Bose SoundTouch 30 Series III Wireless Music System

Product Information

When we reviewed the first-gen SoundTouch 20 in 2014, we balked at the lack of WAV and FLAC support. In addition to the Wi-fi option, the sound system also features a Bluetooth function and USB audio inputs.

With the volume slider set to 2/3 or less, the Bose can sound big and lush, especially with huge atmospheric tracks like Dead Can Dance's "Yulunga.These “Series III” models improve on their Series II predecessors with a new dual-band wireless platform that offers faster speed, better range and less interference with other Wi-Fi products. There is currently no way to play music on multiple speakers using just your voice with the Bose Skill. The slight coarseness to treble frequencies and hardness at louder volumes that prevented the SoundTouch 10 from receiving the full five stars two years ago is amplified in the SoundTouch 30.

A silver panel below the OLED display adds a touch of glamour, while an illuminated Wi-Fi icon at the top tells you it’s online. The speaker's upper-mids emphasis helps if you're using this as a speaker for your TV (yes you can do that using the audio input). But if you're looking for a speaker that you can crank up at parties (and also sounds good at more moderate volumes), the nod definitely goes to the Sonos.

However, you can still create groups in the SoundTouch app as normal, even if the music was started through the Bose Skill. What began as two tabletop speakers and a portable has become an entire suite of wireless multiroom speakers.