We get so many emails, calls, and visits about these units, we decided to make this a blog post. These devices were introduced in the 1990s, and sold like hotcakes. They were very compact (for the time), and delivered a pretty good sound experience. In the last few years, many (if not most) began to fail. Unfortunately, they are simply not cost effective to service. Even BOSE will not service them. To be fair, the average age of the failing units is over 20 years old. Not a bad run at all. The reality is, not everthing is designed to be repaired. Or at least not cost effectively. It is time to move on.
So what to replace it with? Lots of options here. We would choose a bit higher fidelity approach. Something like a Cambridge amplifier, and a compact set of speakers. Add a Wifi receiver, and you have a nice hifi.
For those that want a one box option, a sound bar or a bluetooth speaker is the most comparable modern solution. These can be controlled with a tablet or smart phone, and stream music wirelessly. Some even allow using two or more combined for multi room sound.