New Bose SoundDock 10, and B&W, duke it out "up there"

Well, my prediction wasn't far off.  Kudos to Framingham's B-boys for the novel change-out dock that can accept iPod dock, Bluetooth receiver, or perhaps a ZuneHD dock?!?!  I think Bose has offered something that is much more representative of their DNA.  The Waveguide design has been sorely missed from a high-visibility consumer oriented device.  Since the wave-radio, there really hasn't been, in my opinion, a well encapsulated chariot for what is the notably impressive, if not universally pleasing, signature sound technology.

...and again, a big tip of the hat for making a product truly worthy of coverage by wireless, audio, blog.

Looking forward to hearing one.  At $599, it's a bit rich for my blood.  But I think consumers in this segment are always better off with choice at every price tier, and now the B&W Zeppelin has a worthy foil.

And just one day after the Sounddock II and Portable got some company at $399 from the Zeppelin mini.  Another product I am curious to hear... though you'll never get me to think that the bwmini's strange arm on the top is anything but awkward.

[Reuters] New Bose SoundDock 10 Digital Music System| Reuters.

Whispers of a new Bose Sounddock on its way.

Think bigger and more expensive.  My guess... they'll claim it's a perfect "10" and offer it at a not so perfect $599.  Here's my expert rendering of what it will look like next to the existing Sounddock II.



My hunch is that Bose isn't comfortable letting the B&W Zeppelin occupy the rarefied airs on its own.  Recession friendly price-points be damned.

Bose SoundLink has Bluetooth inside

So another little thing I like to do from time to time is troll the FCC database to see what's happening in the field.  My curiosity was peaked by the Bose SoundLink enough to go fish.  I wrote about the new Bose product a couple weeks ago, and pointed out some viable, more affordable alternatives.

Unfortunately the full documentation is still restricted under confidentiality request submitted by Bose, so you won't get the dirty nude shots... But what you can find out from the test report that is posted to the public is that the new Bose employs a Bluetooth radio.  While it isn't marketed this way, it would not surprise me if this thing did support A2DP (another feature I've written about in the context of the iPhone).  I am sure Bose has done some sweetening if this is the case, otherwise, the sound quality would suck big time... and (to all those Bose haters) I don't mean just in a Bose way.

From report number EMC.404096A.09.192.1, page 4:

The SoundLink™ wireless music system is a system enabling the user to enjoy music from a computer in any room you choose, with a wireless connection.

It features

• Simple wireless connection using the SoundLink USB key – no software to install


• Long-range wireless link lets you listen in and around your home


• Rechargeable lithium-ion battery provides hours of Bose® performance


• Handy remote included. The remote utilizes infra-red communications.

The USB key is a separate product, which is not covered in this test report.

The SoundLink™ wireless music system is classified as a Bluetooth® data “sink” with a duty cycle that does not exceed 5% in normal operation. For the purposes of the tests described in this report, where an artificial test mode is indicated or necessary for the purposes of the test, the SoundLink™ wireless music system  is operated with a 10% duty cycle which is considered a worst-worst case for the purposes of these tests.

Welcome to the party, Bose. SoundLink joins a cool crowd.

From Bose press release announcing the Bose SoundLink Wireless Music System.

“Many people use a computer as their primary source for music,” said John Roselli, category business manager for Bose Corporation. “But that convenience and experience is diminished by having to be at the computer to hear it. The Bose SoundLink system unlocks that music, streaming it almost anywhere in the home –- even outside –- quickly and easily.”

Yes.  This has been the premise around numerous entry-level applications that Avnera has enabled with its AudioMagic product line.  As opined on Engadget today, Bose's offering at $549.99 is pretty expensive, more so than the applications Avnera has already enabled in this application space – the idea being making such a cool function accessible to more users.  So I'm happy to see this announcement because, with Bose's marketing machine putting the "reason-to-buy" into consumers' minds, it will shed a renewed light on the more affordable solutions already out there to enable unleashed PC music listening.

Here are a few affordable SoundLink alternatives:

• AudioEngine W1, $149 – USB to wireless line-out receiver.  Bring your own speakers.  Any speakers.  Amazon bundles AudioEngine's own A5 with a "price for both" of $474.  Will absolutely destroy the Bose in performance.  Or use the W1 with the aux input on the iHome iP1 and make your own bundle for $448 (like a high-end Mint... what a segue).


• Mint 220 Digital Music Station, $119.99 – Exactly the same concept as Bose's offering, but with the added utility of an iPod dock on the speaker itself making it more versatile.


• Rocketfish RF-WS01, $104.99 – Line-in transmitter with two wireless speakers for separate left and right arrangement, or dual zone mono operation.  Expandable with the RF-WS02 as well.

I love a market!

