Customer Ratings & Reviews

The new Bose Lifestyle Ultra Home Theater system has me going back to re-watch old movies because of how good it is. This Bose Lifestyle Ultra soundbar is part of a complete system that's paired with the Lifestyle Ultra subwoofer and the new Lifestyle Ultra speakers (setup as dedicated rear surrounds). I have to say, coming from another high-end soundbar, Bose certainly managed to impress me with theirs. At launch, I didn't know quite what to expect since pictures were scarce. I'm not a big fan of soundbars that have a full plastic enclosure; they just feel and look somewhat cheap to me. I was extremely pleased with the look and build quality of this new Bose Lifestyle Ultra soundbar. The entire middle portion and sides of the soundbar are enveloped in a rigid textured fabric that feels premium. The upper section of the soundbar features a gorgeous glass top. The capacitive touch-sensitive buttons also feel ultra premium. I love that you can quickly wind your finger around the large volume dial in a clockwise fashion, or counter-clockwise, to quickly increase or decrease the volume. The build quality is very top notch. Setup was an absolute breeze. After connecting the included HDMI cable to the soundbar's dedicated eARC port to my TV's eARC HDMI port, I was ready to enjoy audio from all of the sources connected to my TV. I downloaded the Bose app, I entered my requested Wi-Fi credentials (ensure it's a 2.4Ghz SSID otherwise the Bose app may not detect your devices), and the Bose app immediately detected my soundbar. Once I powered on my pair of Bose LS Ultra speakers, and LS Ultra subwoofer, the app immediately detected them as well. On the app homepage, there was an option to add the new devices as part of a home theater (i.e. "Build a Home Theater"). In this section you're able to designate your left/right surrounds as well as the subwoofer. I love the built in ping feature which allows you to individually ping each device to ensure the app has communication to each one. Also, to ensure they're in the desired locations in your room. Once I had everything verified on the app, I saved the configuration and was eager to test the cinematic experience. I quickly noticed that instead of having a physical remote, everything could be adjusted and fine tuned directly on the app itself. The EQ allowed me to adjust treble, mids, and bass. There's also additional adjustments that allowed me to fine tune the center channel, the height of the sound, and the surround sound channel. You're also able to quickly toggle off either the rear surrounds or subwoofer. This is one of my favorite features. During the week, if I catch myself watching a late night hockey or basketball game and feel that the powerful sub might annoy some neighbors, I can quickly turn it off. As someone who has always been a proponent of dedicated home theater amplifiers and passive speakers for the absolute best cinematic experience, I’ve been extremely impressed with what Bose was able to accomplish here. Let's face it, not all of us have the space, the ability to properly mount speakers and conceal speaker wires, or the desire to have bookshelf speakers and large center channels dominating the room. Some of us may not want to plunge down the home theater research rabbit hole. Don't get me wrong, the soundbar is good on it's own, but the system really comes to life with the subwoofer and rear speakers. If you'll be building it out piece by piece, I would recommend getting the soundbar and subwoofer first, and finally the rear speakers. The reason I recommend this order is because the soundbar already does an excellent job with it's spatial audio. Bose calls this proprietary technology, "PhaseGuide". I'm not one for marketing buzzwords, but let me tell you - IT DELIVERS! For context, I turned off my rear speakers because I wanted to see how the soundbar's PhaseGuide technology would handle Dolby Atmos content on it's own. I must preface this by saying that everyone's audio experience will differ based on room acoustics, furnishings, room size, layout, etc. For my living room, what really helped bring the virtual surround sound to life was the ability to increase the surround sound volume directly in the Bose app. With the surround sound volume turned up to 7+, watching the severe weather mountain climbing scene in Netflix's new movie "Apex" felt like I was in the theaters. I could hear the harsh winds whiz above me, behind me, and then quickly dart from left to right. I could hear crumbling rocks beginning to fall from above me. My previous high-end soundbar's virtual surround was good, but this was a noticeable improvement. The dialogue on this Bose LS Ultra soundbar is also the best I've heard on any soundbar. I constantly leave the AI voice enchancement "SpeechClarity" option on "Medium" as I really like how crisp, clear, and organic it makes voices sound. It accomplishes a very natural voice reproduction that I haven't heard on any soundbar. I also like that when watching sports, it emphasizes the commentators voice while slightly toning down the background noise. I didn't expect to like listening to music as much as I did on this soundbar when paired with the rear speakers and subwoofer. For reference, my main music listening setup consists of a dedicated 2-channel stereo Rega Brio Mk7 amplifier, Dynaudio Contour S1.4 speakers, and a Bluesound Node Icon. It would be extremely difficult for any soundbar to compete with that in regards to music. While I didn't get anywhere near the same level of musical detail, fullness, instrument separation, and soundstage as my Dynaudios, it still did a very good job of producing a decently wide soundstage with a very bright and pleasant sound signature. With a bit of mid and treble adjustments in the EQ, vocals sounded very clear and natural. My favorite music to listen to though, by far, was Dolby Atmos music from Tidal. Talk about an immersive 360-degree audio experience! Hearing different instruments coming from all around the room is something that has to be experienced, as words can't quite capture it. It's genuinely hard for me to think of any major cons, especially considering the level of performance Bose is delivering here from a fully wireless home theater system that also happens to be sleek and modern. And therein lies why I'm so impressed with this soundbar, matching LS subwoofer, and rear speakers. For a truly wireless home theater system that eliminates speaker cables, and the need for a dedicated home theater amplifier, I really couldn't be happier with the cinematic experience that Bose has brought into my home. I guess if I had to nitpick, I do wish that Bose would have included a small physical remote. Aside from that, well done Bose. Even the packaging was top notch!

