Remember the Bose SoundSport Wireless from 2016? Now, cut away those cables to leave you with just the buds. 

Presenting the SoundSport Free, Bose's first entry to the truly wireless arena. Launched in late Sep 2017, the entry of the Apple AirPods and the Jaybird Run transition this product category from niche to now, fully mainstream.

Type - Truly Wireless Buds
Price - USD 250 / SGD 319

Read - Advent of Truly Wireless Earbuds

The Lowdown
1. Truly Wireless Hits Mainstream
Bose hits the shops just weeks after the B&O Beoplay E8. Bose on the other hand is representative of the mainstream so it is significant that they hit the market alongside Apple and Samsung. 

2. Splash Resistant
An IPX4 rating implies the ability to be used in wet weather conditions. Although the marketing says it's 'water' resistant, you might want to ensure they are not immersed in water.

3. Comfort
The comfort of the StayHear+ buds was tested with the QuietControl 30 and the QuietComfort 20. What can be said is they fit really snugly and we don't see this being any different on the SoundSport Free.

4. Battery Life 
The buds hold 5 hours of power, a very decent number when compared to Bragi The Headphone's 6 hours, B&O Beoplay E8's 4 hours and the Samsung Gear IconX's 1.5 hours. It takes 2 hours in the case for the buds to hit full power and the case provides two full additional charges.

Significance
Bose offers a product that consumers will likely love. These are not the most technologically advanced true wireless buds in the market if you consider that others have a transparency mode, full water resistance, touch controls and inbuilt memory. However, they look great and get around to getting the job done - great audio with a Bluetooth connection.

Price & Availability
Three colors (Black, Midnight Blue and Bright Orange) have been launched mid-September 2017 in the US at USD 250. We're checking on availability in Singapore.

Update (12 Feb 2018):
The SoundSport Free hits the shops in Singapore at SGD 319.

Singapore's National Day that falls on 9 August is just around the corner! Folks take time to get festive by sporting the colors of red and white in the streets and this year is no different. What better way to set a patriotic tone than to sport red headphones to go with your attire? That said, here's five stylish headphones /earphones to set the mood for the occasion.

1. Beats Solo3 Wireless
Price - SGD 398 (USD 299)
The (Product) Red campaign in raising awareness for HIV has been going on strong for 11 years now. In the process, you get some great looking red colored products. The Beats Solo3 Wireless is already a great looking pair of on-ears to begin with and certainly made even more striking by the red finish.
Read - Beats Solo2 Wireless review

2. Bose SoundSport Pulse Wireless
Price - SGD 319 (USD 199)
Bose made its foray into wireless sports in-ears last year and upgraded the original SoundSport Wireless (SGD 239) with the 'Pulse' functionality. This adds a heart rate sensor and relays this information to the Bose Connect app. It looks pretty much the same as the non-Pulse version and comes in a single color variant - *drumroll* Red! 
Read - Bose SoundSport Wireless review

3. Jaybird X3 Wireless
Price - SGD 215 (USD 129)
Jaybird's latest buds are generation 3 of their huge selling X-series of sports in-ears. They upgraded from the original (named Bluebuds X) with the Jaybird X2 and now the latest incarnation comes with app support. The red variant is called Road Rash and looks pretty darn striking. 
Read - Jaybird X3 Wireless review

4. Plantronics BackBeat FIT
Price - SGD 129 (USD 84)
The Plantronics BackBeat FIT has been around for a while and while there are some new colors that were launched in late-2016, the original red version with a greyish hue looks great. Like the name implies, it fits great and makes for a great companion when jogging. 
Read - Plantronics BackBeat FIT review
5. Sony MDR-XB950BT Extra Bass
Price - SGD 269 (USD 198) 
Sony's Extra Bass series of headphones has been quite a seller for them and the sheer volume of reviews on Amazon (2000+) for the XB950BT can attest to that. They have a newer version called the XB950B1 but hey, there's nothing like the classic version, eh? They, of course, have a red variant.

When you think of Bose portable speakers, the SoundLink Mini likely comes to mind with its signature rectangular prism frame. This week, Bose now introduces one in a different shape - that of a conical tower in the form of the Bose SoundLink Revolve (5.97" x 3.24" x 3.24"). We summarize what the big deal is about.

