In theory, you can plug in an iOS device or computer and just transfer your current settings over, but this didn’t work for us. With the exception of Trueplay, the Sonos and Bose app experience are pretty similar. One important difference between the apps is the integrated services each system supports. Supported Services They both have embedded OLED displays in the center that show connection and music data. Manual control consists of six physical preset buttons, AUX input, and a power button. The presets can be assigned to six favorites of your choice, perhaps your iTunes library, a Spotify playlist, or your favorite radio station. This is an excellent feature that will save you the trouble of taking out your phone every time you want to play something specific. Scale, power and volume distinguish the SoundTouch 20 from its little brother, the SoundTouch 10, and they are more than decent for its price and size.

Whether you want to play music from your computer, smartphone, or tablet, either streamed from the Internet or your own collection of songs, the Bose SoundTouch app is there to serve as the friendly but strict gatekeeper. The free software for PC, Mac, Android, and iOS controls and programs the SoundTouch 20 and any other SoundTouch speakers you want to use. And AirPlay works too—if it's on and connected, it will be available both through the SoundTouch app and through iOS and iTunes as an AirPlay device. To set up the SoundTouch 20, you need to plug it into your computer through the included micro USB cable and run the SoundTouch app. It's an incredibly simple process that walked me through configuring the speaker to access my Wi-Fi network, registering my iTunes library, and setting up my Pandora account. It was painless, but there was no option to set up the SoundTouch 20 wirelessly with my iPad.When you set up your first Sonos speaker, it will use your home's Wi-Fi to create its own, dedicated wireless network called SonosNet. This wireless system exists outside of your home's Wi-Fi and is the primary method your Sonos system will use to communicate with other speakers in the system and to stream music. SonosNet will reduce congestion on your home Wi-Fi, and will allow you to easily add additional speakers, making it simple to expand your home audio system. The Sonos App will allow you to set up and manage new speakers as you expand your system. If you are using an iOS device, you can use Sonos Trueplay (which is built in to the iOS app) and it will use your device's microphone to calibrate your speakers for optimum performance in whatever room you set up your Sonos. Keep in mind, though, Trueplay is only available on iPhone and iPad. Have a library of your favorite albums and artists? Connect your laptop or NAS drive to have access to your stored music libraries. It’s a comfortable listen – insightful and clean – and while it may favour a club beat, doesn’t turn its nose up to the more folksy sound of a man and his guitar. The low-end is overstated, and a little distracting. This has an effect on the rest of the performance: there’s little real feeling of agility or dynamic expression, and the result is a performance that feels both unnatural and a little bored. Verdict

And if you’ve bought into the whole Apple ecosystem, you may like the system’s network integration. A tiny tab on the right leads you to the options, where you can browse for music. You can also add extra SoundTouch devices for a multi-room system. With the Bose SoundTouch speakers, you have to use the app if you want to program internet radio stations to the preset buttons on the top of the speaker. When Bose first introduced their SoundTouch lineup, they had to be initially set up by plugging the speakers into a computer, configuring them, and then placing them in your home. Now set up can be completely done through the app. These presets offers instant access to your favorite music without needing your smartphone,tablet, or computer on-hand. It's an incredibly handy and simple feature that combines the ideas of a multi-room audio system with a dedicated Internet radio device. Unfortunately, you can't set any of your favorite playlists from other streaming music services like Spotify if it's not available on the app. It looks fine on a phone (the control app is free on iOS and Android), but it’s a poor use of space on larger screens.

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Experience your favorite music from one or many SoundTouch® speakers, with the SoundTouch® app. SoundTouch® is a family of wireless speakers for your home that play the same music throughout, or different music in different rooms. Personalize your home with “living” presets like Spotify’s “Discover Weekly” or Pandora’s “Thumbprint Radio.” Always have a fresh list of favorites a touch away, without having to even find your phone. If you're planning on managing your streaming music through paid services like Apple Music and Spotify, then the Sonos family of speakers offer the best support. Which is right for you? Ask Alexa to control your SoundTouch system. Be sure to use the name you gave your system in the SoundTouch app. For example, if you named your system “Kitchen,” try these commands: Both let you program and control speakers throughout your home to play music. You can choose to have the same music on multiple speakers, or different music on individual speakers.