I bought a new premium TV last year and had a pretty good home theatre system but I wanted to go premium with the sound as well and BOSE has a big reputation, and I wanted to go big and see if the hype was justified. I have the Quite comfort headphones and a stand alone speaker for road trips and they hit way above their wight class. I was hoping the same for the Home theater. Got the LIfesytle Ultra Soundbar, The Ultra Subwoofer and two Ultra speakers for the rear fight and left. Un boxing was easy and simple. I love that the only chords you need was a power chord for each of the units and an eArc/ARC cable…that’s it. The app makes the actual set up the easiest home theater set up I have ever done…NOTE: Your tv must be e/Arc because you have to control the Bose Ultras from your tv remote or app or by actually touching the sound bar. Set up was a few clicks and all the magic just happens. Power chords are the only chord and cable wrangling needed. The sound bar is beautiful and a little heavy. About 15 pounds. That’s something to consider because I plan to hang it under my Mantle mount pull down tv arm. My new tv was lighter than my old one and then I upgraded on the mantle mount to hold more weight but I might need to adjust tension on the pull down hydraulics. I got on BOSE website and ordered the wall mounting brackets and I will have to figure out the right combination of hanging accessories to make it work. The sound bar is clearly designed to be sitting on a shelf but I don’t want it that way so I must innovate a bit. Also if you plan to use a generic wall mount BOSE has a grove on the underneath so that must be taken into consideration as a generic one may not work. If I can hang it on a wall though… I should be able to mount it on my tv arm….We’ll see. So back to being designed for a shelf primarily… the unit has volume control and pause and play on a physical button on the top of the unit. Yes you actually can walk up to it and spin the virtual volume wheel to the left or right to turn up the sound or down. I like that…I think… but it seems very retro and I doubt I will use that very often if ever…. Who wants to walk up to their sound bar and push buttons in 2026??? The unit doesn’t even come with a remote….I know sound bar remotes seem archaic and sit in the sofa storage box 95% of the time but for a premium system… give us a bone and throw in a basic remote. It would be nice at a party if I could have that in my pocket and mute quickly…. To be fair, The BOSE app is very nice, quick and responsive and is better than a remote in so far as how easy it is and more functional that a remote…but I want both options. The subwoofer is heavy, well built and looks really good in my Livingroom. The base is so amazingly clean and balanced and powerful…You truly do feel it… even at scale…. Even when the volume is not high…you can still feel the base and it is proportional to the other sound profiles and just amazing! The Sub Looks like a small coffee table instead of some big open woofer. I like that. The rear speakers are larger than my other rears on my old system and that’s because BOSE has done something really unique and versatile with the Ultra speaker …. They can be a stand alone speaker unto themselves…. Really interesting and very cool. I absolutely love the concept of being able to just unplug my speaker and take it with me on a trip or better yet buy two more and have whole home audio. The Ultra speakers being a stand alone unit with stand alone audio features (mid’s, highs and base) bring a whole lot to the home theater experience. They hit so much harder than traditional supplemental rear speakers in other systems I have had. I was watching a show and charter walked in stage right and slammed a door on the screen, I jumped because I swore my main door of my house just slammed behind me….amazing….It literally tricked my brain with just how realist the sound profile was. So realistic and immersive… and that brings me to the overall sound quality. Bose is an investment in experiences for me and my spouse… from movies with the spouse, to concert quality sound from my streams …Apple, Spotifiy, Youtube, Netflix, HULU, Paramount…ect ect…My spouse and I are so busy that we only have a couple of hours to escape and relax and get lost in music or shows….BOSE delivers that experience on a silver plater with style and elegance. I don’t know how they are able to have such clear dialogue while still maintaining the lush and vibrant and sometimes loud audio soundscape of some of the movies and shows out there and the Base…BOSE knows BASE. The app has a dialog boost setting… 1, 2, and 3. I tired all three and I actually prefer and can hear quite fine the native setting of the system (No subtitles needed ever again!). You can easily use the app to increase base and mid ect…but I found that the sound profile out of the box is spot on….It uses your cell phone to gage and analyses the room!!! You actually set you phone on the unit and run a calibration.. then you sit in your spot on the couch and run the calibration again and do that two more times in sperate places you sit at and it generates the best sound for those location…insanely smart… and I could hear the difference…. The sound in so enveloping…It’s like it is everywhere all at once…You have to experience it to really have an appreciation of just how smart the tech is. It comes preloaded with the Alexa assistant …bummer… I hate Alexa. I wish it had a Google Gemini option but if you’re an Alexa family you good to go out of the gate. Also Gamers…. Amazing!!! I play mostly first person shooters (or at least till GTA 6 comes out)… but the bullets and music are next level. Despite the very minor gripes about no remote and Alexa…. Bose Ultra Lifestyle lives up to the hype for me. If you love sound…Sound loves BOSE and it shows! Can’t go wrong!

