soundtouch/soundlink

[Mandymoo]

I have several Soundtouch speakers and was advised at the shop the Soundlink was comparable. Now if out it isn't so 2 questions please
1, is there a waterproof Soundtouch speaker available that can be put into a bathroom?
2, is the Rotate the same as Colour and is Bluetooth only?

Confused .com and thanks

[Tony_G]

Hi Mandymoo,

Thanks for posting. Those are great questions! To answer them in order

• For a completely waterproof speaker, I would recommend the SoundLink Micro that is waterproof for up to 3ft of water.
• If you are referring to the SoundLink Revolve, It is similar to the SoundLink Color but provides 360 degree sound. It is Bluetooth and also you can use an AUX cable.

Regards,

Tony G - Community Support

[Mandymoo]

Cheers Tony,

Neither are comparable with my Soundtouch system though?

[Joel_D]

Hello Mandymoo,

Which SoundTouch system are you looking to compare?

Kind Regards,

Joel - Community Support

[Mandymoo]

Hi Joel,

I have 2 x Soundtouch 10 and a 300 sound bar with sub woof.
I would like 1 for the garden hence I thought of the Revolve and 1 to put in a bathroom if possible.
Preferably ones that will link together

Any advice please?

Mandy

[Rock Dancing]

Hi Mandy,

Soundtouch and Soundlink are totally different platforms, so you can't sync them.  I suppose "comparable" could mean they are both made by Bose and have dedicated apps, but they are not compatible.  Soundtouch does it's syncing through your wifi network, whereas Soundlink is bluetooth only.  Certain Soundlink speakers can sync with each other through their app in "party mode" but this is limited to bluetooth ranges (smaller distances than wifi).  The type of products you're looking for (portable, waterproof Soundtouch speakers) don't exist.  I wish they did too, but I don't expect them to ever be developed at this point.  You aren't the first to ask about this on here.  My guess is that wifi is simply too power-hungry for the smaller battery powered speakers.  Even the Soundtouch Portable, which was still a big speaker in comparison to most portables, was phased out years ago.  I think the only way to get a waterproof speaker on the Soundtouch platform is that there is a Bose waterproof speaker that can be connected to one of their Soundtouch receivers (SA-??).  Too expensive for me, but it's an option for some people.

[Mandymoo]

Yeah I was kinda thinking that also. Shame really.
It would have been nice to have them all work together.
I'm sure I read in a forum somewhere that Bose won't be investing any more money into Soundtouch and it's being phased out (?) Surely not....... I hope.

We only invested last year on this instead of Sonos because of the good name and reliability of Bose.

Mandy

[Rock Dancing]

The "official" response from Bose is something like "We plan to continue to support Soundtouch products for the forseeable future." The Airplay 2 update is still planned for the ST systems with bluetooth only (not the older systems which had Airplay 1).  Beyond that, they have been silent regarding potential new features or products.  The "official" answer to any request is to watch this board for announcements.  With the introduction of their new Alexa speakers, I highly doubt Bose will develop new speakers for the ST line; probably the best we can hope for is for them not to complete abandon the development of new features that would be in addition to the promised Airplay update.

[Mandymoo]

Cheers Rock,

Possibly an "Alexa" style system next?
Such a kick in the teeth if it's abandoned and very poor form.

If I wanted (And I dont) and Alexa I would buy one.

M

[Rock Dancing]

I think the biggest reason why people feel like Bose could be abadoning the ST line is because they have been absolutely clear that Soundtouch will never integrate with their newer Smart/Alexa Speakers.  At this point, they've promised us nothing beyond Airplay 2 and "continuing support" which could mean as little as that they continue to address customer service questions.  They've mentioned that they're working on Spotify and Audible integration for Alexa with their new speakers, but not for ST.

It's impossible to guess what the future holds.  The way they distribute their resources may depend heavily on how well their new smart speakers sell.  I wasn't at all suprised that they put out a smart speaker with a microphone (other companies were doing this, and they had started Alexa integration in ST), but I was shocked that it wasn't part of the ST line.  There's a lot of competition in this market, and they've sort of put themselves in the position of competing with themselves (or at least, with their current owners) by not integrating the formats.