I have a Lifestyle 28 set up and want to replace the console with an upgraded other brand Receiver/amplifier. My Accoustimass was replaced a couple of years ago with a new one because Bose could not repair the original. The new Accoustimass has a Bose supplied adapter which plugs in to the console in order for it to connect. What are my options, if any?
Bose music systems are not designed to work with 3rd party receivers of any kind. You probably need to find a replacement console the same as your defective one. It might be possible to use your Bose speakers and Acoustimass module simply as a speaker system similiar to a Bose Acoustimass 10 speaker system, but that would require you to be somewhat of an electronics engineer to parse out the individual speaker wires to connect to your receiver speaker outs.
Or, you could sell your speakers and Acoustimass module on eBay and purchase a new surround sound system. That's what I did when I bought a Bose Soundtouch 300 system.
wrote:I have a Lifestyle 28 set up and want to replace the console with an upgraded other brand Receiver/amplifier. My Accoustimass was replaced a couple of years ago with a new one because Bose could not repair the original. The new Accoustimass has a Bose supplied adapter which plugs in to the console in order for it to connect. What are my options, if any?
Depending on your sub, you might be able to purchase a used Bose receiver like the AV35, but it would not support 4K only 1080p, though there are ways to use it with a modern 4K setup.
What version Lifestyle 28 do you have? Does the sub have 3 ports on the front?
I have three ports n the front of the speaker.
Could the Accoustimass module be replaced with an Accoustimass 10 module?
wrote:I have a Lifestyle 28 set up and want to replace the console with an upgraded other brand Receiver/amplifier. My Accoustimass was replaced a couple of years ago with a new one because Bose could not repair the original. The new Accoustimass has a Bose supplied adapter which plugs in to the console in order for it to connect. What are my options, if any?
Ok, so if you want to upgrade your receiver you have to know what receiver your subwoofer supports.
I made this table to help you know what works together:
Lifestyle A/V Subwoofers | Compatible A/V Receivers |
LSPS & LSPS II PS18 / PS28 / LSPS | 2001-2004 18, 28, 35 18II, 28II, 35II, 38, 48 |
LSPS III
PS18III / PS28III / PS35III / PS38III / PS48III | 2004-2009 18III, 28III, 35III, 38III, 48III 35IV, 38IV, 48IV MC1 V10, V20, V30
2010-2013 AV20 / AV35 (20W) 135, 235, T10, T20, V25, V35
AV20 / AV35 (35W) 135II, 235II, 510, 520, 525II, 535II 135III, 235III, 525III, 535III ST135, ST525, ST535 |
wrote:I have three ports n the front of the speaker.
So from what you said, it looks like your bass is called the: PS18 III, PS28 III, PS35 III, PS38 III, or PS48 III (I searched for the LSPS III mentioned in this link, but like the person who posted it, I could not find it either so I think that's the generic name of the subs).
I googled these images to show you, but I blocked out part of the serial number just to be safe.
PS18 III |
PS28 III |
PS35 III |
PS38 III |
PS48 III |
Since you have this bass, it means you have the receiver's data cable. So all you will need is to purchase the most recent compatible Bose Receiver along with the remote and power supply to get it to work.
Option 1: Upgrade the Bose Receiver
For this option to work, you need to have the PS18 III, PS28 III, PS35 III, PS38 III, or PS48 III subwoofer.
p.s. to others reading: if you do not have that sub, you cannot use this option, but you can still use Options 2 or 3. I will let you know that you can still use your older Lifestyle CD system or Lifestyle/321 DVD system with a modern 4K TV.
The last Bose Receivers that worked with your sub is the AV20 & AV35 (Information about the differences between the AV20 & AV35 found here). I will talk about the AV35 as they were released at the same time and the AV35 is the most feature-rich. The only drawback is they are 1080p receivers, but that does not mean you can't use this with a 4K setup, far from it. I explained it all in this post 😃
Bose at one point offered a Lifestyle AV35 Control Console Upgrade Kit to allow customers with compatible subs to upgrade their older Bose receivers. Some in this community have done this themselves.
It looks like the AV35 receiver was sold from 2010 until 2016. But halfway through its production, the AV35 was modified.
- 2010-2013: BoseLink multi-room
- Please read this post about Boselink as the AV18/AV38/AV48 expansion room remotes are incompatible with the AV35.
- There are ways to use some Boselinked speakers without having a compatible receiver connected to them.
- 2013-2016: SoundTouch/WiFi multi-room (You need the external adapter for wifi)
- There are two generations of the adapter. The SoundTouch Series II wireless adapter includes Bluetooth, but neither feature AirPlay.
- FYI. Bose sold another item called the SoundTouch Wireless Link adapter. This has a confusingly similar name but is not designed specifically for Bose SoundTouch receivers.
Confusingly, Bose did not appear to distinguish which version they are on the label. As both have the exact same AV35 model number. You can discover which version you were looking at by checking the wattage. The BoseLink one requires 20W of power, while the SoundTouch version requires 35W of power.
But we do know that it uses the same sub as the one you have.
Remember you need to purchase 3 or 4 items:
- AV35 receiver (there are two versions of the AV35)
- BoseLink multi-room (20W)
- SoundTouch/WiFi multi-room (35W)
- With SoundTouch Series II wireless adapter.
