Bose 2x SoundTouch 20 Series III Wireless Music System with Remote Control, Black

2020-07-14T20:00:00

I got a SoundTouch 20 over a year ago, and it really fills up a large bedroom. Works equally well in a slightly larger living area. Bass booms a bit, (so good for music with cellos). Wish it had some bass/treble equaliser controls. However, the set up and control is through an app (android in my case). This is _the flakiest software_ possible. What irks me most is that at least once or twice a week, I have to redo the set up, most often because there is some trivial update to the app. The set up to wifi is not at all intuitive, with the app not being able to get things right three out of four times. The error messages are downright useless. "Service unavailable with a blinking icon". Move your speaker to another room, and chances are that you will have to redo the setup all over again, and if there is a software upgrade this can take up to 15-20 minutes.

TrustButVerify

Originally posted at

2020-06-11T20:00:00

I have been using this speakers for almost 5 years now but then recently the back plate has started coming off the frame with the bass drops. I didn't see this coming since Bose is known for its durability.

Ahitagni

Originally posted at

2020-05-27T20:00:00

I have owned a pair of these speakers for over a year. WHEN they work, they sound great, I can’t fault them. The is around the Bose app and connectivity. The speakers, working on the app as a pair, in stereo constantly disconnect and using them is a constant Faff. Ad to that, I’m the only one in the house who seems to be able to coax them into life, so no one ever uses them as it’s too much hassle. If I knew what I know now, when I was stood in the Bose shop, I would definitely not made a purchase. As it stands, I’m sadly looking at putting them on eBay, at significant financial loss and buying something more reliable. Pity, as I have a Bose soundbar in another room that is faultless.

Andy H.

Originally posted at

2020-03-19T20:00:00

I bought this a couple of years ago and it worked well enough until I upgraded my iMac to run Catalina and now the speaker does not recognise any music stored on my computer. This speaker is NOT compatible with Apple OS.

Matt123

Originally posted at

2020-03-18T20:00:00

right so a little story for you all, yesterday we realised that it may be the last day me and my mates see each other for a very long time thanks to a well known pandemic after the main party finished a couple of us were not ready to call it a day so so we headed back to my house and fired this bad boy up in the living room bit of context, the living room is on the 3rd floor of the house anyway after many hours I looked at my phone to find out that I had numerous complaints of many of my flatmates for waking them up due to the "bass being too loud" (this was partly Eric Prydz to thank for this) even more amazing is how the people complaining lived in the basement of the house! that's 4 floors below where we were with all doors and stuff shut!!! as my friend said at the time "the speaker has 4 floors of damage"

lewis

Originally posted at

2020-03-13T20:00:00

its been over a year and I cannot get the thing to work, so much for the John Lewis service

Siocair

Originally posted at

2020-02-22T19:00:00

I am using ST20 for almost 2 years now... Absolutely no regret of buying it. Its simply amazing. Easy to connect with Mobile and TV through Bluetooth and with aux as well. Quality of surround sound is unbeatable. Truely Dolby experience. Superb....

Amit G.

Originally posted at

2020-02-15T19:00:00

Speaker disconnects from wi fi and will not reconnect automatically. Tried all obvious fixes to no avail. Possible fault after little use.

Nickname

Originally posted at

2020-01-02T19:00:00

I bought this after owning 2 other Bose speakers and loving them. I did my research. I now find that the Amazon Alexa is not able to do all the commands on the Australian version. Come on Bose update the Australian app so we can use presets and other commands. Thank you

KazzaW

Originally posted at

2019-12-31T19:00:00

For a premium sound product the software design and operation of the networking leaves much to be desired. I have 2 Soundtouch 20s and a Soundtouch 10. I was going to expand my music setup with more Soundtouch devices earlier this year. I gave that idea up and am converting to Yamaha (my main hi-fi system is all Yamaha components). It would be great if Bose can provide some priority to fix a longstanding issue to have these speakers operate seamlessly on home networks like other products from Sonos, Yamaha, Samsung, LG etc. The Soundtouch 20 and 10 devices fail abysmally as consumer products because: - I have to regularly setup each of my devices 2-3 times per week because the connection has dropped or an update is forced through the Soundtouch app on my Android tablet. Other devices - Yamaha, various TVs, android tablets, CCTV etc do not behave like this.setup - The Soundtouch app on android is not exactly user friendly or intuitive and should provide an option to upgrade speakers or not. - All the advice provided on the BOSE forums to resolve the connectivity issue does not definitively or actually resolve it. Configuration and checking things like static dns, wavelength band and other network settings should not be necessary (see competitors devices) for home consumers. Reboots and calling doubt on routers and other equipment is ill informed advice from a company like BOSE and again unacceptable for consumer products. As this issue has been unresolved for several years (based on the forum threads) and my internet search for a solution, it is dissapointing that BOSE cannot resolve this significant operational problem and it certainly has impacted on my decision to change systems and actively discourage others from purchasing these units.

