Music hitches a ride on your home Wi-Fi

MANILA, Philippines - “Getting the music we love has changed dramatically over the last decade,” declares Alen Vaughn Zarate. “Programs like iTunes, Internet radio and online music services allow us to discover and play music in ways we couldn’t imagine not too long ago.”

The trainer for Eleksis Marketing Corp., local distributors of the iconic audio brand Bose, could not put it much simpler than that — and could not be closer to the truth. Consumption not just of music but entertainment in general has metamorphosed fully from an analog past into the digital now. Yesterday’s four-track tape reels have been replaced by CDs, then intangible files like mp3s and brethren appendages — to be compressed, rendered portable, and streamed across the miles from a nebulous origin somewhere in the vast ecosystem of the Internet. Music’s convergence with the data superhighway was just a matter of time.

While Internet-based audio platforms are nothing new, they were largely thought of as quick fixes for gadget-tethered people who demand music on the go — quality be-damned. Bluetooth and Airplay (for Apple devices) technology, on the other hand, addressed an innate need to share music with others via speaker systems that promised portability and performance — usually in that order.

Bose, traditionally known for quality sound reproduction, upped the music-on-the-go scene with its Bluetooth-capable products such as SoundLink speaker systems — while keeping things simple and easily understandable.

The company now leverages on its expertise and applies the same ethos to present a family of speakers that piggybacks on increasingly commonplace Wi-Fi connection — specifically home broadband connections.

Called SoundTouch, the three speaker products (SoundTouch 30, SoundTouch 20, and SoundTouch Portable) raise the bar in home audio by allowing users to stream quality music wirelessly to any room with the simple touch of a button. Audio material from online music services such as Pandora can be streamed into the SoundTouch, which also accommodates Internet radio stations, and the user’s music library managed by either iTunes or Windows. Speaking of which, SoundTouch also supports AirPlay.

Zarate says a minimum speed of 1.5 Mbps is needed to fully appreciate the streaming audio, but the system can work on considerably less with local (user) content. On its website, Bose insists users can build a system of up to four systems simultaneously connected wirelessly — depending again on bandwidth. To get around that, additional SoundTouch units can directly wired to the network via Ethernet port.

The SoundTouch also accommodates direct auxiliary and USB inputs. Use with the dedicated, free-to-download SoundTouch app for smartphones, tablets, or PCs/laptops gives even greater latitude and precision of control outside of the infrared remote control already bundled with the system. An OLED display on the unit provides ready source, song/station information, but the app opens a wealth of choices such as exploring new music, manage playlists, and choose from among said playlists.

“It’s a free and intuitive app compatible for all Android and iOS devices as well as Mac and PC computers,” continues Zarate.

There is some science-fiction wonderment in the level of control afforded the user. Imagine being in your upstairs bedroom, and controlling the SoundTouch in the living room. Things get even more flexible and interesting when multiple units are acquired and registered online to a single user. Zarate says units can be bunched together to form a single, powerful unit, or distributed throughout the house — each playing a different track.

The SoundTouch 30 (P49,500) is the largest and most powerful of the three models, featuring a high-power woofer to deliver thumping bass, while “two precisely positioned drivers tack the mid/high-range notes with crisp, vibrant definition.”

Costing P29,500, the SoundTrack 20 is smaller (12.4 inches wide, compared to the SoundTouch 20’s 17.1).

Priced similarly to the SoundTouch 20 is the SoundTouch Portable (9.8 inches wide), which utilizes a rechargeable lithium-ion battery pack to offer unplugged goodness of up to 2.5 hours at full volume. Like its bigger siblings, it also comes boxed with a remote control, but does not feature an Ethernet port.

“We believe that the way we enjoy music at home should be better,” insists Zarate, and the SoundTouch family is the quickest, easiest, and most convenient way to provide excellent multi-room sound experience and control for a growing number of homes that have broadband connection and Wi-Fi on tap.

“Nothing should get in the way of listening. It should be as easy as turning on a light,” the Bose trainer concludes.

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The SoundTouch line is available at all Bose stores located at various malls, including SM Aura Premier, SM Mall of Asia, SM Megamall, SM The Block, Glorietta 3, Power Plant Mall, Festival Super Mall, Greenbelt 5, Shangri-La Plaza, and TriNoma. For more product information, visit www.bose.com.