- RC35T-L or RC-X35L RF remote
- AV35 power brick (20W/35W)
Here is a link to an unboxing video of a Lifestyle ST535 showing what's included in a complete system.
I would only implore you to update everything once you get it all connected as I'm sure the sub would need an update to work with newer tech (like all modern tech does). After that is done I would then re-do AdaptIQ if you can.
Option 2: Bose Dealer Upgrade
I found this place that is offering to upgrade older Lifestyle systems to the Lifestyle 600, what's great about this is that system supports 4K. They briefly wrote about it here. They say they are a Bose Authorised dealer, so I'm guessing that's how they can do this. If they are not local to you, I would find the nearest Bose dealer and ask them if they can do the same.
wrote:Could the Accoustimass module be replaced with an Accoustimass 10 module?
Option 3: Acoustimass 10
I'd say if you don't like the options above and wanted to go for the Acoustimass 10 just purchase a new or second-hand Acoustimass 10 and don't bother searching for the subwoofer by itself. It will be a lot easier to do as people typically sell the whole system, not just the subwoofer.
But if you only wanted to keep the cube speakers and you found an Acoustimass sub on eBay. It looks like the Acoustimass 10 V is the most current model. I did find its owners guide, but sadly I didn't manage to find any serial numbers for the series V by doing a quick search this time. Though I did find one for the series III.
It seems that when I compare the two manuals the series V uses newer speakers. That is true for the newer lifestyle systems, but they always used the same sub, so I am unsure if you should get this version or the series IV that uses your speakers.
I think that this is a cosmetic change, but since I am unsure I'd say go for a series IV. This version uses the same double cubes you have on your 28. Don't go for the Acoustimass 6 III as it uses single cube speakers. There doesn't appear to be an Acoustimass 6 series IV currently.
Looking over the manuals I am not sure what the difference between the series III & IV are, maybe it's an EQ difference or no difference at all. Since the 6 never got a series IV I'm thinking it's the same sub. Maybe someone else here can let me know as I couldn't find an answer using Google.
If you went this way you can upgrade to any receiver you like as long as they use speaker cables and a bass pre-amp.
Your 5 Bose cube speakers are not that valuable. I would sell them on eBay and start over. There comes a point when trying to salvage an older Bose system is not worth it. Either that, or find a replacement console on eBay.
I talked with Bose this am and they said I would have to upgrade the entire system as the speakers are not compatible with other Bose systems. OUCH!! Right now I am thinking of buying the Accoustimass 10 system and install another amp or just start over and install another amp and other speakers???
wrote:I talked with Bose this am and they said I would have to upgrade the entire system as the speakers are not compatible with other Bose systems. OUCH!! Right now I am thinking of buying the Accoustimass 10 system and install another amp or just start over and install another amp and other speakers???
I told you the facts, you can indeed upgrade. It appears that some Bose employees have verified this on Reddit. Bose at one point offered a Lifestyle AV35 Control Console Upgrade Kit to do just that. Some in this community have done this themselves.
I would say go to a Bose store as they were informative and very helpful, but I think most have closed.
I did find this place that is offering to upgrade to the newest version though. They briefly wrote about it here. They say they are a Bose Authorised dealer, so I'm guessing that's how they can do this. If they are not local to you, I would find the nearest Bose dealer and ask them if they can do the same.
I stumbled upon an AV35 upgrade kit that is currently being sold on eBay (it looks like a relisting of the one I mentioned before). But I think the seller is asking for way too much, as you can purchase a used one with all the necessary parts for far less.
This is from France, so I used google translate to translate this into English for us and shared the relevant part to our conversation:
Bose media center series III Lifestyle Upgrade Kit SoundTouch 721370-2100 EU / UK WI-FI, Bluetooth
- Compatible with Lifestyle equipped with PS18, PS28, PS38, PS48 housing (housing without perforated metal grille on the front).
- Lifestyle 18,28,35,38,48, V10,V20,V30, V25,V35,135,235, T10,T20,510,520
Here's the full untranslated text for those who wish to see what it said before eBay eventually deletes the listing.
"Bose media center serie III Lifestyle Upgrade Kit SoundTouch 721370-2100 EU/UK WI-FI, Bluetooth
Permet de convertir les chaines Bose en musique WI-FI, Ethernet ou Bluetooth via l'application gratuite SoundTouch.
Compatible Avec Lifestyle équipée de caisson PS18,PS28,PS38,PS48 (caisson sans grille métallique perforé en façade).
Chaine Lifestyle 18,28,38,48,V20, V30,V25, V35,135,235,T10,T20,510,520.
Veuillez me contacter si vous avez un doute pour confirmer la compatibilité.
Comprend:
Console de control AV 35 SoundTouch
Alimentation et cordon secteur
Télécommande (Très légère trace sur le dessus voir photos)
Adaptateur SoundTouch Wireless Neuf ref 412451 SM2 (Bluetooth) et cordon USB.
Report infrarouge
Cable HDMI Bose Hight Speed
Produit testé et entièrement fonctionnel.
Vous achetez et recevrez ce que vous voyez.
Regardez mes évaluations
Envoi rapide et soigné"