay a premium, the Bose SoundLink Wireless Mobile speaker is the best portable Bluetooth speaker on the market and the first Bose product to earn an Editors' Choice from CNET.

David Carnoy Executive Editor / Reviews
Executive Editor David Carnoy has been a leading member of CNET's Reviews team since 2000. He covers the gamut of gadgets and is a notable reviewer of mobile accessories and portable audio products, including headphones and speakers. He's also an e-reader and e-publishing expert as well as the author of the novels Knife Music, The Big Exit and Lucidity. All the titles are available as Kindle, iBooks, Nook e-books and audiobooks.
Expertise Mobile accessories and portable audio, including headphones, earbuds and speakers Credentials
  • Maggie Award for Best Regularly Featured Web Column/Consumer
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David Carnoy
The Bose SoundLink Wireless comes in a standard ($299.95) and LX version ($349.99). Bose

Bose, create a groundbreaking product? Sure, the company's got some really nice headphones and decent sound systems that are just a tad overpriced. But Bose? Since when does Bose make a game-changer?

Since it came out with its compact Bluetooth speaker, the SoundLink Wireless Mobile, that's when. No, it's not the iPhone or anything, but it may just be the iPhone of portable Bluetooth speakers.

For the uninitiated, Bluetooth speakers let you stream music and other audio from any smartphone and many tablets (including the iPad) wirelessly. There's no need for network configurations--just a simple pairing procedure, and whatever you're playing on your phone or tablet gets wirelessly sent to the speakers, whether it's MP3 music, Spotify, Rdio, a baseball game, or a video soundtrack.

Bluetooth speakers have been around for years, so what's so special about the Bose? Well, it starts with how small it is and ends with just how much sound comes out of it--and impressive sound at that.

Bose also seems to be taking a few cues from Apple: along with the compact shape and clean, elegant design, the SoundLink Wireless Mobile, starting at $300, is equipped with a magnetic protective combined cover and stand that automatically turns the speaker off when closed. Sound familiar?

Click here to read the full review of Bose's SoundLink Wireless speakers.