Bose ® SoundTouch 20 Series II Wi-Fi Music System - Black

Product Information

It looks fine on a phone (the control app is free on iOS and Android), but it’s a poor use of space on larger screens. The audio performance is good, but not amazing. Sound is clear and volume is never an issue, going louder than you’d ever need it to without hardening. It’s a comfortable listen – insightful and clean – and while it may favour a club beat, doesn’t turn its nose up to the more folksy sound of a man and his guitar. We have reservations about the sound, however, and the limitations with compatibility are hard to swallow. Proceed with caution. Our major issue is the bass. The SoundTouch 20 is capable of diving right down to the depths, but the sound isn’t balanced.

It's important to know the free versions of services (like spotify, Google Play Music, etc.) will not work with the apps on either systems, so if you're planning on getting the best experience from your streaming services, you should be prepared to upgrade to the premium versions. A workaround for the Bose system is to stream via Bluetooth from the streaming app of your choice; however, this means you won't be logged in through the speaker's controller app, so you may only be able to stream on one speaker at a time.

Customer reviews

The six preset buttons on the SoundTouch 20 add a ton of convenience through the SoundTouch app. Whatever you're listening to, whether it's a playlist, a genre, an artist, or a single song from your music library or a Pandora or other Internet radio station, you can set it to one of those six buttons just by holding the button down on the radio, the remote, or the app. It can then access that station or (if your computer/storage is on) local music just by pressing the button. With the Bose SoundTouch speakers, you have to use the app if you want to program internet radio stations to the preset buttons on the top of the speaker. When Bose first introduced their SoundTouch lineup, they had to be initially set up by plugging the speakers into a computer, configuring them, and then placing them in your home. Now set up can be completely done through the app. If you're planning on managing your streaming music through paid services like Apple Music and Spotify, then the Sonos family of speakers offer the best support. Which is right for you? The low-end is overstated, and a little distracting. This has an effect on the rest of the performance: there’s little real feeling of agility or dynamic expression, and the result is a performance that feels both unnatural and a little bored. Verdict Once connected, the SoundTouch software is basic across all platforms, but easy to navigate. The default-screen is the same six numbers that you find on the main unit.

Whether you want to play music from your computer, smartphone, or tablet, either streamed from the Internet or your own collection of songs, the Bose SoundTouch app is there to serve as the friendly but strict gatekeeper. The free software for PC, Mac, Android, and iOS controls and programs the SoundTouch 20 and any other SoundTouch speakers you want to use. And AirPlay works too—if it's on and connected, it will be available both through the SoundTouch app and through iOS and iTunes as an AirPlay device. In theory, you can plug in an iOS device or computer and just transfer your current settings over, but this didn’t work for us. The Sonos App will allow you to set up and manage new speakers as you expand your system. If you are using an iOS device, you can use Sonos Trueplay (which is built in to the iOS app) and it will use your device's microphone to calibrate your speakers for optimum performance in whatever room you set up your Sonos. Keep in mind, though, Trueplay is only available on iPhone and iPad. With the exception of Trueplay, the Sonos and Bose app experience are pretty similar. One important difference between the apps is the integrated services each system supports. Supported ServicesBoth let you program and control speakers throughout your home to play music. You can choose to have the same music on multiple speakers, or different music on individual speakers. The Bose SoundTouch 20 is a mixed bag. We like the idea of preset buttons, and being able to play our networked library with relative ease. They both have embedded OLED displays in the center that show connection and music data. Manual control consists of six physical preset buttons, AUX input, and a power button. The presets can be assigned to six favorites of your choice, perhaps your iTunes library, a Spotify playlist, or your favorite radio station. This is an excellent feature that will save you the trouble of taking out your phone every time you want to play something specific. Personalize your home with “living” presets like Spotify’s “Discover Weekly” or Pandora’s “Thumbprint Radio.” Always have a fresh list of favorites a touch away, without having to even find your phone. The Bose SoundTouch 20 adds additional features over the entry-level SoundTouch 10 while still offering exceptional, room-filling, audio. The design of the SoundTouch 20's speaker casing naturally produces punchy bass balanced through the high and midrange frequencies pushing through the SoundTouch's transducers. This means you end up hearing clean bass and warm high and mid-range frequencies.