Review: Bose SoundLink Air offers good sound, but few features
Bose’s $350 SoundLink Air Digital Music System, an AirPlay version of the company’s venerable SoundDock speaker docks, is a somewhat portable speaker system. I say “somewhat” because though it can be powered by a battery, the SoundLink Air doesn’t include one—Bose’s rechargeable lithium-ion battery is a $90 option. My review unit didn’t include the battery, so I couldn’t test the SoundLink’s portable features.
The all-black SoundLink Air measures 12.1 inches wide, 6.8 inches tall, and 4.0 inches deep; it weighs 4.7 pounds. I rarely comment on power bricks in my speaker reviews, but the SoundLink Air’s is worth mention (sadly, not to praise it): Though I appreciate the integrated cable-storage groove, the wall-wart style power brick is massive: 3 inches tall, 3 inches wide, and 2 inches tall. That width is the biggest problem, since it blocked at least two—and often three—outlets on the power strips I tried it with; it also blocks both outlets in a standard two-outlet wall plate.
On the front of the SoundLink Air, near the top, sits its single LED, which indicates whether the speaker is successfully connected to a Wi-Fi network. When I first started testing the system, I thought there were no buttons save for the Reset button on the base of the unit. In fact, though, a pair of nearly invisible volume buttons sit on the right-hand side of the unit. You use either your AirPlay audio source or the included thin, plastic remote (4.3 inches tall and 1.5 inches wide) to control playback. The remote includes power, mute, volume, auxiliary-input, play/pause, previous, and next buttons.
If you’re paying close attention, you’ll note that this means that there is no power button on the speaker itself. Unless you want to unplug and later plug in the Sound Link Air to turn it off and on, you’ll need to use the power button on the remote.
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