The Bose Lifestyle Ultra Soundbar is part of their new Lifestyle Ultra collection. It can be used standalone or in a virtual home theater setup with the new Lifestyle Ultra Subwoofer and a pair of Lifestyle Ultra Speakers for surround sound. I’m using the soundbar in the home theater configuration. In the box you get the soundbar itself, the power cable, and an HDMI cable. I was looking for a remote since my last Bose soundbar had one, but this model does not include one. The soundbar has a sleek piano black finish. It also comes in white if that would suit your interior décor better. It can be mounted onto a wall, but you will need to buy a wall bracket separately from Bose. On the rear you’ll find the HDMI e-ARC port for connecting to a TV, and an ethernet jack for a wired network connection. It also supports Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 5.3. On top of the soundbar are power, play/pause, and volume controls. In addition, there is a microphone mute, Bluetooth pairing, and action button. The action button works with voice assistants like Alexa to stop a timer or alarm. Setup was incredibly easy; in fact, it might be the easiest setup I’ve ever seen on any device. Simply plug in the device and use the Bose app on your phone to configure. Just follow the instructions. The app immediately found the device (plus the subwoofer and surround speakers) and walked me through the rest of the process. I think you need to sign up for an account, but I previously had an account for my other Bose soundbars and headphones. It did take a bit of time to download all the updated firmware and apply it to each device. The sound quality of this soundbar is excellent, as you’d expect from Bose. I replaced a 2.1 sound system in my living room that I thought was pretty good, but I was blown away by what this soundbar can achieve. Dialog in movies and TV shows is loud and very clear. It also has a good amount of treble that my previous system did not. I’ve always been skeptical of Dolby Atmos features from a soundbar but this soundbar does a great job of emulating the height effect by using upward-firing drivers. Despite the soundbar being under my TV, Bose’s spatial audio technology makes sounds feel like they’re coming from around the room instead of a single location. When paired with the sub and surrounds, it does an incredible job of creating an immersive home theater setup without all the big unsightly speakers. One feature I really like is that the Bose app shows exactly what audio format is being received. I can confirm whether I’m receiving Dolby Atmos or PCM 5.1 correctly. When playing music through a service like Alexa, it shows the name of the song and playback controls such as skip. You can also adjust the sound in the app, but I let the system configure itself with Bose CustomTune, which plays calibration tones that are picked up by your phone’s microphone to automatically tune the audio for your specific room and seating positions. You do need to have a TV with an eARC HDMI port to receive Dolby Atmos digital audio. Almost all new TVs will have this, but some older ones will not. Something you will want to check prior to purchasing to make sure you get to hear the effects. You will also need content in Dolby Atmos such as that found on some premium streaming services or Ultra HD Blu-rays. One thing to note if you prefer movies on physical media is that the soundbar does not support DTS or DTS:X, just the Dolby formats. Besides TV audio, you can also stream music from your phone using Airplay or Google Cast, or simply connect your phone as a Bluetooth device. You can have up to eight different devices paired to the soundbar at once. Pros: - Excellent Sound Quality - Bose TrueSpatial is superb - SpeechClarity enhances dialog performance - Dolby Atmos support - Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant support - Apple AirPlay and Google Cast - Roku TV Ready (use your Roku remote) - Use standalone or with subwoofer and surround speakers Cons: - No remote included - No DTS support Overall – This is the best soundbar I’ve ever heard. I’d highly recommend getting the entire home theater set with the subwoofer and speakers if you can, but the nice thing is you can just start with the soundbar and add the extra components later.

