Given the success of AirPods it was no surprise that Bose released a pair of Google Assistant-powered headphones on Friday. Alongside that announcement, Bose also expanded its lineup with a new audio device in a much less conventional form. The company’s new SoundWear Bluetooth Speaker wraps around your neck to offer personalized surround sound audio without cutting off what’s happening around you.
Bose, with its extensive lineup of products, is a veteran in the speaker and headphone business. Looking to mix up its offerings, the company has created a wearable audio device meant to wrap around your neck and shoulders to provide a more personalized listening experience than typical speakers.
The SoundWear offer an interesting design choice, as you could just wear headphones to get a similar end result. But Bose contends that while you may want to enjoy your tunes, you don’t want to always shut out everything else around you. The new speaker does both, meaning you’ll get to rock out to your music without missing the oven timer going off while cooking, for instance.
Packed within the sleek, horseshoe-shaped speaker you’ll find two drivers which are backed by dual 11-inch waveguides to offer personalized surround sound and what is said to be deep, rich sound. The SoundWear’s shell also differs from Bose’s conventional style and is comprised of a flexible foam material. This results in a more bendable design, adding to the overall comfort during extended sessions of wear. Bose’s latest speakers are feature a swappable cover, meaning you can switch between a variety of colors and designs to suit your mood or the occasion.
Alongside surround sound, the SoundWear also sports haptic alerts to inform you of incoming calls without disrupting your music playback. It’s also sweat and weather resistant, should you choose to get in some light work outs while wearing the speaker. You should have no problems getting all-day use out of Bose’s new Bluetooth speaker as it is said to offer up to 12 hours of battery life.
Playback controls are also included on the speaker; ensuring that you’ll always be able to find that perfect song, adjust volume or pause/resume your music when needed. The SoundWear speaker packs a microphone as well for taking calls and invoking your preferred digital assistant.
Bose’s foray into wearable speakers comes at a fairly steep $300 entry price. For a Bluetooth speaker this certainly isnt the most affordable option, but Bose may have just released the most unique device at its price point. The cost may definitely be a deterrent for some but the ability to enjoy full surround sound music and audio without completely drowning out the world around may overcome that for others.
Buy the SoundWear Bluetooth Speaker for $300 at Bose
Sure, you want music with you at all times. But you don’t always want to slap on headphones and shut out everything else around you. You don’t have to. The new SoundWear Companion speaker was designed for you. This wearable speaker offers the best of both worlds—convenience and connection—in a way that allows you to be present with your music as well as your surroundings. It rests comfortably on your shoulders, with sound that is full and clear to you—yet minimizes the sound for others. And with legendary waveguide technology at its core, that performance is easy to trust.
With some wearables, it’s fashion before function. Not in this case. Every part of this speaker is meticulously engineered for better sound. But even a groundbreaking product can benefit from a proven technology—like our waveguide technology. So we used two 11-inch waveguides to pump out what other wearable speakers don’t—deep, rich sound.
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