Bose SoundTouch 30 Series III Wireless Music System

Product Information

While we found the original Bose SoundTouch 20 to be more neutral sounding than the original Sonos Play:5 this time around the roles are reversed. The bigger SoundTouch 30 III is the more exciting of the two flagship speakers. At low to medium volumes, it sounds magnificent with plenty of oomph from the bass woofer. Throw on something more chin-scratching such as “So Real Surreal” by Carl Hudson and the spacey jazz-funk groove is deftly handled – the synths and keys have warmth and body, while the live drums and bassline are handled with pleasing agility.

In the two years since Bose's SoundTouch line first appeared, it has gone through several changes. What began as two tabletop speakers and a portable has become an entire suite of wireless multiroom speakers. Many Bose products, from Wave radios to the company's home theater systems, and even outdoor speakers, now include Wi-Fi and are designed to link up with other SoundTouch system in a multiroom setup. One of the most welcome changes Bose has made is in the setup of the speaker. When the SoundTouch range was first introduced you needed to connect each speaker to your PC via a USB cable, and this was light years behind Sonos' wireless system. While the improved routine is still not as elegant as Sonos' -- you need to press the "2" and "Vol-" together to put the speaker in setup mode -- it's still preferable to what preceded it. This product is compatible with Alexa-enabled devices, letting you command the speaker just by speaking to it. Without moving a muscle, you can adjust the volume, skip songs, and turn the speaker on and off with this feature. The speaker’s connectivity and capabilities are outstanding, with various options that make it simple and adaptable to different situations. Particularly noteworthy is the Bose SoundTouch app, which allows for complete speaker management from your mobile device. Using one’s voice to command it is an excellent bonus feature. Competitors Comparison

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As a whole, this piece iѕ well-made and stylish. For those in the market for a high-quality wireless speaker, its sturdy build guarantees it will last through repeated use. High-Quality Sound Happily there were zero problems with synchronization when listening to both a SoundTouch 10 and a SoundTouch 30 in a simulated house environment. Both speakers were perfectly in sync. Maybe this bodes well for adding the ability to pair two speakers in stereo in the future? (With Sonos, you can create left/right stereo pairs with two Play:5 or Play:1 speakers, for example -- no such feature exists with Bose yet). An improved wireless speaker If you like doing things the old-fashioned way, the Bose comes with an excellent physical remote. The entire handset has a pleasant rubbery texture and the logically arranged buttons are satisfying to press. It’s a pleasure to use. Bose SoundTouch 30 – Performance

Compared to the more neutral Yamaha NX-N500 monitor speakers, the bass of the Bose SoundTouch 30 sounded overemphasized -- which was apparent when listening to King Crimson's "Walking on Air" via Radio Paradise -- the bass notes tended to overhang or sit a little too long.The SoundTouch also supports Alexa integration and has a dedicated Skill associated with it. Unfortunately, at the time of testing, the Skill could not link fully to our Bose account, which is presently a known issue. If this ever gets fixed, it would allow asking Alexa to play specific content directly on the speaker, but at the moment it’s non-functional. Apple’s Siri speech assistant is compatible with the Apple HomePod, a popular wireless speaker known for its high-quality sound. It looks great and works well with all of my Apple devices. In contrast to the Bose SoundTouch 30, however, it is more expensive and offers fewer connection choices. Conclusion There’s decent clarity here too. Hi-hats are crisply conveyed and snare drums have a nice slap to them. Switch to Corinne Bailey Rae’s cover of “Munich” and the Bose identifies the fragility and detail in her voice. With the Bose SoundTouch app and Alexa voice control, users can use hands-free operation by managing their speaker from their mobile device. The Sonos Play:5 is a high-class wireless speaker that, in terms of sound quality and features, can hold its own against the SoundTouch 30. Still, Play:5’s modern appearance belies its ability to produce booming, immersive sound. So, it costs more than the SoundTouch 30 and doesn’t offer as many connection choices, either.

Experience your favorite music from one or many SoundTouch® speakers, with the SoundTouch® app. SoundTouch® is a family of wireless speakers for your home that play the same music throughout, or different music in different rooms. The speaker’s sturdy aluminum grille shields the speaker and keeps the sound intact. The construction is top-notch all over, feeling solid and long-lasting in use. Of course, that won’t matter to Spotify users, for example, and it’s easily remedied, however it just sees the Bose app toe just the wrong side of the line between uncomplicated and undercooked. Have a library of your favorite albums and artists? Connect your laptop or NAS drive to have access to your stored music libraries. The Bose SoundTouch 30 is, in short, аn excellent wireless speaker that excels in several key areas: sound quality, design, and functionality. It has a 360-degree soundstage for fully immersive sound, and its built-in Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and Apple AirPlay 2 make it extremely flexible and simple to use.While browsing music libraries, the lists are logically structured and lightning-fast. The app scrolls through huge music libraries without much hesitation – I whizzed down a list of more than 900 albums on my NAS drive and it needed only a brief pause when it reached “M”.

The speaker and the system it sits within is controlled via the SoundTouch app, which also features the same six shortcuts seen on the speaker and remote. As far as multiroom apps go, it's one of the better ones and places all the key functions front and center. As noted, the app started out a little rough around the edges, but has steadily improved -- and continues to get better. However, there are two issues here. Functions such as queuing songs and creating playlists – key to the usability of systems such as Sonos – are missing, as are some of the major streaming services. If you’re into bass-heavy music like hip-hop or electronica, you’ll appreciate how robust the bass iѕ here. Similarly, vocals and instruments are rendered crystal clear thanks to the crispness and separation of the midrange. The highs are clear and precise, creating a harmonious sound. In terms of audio features, the SoundTouch 30 uses a ported box design with two custom-made mid-range/high-frequency drivers with exclusive waveguide technology and a subwoofer to give bass frequencies a boost. Bose doesn’t quote power figures for the unit. Bose SoundTouch 30 – Setup and Operation

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). Vocals (dialogue) are crisply delivered and easy to decipher. There's a definite "notchiness" to the speaker's response that emphasizes the sibilants in speech or the breathiness in a sax player's noodlings. That breathiness combined with the speaker's onboard processing gives the Bose an openness that the the Sonos Play:5 doesn't have.