I've either owned or had experience (through friends/family) with many Bose products over the years. This started with a pair of 901's back in the 70's when I admired but could not afford such an extravagance. Luckily I had a friend with spendable cash. When the original Lifestyle surround system came on the market; I was working steadily, and that became my Christmas present to myself. What followed was CD Clock/Radio; outdoor speakers, smart soundbars, and headphones, both bud & noise cancelling styles. The new LS Ultra Soundbar follows in their tradition of beautifully designed and well engineered products. Upon unboxing, I was immediately impressed with the smooth plate glass top of the soundbar piece. The body of the unit is sleek, elegant, and at about 42" long, definitely not unassuming. A statement piece to be sure. The subwoofer for the LS is also topped with a thick slab of plate glass, and quite heavy relative to its size. By its heft alone, one could imagine the thunderous bass its body could produce. Rear satellite speakers also quite hefty for their size. If you'd be looking to wall shelve the set, I wouldn't be cheaping out on a drywall bracket. Mounting screw hole is provided on the bottom. Upon setup, I was prepared for an adventure with the Bose app. With my previously owned Smart Soundbar 600, I could never get the app to cooperate with the unit. Once I finally got it connected, it ended up dropping it, and wouldn't reconnect. I finally gave up and became satisfied using the remote. With the new LS Ultra, the experience was quite different. The app guided me through the process, first connecting the main soundbar, then subwoofer, and finally, the satellites. I'm sure many of you have had adventures making the TV connection - will it be recognized & configure properly? No adventure for me this time. Hooked the provided HDMI cable into the ARC input on the tv, and all was good. Both units turned on/off properly in sync with each other. The app also contains a function for self tuning/configuration to your room. A series of tones are emitted from the main unit, you take your phone to your favored seating position, and the unit calibrates. The first time around, it gave me a "didn't quite get that"; which was probably because I was holding the phone at the wrong angle. A second go-through went through with no issue. It then asked for a secondary seat position, and went through the process again; however, I don't see anything in the app that would allow you to select a primary/secondary function. The end result produced a beautifully rich and all encompassing sound. The imaging and soundstage are dead-on perfect. I did play with the app's adjustment sliders for bass/mid/treble, left/right, front/back, but came back to neutral, as it seemed the "tuning" function of the app had done its job. I do own other high end audio equipment, my vinyl record collection spans decades and several thousand records. Subjectively, I've always felt that Bose products had their own "color" or "flavor." As such, when listening to vinyl, I strive to keep things as neutral as possible to preserve the original intention of the artist and/or recording process. I've always chose amplifiers & speakers with those qualities, consequently, Bose has not been my choice in that situation. However, video applications are different. If you've ever heard soundtracks to shows or movies, they do have a different sound than if you were playing the tracks on your CD or vinyl system. They're tuned that way. This Bose LS system portrays the audio/video experience perfectly. The streaming I've seen on Netflix, Apple & especially Disney are the best I've experienced. My personal wishlist - I do wish they had included a remote with the system. For one thing, the glass top of the system is a dust collector, and the embedded controls are super sensitive. If my wife comes by to Swiffer the dust, the controls respond, I'd like to be able to have a remote button to control at least on/off. Yes, I do know we have Alexa/Google to control our lives, but I'm an old school guy. I miss buttons! That said, this Bose is quite the statement piece for your audio/video room - highly recommended.

I got this Bose Lifestyle sound bar along with a full package of Lifestyle, Ultra Subwoofer, and Lifestyle Ultra Surround Speaker; therefore, I am describing this as a full setup, not as an individual sound bar or subwoofer or the Lifestyle speaker. Unpacking Everything comes in recyclable packaging, and the products are well packed because of the weight of the subwoofer, which is very heavy. The box was opened on one side, but otherwise, everything was OK. No damage. I hope Bose should put more sturdy packaging. The sound bar comes with an HDMI cable, and a Power Cable , Subwoofer comes with only Power Cable. The Lifestyle Surround Speakers comes with Power cables. Build Quality The soundbar has a glass top and instead of metal mash. It has a woven soft fabric. this is my personal preference- I like the metal mesh more than the fabric, just because I feel like the metal is more sturdy and gets a more premium look than the fabric. The fabric also attracts more dust and over time It will get dirty while the metal mesh you can simply wipe with a soft damp cloth and it again shines. on the right side of the sound bar. There is a volume button and a play/ pause button, all are touch buttons. The upward firing Dolby Atoms speaker is also at the end of the sound bar. I like the previous version of the Sound Bar Ultra, but this is my personal preference. Other people might like this. Overall, it does give a premium feel. The subwoofer and the small speakers also follow the same woven mesh cloth aesthetics and look the same and easily blend with any room decor. Setup I have other Bose products, soundbar ultra and also quite comfort headphones, and I own the Bose product since the SoundTouch series which I still love. So, as always, the set up is based on the app, you have to download the Bose app, and then everything is just on a screen prompt, and you have to follow the set up. For this particular product, there was a little bit of a hiccup in the beginning. Sometimes the subwoofer was not recognizing, sometimes one of the small speakers was not recognized, and I think that it was as soon as I turned on the speakers. They were downloading a software update or firmware update. That issue went away after some time when things became installed and restarted. They just pair up with each other and kind of become a home theater system. I set up so that the sound bar is in front of my TV and the subwoofer is on the right side of the sound bar, and two surround speakers are on the back of the room on the left and right sides. Connection are wireless, that means everything