Type - 360 Omnidirectional Wireless Portable Speaker 
Price - USD 199 / SGD 329

Trivia 1 - Practically every smart speaker (like Amazon Alexa, Google Home) takes a similar tower form factor and is a 360 omnidirectional wireless speaker.

Trivia 2 - The SoundLink Revolve (1.46lbs) is actually lighter in weight than the SoundLink Mini II (1.47lbs).

In A Nutshell
Aside from the usual tech specs, here are 5 points that tell summarize the Bose SoundLink Revolve Speaker's capabilities

1. 360 Omnidirectional Sound
Smaller speakers tend to have directional sound waves, resulting in a very obvious difference when you listen right in front of the speakers (as intended) or behind. By contrast, the SoundLink Revolve uses omnidirectional sound that aims to immerse a listener with the same sound experience within a similar radius.

2. Controls / Voice Prompts
There's the full array of accessible buttons lined on the top like Power, Bluetooth (for pairing) and volume controls. The multifunction button (circled below) serves in playing music, taking calls and holding it will activate Apple Siri / Google Now. There's even a new button for input source toggling - this includes switching from Bluetooth to AUX-IN to even USB Audio (Just plug your USB device eg. laptop to the micro-USB port).

The voice prompts, like most other Bose products, are useful especially during device pairing.

3. App Support / Speaker Pairing
With two units of SoundLink Revolve, they can be combined through the Bose Connect app. They can gel to increase the overall sound loudness or to provide a fuller stereophonic sound. Even when used as a standalone speaker, the Bose Connect app gives you information like battery life, support from 18 languages (Ok, Bose has somehow increased this from 11 languages) and firmware updates. 

Pairing through Bluetooth can be done more conveniently with the app. Two devices can be connected to the SoundLink Revolve at any one time. If you want to pair via NFC, that's also possible though you don't actually need the app for this. 

4. Water Resistant
The SoundLink Revolve is splash-resistant (IPX4 rated to be precise) so there shouldn't be any worries when drizzles come. Be warned - Just don't dunk them your swimming pool 'cos splash resistance is NOT the same as water resistance! So do take caution on what you read when you see the term 'water resistant'.

5. Connectivity
The SoundLink Revolve includes an understandably sparse AUX-IN for a wired connection to a music player and a micro-USB port for charging the speaker. This is probably the most common set of ports for portable speakers unless sometime in future, every music player is wireless (no 3.5mm jack) and full wireless charging is supported. Perhaps this ain't so far away if you think of the iPhone 7 and Samsung Galaxy S8. 


User Guide
Click here to check out the user guide.

Packaging Contents
All out, you get the:

• Bose SoundLink Revolve
• AC Adapter
• Charging Cable (USB to micro-USB)
• AC Power Adapters

Target Buyers
Those who want a 360 wireless speaker, flexible to bring to the great outdoors or to park at home.



Pricing and Availability
Now, there are actually two models in two colors (Lux Gray / Triple Black) currently available in the US and an optional charging cradle so you don't need to touch any cables. Singapore availability will be confirmed by their distributor, Atlas SV.

Let's break them down:

SoundLink Revolve (USD 199.95) 
- 5.97" x 3.24" x 3.24" / 1.46lbs / 12 hour battery life 

SoundLink Revolve+ (USD 299.95) 
- 7.25" x 4.13" x 4.13" / 2lbs / 16 hour battery life / Includes carrying handle


Update (24 Apr 2017) - In Singapore, the Revolve (SGD 329) and Revolve+ (SGD 499) are available for pre-orders at atlas-sv.com.



SoundLink Revolve charging cradle (USD 29.95)
- If you use the default micro-USB charging cable, you need to insert and remove this everytime you charge. With this cradle, you can conveniently dock the speaker and lift it off once done. It would have been great if they had actually included the charging cradle (like the Bose SoundLink Mini II) instead of selling seperately. Oh well. Anyway, it fits both SKUs. 



