A two-way RF touchscreen remote is at the heart of two new Bose Lifestyle systems that also serve as the control centers for four-source/four-zone distributed-audio systems.
The video cassette-size remote, called the Personal Music Center, is Bose’s first two-way remote, and it’s at the heart of the Lifestyle 40 music system and Lifestyle 50 home theater system.
They’re expected to retail at about $3,000 and $3,700, respectively, through Bose-owned showcase stores and existing Lifestyle system dealers. Shipments got under way in mid-September.
Because the remote uses 2.4GHz RF to send control signals and receive real-time system-status feedback, the systems’ components can be placed out of sight behind cabinet doors. The remote’s range is up to 100 feet within a house.
Both systems come with a combination tuner/multiroom-interface box and a separate six-disc CD changer, both of which lack displays.
The Lifestyle 40 also features two 4.5 x 2.25 x 3.25-inch Jewel Cube speakers and an Acoustimass module containing a woofer, system amplification, and signal-processing circuitry, including equalization.
The Lifestyle 50 home theater system comes with five Jewel Cube speakers and an Acoustimass module that incorporates a Videostage 5 decoder, which decodes 5.1-channel soundtracks and creates a 5.1-channel soundfield from stereo, mono and matrixed surround sources.
A single cable can be used to connect the interface box to each of up to four Bose powered speaker systems placed in separate rooms.
The introduction expands Bose’s Lifestyle system selection to 10.
In other introductions, Bose went to the CEDIA Expo to expand its custom-distribution base and brought with it a new in-wall speaker. The speaker’s tuned, ported enclosure is larger than the 6 x 6-inch grille in front of it so it can deliver deeper bass than is expected from its small footprint.
The in-walls can be powered by the company’s custom-oriented amplifiers, designed for hanging on a wall inside a closet or utility room.