#BoseSoundtouch

Craig Whitaker

May 6, 2019
1 min

Can I use an Indoor TV Outdoors?

As more and more people expand their outdoor Living Spaces, we are always asked can’t I just use an indoor TV outside? Our answer is always the same, “We will never sell or install a client’s indoor TV outside”. From our standpoint, the reason is liability. Any responsible contractor understands the risk of installing any products outside that is not approved for outdoor use. From a homeowner’s standpoint, using an indoor TV outside is often appealing. Weatherproof TV’s are

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Craig Whitaker

Apr 29, 2019
1 min

How Can I Check My Outdoor Speakers?

With Memorial Day just around the corner, many of our clients are using their outdoor speakers for the 1sttime this season. Our office has already scheduled 3 service calls for outdoor speakers. Before you incur the expenses of a service call, there are a couple of things you can try. First, check the wire connections at the speakers. Be sure the connections are good and haven’t been chewed by animals. If the connections are good, confirm that the outdoor amplifier is plugge

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Craig Whitaker

Apr 22, 2019
1 min

Will Upgrading My older Bose Speakers Improve the Sound Quality in My Music Zones?

We recently had a call from a past client that wanted to improve the sound in their music zones and questioned whether they could upgrade their existing Bose speakers. If your existing Bose speakers are over 10 years old, the answer is yes. If you have the in-wall/in ceiling Bose 191 speakers, the premium in-ceiling replacement speaker is Model 791; for in-wall applications, the premium replacement speaker is the Model 891. Both of these speakers sell for $599 a pair. For out

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Craig Whitaker

Apr 15, 2019
1 min

Thinking of cutting the cord?

Many people, especially millenialsare fed up with high cable bills and are contemplating cutting the cord. Before you take out those scissors, there are a couple of things to consider. First, what TV channels do I want? If you are satisfied with the free over air channels, you will need a TV antenna and an idea what over the air TV signals can you receive with the antenna. Regarding the antennas, there are 2 types, outside, which are, mounted to the roof or side of your home

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Craig Whitaker

Mar 17, 2019
1 min

What is the difference between weather proof and weather resistant?

As spring approaches and we begin to shop or add electronic devices for our outdoor living spaces, it’s a good time to review and understand the differences between weather proof and weather resistant. For most manufacturers, weather resistant products are designed for outdoor use but not directly exposed to the various weather elements. An example would be speakers used in an enclosed porch or under a deck. On the other hand, weatherproof products are designed to be expos

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Craig Whitaker

Mar 4, 2019
1 min

What are the differences between the Bose Home Theater systems?

During In Home Consultations, the question that always comes up is what is the difference between the Bose Home Theater systems? Simply put, the only difference is the speakers and the resulting sound quality. To re-cap, Bose offers three 5.1 home theater surround systems, Lifestyle 600, Lifestyle BIV, and the Lifestyle 650. Please note, the Lifestyle BIV system is only available through Bose certified dealers. With all three systems, the Bose console and powered bass speak

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Craig Whitaker

Feb 11, 2019
1 min

How to explain an Alexa Skill?

There is an old adage; sometimes the student is the better teacher. That happened this week during a consultation. I was struggling trying to explain the Bose Alexa skill, and Alexa skills in general. After what seemed to be an eternity, the client looked at me and said, “It appears that these skills work like the apps on my phone”. Bingo! The client just taught me the perfect way to explain Alexa Skills, apps for your Alexa. Like an app, Alexa skills help you accomplish var

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Craig Whitaker

Feb 4, 2019
1 min

What does “wireless rear speakers” really mean?

Many manufacturers promote wireless rear speakers for their home theater systems. This has led to much confusion during installations since many clients expect that a speaker is mounted on the wall, programmed and then ready to go. This is not the case. All speakers require power, rear speakers included, and power is not wireless. This wireless feature does eliminate the need to run wires from the console/receiver to the rear speakers. This is especially helpful when there i

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Craig Whitaker

Jan 27, 2019
1 min

Can I add a 2nd bass speaker to my Bose system?

Everyone’s preferred sound is different, some like a natural sound; others want the bass to shake the house. After our installers run Adapt IQ, which adjusts the Bose Lifestyle system, based your room’s acoustic characteristics, clients often ask our installers how to increase the bass. This can be done in 2 ways. First for minor adjustments, you can increase the bass output though your remote control. First select the More button, AV settings, and then bass. From here, you c

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Craig Whitaker

Jan 16, 2019
1 min

What do I need to know about upgrading my Bose Lifestyle system?

Many people are upgrading their older Bose Lifestyle Home Theater systems to the new Lifestyle 600, 650, and BIV systems to take advantage of some of the new great features such as Soundtouch streaming music and 4K video capabilities. There are 3 important things everyone should know regarding installing the new system. First, the 5 speaker wires that are currently connected to the bass speaker will need to be relocated to the rear of the new system console. The home theater

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Craig Whitaker

Jan 2, 2019
1 min

What is the Difference between Bose Soundtouch Speakers and Bose Smart Speakers?

