Why did you end-of-life ST 130 a year after release?

[VC9]

Dear Mike Angelo and Bose team:

I own three SoundTouch systems ($2500 spend). Overall happy with them, with some annoyances, particuarly lack of Airplay in series III and no multiroom with Airplay on series II. Anyways, my biggest gripe is that seem like you are going to make my $1500 investment on ST 130 worthless soon. I noticed that a year from release, it was removed from shelves of the stores, its no longer listed online, and now you have its new shiny rival ST 300. Will you send a ST 130s replacement with a ST 300 and a woofer for free to all your loyal customers? Probably not. Well, then can you explain why are you not delivering feature parity on ST 130 as you are to the ST 300, ST 30, etc.? 

When I bought my ST 130 from Bose store, the manager called Bose central office and confirmed that I'll have multi-room audio with Aux in a few months. Well, that was Nov 2015. Its been well over than a few months. I recently saw your post that multi-room Aux will finally be here but not on ST 130, with a perfect excuse of hardware not support. There are many engineers on this forum, so would you care to explain what exactly is missing from the ST 130 hardware? 

Mike, like you, I own a product line and I understand the cost of keeping up old releases. Sometimes, you have to make tough choices. However, we don't detract a $1500 product a year from release. Or if we have make a tough choice, we find a way to make up to our loyal customers.

Your actions like killing a $1500 product after 1 year creates customer dissatisfaction, which is the no. 1 reason for customer disloyalty (you obviously understand that). So, please do us a favor and explain what should your loyal ST 130 customers do? 

Best regards,

Fellow Product Manager 

[louisp]

We are very pleased with our ST 130 yet it is distessing to have purchased it then discover the totally new ST 300 was so quickly released.  No one can argue the fact that both new and used 130's have reduced to discount prices.  We shall continue to enjoy our 130 while closely monitorinntoring  Bose's soundbar marketing tatics.  Do I want a 300, yes.  Can I afford to write off my 130 no. 

[KS.A]

The Cinemate 130 was introduced in 2014. At that time, it was sold alongside the Series I Soundtouch adapter, though this was not included in the Cinemate 130 box.

The Soundtouch 130 was introduced in 2015, and sold alongside the Series II Soundtouch adapter; this time, the Series II Soundtouch adapter was included in the Soundtouch 130 box.

The Series I adapter was Wi-Fi only, whereas the Series II adapter is also Bluetooth capable.

If you were to purchase a Cinemate 130 system today, you would still purchase the Soundtouch Adapter separately; however, you would purchase the Series II Soundtouch adapter, which is Bluetooth capable, as the Series I Soundtouch adapter is no longer sold.

Since the systems are otherwise identical, the Cinemate 130 is just as compatible with the Series II Soundtouch adapter as the Soundtouch 130. The only difference is whether the adapter is included in the box.

https://community.bose.com/t5/SoundTouch-Archive/Bose-Cinemate-130-V-s-SoundTouch130/m-p/20675

( posted by Bose on 12-11-2015)

I am not engineer, as per my basic understanding

 wireless adapter is key source & component that has ability to connect other soundtouch speakers and woofer (wifi or bluethooth) and can be modified/ changed for its compatibility to par with any soundtouch system or speakers.

I am sure that bose engineers are enough capable to develop new sountouch wirless adapter for ST 130 (as did for Cinemate 130) so that it can be enhance ST 130 capability like ST 300.

But you will intentionally not doing it, as if its done people will not buy costly ST 300 which is actually inferior to ST 130 for its sound crispness and clarity

So actually bose is making fool to old users/customers on the stand of hardware issue of ST 130.which may be solved by developing new ST 130 wirless adapter which may work like ST 300 .

[louisp]

Our only interest in the ST 130's wi-fi is for updates.  I am intrigued by your statement "....... ST 300 which is actually inferior to ST 130 for its sound crispness and clarity".  How did you discover that important fact?  I have not had an opportunity to compare the ST130 and ST300 side by side. 