Where To Buy
The Bose SoundLink Revolve can be purchased from bose.com. 
Alternatively, if you feel this review helped in your assessment of this product, you can buy it from Amazon through these affiliate links.

Bose SoundLink Revolve (USD 199)

Bose SoundLink Revolve + Charging Cradle bundle (USD 228)

Bose introduced a whole slew of portable wireless audio products in their June product launch. One of them is called the Bose QuietControl 30 or QC30 (USD 299.95 / SGD 529) and it hit the shops in North America in Nov 2016 and Singapore just this month. These are their first pair of neckband headphones, in a product category pioneered by the LG TONE series. We check out how these fare in a full review! 

Pros (+): Controllable active noise cancelation (ANC) levels; Good fit; Intuitive voice prompts; App support.
Cons (-): Not for jogging purposes; Non retractable cable.

Unboxing
The Bose QC30 currently comes only in a black color scheme. 

The new packaging identity seen on the Bose QC35 / Bose SoundSport Wireless is yet again seen for the QC30. Sliding off the outer cover, we pop open up the inner black box to get access to the neckband headphones. Here's what's in the goodie bag:

• Bose QuietControl 30 (QC30)
• Charging cable (micro-USB)
• StayHear+ buds (S / M / L)
• Carry case
• User Guides

Design
The Bose QuietControl 30 is approximately 28 grams (1 oz), and the neckband design does feel thicker than the LG TONE Active. The key advantage of neckband headphones is you can simply slink them around your neck and voila, you're good to go. The buds have a subtle 'Bose' logo right in the centre, surrounded by the microphone input holes for ANC noise measuring purposes. Do note that when you remove the tips from your ears, the cable will dangle downwards as they are not retractable.  

The circular carry case is gigantic but needs to be given the size of the QC 30. Within lies an inner pouch to conveniently place any eartips or charging cables.

Features
The in-line remote controls lie on the right cable. The layout is similar to Bose's other buds - a multifunction button (Play / Take calls) flanked with the volume buttons. Skipping tracks is still restricted to double (or triple) tapping the centre button though it would certainly have been more intuitive for users if they implemented holding the volume buttons to do the same.

Controllable Noise Cancelation:
While its predecessor, the QC20 had a single button to power the Ambient Sound mode by fully turning on and off sounds from your surroundings, the QC30 goes one better. The side of the remote features 2 buttons that handily allow you to fluctuate the magnitude of surrounding sounds at 12 different active noise cancelation (ANC) levels. What this means is you can listen to music and hear environmental sounds to suit your comfort or safety (like when crossing a road).

Pairing:
You can pair to your device through Bluetooth or NFC. To link via NFC, you need to activate Bluetooth on your player, power on the buds and press the remote (see the 'N') to the NFC touchpoint of your device. For Bluetooth pairing, hold the power button until the LED indicator flashes blue. Select 'Bose QuietControl 30' from your device to complete the pairing and the LED will give a white glow. The Bose can connect to up to 2 devices simultaneously. You can manage it by stopping music playback on one and then start music on the second.

App Support:
Voice controls were excellent on Bose's previous products and continue to be over here. You get information on the power level, pairing status and it supports up to 11 languages, configurable either by actuating buttons or via the Bose Connect app, that supports all portable audio devices starting from the AE2 SoundLink. You can adjust the product name, power down timing, voice prompt language (out of 11 options) and the most useful is the pairing management to other devices and quick ANC level adjustment. 



Update (21 Mar 2017)
In the latest firmware version (1.2.8), the Bose QC30 now supports Music Share through the Bose Connect app. This allows music to be streamed to two Bose headphones that use the app.


Performance
I would say that the ideal usage for these buds would be when you are traveling by air. I daresay that's where it is actually better than the similar Bose ANC products like the QC35 or the QC20. Why so? Well simply put, the QC35 are headphones so when you choose to rest your head on your seat, the earcups will be the point of contact and as for the QC20, these are wired in-ears so there's always the possibility of tugging them. The QC30 just lies around your neck (ie. no tug) and if you want to figure out what the stewardess is hounding you about, just lower the ANC level. 