I've been tinkering... Apple Airtunes is pretty slick

Many folks are familiar with Apple Airport Express and Airtunes. It provides the ability to send iTunes audio from a PC/Mac to speakers that are connected to the Airport Express (which has both a Toslink and a line-level output). I've been playing with the latest variant. With Airport Express w/ wireless N, they've added the ability to support simultaneous receivers receiving the same content. What I call a point-to-multi-point topology.

I've also been playing with Rogue Amoeba's Airfoil which lets me not just play iTunes music, but ANY music from any app on my Mac, or wait for it... a Windows PC. I also have been using Airfoil Speakers which lets me turn any PC, Linux box, or Mac in my house, to an Airtunes receiver. A little tray app runs on that PC, and makes it look like a Airport Express, for example.

I've heard Airfoil lets your send music to Apple TV as well, though I haven't been able to test that. I assume it's as robust as the others have been... and with that little bit of foreshadowing...

It really works well! I love it actually. About my setup:

Audio source:

1. My Macbook Pro running all manner of audio... iTunes, Pandora, Slacker, whatever...

Receivers:

1. My iMac running Airfoil Speakers


2. Airport Express-1 hooked up to Bose SoundDock Portable


3. Airport Express-2 hooked up to Bose Companion 5s.

So a little about Apple Airtunes, which is Apple's proprietary protocol for sending compressed audio over WLAN (AoW). This is all reverse guesstimated based on what little I know about wireless audio...First of all, I call it AoW... I hesitate to call Airtunes "wireless audio", because it only appears that "audio" is being sent wirelessly... what is actually being sent are chopped up AAC (correction via mats) Apple Lossless "data" files with a whole bunch of QoS goop wrapped around it. Strictly speaking, Airtunes relies on a non-linear, asynchronous packet-based transmission scheme, TCP-IP over WLAN. What Apple has created is an extremely broad time-window for synchronizing audio data, creating isochronous behavior using asynchronous foundations and lots of software... that's why you need devices running Apple smarts on either end. Airtunes basically estimates a total time buffer need based on network utilization and bandwidth requirements... creates a time-stamp on the source material... encodes both the stamp and the buffer-time in the data stream... Marker "A"... then it takes the audio data... compresses it on the host side, then essentially transmits the compressed file plus meta information... performs the network transmission, decoding... audio decompression, and again recovering the time stamps and synchronizing them to the device clock and then upon reaching the target time marker extrapolated from the buffer-time... begins rendering the audio at... marker "Z". Or something close to that... I think...

All-in, what Apple does are three important things:

1. Prevents audio dropouts due to periods of reduced network throughput... i.e. it behaves as a buffer. This is important since the WLAN network is a shared network and throughput for audio is not guaranteed.


2. It makes sure all the nodes are playing music in sync to one another, and without time-varying node-to-node drift... This is important in whole-home audio scenarios to reduce echos and unnatural artifacts.


3. To the extent A-to-Z can remain fixed over a playback period... Airtunes also can avoid any audio discontinuities during playback. If the buffer was well-estimated at the beginning of a transmission, then you won't have to resize the buffer and suffer a "skip". One advantage of Airtunes is it can be content aware on the source side, and know when there are silent periods and take those times to reset buffers if need be. Not sure they do this or not.

The result. Fairly rock-solid performance for up to 3 nodes spread across a 80 ft radius space.

Pros

• Apple has been giving much of this functionality for free to those who already buy up Apples stuff. The "converted" are very close to having this stuff working for them.


• Apple software rocks. So this stuff really isn't THAT hard to set up. A little easier than say setting up a WiFi network. A bit harder than hooking up a TiVo. By PC standards... not bad.


• Sound quality and link performance are generally great. For that party mode performance, it works pretty well.

Cons

• Compared to setting up piece of CE equipment, it involves much too much PC time. Installing software, control panels, SSIDs, etc... Advnaced PC user know-how is a must. Even by Mac standards.


• Poor marketing... did you even know this was possible...???? Today???? Like all things, Apple likes to Trojan horse features... then once they get them shaken out by geeks like me, they rationalize them in to shiny new products and services that Stevie J can launch... MobileMe anyone???


• Delay Delay Delay. Buffering and buffer management is the magic to Airtunes... but oh how clumsy it is when you want to adjust volume, or change track... User have to check their audible feedback expectations. Usability nightmare. And what was strange was the more I use this system... the more I notice the delay time.... and of course the more it annoys the shit out of me.


• Cost!!! If you aren't a Apple hardware dork yet. Be prepared to dump $99 for each Airport Express. Add to that the cost of the speaker system you need to connect to it. Rogue Amoeba software is a great convenience, but it ain't free... not bad though to be honest. Airfoil is about $25 per seat. Airfoil Speaker is free... but the computer it runs on is not!

Overall Grades:

B+ for Apple - for giving us a platform

C for Airtunes - for working ok, but using WLAN... a terrible, terrible transport.

A for Rogue Amoeba - for exploiting a platform to the fullest and making nice software that just works.