cfv

Originally posted at

2019-12-31T19:00:00

I bought the SoundTouch 20 and 30. Very happy with the quality sound. I have several throughout the house and by the pool which provides excellent sound. Very easy to set up as well!

PatrickinYuma

Originally posted at

2019-12-27T19:00:00

Applies equally to ST20 and 30 - when all connected together, the speakers drop out only to come back in again a few minutes later. At this price, they should not be doing this. Bose is very much aware - read the reviews, but seemingly unable or unwilling to fix the issue. It is not the wifi - unlimited giga and speakers have excellent signal. Works well with the app and spotify. Sucks royally at keeping the clock on the front screen - sometimes there, sometimes not. Nigh-on impossible to set up with the wifi they generate - seems very hit and miss - when it works, there is no reason why it did that time and not the 15 times before that. When they work, lovely sound, but the irritations make me wish I had bought something else. Bose don't seem that interested in fixing the basics on these.

dtec

Originally posted at

2019-12-25T19:00:00

Purchase various soundtouch speaker for each room in the house. Hardly ever used as every time you switch on they won’t connect, sync or cannot find speaker. Endless time speaking to Bose support who just suggest it is a BT internet problem. They get them working and then next day same problem. These are not cheap pieces of kit and shockingly bad experience.

Unhappy

Originally posted at

2019-12-18T19:00:00

My Sound Touch 20 sounds awesome, however the app for this unit on my new Samsung SE 10 phone sucks! Everyday I get home from work I have to reboot the speaker! Anyone else have this issue??

Pete

Originally posted at

2019-12-11T19:00:00

I bought it 3 months back and so happy listening music. I mostly pair with my iphone via bluetooth. Sincerely speaking sound and bass work perfectly for any songs. Me and my 5 year child enjoying so much since then. I am become fan of bose after expirence soundtouch 20. It is perfect for moderate to large room even in living room it is very good. I kept my St 20 in living room which is quite big and it sound amazing even in that. Initially i want ST30 for living room but in the end i bought ST20 for its smaller size and portable. So happy that it work perfectly ggod in living room also.

Pramit M.

Originally posted at

2019-12-04T19:00:00

I’m alone putting a small speaker in a pipe for acoustic purposes that should give you a idea on how this speaker sounds 2 thumbs down

Cris

Originally posted at

2019-12-02T19:00:00

I just bought my second SoundTouch 20. The sound is excellent. The six presets are convenient -- I just press 6 and I get my classical music, or 1 and I get NPR in the morning. But the setup app is cumbersome, and the setting of a preset has become more difficult in the past three months -- now I must do it through the TuneIn part of the app. Before I could just stream my station and press the preset for two seconds until it beeped. You need a Steve Jobs to make it simple.

Peterh9

Originally posted at

2019-12-01T19:00:00

I am actually listening to the speaker as I write the review. Personally not a fan of smart speakers like Google Home, Apple HomePod, Alexa, etc. I was also after a speaker similar to my trusty old BOSE Sound Dock Portable speaker. The SoundTouch 10 while still sounding great for it's size, it just lacked that depth in the sound for my liking. The SoundTouch 30 sounds epic but it was too big for what I wanted to use it for and was out of my price range. This is where the SoundTouch 20 came in. It still offered a great sound, good size and good value! Cosmetically - it looks the goods especially with the gloss gunmetal grey carbon-fibre like effect at the top, the front looks good with the glossy screen in the centre and brushed steel SoundTouch emblem. For it's size, it's got some weight to it! Technicality - if you purchase one of these and want to set up SoundTouch, you need to plug it in to Ethernet first to download an update. They don't want to set up wirelessly out fo the box. Being an I.T. guy, I worked out that it must use an older wireless security setting/protocol that is not supported by many devices. A quick software update via the Ethernet cable did the trick and the SoundTouch app set up wirelessly without issue. I have it connected to my home network via wireless and operate the speaker using the SoundTouch app. Love it. Such a good little speaker. Perfect for our front lounge/relax room.