Fit:
The very snug StayHear+ tips are the same as the ones used on the Bose QC 20 / SoundSport Wireless and they do not disappoint. Fitting them in the ears, they are gentle on the ears and yet aren't easy to dislodge. Leaving them for hours at a stretch wasn't a problem for me.


Noise Cancelation:
The active noise cancelation (ANC) is like what you'd expect from a Bose. By default, ANC is already activated. The QC20 was astoundingly good for a pair of in-ears and while I did not have them on hand for a mano-a-mano comparison, the QC30 is almost, if not just as, good as its wired predecessor when set at the highest ANC level. When walking, the microphonics is quite negligible and I could turn my head left and right without hearing any cable rustle. However, I would not recommend this for jogging purposes as the neckband will bob up and down. 


Sound Quality:
The sound quality is inclined toward the low frequencies, which to me is good especially when you are traveling ie. with high environmental noise. When listening to Sarah Brightman's Deliver Me (classical), you get relatively decent but never overly crisp vocals but the bass from the orchestration that emanates from these buds is mighty, not in a thumping manner but resoundingly inspiring. 


Battery Life:
According to the Bose website, there's up to 10 hours of power on a full charge that takes just under 3 hours. This is a relatively decent number that compares very favorably with the 9.5 hours from the LG TONE Active (which does not feature ANC) and the 6 hours of the Samsung Level U Pro ANC (with ANC activated).


Overall
With the QuietControl 30, Bose has made one very ideal noise-canceling pair of earphones to use on the airplane. For those used to the LG TONE, sure the cable is non retractable but Bose has done a great job in other areas. The QC30 juggles fit, battery life and app support  easily. And of course, the deal clincher is its ability to adjust the ANC intensity to your level of comfort.  


Where To Buy
The Bose QuietControl 30 can be purchased from bose.com (US - USD 299.95), bose.co.uk (UK - GBP 259.95) or atlas-sv.com (Singapore - SGD 529). 

Alternatively, if you liked this review, do feel free to support us by buying from  Amazon through this affiliate link. 

Credit to Bose, Atlas-SV for an evaluation unit. 

Credit - Bose

Neckband headphones (aka behind-the-neck earphones) are an increasingly common category of portable audio devices. In 2014, you'd see everyone with conventional wired earphones plugged in or maybe even corded Bluetooth buds. Now in 2016, you may be starting to see a stronger take up rate of neckband headphones. 

Popularized by the LG TONE series that sold an astounding 10 million units as of July 2015, it's easy to understand why other manufacturers want a piece of the pie. Among those who've taken the plunge in 2016 are Beats and Bose.

What Are They?
Behind-the-neck headphones are basically audio devices with a collar that hang snugly around your neck. Almost all of them have Bluetooth capability to connect to your phone for music playback. The earbuds are connected to the collar by a cable. 

So what's the appeal to this? There are many opinions on this. It's futuristic looking (think Star Trek), undoubtedly striking and possibly a fashion statement. One important reason is the convenience. Just plug your buds into you ear and when done, take 'em out and hang them around your neck. All this without needing to wind or stash them into your bag.

Now let's dive in to see what are the...
Top 5 Neckband Headphones of 2016

1. BeatsX
Price - SGD 198 / GBP 129 / USD 149
Launched in Apple's September 2016 Keynote was the BeatsX. While much attention was on the AirPods, these mark the very first neckbands from Beats. It comes in white or black and has a battery life of 8 hours or 2 hours on a 5 min quick charge.

2. Bose QuietControl 30 (QC30)
Price - USD 299
The Bose QC30 is a stylish marriage between neckbands and the wired QC20. It provides noise canceling capability and ambient sound adjustment while retaining comfort and convenience. It lasts 10 hours on a full charge and gives 1 hour of playback with a 15 minute charge.

3. LG Tone Active (HBS-850)
Price - SGD 189 / USD 69
We reviewed the LG HBS-850 in early 2016. These are sweat-proof neckband buds and boast retractable earbuds. They come with good app support that allows voice prompts of messages. Excellent sound too.

4. Motorola VerveRider+
Price - USD 79.99 
We previously did a first take of the Motorola VerveRider+, a sports neckband pair of buds. The buds magnetically latch onto the ring for easy storage and last for a decent 12 hours of music playback.