is just a need to be connected in power, and then it’s just a breeze. The small speakers can be set up in a different way. Can we use them as individual speakers or in a stereo speaker in a different room so that it gives different options. And that’s really good to have. More speakers can be added at a later time point, or if someone wants to have a 7.1 experience, they can buy more speakers and add them to experience a truly immersive sound. Sound output, dialogue clarity, and bass The sound output is really crisp and clean. Their is in a toggle button in the app that you can turn on the dialogue or spoken dialogue clarity you can choose from low, medium, and high. Even without turning that on, the dialogues are very clear, and I really like this feature on the Bose speakers. During the setup The app automatically asks to connect the sound bar to Wi-Fi and find speakers and subwoofer on the network, and once everything is set up, it asks whether we want to tune the sound or surround experience based on our room. That is a good thing because as we have furniture and other stuff in the room, so it can tune up at the place where you sit and adjust the surround experience based on that. These days, everything is becoming up-based and phone-based, and I really do not like that because now I have to, let’s suppose if I have to change the volume or any other settings. I have to pick up my phone. It would have been very good if Bose included a remote with this product, and I still miss the universal remote with my SoundTouch sound bar. It is kind of becoming a personal music system, not for a family or shared one, so everyone has to have an app and use the phone to change basic things. That’s one down point; a remote could have been much better so that if I want to increase the bass, I can simply press the button on the remote or enable the spoken dialogue clarity button. The app has different controls in the volume and tribble and surround, which can be adjusted individually from -10 to +10. The midway is zero; even at the midway, that is zero value, the sound output is really loud and very clear; it does not break if you increase the volume. The subwoofer is really very deep bass. I am living on the first floor in an apartment building and even at zero mid value I was watching a movie and the whole floor was filled with the deep bass that was really a thrilling experience, and the surround system really built up on that and it is really a movie hall kind of experience. Overall, I really like the Lifestyle Ultra series sound bar and speaker system in my personal feeling. I felt that the series is missing a universal remote, and it would have been great if instead of the fabric, it should have a premium metal mash like their previous soundbars. I do recommend this anyone want to have a home theater experience

Verdict: The Bose Lifestyle Ultra Soundbar is as good as soundbars get, and when paired with other Bose Lifestyle units, it delivers the most impressive home theater performance we have ever experienced at home. Background. This review is only for the soundbar unit, but we installed several pieces to build a Bose home theater system. Initial impressions. Unboxing Bose equipment always conveys quality… It’s packed well, it’s heavy, and it looks amazing. This is a very long soundbar, and also quite wide; I recommend measuring where you plan to install it (just in case). It looks… fantastic! Sleek glass top, discreet and convenient controls, hidden speakers on all sides, and angled power and HDMI connectors. Setup. Initially, the app indicated that setup would take 45 minutes, but in the end, it was closer to 15 min, not bad at all! While mostly smooth, during setup, one or two screens stalled for a bit, for example, once it found the soundbar, there was no continuation arrow… It was just stuck there. I had to quit the app and relaunch, and from there I could proceed to add the other pieces. I love that you can press the “bell” icon to generate a sound on the speaker for testing. Once plugged-in, connect the HDMI cable through the ARC connections on both ends. If you have additional compatible Bose units, you can connect them wirelessly to the soundbar through the app. Of note, unless I missed it in the box… the system does not come with a physical remote; your smartphone serves as the remote. Performance. The sound bar design effectively distributes sound forwards, backwards, upwards, and to the sides, effectively simulating spatial sound. The soundbar is plenty loud, with decent bass, essentially better than the vast majority of soundbars, but not perfect. Beyond the bass, the sound is full and rich. While excellent on its own, when the soundbar is paired with the Bose Lifestyle Ultra Subwoofer and the Bose Lifestyle Ultra Speakers, the experience exceeds ALL our expectations of quality, immersion, and power! Features. Custom Tune for the specific room you setup is fantastic. SpeechClarity is interesting, but I don’t plan to ever use it since we will primarily use it for movies and music. I love that it has airplay and google cast. App. The app is simple, so manage expectations. It doesn’t offer much more than digital remote and basic settings customization. In the end, it works well and does what it needs to do. Things I love: - Large and powerful soundbar - Excellent performance for movies and music - It looks great, with a sleek glass top and easy controls - Seamless integration with other Bose units to build an epic home theater system that you can grow over time - Alexa integration is very convenient Things I don’t love: - Did I miss the physical remote somewhere in the box?! A physical remote would be great, and should be included for something this high-end. I understand I can control from the app, but I am not the only person that uses the sound system. My wife is not interested to install and use yet another app. And when the kids, their friends, and other guests visit, they can’t turn the volume down without using Alexa or getting up to press the physical buttons. This doesn’t make sense! - The Alexa setup failed a few times. I logged out of the Alexa app and logged back in, and that seemed to solve it - I do wish there were physical back/skip buttons on the sound bar. Why not put +/- at the top and bottom of the circle, and back/skip on the left and right of the circle? Sure, I can remember to double-press or triple-press the play button, but other people will not know that… Better to just put the buttons since there is space on the touch controls Overall, I am thrilled with the Bose Lifestyle Ultra Soundbar, but most importantly, I LOVE the seamless integration with other Bose units to create an incredible and scalable home theater system. We most highly recommend the Bose Lifestyle line-up.

