Bose SoundTouch throws down multiroom audio gauntlet to Sonos
Sonos comparisonsLike Sonos, the speakers and apps will get software updates that add new features and services. At launch, I was underwhelmed with Bose's line up of services. Beyond Pandora there's nothing: no Spotifiy, no Rdio, no Deezer, no nothing. Sonos has a huge roster of service tie-ins, so Bose has a big hole to fill there.The other thing you can't do with the Bose SoundTouch speakers is combine two speakers to get stereo sound. That starts to get a little expensive when you're combining $399 speakers to make a pair, but these types of speakers that have their drivers very close together typically feature little to no stereo separation, so it's a nice option to be able to go stereo like you can with Sonos.The SoundTouch 30 and SoundTouch 20 both offer Ethernet connectivity, so you can use a wired network connection if you want, and there's an auxiliary input, so you can hook up an audio device to a speaker using a cable.The Bose speakers aren't equipped with Bluetooth (neither are the Sonos speakers), but they do support AirPlay streaming from iOS devices and PCs running iTunes. And like Sonos, you can stream music to a single room or have the same music play on all your speakers at the same time. You should be able to play different music sources in different rooms, but I didn't test that feature yet.Bose has SoundTouch apps available for iOS and Android devices, as well as Mac and Windows PCs (click image to enlarge).David Carnoy/CNETSound demoBose did a sound demo in a controlled environment with hand-picked music tracks, and like most of Bose's demos, the speakers came across in their best light and seemed to sound quite decent for their size. I suspect the SoundTouch 20 will match up just fine against the Sonos Play:5, which is about the same size and also retails for $399. Currently, Bose isn't offering any SoundTouch speakers for less than $399, but you'd think that may change in the future with Sonos offering more-affordable speakers.However, the next batch of SoundTouch products will be more expensive except for the SoundTouch Controller, a swankier remote that will come out early in 2014 for $99.As I said, a Wave SoundTouch music system is coming in December for $599. And a SoundTouch Stereo JC (Jewel Cube) system ($1,199), a SoundTouch SA-4 amplifier ($499) for select Bose products (including outdoor speakers), and a SoundTouch wireless adapter for Lifestyle systems and VideoWave entertainment system will ship in "early 2014." (Bose did demo that new stereo Jewel Cube system, which also includes a subwoofer, and, needless to say, it sounded better than the single-speaker systems.) I'll let you know how the launch speaker systems sound -- and how smoothly they operate -- as soon as we get our hands on some review samples. Naturally, it will be interesting to see how the market responds to having a second major competitor in the DYI multiroom wireless audio space. But one thing is clear from Bose's announcement: it's going all in on wireless audio; it's not messing around and will surely put big bucks toward marketing the new SoundTouch line and telling everybody how easy it is to use.
