The Bose S1 Pro System is a portable Bluetooth speaker system. Its unique Auto EQ feature lets you position the speaker horizontally, vertically, or tilted back, and the speaker makes internal adjustments to optimize its performance accordingly. Its neutral, balanced sound profile is well-suited for lots of different music genres, even though it's lacking some low-bass. There are some controls to help you tweak its sound, and there's even a built-in ToneMatch processing feature if you want to make mics and instruments connected to the speaker sound more natural, though we don't test for this.
Our Verdict
The Bose S1 Pro is adequate for music. It has a pretty neutral sound profile that's suitable for lots of different music genres, and it can get loud without a lot of compression. While it's lacking a bit of low-bass, the extra boom in the high-bass can please fans of bass-heavy music genres. It also has a sound enhancement feature to help make audio from mics and instruments connected to the speaker sound more natural. Unfortunately, it has to downmix stereo content into mono, which doesn't sound very immersive.
- Gets loud.
- Poor soundstage performance.
The Bose S1 Pro is mediocre for videos and movies. It can reproduce dialogue clearly and accurately, but it's lacking a bit of low-bass, so you may not feel deep thumps and rumbles in action-packed scenes. It gets loud, and it has low latency via Android and iOS devices. However, it has to downmix stereo content into mono, which doesn't sound very immersive.
- Gets loud.
- Poor soundstage performance.
The Bose S1 Pro is good for podcasts. It's Bluetooth-compatible, so you can easily stream podcasts from your phone to the speaker wirelessly, and you can pair it with up to two devices at the same time. Its balanced mid-range can reproduce voices clearly and accurately, too. Also, its portable design is easy to bring with you on-the-go.
- Supports multi-device pairing.
- Portable design.
- Poor soundstage performance.
The Bose S1 Pro doesn't support voice assistant technology.
The Bose S1 Pro is fair for outdoor use. Its over 10-hour battery life is suitable for long days outside, and it can get loud enough to use in a large, open space. While this speaker feels solid and durable, it isn't water-resistant. Also, its soundstage is perceived as a bit narrow, so it doesn't seem very immersive.
- Gets loud.
- Portable design.
- Poor soundstage performance.
- Not water resistant.
Changelog
- Updated Sep 08, 2023: Added market comparison with the Bose S1 Pro+ in the Controls box.
- Updated Aug 23, 2023: Updated the Portability picture for greater clarity and consistency between reviews.
- Updated Dec 17, 2020: Review published.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
The Bose S1 Pro comes in 'Black', and you can see the label for the model we tested here.
If you come across another variant of this speaker, let us know in the discussions and we'll update our review.
Popular Speaker Comparisons
The Bose S1 Pro is a mid-sized Bluetooth speaker. It has a neutral, balanced sound profile that's suitable for lots of different music genres, though it's lacking a bit of low-bass. It comes with inputs for microphones and instruments, and its Auto EQ feature uses internal sensors to adjust the speaker's performance based on how it's positioned.
The Bose S1 Pro+ is better than the Bose S1 Pro System. These speakers are a similar size and offer a similar design. However, the Pro+ has monochrome screens that offer excellent feedback as you adjust various instruments and other settings. It gets louder, too, and it supports Bluetooth version 5.0. Plus, its battery life lasts a bit longer.
The JBL PartyBox 300 is better for music than the Bose S1 Pro System. The JBL has a better soundstage performance, and it can get louder. Also, it has longer battery life. However, the Bose is a smaller, less heavy speaker, so it's much more portable.
The JBL PartyBox 310 is a better speaker for music than the Bose S1 Pro System. The JBL can reproduce more low bass, play stereo content, and get louder. It also has longer-lasting battery life and is rated IPX4 for water resistance, meaning it can withstand small water splashes. However, the Bose is more portable.
The JBL PartyBox 100 is a better speaker than the Bose S1 Pro System. The JBL has a more balanced sound profile and a better soundstage performance. Also, it can get louder than the Bose, though it does have some compression artifacts present at max volume. However, the Bose is more portable.
Test Results
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