Clients have asked what is the difference between Bose Soundtouch speakers and Bose Smart speakers. There are a couple of significant differences to consider when selecting between the two product lines. The first is the Alexa control. With the Smart speaker products, Alexa control is built into the product. With the Soundtouch products, control is through an external Alexa device using the Bose Alexa skill set. The 2ndconsideration, a larger one, is the number of available S

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Craig Whitaker

Dec 12, 2018
1 min

Can I Control My Bose Soundtouch System with Amazon’s Alexa?

Many people are getting the Amazon Alexa device for the holidays and want to know if their Bose Soundtouch music system can be controlled with Alexa. The answer is yes. You can control most Bose Soundtouch systems with Amazon Echo, Echo Dot, Tap or any Alexa-enabled device. The 1ststep is to download the Bose Soundtouch Control Skill into your Amazon account. Once you have done this, you will need to enter your Bose Soundtouch account’s username and password. That’s it, your

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Craig Whitaker

Dec 5, 2018
1 min

How Can I connect my new TV to my Bose system? Part #2

Last week we reviewed how to connect your new smart TV to your newer Bose system. This week, we would like to review connecting your new smart TV to an older CD/DVD based Bose Home Theater system. With these older systems, your video components connected to the various inputs of your TV and the audio are connected directly to the Bose system. The simplest method to connect your new TV to the Bose system is to connect your various components directly to the HDMI inputs of you

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Craig Whitaker

Nov 28, 2018
1 min

How Can I connect my new TV to my Bose system? Part #1

During the holiday season, many of our clients will be purchasing new smart TV’s and will be asking is my new TV compatible with my Bose system and how do I connect it to my Bose system. The new smart TV’s are compatible with most Bose systems. How you connect the new TV depends on which Bose system you have. If you have one of the newer Bose Home Theater systems with Soundtouch streaming, your video components are connected directly to your Bose system’s console/receiver and

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Craig Whitaker

Nov 14, 2018
1 min

Can I still have a hard-wired, non-streaming system installed?

Recently some clients have asked if hard-wired, non-streaming residential music systems can still be installed. The reasons vary from vacation homes with no Internet service to clients with no interest in using streaming music services. The answer is yes. We have installed this type of system a few times during the past few months for clients who want to play their favorite over the air radio station or their CD collection throughout their homes. The basic design includes a

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Craig Whitaker

Nov 7, 2018
1 min

What is 5G?

Much talk is starting to surface about 5G technology and our clients are now asking about 5G during our In Home Consultations. First, 5G stands for 5thGeneration of cellular technology. Developers of 5G are promising speeds of 10-100 times faster than current 4G or LTE cellular services. But it’s more than speed, 5G will reduce latency and allow more devices to be connected. Latency is the response time from clicking a link on your phone to when you actually see the website

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Craig Whitaker

Oct 24, 2018
1 min

Is my in ceiling/in floor Bose bass speaker compatible with the new Bose Lifestyle systems?

Many of our clients have older Bose systems that had in-ceiling/in-floor bass speakers. These systems were known as Bose BIV systems and were often sold through homebuilders for new construction homes. These systems are now 20-25 years old and are starting to experience issues with the CD based Media Centers and amplifier, TA series. Since the TA amplifiers and CD based Media Centers are no longer manufactured and cannot be repaired due to lack of parts, clients are asking i

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Craig Whitaker

Oct 17, 2018
1 min

What is a network access point?

Everyday more and more devices are being connected to your home’s Wi-Fi network. The last couple of weeks, we have discussed the importance of a strong Wi-Fi network throughout your home and how to quickly test the strength and coverage. In many cases, you will find your Wi-Fi coverage will vary throughout your home. You can strengthen the coverage of your network by adding Access Points or Range Extenders. These devices are not the same. An Access Point is wired back to you

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Craig Whitaker

Oct 10, 2018
1 min

Is My Wi-Fi network strong enough for music and video streaming?

Last week, we reviewed the recommended Internet speeds for streaming, 5 Mb/s for music, 25 Mb/s for video. However, the speed is only part of the equation. Once you have determined you have sufficient speed coming into your home, the next question is “Is this speed being distributed throughout my home over my Wi-Fi network?” As a quick refresher, your Wi-Fi network is created by your router and allows your various devices to connect to the Internet. In many cases, your Inter

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Craig Whitaker

Oct 3, 2018
1 min

What Internet Speed should I have for video and music streaming?

For many of our clients, upgrading their home entertainment systems to take advantage of today’s video and music streaming services can be a daunting task. Many questions center around what hardware is required and what services are better than others. However, the 1stquestion that needs to be answered is the client’s Internet speed and the strength of their wireless network. There are many variables that impact your Internet speed, the biggest being the number of devices str

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With Bose Soundtouch Expansion products discontinued, here are some music zone options for those upgrading their Bose Lifestyle systems.

WB South

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