5. Sony MDR-XB70BT
Price - USD 99
First seen at IFA 2016, the MDR-XB70BT boasts 12mm dynamic drivers and comes in 3 vibrant colors. It weighs 43g and can play music for up to 9 hours.

The Bose SoundLink Mini II portable speaker (SGD 329 / USD 199) was announced back in late 2015. I wrote a first take and promised to deliver a review. Subsequently, a decision was made to focus more on earphones. Now that a year has past and a ton of headphones and sports audio gear has been reviewed, we now diversify to have a look at some portable speakers. I brought the SoundLink Mini II (Carbon) to the beach in Krabi to check out how it fares.

Pros (+): Excellent bass response; Good battery life; Compact and sturdy frame.
Cons (-): Audio loudness in outdoors could be improved.

Design
The Bose SoundLink Mini II sports a relatively compact profile at 51 x 180 x 58 mm. At 670g, these Bose speakers are relatively lightweight compared to other speakers like the JBL Charge 3 (800g), but feel very sturdily built with its aluminum casing. 

There are 2 color variants (Carbon / Pearl) to choose from and 5 colored soft covers (SGD 39 each) give some color options.

Features
There are 5 buttons on the top - power, volume controls, Bluetooth pairing and a multi-function button. The SoundLink can pair to up to 2 devices simultaneously eg a tablet and your phone and this is one example where the voice prompts come in useful. Language selection is real easy - just press the multi-function and + buttons together and you can choose from a range of 11 languages.

The connection points are all on the right edge. There's one auxiliary-in and a convenient micro-USB charging point. This is a big massive improvement over the original SoundLink Mini 'cos you don't need to lug a proprietary charger with you. Just use a (non-Apple) phone charger :)

The charging is not limited to connecting to the unit. You can also link the USB cable to the supplied dock (80g) and then place the speaker on it to initiate charging. This eliminates the inconvenience of unnecessary plugging / unplugging.

Don't have a soundbar for your TV in your hotel room? Well, the auxiliary-in allows connection from external sources to be plugged in. I used this a lot at the Dusit Thani Krabi resort and it certainly boosted the bass range of the TV sound source. 

Performance
The sound quality for its size is quite amazing. For a full size living room, the bass is able to impose itself remarkably well. The only flipside is that the audio reach in the outdoors is somewhat limited.

At a swimming pool or a beach, the sound range was most effective within 2-3 meters, and more so if your ears are on the same level. Putting things in perspective, there was ambient sound such as a cascading water feature and waves crashing. In a more quiet and controlled environment such as your bedroom, the sound envelops the surrounding area very effectively.

Bose states a battery life of 10 hours, an improvement over the 7 hours of its predecessor. During my trips to the beach and swimming pool, I had absolutely no issues with this 'cos I was never prompted to recharge. 

Overall
This is a really enjoyable pair of speakers to bring with you on a holiday. Perhaps the audio may not be the clearest out there, but they are compact enough to throw in your luggage without taking up too much space and deliver an excellent dose of bass for its size. Highly recommended!

Where To Buy
If you like what you have read, do feel free to support me by buying either the Carbon or Pearl variants from Amazon via this affiliate link. Prices start from USD 199.

Pair with the Amazon Echo Dot
The Bose SoundLink Mini II is a great portable speaker. If complemented with the Amazon Echo Dot, the listening experience is made even better. 

And how so? The Amazon Echo Dot serves as a voice-controlled assistant, named Alexa. Give a command like 'Alexa, play Trance playlist from Spotify' and boom, the music plays on your Bose. You can either link the Echo Dot to the SoundLink Mini II via Bluetooth pairing or through a 3.5mm audio cable. 

The Echo Dot is capable of much more than purely music playback. It can help order pizza, bring up your itinerary, cook your food (ok, i'm joking about this last item)...well you get the idea. It basically creates a smart environment around you without lifting your finger.

You can buy it together with the Bose SoundLink Mini II for USD 213.99, just USD 14 more if you only get the Bose speakers. When the Echo Dot is purchased as a standalone, it goes for USD 49.99. 

Credit to Bose and Atlas for a review unit.