ON555

Originally posted at

2019-11-30T19:00:00

Very happy with the quality and sound&base . Sound touch 20 is a great speaker . I have sound touch 20 and 30 and I have to say that 20 does the job even for large rooms I was extremely surprised how loud this speaker is . love the feature where you can pair the speakers and preset station without having to use the bluetooth on my phone

Santtal6

Originally posted at

2019-11-29T19:00:00

Works well with music such as Paul Simon’s Graceland, or Cat Steven’s Tea for the Tillerman. The base notes are clear and authentic sounding. However with classical music the base is shallow and intermittent, and distracting, making it unlistenable. There is no way to alter the base response. I am returning it.

glenthepotter

Originally posted at

2019-11-28T19:00:00

Bose did a good job in improving the app, easily installed under ten minutes with only couple click. Sounds was good for a small living room, I love the fact I can browse Internet radios around the world.

Winnie

Originally posted at

2019-10-20T20:00:00

I bought the system yesterday only and amazed with the sound. Great feeling

RAJIB

Originally posted at

2019-10-15T20:00:00

I had my bose for 2 years and i love it. I have a 22 pound ion speaker and this speaker blows it out of the water! On a mistake i fonund it in the rain and it was still working! My only complant is the lcd display is very easy to damage but for about $50-$100 you can get it fixed. DO NOT WASTE ANY MORE TIME AND BUY THIS SPEAKER ITS 100% WORTH IT.

AWIRE9966_09onpc

Originally posted at

2019-10-13T20:00:00

I bought this speaker a very long time ago and i have noticed that although the sound is pretty good, but I have had frequent issues with connectivity. It disconnects from the wifi very often but bluetooth issues occur very rarely. The app isnt very polished as it doesnt detect the speaker with ease and reconnecting/readding the speaker is a lengthy and annoying process.

Ryan

Originally posted at

2019-10-02T20:00:00

Sound quality is great. The speaker frequently loses WiFi connection. I have to go through reconnection process about 2 times a week. Very annoying. None of my other devices have this problem.

Bink

Originally posted at

2019-09-28T20:00:00

I HAVE SOUNDTOUCH 20 SEVERAL YEARS, ALWAYS SHUTS OFF, I GET THE UPDATES "ASSUMING" IT WOULD BE FIXED. I GOT TIRED AND VERY DISAPPOINTED SO I PUT IT IN THE SHED AND FORGOT ABOUT IT. BROUGHT IT BACK OUT, PLUGGED IT IN DID ANOTHER UPDATE AND STILL SHUTS OFF BY ITSELF...UNREAL.

August B.

Originally posted at

2019-09-20T20:00:00

I bought this and enjoyed the sound.... but when it came to updating it is quite a chore when you have to move to the room where to connect to your desktop to update the system over USB... then later it just quit working on the Wifi which I atributed to poor Wifi iwithin the same floor of my home, that is within 25' of distance. Then today, I went ahead and brought it back by my desktop for a USB update.... even its USB was not very reliable that I had to connect and disconnect several times.... the worst was struggling to get WIFI connection... which I then decided to hook it up over ethernet to my router. The ethernet connection to the Soundtouch is live and has connectivity, and still Soundtouch did not get any connection... now I have no use of this unit which is an expensive unit and outside of warranty. I am terribly disappointed.... trying to get tech support is a couple hrs...

legno

Originally posted at

2019-09-17T20:00:00

You cannot play iTunes vía SoundTouch app. They don’t have the option for iTunes services and cannot use AirPlay

Despinel

Originally posted at

2019-09-10T20:00:00

The software/setup was a iffy for me in a loop of not finding speaker or WiFi network. perseverance is needed until all are located, which can mean switching off and on again a few times!! But in the end it works and is a blast, hooked up an old wave system with the Bose sound link module, these are gold!!

LesB

Originally posted at

2019-09-07T20:00:00

I've had this product for over 2 years and it works great. I would recommend using an ethernet cable to setup and use. Everything, especially updates, go a lot quicker and faster.

HotBoyHarry

Originally posted at