BOSE SOUNDTOUCH™
Do you have a magnificent large-screen television and either have no external sound system OR have one with wires stretched all over your living room/den? Have you ever wanted to find a system that not only was wireless, but also expandable to every room in the house? Consider the Bose Soundtouch™ family of speakers. I am reviewing just two in the family: the Bose Soudtouch™ 30 speaker and the Soundtouch™ 300 Soundbar and subwoofer.
One of the things on Beth's Christmas list this year was a radio to listen to local stations since all we have at home are "boom boxes".
I started looking at the choices, and they were certainly the ugliest, most grotesquely designed radios that I have ever seen. Also, our Home Theater system is so old that components are no longer made for it.
After a lot of searching, I happened upon the Bose family of Soundtouch™ speakers. They range in size from small, nightstand-sized speakers to the Soundtouch™30 which is a little bigger than a large toaster-oven.
The beauty of these speakers is that they are completely wireless and connect to your home's WIFI network. Because they are connected to the network, they can not only draw from radio stations on the Internet, but also can be chained together to play the same music in all rooms, OR separated to play something different in each room. So, for example, you could have New Age music in the bedroom and 70s Rock and Roll in the kitchen.
They can either be controlled by a small remote, a networked computer, or your smartphone.
Couple these features with a service such as Spotify or Pandora, and you have a full-scale, networked sound system for the entire house.
The Bose Soundtouch™ 30 is the largest of the stand-alone speakers in the family. The retail price varies, but averages around $599.
As with the entire family of speakers, it is WIFI connected. There are 6 programmable preset stations for Internet Radio to use with the small included remote. However, the number of stations and playlists is unlimited if you choose to control it from your smartphone or computer with a 3rd party application such as Spotify or Pandora. It can be chained with other Bose speakers in the family and is always upgradeable through occasional software updates.
The sound is amazing! Bose has long had a reputation for squeezing the biggest sound out of the smallest of devices using its patented folded speakers.
This speaker's sound is big enough to fill a very large, or two average sized rooms. It has a great balance of treble, mid, and bass (although it would be nice if Bose would add a graphic equalizer in future updates to give more control over the sound quality). Every music style from Classical to Contemporary Rock sounds crisp with no clipping or distortion.
For full specs and details, go to the Bose website.
The Bose Soundtouch 300 is the large-screen TV solution to the usually "tinny" speakers that come with large televisions. It features a sleek design that blends in with any décor, sporting a glass top and matte finish on the rest of the case. It can be mounted on a wall, or placed on a tabletop in front or underneath a TV.
It sports multiple speakers and specialized technology unique to Bose that doesn't require the use of a center or rear speakers.
During the initial setup, the user places a patented headphone-like device on and stands at various positions in the room while the speakers calculate distance and position. It is truly amazing how this system can "throw" sounds to appear at different areas of the room!
Though Bose sells the subwoofer separately, I highly recommend adding it to the Soundtouch™ 300 as it simply cannot provide the "bottom" thunder that is so necessary with contemporary movies.
As with the rest of the Soundtouch™ family, it is WIFI enabled, and connects to other family speakers via the home WIFI network. Occasional software updates improve features and eliminate occasional bugs that may pop up.
For full specs and details, visit the Bose website.
NOTE: The picture above includes the Bose Subwoofer which is sold separately.