[James_S]

The jack where the soundtouch adapter connects to the st130 head unit is probably only any input. Whatever is connected to the hdmi inputs on the head unit doesn't get sent to that jack for its audio to be re-broadcast through the soundtouch adapter.

[JB2]

Bose needs to step up and offer us 130 suckers a new piece of hardware that will render the 130 actually useful and able to broadcast aux, tv or any inputs to fix this calamity.

Dont they realize that if they opened up the aux rebroadcast that most angry folks would simply plug their Apple TV into the aux hdmi and boom....Apple Music through Bose Scamtouch. That would eliminate at least half of the angry posters on this forum right off the bat.

I think the ST 130 actually sounds amazing....but so did my 20+ year old Bose 321 system that couldn't rebroadcast anything either.

I'm going to plunk down a few thousand this weekend to get my vacation cabin wired for sound and I'll be gosh darned if I'm going to spend a rusty nickel on anything with the name Bose on it.....Congrats Sonos, you won my biz and dispensible income.

[KS.A]

as per previuos clarification by bose

https://community.bose.com/t5/SoundTouch-Speakers/Anyone-move-from-SoundTouch-130-to-300/m-p/24488

 "SoundTouch 130 soundbar houses more speakers in a different configuration than the SoundTouch 300 to give you a more immersive sound from just the soundbar and bass module combination."

ony drawback that it dsn't  have rear sourround sound capabilities, that can be possible with reengineering of external soundtouch adapter as didi with cinemate 130...but Bose will not do as they know if they do,,, existing and new users  will not buy there new baby... ST300.

[louisp]

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@JB2 wrote:

Bose needs to step up and offer us 130 suckers a new piece of hardware that will render the 130 actually useful and able to broadcast aux, tv or any inputs to fix this calamity.

Dont they realize that if they opened up the aux rebroadcast that most angry folks would simply plug their Apple TV into the aux hdmi and boom....Apple Music through Bose Scamtouch. That would eliminate at least half of the angry posters on this forum right off the bat.

I think the ST 130 actually sounds amazing....but so did my 20+ year old Bose 321 system that couldn't rebroadcast anything either.

I'm going to plunk down a few thousand this weekend to get my vacation cabin wired for sound and I'll be gosh darned if I'm going to spend a rusty nickel on anything with the name Bose on it.....Congrats Sonos, you won my biz and dispensible income.

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JB2, Everyone has the right to their own opinion yet I take issue with your hard line approach with Bose based on connectivity with Apple TV.  In theory you may be able to run Apple TV though your television then sent the audio to the 130 via optical.  Did you contact Apple TV for assistance?  In my humble opinion, I do not believe Bose has proposely short changed 130 owners.  I truly hop you find resolutions to all your issues.

[JB2]

In that case I would only get audio back to the ST 130.

I use the ATV4 for Netflix, SlingTV, movies, gaming, etc. and the optical wouldnt bring that back.

ATV4 only has one hdmi in/out so I have to choose between going direct to tv and bypass the 130 or go ATV to 130 for big sound.

Like it or not, Apple is the predominant force of supplying media to the masses. Bose's job is to take that media and creatively splash it all over our lives in as many (revenue generating) ways possible, like Sonos does, or risk losing their customers.

The ST 130 was sold to me mand many others direct by Bose reps at Bose stores with the promise and assurance Bose was going to be releasing future updates that would render the systems current and useful (ie Apple Music, Aux rebroadcasting, etc.) and like a loyal dog I held on...and on...and on....until my product return window expired and am left holding the bag of a very expensive bluetooth speaker....and then they drop the 120 & 130 line alltogether....what kind of leading product company does something like that without offering a work around or patch?....devise and make me purchase an "add on" for all I care but for god sakes offer something. 

[louisp]

Okay, my idea is to run a HDMI from your ATV to your tv for all video then run an optical or audio coxial from your ATV to the 130 for all ATV audio.  A remote can be programmed to identify and change inputs and outputs as necessary.  Consult your ATV guide and CSR's as you deem necessary.  I will gladly help anyway I can.