I got this new Bose Ultra Lifestyle Soundbar as part of a package of speakers to make a complete Bose home theater that includes two of the new rear Ultra Lifestyle speakers and their new Ultra Lifestyle Subwoofer. If you buy each piece seperately as funds allow or just buy the all speakers at once at Best Buy. The Bose sound is extremely good when compared to my clunky aging reciever and wired speaker setup. Plus, most of the setup is pretty straight forward and only requires an outlet, one HDMI cable and phone app. I had a few minor issues with the app as the setup was very new and maybe I missed a step. Now with it up and running, it is just high end audio with very defined center channel audio. Setup: Unbox the speaker, power cord and HDMI. Sadly no remote included. Plug the power cord into the soundbar and wall outlet. Then plug the HDMI cable to eARC port on you TV and the soundbar. Now fire up the Bose app, tap the "+" and it should find the Bose LS Ultra Soundbar. Might be an update. Then just follow instructions on screen and you are on your way to audio from your TV or even Bluetooth devices. You can do the CustomTune setup that the app prefers. This utilizes your phone's microphones, first on the soundbar, then around the room. Or you can setup everything manually to your audio tastes, this option is always available even after CustomTune. There are 3 EQ settings, Treble, Mids, and Bass. And when connected to the rest of the speakers you can control Center, Height, and Surround as well as Subwoofer level for a lot of room thumping goodness if you live in a house. Once the setup is done and your ears are happy. You will just use the TV remote for volume up and down. The app will only be needed again to tweak levels. My flagship Android phone lost the soundbar during the update and made things a bit more difficult. But, I persisted and with a Bose representatives help I was able to get the setup to finish. Just make sure you are on your WiFi network for the whole process. I was on cell network at it likely led to my install issues. Bluetooth is straight forward. Hold BT button till light goes blue and pair speaker with device like phone. Audio: This soundbar has fantastic sound quality and a few nifty tricks for isolating the voice track (center channel) in every format of music and video I threw at it. Anything Atmos is where the soundbar shines. You can send 5.1 surround signals and 2.0 stereo too and it will upmix and fill in a psuedo surround depending on the speakers in your setup. If coming from a receiver and seperate speaker setup. This soundbar handles your Right, Center, Left and Atmos Height speakers. On its own this is slim low profile soundbar and is almost guranteed to beat the TV speakers and make any movie or music far more immersive. And if TV dialogue is hard to understand or typically sounds muddy. Turn on SpeechClarity (low, med, high) in the app and you will get a boosted center track that even on low makes dialogue pop and sound much more defined. SpeechClarity should allow you to turn closed caption off and hear the words being said better. Even without the Sub and rear Lifestyle speakers this soundbar is the base to build your best home theater speaker system. It gives you immersive audio from anything you watch on TV. And with Bluetooth you can connect many more devices to have audio sound even better. The Lifestyle speakers decode and even upscale the audio. You will get the best possible sound no matter how you listen. Even though a remote is not included. Bose did put touch controls on top of the speaker for volume, track advance, play and pause. So, guests can easily connect and share audio without needing the app and changing your setup.

