Sound quality: The Bose Soundlink Color II had good overall sound quality. Bass has decent impact, but lacks a bit of detail and doesn't go deep. Midrange is fairly even but a bit grainy and hazy. Treble is somewhat sizzly, and the upper treble is recessed. This speaker has decent recovery of room ambience, but is a bit congested and lacks treble air. We found no significant difference in sound quality between a Bluetooth or wired connection. Although best for close listening, it can provide a decent volume level in a small to medium-sized room.
Ease of use: We found the Bose Soundlink Color II ease of use to be very good overall. Bluetooth pairing was among the easiest as the Soundlink Color II is always ready to pair. Its controls use medium labeling but most are intuitive. You'll need to refer to the instructions to fully understand the multi-function button. It has verbal cues for various functions such as Bluetooth pairing; in quiet environments these sounds are pretty loud, however unlike other models in our tests they can be deactivated. Individual controls are obvious and well placed, with indicators to show which is engaged. Wired input is unlabeled. This unit lacks a remote; not an issue if it's being used within arm's reach or if it's being used with a mobile Bluetooth device which can be used like a remote itself, but inconvenient in other situations.
