The SoundTouch 10 is the smallest in Bose’s new speaker line-up but the price doesn’t reflect that. At $200 (Dh735), the device is a bit more expensive than it should be, making you expect a little more considering the brand.
The speaker lets you stream via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, integrates with services such as Spotify and Pandora, and has six memory buttons. All this is great, but the funny part is that the SoundTouch 10 only produces mono audio output — a strange decision on the part of Bose.
This device is a box. A fat rectangular one that measures 8.4x5.6x3.5 inches. It comes in black or white. Buttons on top include six numbered presets, volume, sound source/Bluetooth and power. The front has four LEDs showing the Wi-Fi, Bluetooth or auxiliary statuses. The SoundTouch 10 is not battery-powered and needs to be plugged in to work.
The Bose SoundTouch system is based on online streaming of services such as Pandora, Deezer and Spotify, all of which are free on Android and Apple app stores. It can also play music stored on networked devices like PCs and NAS drives, though the app doesn’t support playing audio directly from files on your mobile device — you need networked storage for it to work. On the bright side, if your PC or Mac is on your network and has music loaded on iTunes or Windows Media Player libraries, the SoundTouch app will be able to access it immediately.
This isn’t the loudest speaker around, especially considering it’s connected to a constant electrical supply, but is definitely a good speaker. It produces a good response on bass-heavy tunes such as 2014’s Nobody To Love by Sigma, though it’s sometimes a bit too heavy even on lower volumes. However, play a slower track like Lionel Richie’s karaoke classic Hello, and you’ll find voices are more evident than tones, with Richie’s voice coming through rich and clear.
One noticeable issue is that you cannot link the SoundTouch with another to create stereo sound, a feature that is common now. Bose says it will be updating firmware this year to include this but we’ll discuss that when it happens. It feels like something is missing.
The Bose SoundTouch is a good home speaker for normal use while working or lounging but won’t be your best friend in case a few mates drop by and it turns into a party.
