> THE BOSE > SOUNDLINK AIR > APPLE > AIRPLAY SYSTEM > A FULL REVIEW > BY > DANE TRETHOWAN > Apple Airplay systems have been with us for some time now and many models > have made their appearance. I’ve been left feeling somewhat disappointed up > until this point by the sound quality of what’s been available relative to > the cost. > The Bose Soundlink Air changes the balance here, yes you’re paying a fair > amount for this system but you certainly get what you paid for and that’s > quality sound in a medium-sized portable unit. > I did indeed say portable as that’s what the Bose Soundlink Air is and can be > used well away from an AC wall outlet so this unit is perfect for outdoor > entertaining or for those days when you’re lazing in the sun listening to > your favourite audio books etc. > DESCRIPTION > The Soundlink air measures 17.1CM high, 30.7CM wide and 10.3CM deep and > weighs 2.1KG without the optional rechargeable battery pack so as you can > see, this system is compact enough to pickup and put down just about anywhere. > The front mainly consists of a wire mesh with a panel above made of plastic, > various LED indicators are displayed here which show the status of the > Soundlink air - if power has been applied, if the system is connected to a > Wi-Fi network, if the firmware is updating and so on. - > The sides and back are made out of hard glossy plastic, a handle can be found > in the centre on the top at the back. > On the right hand side are 2 depressions, these are actually volume “Up” and > “Down” buttons and they are touch sensitive but at least you can’t trigger > them by accident. > On the rear on the left is a Micro USB socket for setup and 2 sockets on the > right for Power and Line-in - the Soundlink Air can be switched between > Airplay and Line-In mode. > On the bottom are 5 rubber feet which are of ample size to hold the unit > securely on a bench top or table, a recessed button can be found on the > bottom left hand side which is used to either reset the system or to put the > system into “Alternate Setup” mode. > The system is powered by a large power supply that comes in the box or an > optional Rechargeable battery pack which screws onto the back. > The power supply - though it is large - incorporates a cord management > system, the cord can be wound up into the supply and a rubber flange prevents > the cord from unravelling so you only use the length of cord you require from > the supply to the soundlink air depending on your needs. > Like many power supplies these days the supply for the Soundlink Air is a > multi voltage model and thus comes with various adapters to suit different > power standards for different countries. > SETUP > Setup involves connecting the Soundlink Air system to a Wi-Fi network and > Setup can be performed using 2 methods, the first and recommended method by > Bose is to go to the Bose web site, download and install the Wi-Fi setup > software and configure the Soundlink Air via the USB cable supplied using > your computer. > The second method involves holding down the recessed button on the bottom of > the system for 5 seconds, this puts the system into “Alternate setup” mode > and activates the systems wi-fi network. > When the network is active you can use a web browser to configure the system > in a similar way as you would configure a router, the Soundlink Air presents > a HTML interface where you tell the system about the Wi-Fi network you wish > it to connect to, click on the the “Connect” button in the Interface and the > system establishes a connection. > TESTING AND STREAMING > Once the Soundlink Air was connected to my Network I had no problems whatever > in streaming audio from various Airplay compatible devices and systems, I > even tested an iPod Tough 4th generation which worked surprisingly well! - > when I’ve tested the iPod Tough 4th generation device with other Airplay > systems in the past I’ve found that the connection would dropout over time > but this did not happen in my present testing with the Soundlink Air. - > There can be a considerable delay between pressing a button and hearing the > result on the Soundlink Air depending on the device or system you’re > streaming from, the delay doesn’t indicate there’s a problem or fault, its an > unfortunate characteristic of the Apple Airplay system and the delay isn’t > usually all that long, for example if you stop a track playing which is > streaming from the Airfoil software, there’ll be a delay of about 2 seconds. > Sometimes when you change a track in iTunes, there will be a delay of around > 5 seconds whilst the next track is loaded, these delays to me at least are a > small sacrifice and small inconvenience given that you’re hearing your audio > in a “lossless” digital environment. > The Soundlink Air comes with a very nice remote control which sports only 8 > buttons but 8 buttons are certainly enough to drive your Airplay sessions, as > well as track forward and back you have volume up/down, pause, mute and power > on/off buttons at your disposal. > CONCLUSIONS > The audio out of this system has to be heard to be believed but - if you have > a Bose system of some kine already - then you won’t have to stretch your > imagination to far to realise what I’m talking about when I speak of > “unbelievable audio”. > Volume can go very loud indeed so be warned! loud volume doesn’t > lead to audio distortion on this device, this unit performs well in a small > crowded area. > I’m somewhat puzzled as to why Bose gives the user two modes of “Setup”, I > would have thought that the “Wi-Fi Setup” or the “Alternative Setup” method > as the manual refers to it would have more than sufficed, the main “Setup” > method whereby software needs to be downloaded and installed just seems to > add extra complication to the task at hand. > I bought the option rechargeable battery pack for with my system and I’m > truly glad I did, I now have great sound in my back yard and full control > over it. > The Bose manual claims that battery life is around 3 hours when the system is > at maximum volume? Well I’m just not game enough to try that as I value my > ears but I can tell you that I’ve managed 10 hours out of the battery pack at > around 30% volume, no complaints there given the audio quality. > Some interesting features are provided which may help those without vision, > the system beeps when power is applied - whether from the battery pack or > mains power - and a higher pitched series of beeps sound when the system has > found and connected to a wi-fi network. > I found a feature not mentioned in the Soundlink Air User Guide, its not > necessary for the system to be connected to a home Wi-fi network for the user > to enjoy it, you can connect the Soundlink Air to your IOS devices Wi-Fi > network anywhere and enjoy your music library streamed to your Soundlink air, > just put the Soundlink air into “Setup” mode by holding down the recessed > button on the bottom for 5 seconds, select the “Soundlink” Wi-Fi network in > setup on your iOS device and “Airplay” is ready at your command. > This system is extremely good value for money in my view and I’d be very > surprised if anyone was disappointed by what they hear come out of this thing. > Bose here in Australia offer a 90 day trial period, if you’re not happy with > the unit after 90 days then Bose will come and collect the system from you > so check with your Bose web site for your particular country or region. > There are plenty of videos which show you how the Soundlink Air works on the > web site so you may wish to refer to these whilst considering your purchase. > Price of the Bose Soundlink Air system in Australia is $450.00 > .
********** Dane Trethowan Skype: grtdane12 Phone US (213) 438-9741 Phone U.K. 01245 79 0598 Phone Australia (03) 9005 8589 Mobile: +61400494862 Fax +61397437954 ********** Dane Trethowan Skype: grtdane12 Phone US (213) 438-9741 Phone U.K. 01245 79 0598 Phone Australia (03) 9005 8589 Mobile: +61400494862 faceTime +61400494862 Fax +61397437954 Twitter: @grtdane
