Model 420128 Lifestyle Control Console

* Black
* White

Bluetooth
Airplay 2

## History

In 2016 Bose released its newest systems, the Lifestyle 600 & the Lifestyle 650. With the Lifestyle 550 being sold in international markets from 2018 till 2021.

They all featured the "Model 420128 Lifestyle Control Console" which was the second Bose system to support 4K (60 Hz) & ARC (after the Cinemate/SoundTouch Model 414642 Control Console). Though this was the first Bose console to support HDCP 2.2, HDR, & HDR10.

## Features

### Connections

#### Hot to distinguish between the two versions

It is important to note that even though each version of the "Model 420128 Lifestyle control console" is physically the same to one another, it has been factory set to work with either the "OmniJewel" speakers (LS 650) or the Bose "Jewel Cube/Single Cube" speakers (LS 600/550).

So "Model 420128 Lifestyle control consoles" cannot be swapped unless it's with a console that was factory set for the same speakers. This means that "JewelCube" & "Single Cube" consoles (LS 600/550) can be swapped among each other. While "OmniJewel" speakers (LS 650) can only use "OmniJewel" consoles.

Currently there is no known way to distinguish which version is by the label alone (even checking the serial number via Bose will have it ask if you have a 600 or a 650). The only way to verify what version your control console is set to is by:

1. Connecting the control console to a TV via HDMI,
2. Pressing the "Setup" button on the remote/console
3. Selecting "System Info"
4. Go to "Speakers"
5. Lastly, check to see what "Speaker Variant" says.

### Remote

The RC-600 remote is a universal RF remote. There are two colors, white or black.

### Audio Format Support

I would like to point out what cables can support what formats:

* RCA - Stereo (aka PCM/LPCM 2.0)
* TOSLink/Optical, Digital Coax/SPDIF, & HDMI ARC - PCM 2.0, Dolby Digital 5.1, & DTS 5.1
* Regular HDMI - All above & Uncompressed Audio (aka LPCM 5.1, Dolby TrueHD 5.1, DTS Master Audio 5.1, etc.)

The Model 420128 receiver used with the Lifestyle 550, 600, & 650 can support **PCM 2.0**, **Dolby Digital**, **Dolby Digital Plus**, **Dolby TrueHD**, **DTS**, and **LPCM**. So to get the best audio quality I would change all audio settings on your 3rd party devices to **LPCM**, or if your device allows, *Bitstream* for **Dolby** and *LPCM* for **DTS**. Each manufacture seems to have its own way of labelling it. So please check your device's settings as sometimes you need to enable 5.1.

This way you can listen to lossless DTS-HD Master Audio and anything else (aside from 3D positioning on Atmos/DTS:X) supported by your 3rd party device via LPCM without losing any sound quality.

### ARC vs eARC

The Model 420128 Lifestyle Control Console supports ARC not eARC that was introduced with HDMI 2.1. If you wish to use ARC know that it has the same bandwidth as optical cables and does not support lossless audio formats like LPCM or Dolby TrueHD.

For best sound quality make sure you connect your 3rd party HDMI devices directly to the receiver. As HDMI ARC / Optical from your TV will not output Dolby TrueHD or LPCM 5.1/7.1, though your TV *might* be able to output standard DD 5.1/DTS 5.1.

### SoundTouch

*Main article: SoundTouch*

SoundTouch was built into the control console.

### AdaptIQ

*Main article: AdaptIQ*

The key feature of the system is the ADAPTiQ audio calibration system, which allows for the system to adapt to the owner's personal living room environment. The system plays tones through each speaker and listens with a microphone headset worn by the user, and based on what it "hears", the media center will calibrate and equalize each speaker to compensate for any acoustic abnormalities in the room. In this manner, any *Lifestyle* system will sound the same in any living room as the professional demonstration.

## Speakers

### OmniJewel Speakers

*See also: OmniJewel speakers*

The Lifestyle 650 system was released with Bose's brand new "OmniJewel" speakers that have a 360-degree output, considered by Bose to be its best and "most spacious" satellite speakers.

> *"We have a long history of creating big sound from small packages. With OmniJewel satellite speakers—even smaller than our Jewel Cube speakers, which are also available for this system—we’re rewriting that history with a new chapter on elegance. Each of these tiny speakers features a carefully milled aluminum housing with two acoustic enclosures for dual-opposing drivers. This is the key to creating our first omnidirectional speaker for true 360-degree sound and a more spacious home theater experience. It took a team of 30 people to perfect every last detail, ensuring the acoustics would work with the aesthetics."*
>
>

If the console has been factory set to use OmniJewel speakers; the 6-pin "Front speakers" connector is used for the center speaker and the 4-pin "Front speakers" connection is used for the front stereo speakers

### Jewel Cube & Virtually Invisible speakers

*See also: Jewel Cube speakers*
*See also: Virtually Invisible cube speakers*

The Lifestyle 600 model has the "Jewel Cube" speakers. The Lifestyle 550 was sold outside of the USA and came with "Virtually Invisible" speakers. Both the Lifestyle 650 & 600 included wireless rears (with an option to wire if needed), while the Lifestyle 550 was wired back to the control console.

If the console has been factory set to use the Jewel Cube/Virtually Invisible speakers; the 6-pin "Front speakers" connector is used for all 3 speakers , the front right, left, & center. The 4-pin "Front speakers" connector is not used.

## Software Updates

### Release Notes

There are no release notes published on Bose's tech support website for the control console as all updates to the system were done via the SoundTouch update process. Bose did list some updates on their now closed community forum.

As most updates had to do with SoundTouch, only known updates pertaining to the "Model 420128 Lifestyle Control Console" are included in the list below.