I’ve had the Bose TV Speaker and the Smart Soundbar in use under my TV before - and when I saw this new Lifestyle Soundbar, I couldn't resist. This needs to differ from my normal Good/Meh/Bad overview and I’ll be calling out things I like, don’t like or are problematic (**) or am indifferent/critical on (*), given the following categories: —- The App —- Streaming After removing my old Bose Smart Sound Bar, I had to make some mounting adjustments to support this newer, much larger and deeper soundbar, coming in at 21lbs. No issues once adjusted and my existing power and HDMI cables worked perfectly. The App: When I finished the physical installation and connection back to the TV - I began the App setup. Once the App was installed and I logged in, the soundbar popped up as a ‘ready to configure’ item and off it went - setup there was a breeze and it ensured that the components had the proper updates. This is a sharp looking sound bar, though it does collect fingerprints with the piano glossy finish. Actual controls are added in a circular area off to the right. The past few of the Bose soundbars didn’t have anything like a play/pause or volume control on the bar itself. In use, it has great ‘throwing’ capabilities off to the sides and towards the ceiling - where the sounds appear as if they are coming from speakers that don’t exit. I do take advantage of SpeechClarity, as the TV is used more for shows than movies. It can get loud, rumble with some nice bass all while keeping the dialogue crisp. - Movies/TV: Great clarity with adjustments *Critique - No remote in the box! **Issue: The soundbar power save sleep feature doesn’t wake it up nicely. You need to either: touch the soundbar, or in the App, select the Input to be TV (for me) again. When you’ve decided on your configuration, I highly recommend using the CustomTune feature, where in combination with your phone (instead of a mic connected to an Amp), the speakers will tune sounds for the 3 positions you may sit in when watching TV. —- Streaming: Streaming to these devices is easy with Spotify Connect, Bluetooth and Google Cast. Once enabled, Cast from YouTube Music - and if using Spotify, just select the Speaker / Pair, etc that’s been configured and walk away, as there’s a transfer of the song to the device, it’s not tied to your phone like when connected via Bluetooth. When using Bluetooth, say from a TV - it’s still easy, make an input mode App change and you’re off to send whatever to the speakers. *Critique - Soundbar: Music - you need to adjust all the levels as there isn't an “entertainment” or “music” option that you can move between. It’s a bit of a chore to need to un-tune from a movie and re-tune for music. If you’re in the market for a new Bose Soundbar - I highly recommend it! Oh yeah, get the Lifestyle Sub too!

Included-Bose Lifestyle Ultra Soundbar, HDMI cable, power cord Installation was a breeze. The soundbar, speakers and sub were all packed very well but were still simple to unpack. The speakers and sub just needed a power cord connected and plugged into an outlet. The soundbar needed the HDMI and the power cord connected and plugged in.  I already had the Bose app on my phone, so I went in and added the product to my list and connected it to my wi-fi. The app prompted me to walk through the set up after the system updated. Then you can customize your system. It calibrates the speakers and soundbar for the optimal expereince. It will adjust the sound to your space and locations of the speakers for optimal performance.  It only took a few minutes from start to finish which I appreciate.  This is my third Bose soundbar and this is the first one that did not include a remote. You have to control the sound bar by touch, voice control or via the app. I don't want to have to get up and touch buttons to control the settings or volume so I'm forced to usually use the app because the voice control can only help with basic functions, nothing like the EQ. I think it would be nice to have at least a simple remote with basic functions if my phone is not available. I love the look of the Bose Lifestyle Ultra Soundbar. It's always attractive in design. This one gives me a little bit of a retro vibe with the material on the front and wrapped around yet it has a fresh modern look. As far as sound quality, I think the Lifestyle Ultra Soundbar is the best one from Bose yet. I think Bose is the best on the market and nothing really compares to them. The sound quality is always amazing thanks to the 9 speakers, Dolby Atmos and Cleanbass technology and ability to customize the EQ and make adjustments on the sub and rear speakers too. I enjoy using the Lifestyle system when I'm watching TV or a movie and want a surround system experience because I have bundled the subwoofer and rear speakers with the soundbar. I also love streaming my playlist or satellite radio via Bluetooth when I want some background music on. The Bose Lifestyle Ulta Collections will definitely provide hours of premium entertainment.

