The Bose SoundLink portable speaker is not entirely waterproof. It is water-resistant and comes with an IP67 waterproof rating. But this only protects the speaker from splashes and up to about a meter in the water. It shouldn’t be used in the water exclusively.
I’m Donovan, and I love everything about audio. I work as a musician and producer and have used many different types of speakers through all my audio escapades. I’ve used a Bose SoundLink and know first-hand how it performs.
This post will take a look at if the Bose SoundLink is waterproof. I’ll tell you everything you need to know about getting this speaker wet, including why it’s not entirely waterproof even though it has a waterproof rating.
Let’s get to it.
Contents
Key Takeaways
- The Bose SoundLink comes with an IP67 waterproof rating, but that doesn’t mean that it is completely waterproof.
- The SoundLink can handle getting wet and being submerged in up to a meter of water, but you shouldn’t use it exclusively in water if you want the best performance out of it.
- The IP67 waterproof rating is misleading because this only implies that the speaker can go under about a meter of water for around 30 minutes. Any deeper or longer than that could cause damage.
Is Bose SoundLink Waterproof?
This question comes up a lot for anyone who owns a Bose SoundLink speaker, and the answer can be a bit confusing. Even though most SoundLink models come with a waterproof rating, that doesn’t mean they are entirely waterproof.
There are several versions of the SoundLink speaker, most of which come with an IP67 waterproof rating. If you just looked at that feature on the packaging, you might assume that the speaker can go scuba diving with you, but that’s far from the case.
The IP67 rating means that the speaker can be submerged in up to 1 meter of water for 30 minutes. Any deeper or longer than that, and you are likely to damage your speaker. And I don’t think anyone would time how long their speaker is underwater.
This rating system is misleading because it implies that a speaker or other electronic device is waterproof when it’s actually more water resistant. If I have something that’s waterproof, I expect it to be able to handle any sort of water encounter.
But I learned this wasn’t true the hard way one time. This wasn’t with a Bose speaker, but it was with a different brand of portable speaker that came with the same IP67 rating. I took the speaker on a boat trip, thinking it would add to the fun of the activity.
I brought it in the water with me when we jumped out to do some snorkeling. Everything was working fine for a while, and then I went to dive about 10 feet underwater to check out a school of fish.
When I came back up, the speaker stopped working. I figured the battery died, but the speaker never came back to life. That one deep dive ruined it, even though I thought it was waterproof.
I share this story as an example of what not to do with your Bose SoundLink or any other speaker with a “waterproof” rating. It’s not technically waterproof, and I learned by ruining one in the water.
Your speaker can handle getting wet, but that doesn’t mean it’s waterproof. Read that again before you head out to the lake or the ocean with it.
Can You Use Bose SoundLink in the Shower?
As long as your Bose SoundLink model has some sort of IP rating, it should be just fine in the shower. I would try to place it somewhere on the side of the shower or hanging from the rod or shampoo rack rather than having it directly under the spigot.
I love playing music in the shower, and I’ve used a few different portable speakers to do this. Even ones that aren’t technically water-resistant. And since the SoundLink has a least a bit of water resistance built in, you don’t need to worry about it.
But again, don’t put your speaker down on the shower floor and let water directly hit it the entire time. It might be fine, but why risk it? There’s no need to get the speaker completely wet if you just want to listen to music in the shower.
If you are trying to put it in an area of the shower where it will get some splashes, you can dry everything off when you’re done with a towel or rag. But again, the SoundLink should be just fine handling the splashes of a normal shower.
How to Know if Your Speaker is Waterproof
You need to check the technical specifications of your speaker to find out of it’s waterproof or not. Look in your user’s manual or search online for this. Don’t just assume that the speaker is waterproof, because you can easily break it if it’s not by putting it in the water.
When you find your tech specs, you should see some sort of IP rating for the speaker if it does have any level of waterproofing. If you don’t see this at all, it’s safe to assume that it isn’t water-resistant, and you should keep it far away from water.
The IP-67 rating is pretty standard for electronic devices. As I mentioned earlier, this will keep your speaker in working condition in up to one meter of water for thirty minutes. But you don’t want to push those limits either.
FAQs
Here are a few quick answers to some of the most commonly asked questions related to if the Bose SoundLink is waterproof.
Is the Bose SoundLink 2 waterproof?
The Bose SoundLink 2 is not entirely waterproof, but it can withstand splashing and being submerged in up to a meter of water. This speaker does have a waterproof rating, but that doesn’t mean it’s completely waterproof.
What to do if your Bose speaker gets wet?
If you have a Bose waterproof speaker, such as the SoundLink, you don’t need to worry if your speaker gets slightly wet. If you have a non-waterproof model, you should try to dry the speaker off as quickly as possible and put a fan on it to avoid potential damage.
Can I get my Bose wet?
As a general best practice, you should keep your electronics dry. Some of them do come with an IP waterproof rating, but this doesn’t mean they are entirely waterproof. But light moisture and some splashing should not affect a waterproof speaker too much.
Can the Bose Micro SoundLink get wet?
The Bose Micro SoundLink does have a waterproof rating, meaning it can get wet. But this doesn’t mean you should always use the speaker in water. It only has a slight waterproof rating, which is more like a water-resistant rating than being fully waterproof.
Can my Bose speaker get submerged in water?
If your Bose speaker has an IP67 waterproof rating, this means it can get submerged in water as deep as one meter for up to 30 minutes. But I do not recommend testing that out because you can damage the speaker if you leave it submerged for too long.
Final Thoughts
The Bose SoundLink models come with an IP67 waterproofing rating. This means the speaker can handle being in up to one meter of water for up to 30 minutes. Really, the speaker is just water-resistant and not waterproof.
Electronics and water don’t generally mix. Even though more modern devices are built and marketed to be waterproof, they aren’t designed to be used entirely in water all the time. It’s better to be safe than sorry with that in mind.
Have you ever gotten your Bose speaker wet? Did it work normally afterwards, or did you experience any issues? Let me know in the comments below.
