You pretty much answered the question yourself. The difference is only in the speakers. The Bose Lifestyle V25 uses the standard direct/reflect cubes, and the Bose Lifestyle V35 uses the smaller Jewel Cubes. The Jewel Cubes does offer an advantage over the standard speaker since it is made of Titanium.

I would suggest contacting Bose. They can walk you through the individual steps needed to reset your system or make changes to the unit. Plus, if it needs to be repaired they can setup the exchange over the phone.

I’m going to assume that the issue is because the audio signal is not assigned. This means that even though you have the cables connected, the TV and/or the Bose unit doesn’t know where to look for sound. In fact, they may not even be looking. Thus, a trip to the menu is in store. Make sure to select the right audio out on the TV. Do the same with the Bose unit by pressing the system button then whatever connection you have…coax, fiber optic, etc. Assign it accordingly.

If you’re still having problems you can call and talk to one of our guys at 1-866-224-6171 or Bose Tech Support at 1-800-278-1281.

We recently purchased the Bose Lifestyle V30 system. All is working great except that we can’t get any sound out of our XBOX 360. I’ve hooked 360 video/audio cables to the TV, then I have a optical audio output from the TV to the Bose System – got the picture (by changing the TV input but no sound. Next, I tried using connection the 360 via the VCR ports in the back of the BOSE. Again, got the picture again, but no sound. Any suggestions?

For the fastest and most specific help, please call 1-866-224-6171. Our tech guys are wizards at figuring things out!

But there are a few things to consider:

1. Have you changed anything recently, such as adding or removing components, or maybe moving the location of the electronics? Those things can loosen cables and otherwise cause problems if not hooked back up correctly.

2. Have you checked to make sure all the cables are securely fastened and that the source content is indeed in digital surround sound? Also check for damaged cables.

3. Reset your system. If you have made changes over the years they may be causing problems. Not likely but possible. Resetting the system is a common cure-all for many problems.

4. Check your source. Are you playing a DVD or watching satellite…or some other source? Sometimes the source can be defective (such as a scratched disc) or have signal problems (like satellites during storms). If the incoming signal is not 100% perfect you will have drop-outs and other odd things happen. Also note that some content switches between audio types depending on what’s being displayed: DVD menus are usually 2.1 but the movie is 5.1, while some TV shows may lack a dedicated bass channel (the .5).

Those are some things to check. If all else fails contact Bose technical support. They are the ultimate source of knowledge and can possibly arrange service if necessary. Their number is 1-800-278-1281.

Not necessarily. There are hundreds of different sound cards produced in the last few years that are capable of outputting great sound, so it’s not just the most recent to pay attention to. That being said, usually you get the best technology with recent systems. Again, without specifics I can’t be much help…and we don’t deal with computers on this site.

But in terms of “better” sound (how are you defining this?) I think if you have a quality digital source you’re going to be happy. The differences in sound aren’t that apparent unless you make big changes, such as: going from stereo to surround sound, or FM radio to HD audio from Blu-ray. Those are major differences, but even then the way you have your sound system configured may make a bigger difference than the source itself.