GADGET GIZMO REVIEW ............Bose SOUND TOUCH Series III

GADGET GIZMO REVIEW

Bose SOUND TOUCH Series III

Wireless music systems as a concept sounds complicated to setup and use on a daily basis -but this couldn't be farther from the truth when it comes to the SoundTouch series from Bose. All the systems in this family are designed to work together seamlessly: when it comes to the entire series, there are three onepiece systems, two soundbars, a 5.1 audio system and a separate SoundTouch amplifier (for outdoor speakers). The idea behind the systems is -as long as you have a home WiFi network, you can place these wireless speakers in different rooms and control them all using a single free app (Android and iOS).

Bose recently updated the single piece systems and we tested out the `baby' SoundTouch 10 and the top-end SoundTouch 30. One of the primary differences in this new series is that they have dropped the Apple proprietary AirPlay streaming in favour of regular Bluetooth. This means that all kinds of devices can now directly connect to one of these systems to stream audio: phones, tablets, mp3 players and even laptops. This is in addition to the wireless streaming function, which means that you can stream music from any computer on the same network (just get the SoundTouch server program first) and you can choose from hundreds of high-quality internet radio stations.

Everything is controlled via the free Android or iOS SoundTouch app. It takes you through setting up the systems and also shows you your entire music library from a connected computer. In a sense, the app is like a remote control -although the larger SoundTouch systems also come with separate infrared remote controls of their own. On the top of each system, you have the basic power & volume, but there's also a set of buttons numbered 1 to 6. These are the presets and they can be anything you like: an artist, album or internet radio station. Once you set these, you only need to press one button to start playing your favourite music.

The SoundTouch 10 is unbelievably small and light and it can still fill a room with rich sound.It can get really loud too, though above a certain volume it tends to sacrifice the lower frequencies to keep clarity intact. There's no battery in it though, so this is not really a picnic or beach system. The SoundTouch 30 on the other hand, is a massive and heavy beast. This is the one to get when you want to have a loud party .The waveguide system and dedicated subwoofer produces deep bass and it's easily loud enough for the largest room in your house. We did notice a propensity for vocals through, which are rendered particularly well.Listening to Adele's Hello, the power in her voice comes through, even when listening to the system from the other room.

Finally, when it comes to multiple systems on the same network, you can have them play the same music or different. And control via the app is seamless -though the 3 to 4 seconds the app takes to re-connect to the systems each time you open it -is annoying. Overall though, we highly recommend the new SoundTouch. It will truly get you listening to more music in a way that is easy for everyone

 in the family .

Hitesh.Bhagat@timesgroup.com