Bose has been a mainstay of the audio technology industry for 60 years, and in recent years the company has expanded its ranges to include products such as soundbars. If you’re looking to improve on your TV's inherent flawed audio capabilities, a soundbar can be an excellent alternative to a full surround system.
The selection of Bose soundbars has changed quite considerably over the years, with many new models being introduced regularly and some older models pulled from shelves. Bose soundbars have become increasingly popular, with a reputation for quality but perhaps at a price.
So should you buy a Bose soundbar? And what else should you consider before you decide? In this guide, we cover all the Bose soundbars on the market at present, answering the big questions along the way.
Bose Smart Ultra Soundbar
Bose's latest bar, the Dolby Atmos-enabled Smart Ultra Soundbar, steps in as the brand’s new flagship model and recently came through our test rooms. It’s currently priced at £750 / $850 / AU$1450 and earned a three-star review.
We’re pleased with the bar’s high-quality feel and build, its responsive features, and its impressive immersive capabilities, but feel let down by the overall sound quality compared to alternatives such as the Sonos Arc and the now discontinued Sony HT-A7000.
The Smart Ultra Soundbar sports the same design and aesthetic as the previous model (which we will cover next), available in arctic white or black, with rounded corners, a metal grille and a polished tempered glass top.
In total, the bar houses nine drivers. At either end of the glass top are two openings for the up-firing drivers used for creating the effect of 3D audio. Inside the front of the bar, you’ll find one centre tweeter flanked by four racetrack transducers. Two additional transducers on the far left and right use Bose's PhaseGuide technology to emit multi-directional sound to specific areas in your room.
In terms of connectivity, there’s HDMI eARC and an optical port alongside wireless wi-fi and Bluetooth 5.0 capabilities. It also supports Spotify Connect, Deezer, and Amazon Music via the Bose Music App (though Tidal Connect is not supported). The app is also where you’ll find controls for a new AI Dialogue Mode, which aims to boost the volume of speech and improve clarity. While we find it does indeed bring actors’ voices forward in the mix, it affects the balance of the sound too much, so we prefer to leave it off.
Other features carried over from the previous models include ADATiQ room calibration, which tunes the soundbar’s equalisation settings to your room, and Bose’s proprietary TrueSpace tech, which analyses signals other than Dolby Atmos and upmixes them to create immersive multi-channel audio. The range of audio formats compatible with this bar is squarely Dolby-focused, with Dolby Atmos, Dolby Digital, Dolby TrueHD and Dolby Digital Plus media all supported.
Verdict
Bose’s newest soundbar sets its sights high and at this price point comes up against some serious competition. The bar’s immersive capabilities are impressive, with audio presented with a nice sense of width, height, and overall spaciousness. Unfortunately, it doesn’t quite hit the same marks as its rivals, with the Sonos Arc and Sony HT-A7000 sounding considerably better overall for a similar amount of money.
Bose Smart Soundbar 900
Bose's previous flagship model, the Smart Soundbar 900, was released in early 2022 and received a four-star review when we tested it. Currently priced at around £630, it’s a little cheaper than the new Smart Ultra Soundbar with a very similar look and design.
In our review, we said that the soundbar provided an impressively wide soundfield, clear forward projection and bright character. We also noted that most users will likely be pleased with its responsive and cinematic performance.
Like the latest model, the Smart Soundbar 900 features nine drivers. It also has HDMI eARC, optical, wi-fi and Bluetooth connectivity and comes in arctic white or black, with rounded corners, a metal grille and a polished tempered glass top. It looks almost identical and is just as well-built and robust. It also uses the same driver configuration and is Dolby Atmos compatible.
The main difference between the two bars in terms of features is the AI Dialogue mode included with the new model, which we preferred to leave off anyway. Like the newer Smart Ultra Soundbar, the 900 supports Dolby Atmos, Dolby Digital, Dolby TrueHD and Dolby Digital Plus.
The same support for Bose’s ADAPTiQ room calibration, TrueSpace upmixing and PhaseGuide technology is also featured in this model. Alongside these, you can stream music via Spotify Connect and AirPlay 2.
Verdict
The Smart Soundbar 900 could be a great option if you are uninterested in the new dialogue-enhancing feature found in the latest model, or unwilling to spend more. We also rated the 900 bar slightly higher than the new Smart Ultra Soundbar in our review, so at this point it looks like good value for money if you want a Bose bar.
Bose Smart Soundbar 600
The Smart Soundbar 600 is the smallest Dolby Atmos bar currently offered by Bose. It came out in late 2022 and is currently priced at around £400, down from its usual RRP of roughly £500, putting it up against comparably priced Atmos soundbars such as the Sonos Beam Gen 2.
We haven’t reviewed this model, but judging by Bose’s previous track record, we would expect to see great build quality and hear solid audio projection with plenty of width. There are five drivers in the Smart Soundbar 600, two of which are upfiring and create the height channels required for Dolby Atmos audio. TrueSpace technology is included, but no ADAPTiQ calibration or PhaseGuide tech is found in the Smart Soundbar 900 or Smart Ultra models.
Like the pricier and more feature-packed Smart Ultra Soundbar and Smart 900 models, the Smart Soundbar 600 also supports the same audio formats – Dolby Atmos, Dolby Digital, Dolby TrueHD and Dolby Digital Plus. It also features both HDMI eARC and optical audio connectivity, which should suit most TV owners.
Verdict
If you’re keen on having direct Dolby Atmos audio but don’t need all the extra features, then the Smart Soundbar 600 could be an excellent choice for your home, especially for smaller set-ups. This holds if you would also prefer a less expensive model that takes up less room than some of the earlier entries in this list.
Bose TV Speaker
The Bose TV Speaker hit shelves back in 2020. We have not reviewed this model but if you’re looking for something even more compact and even cheaper than the Smart Soundbar 600, then the Bose TV Speaker could be worth a look. It currently retails for around £200 and offers a simple, no-frills solution to improving your TV's sound quality.
This soundbar offers HDMI ARC optical, aux-in and Bluetooth connectivity, which should suit most users and applications. In terms of audio format support, the bar features built-in Dolby decoding but does not support Atmos audio. This soundbar also lacks the extra features found in higher-end Bose soundbars, such as ADAPTiQ, TrueSpace and PhaseGuide. It does, however, offer a Dialogue Mode which is said to make speech easier to hear and understand.
Verdict
If you want a straightforward, no-fuss soundbar and have your heart set on a Bose model, the TV Speaker could be the answer. It lacks the same options provided by other more expensive Bose soundbars, so it’s worth keeping this in mind while making your decision. You might be better served by spending a little more on alternative models by other brands, such as the Sony HT-S2000 (£300) or JBL Bar 300 (£250), which both offer Dolby Atmos support. However, if your budget does not allow this, the Bose TV Speaker could serve you well.
MORE:
Read our Bose Smart Ultra soundbar review
And our picks for the best soundbars on the market