* Security Enhancements
 **26.0.1** | **Oct 8 2020** | **SimpleSync added*** SimpleSync synchronized playback for the linked SoundTouch products
	+ SimpleSync allows those owning both SoundTouch and Bose Smart Speakers to stream audio from their smart speaker to their SoundTouch device via SimpleSync™ from the Bose Music app.
 **24.0.7** | **Feb 18 2020** | **Airplay 2 added**
Here is some helpful information for Airplay 2:
* Using Airplay with your SoundTouch Speaker.
* If you are having issues using Airplay 2 with a Bose SoundTouch supported product:
	+ Please make sure your devices meet the latest requirements from Apple found here. You’ll want to make sure your Airplay 2-compatible speakers are on and nearby, connected to the same Wi-Fi network as your device and are updated to the latest software version.
	+ Try the ‘Difficulty selecting your SoundTouch system on an Airplay device' steps.
 **16.0.13** | **Oct 17 2017** | **Power Macros for Lifestyle 600/650:*** The Unify menu for the Lifestyle 600/650 systems will now have an option that allows customers to choose one of the connected devices to be powered on at the same time as the console. This is most beneficial for connected devices that do not support HDMI-CEC such as cable boxes, older DVD players, etc.

**Disable Auto Power-Off on Lifestyle 600/650 and SoundTouch 300:**
* Customers can now disable the auto-power off feature that normally powers off these systems after 18 minutes of inactivity. Some customers have asked for this feature to address several applications within these products, such as unlimited gaming while using connected headsets.

**Wireless Dual Bass Module Support for Lifestyle 600/650 and SoundTouch 300:**
* This update will add the ability to utilize two Acoustimass bass modules with Lifestyle 600/650 or SoundTouch 300 systems connected wirelessly

**Updated Lifestyle 600/650 Rear Speaker Setup Path:**
* Customers will now be given the option to select wireless or wired rear speaker setup for their Lifestyle 600/650 systems within the Unify menu. Previous to this release, the primary option was a wireless setup for the rear speakers. Those who wanted to connect the rear speakers physically to the console needed to press and hold the “Teletext” button on the remote to see the wired setup instruction in Unify

**Updated SoundTouch Source Design on Lifestyle 600/650:**
* This release will update the look of the SoundTouch source on Lifestyle 600/650 systems. Previous to this release, the onscreen imagery of the SoundTouch source had a similar look to the older SoundTouch app (black and blue color scheme)

**Improved Support for 3rd-party Advanced Control Systems:**
* Bose has been working with several advanced universal remote control companies, such as Control4, RTI, and URC to improve control of Bose audio-for-video and SoundTouch products. This release will enable the capability of these 3rd-party controllers to begin integrating improved control via Bose APIs. Please refer to this article for more information on the companies who will be officially supporting these integrations and our plans to support them.

**System Information Screen Back in Unify Menu:**
 **15.0.20** | **July 13 2017** | **Center and surround controls for Lifestyle 600/650*** Lifestyle 600 and 650 customers will now have the ability within the SoundTouch app to increase or decrease the output from their center and surround speakers
* Both the center and surround settings are now located in a new audio settings option found in the speaker settings menu, similar to the SoundTouch 300
* We are keeping many of the changes we made previously, but we are bringing back the tray icon for both Windows and Mac users

**Lifestyle 600/650 console bugs**
* Resolves an issue where AdaptIQ settings are not applied correctly
* Corrected Dutch and Russian translations
* Resolved issue with volume level not being synced between SoundTouch and External sources. This also addresses the same issue for SoundTouch 300 systems
* Resolved issue when selecting Favorites button in remote turning off DVD player
* Resolved issue with Back button freezing speaker setup in Unify out of box
* MAC address on System Information screen in Unify fixed
* Wireless speaker update progress bar improvement

**Lifestyle, SoundTouch and CineMate home theater updates:**
 **14.10.21** | **Mar 7 2017** | **Enhancements**
Lifestyle 600/650:
* Adds ability to update Acoustimass module and rear channel wireless receivers via the app
* Improves to HDMI-ARC/CEC compatibilty
 **unknown** | **2016** | Initial release

## References

1. ↑ Bose USA - Lifestyle 650 price @ $3,999.95
2. ↑ Bose USA - Lifestyle 600 price @ $2,999.95
3. ↑ Sold outside of the USA Bose UK - Lifestyle 550 price @ £2,199.00
4. ↑ Sold outside of the USA Bose Ireland - Lifestyle 550 price @ €2,499.00
5. ↑ Bose community "Lifestyle 650's HDMI inputs are HDMI 2.0a/HDCP 2.2 inputs that support 4K/60fps, 4K HDR, and HDR10"
6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Apple Airplay 2 was added with SoundTouch Firmware Update - 24.0.7
7. ↑ Lifestyle 600/650 home entertainment system remote control
8. ↑ Bose.com Lifestyle 650
9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 Bose.com Lifestyle 650 tech support page
10. ↑ SoundTouch Speakers Firmware Update - July 2021
11. ↑ SoundTouch Speaker Firmware Update - 26.0.1 - October 8th 2020
12. ↑ Lifestyle 550/600/650 - Firmware Update 22.0.4 - 17 September 2019
13. ↑ SoundTouch App and Speaker Firmware Update Available Nov. 19th
14. ↑ Updated 7/17: SoundTouch Ecosystem Update - 19.x - Release Notes and Security Notice
15. ↑ Updated: SoundTouch Ecosystem Update Available November 28th.
16. ↑ SoundTouch Ecosystem Update Available October 17th
17. ↑ July 13th, 2017 - 15.x SoundTouch System Update Available