The new Bose SoundTouch 10 is considered to be one of the least expensive and smallest Wi-Fi speakers that the company has released.
Key Points
At the price of 200 dollars, the new mini speaker is a direct competitor to Sonos’ Play:1 speaker. These two speakers have many features in common, for example the size.
Although Bose is a little bit taller, featuring 8.34 by 5.56 by 3.43 inches, it is not a huge difference between the two. Moreover, the new Bose SoundTouch 10 is also a little lighter, weighing approximately 2.9 pounds, making it very portable. Unfortunately, even if it is compact, this new unit doesn’t have an integrated battery for on-the-go use. This means that users will have to plug the speaker into an outlet.
So, just like Sonos, users will have to connect the new Bose SoundTouch 10 to their Wi-Fi network and control operation via an app that is available for Android devices, but also for the iPad, iPod, iPhone and iPod Touch.
However, even if the phone or tablet can transform into a remote, Bose also adds a small remote control into the package.
Moreover, the speaker also comes with six physical buttons situated on top. Owners will be able to use these buttons for playlists from various music sources, including Pandora, Spotify or Deezer, but also from Internet radio stations. Unfortunately, there is no Apple Music service available.
However, it seems that Bose is starting to integrate new names into its SoundTouch app. Spotify is the new big name that the company has managed to add into its app. This is a good thing, because just like Sonos, Bose is constantly updating its app, improving the interface and adding new features.
Compared with the first year when Bose has launched its app, now, it is much easier to setup the system than it once was. However, Sonos probably has a better app and a wider selection of integrated streaming services, but Bose is coming hard from behind, being a serious competitor.
The new Bose SoundTouch 10 has a large variety of interesting features, and users will be able to do all kind of things. For example, owners will have the possibility to wirelessly link speakers to play the same track in separate rooms.
Unfortunately, for the moment customers will not be able to link two speakers to create a true stereo pair. However, this lack will probably be covered in the future.
Bose SoundTouch 10 Compatibility
Talking about file compatibility, the new Bose SoundTouch 10 is able to stream music from users’ network and supports playback of WMA, MP3, AAC, FLAC and Apple Lossless.
It is important to know that this speaker will only support CD-quality files and not 24-bit high-res files.
So, how is the sound?
Well, the sound is good, not as good as Sonos’ Play:1, but similar. This new speaker is very strong in the midrange, with a little treble push that adds clarity. However, at this price range, Bose SoundTouch 10 is considered to be one of the best Wi-Fi speakers on the market.