PROS + Detailed overall sound profile with excellent center channel performance + PhaseGuide speakers do a good job of projecting a wide sound profile beyond the edges of the bar with convincing presence + Can be expanded with surround speakers and subwoofer into an full 7.1.4 channel atmos system that sounds very full when built out + Strong neutral sound across both movies and music + CustomTune works well to elevate the sound quality with room correction + Included 3.5mm input for devices like turntables + Solid level of EQ available in the app + Natively supports full Alexa+ as a voice assistant + Bose app is responsive and connects without issue CONS - No DTS support of any kind - No HDMI inputs or device passthrough - No included remote (can be purchased separately) - No display on the bar or power indicator - Really needs the wireless subwoofer to get the full dynamic range (bass in bar alone is merely okay) OTHER THINGS OF NOTE * Only supports a single subwoofer, unlike the previous Bose Soundbar Ultra * Glass top is a style choice, but easily shows dust, fur, fingerprints, and reflects some light * Had some rare lip-sync and connectivity issues THE LONG AND SHORT OF IT If you are familiar with Bose’s previous flagship soundbar offerings, the Bose Lifestyle Ultra Soundbar follows in their footsteps, but takes a bit more of a stylistic approach, along with a simplified set-up process, that makes it much more competitive today. It still has a distinctively Bose design with a glass top, but rounds things out a bit more with a fabric wrapping that is over the speakers. Overall, it's an attractive and unique looking soundbar, with the only design issue being that the glass top is absolutely a grease, fingerprint, and dust/fur magnet. It stayed clean for all of 5 seconds before it started to collect dust in my space, so be prepared to keep some glass cleaner handy. In terms of I/O, the soundbar is minimalist to a fault. It keeps things simple with just a few inputs (power, 3.5mm mono, USB for service) and an HDMI eARC port for connecting to the TV. You don’t get any HDMI inputs, which means if your TV is like mine with only 2 HDMI 2.1 ports, then 1 of them is going to be taken by the soundbar, which can be a pain. I would have really liked even 1 additional HDMI input to replace the one it uses for the soundbar. Finally, you also get some touch controls on top of the soundbar in a small circle as part of the design, which work nicely if you don’t want to use the app, which you will be doing a lot since the soundbar doesn’t come with an included remote, you need to buy it separately. It wasn’t much of an issue for me, since I found the app more than serviceable, and very stable, for what I need to do, but it is still not ideal in cases where everyone in your house now needs the app, or your wifi goes down. In terms of sound quality, this is where Bose really gets it right. The soundbar delivers an impressively wide and detailed sound field, making movies and music sound fantastic right out of the box, with excellent surround presence. You do have EQ options in the app for things like Treble, Mids, Bass, as well as Center, Height, and Surround channels. These all work well, and really allow you to tune the sound to your taste, but I personally found that much tuning wasn’t needed for me, as the default sound after using CustomTune for room correction, sounded excellent. CustomTune takes about 10 minutes, and has you sit in three of your most used positions to measure room tone with your phone mic. I found it worked great, and definitely created a more grounded presence in the room with better surround effects, which was essential for me as my room is not balanced with walls on both sides. The proprietary PhaseGuide speakers do a great job of projecting sound far beyond the physical boundaries of the bar, giving a convincing surround presence from the bar alone, which is exactly what you want from a premium standalone unit. It provides a strong, neutral sound profile that handles both movies and music with confidence.The Bose app is also responsive and well-designed, making set-up a breeze, and I appreciate the included 3.5mm input for connecting devices like a turntable. If you want to dive deeper, you can expand this system into a full-fledged 7.1.4 channel Atmos setup, which is a huge plus for future-proofing your home theater. I personally used the full set-up for most of my testing, and it was excellent. The subwoofer added a much needed level of depth that the soundbar itself was lacking a bit, and the surround speakers really completed the sound bubble, adding better verticality and width which really helped with sound placements in the 3D space. On its own the soundbar is still incredible sounding, but the other items really help complete the package. For a premium bar, there are a couple of omissions that feel like bigger misses. The bass from the bar alone is clean, but doesn’t really hit that deep, and I would argue that you really need to budget for the wireless subwoofer to get the full dynamic range and proper thump you expect from a system at this level. Also, the absence of any DTS support limits its compatibility with some media, especially movies with DTS:X. It will output LPCM, but you don’t get that object based audio from DTS:X tracks. Finally, I did experience some occasional lip-sync issues which required me powering down and powering up the bar again. It was very minor, and only happened a couple of times, but something of note that I am sure will improve with firmware updates. While these are not deal-breakers, they are annoying given how close the bar is to overall excellence. Overall, this is a phenomenal soundbar when it comes to pure audio performance and its ability to deliver an immersive experience on its own. The sound is top-tier, and the ability to expand the system means it can grow with your needs. Despite the frustrating connectivity and remote limitations, the core product delivers where it counts, making it an excellent centerpiece for a modern home theater setup. Just make sure you are okay with the limitations it does have.

This is my 2nd Bose soundbar , first was the smart 600 I believe. That little soundbar sounded great even without a sub. This new version of the Bose’s higher end sound bar is leaps and bounds above my older one. This soundbar produces such rich and clear sound from the highs to the bottom end. I’ve always loved Bose sound signature mainly because while they focus on every aspect of sound, they make sure to put an emphasis on center channel(vocal) clarity. You can’t compare any other brands because Bose has always nailed it. So for me vocal clarity is most important. But everything else sounds great as well from music to thunder and all those sounds you want to hear when watching movies. Treble is nice and clean without being overly sharp. Bass on just the soundbar is adequate but nothing to write home about. But it’s solid. Tho I do have and recommend a bose sub. Height channels work well. This the most balanced sound out of any bars that I have had. Adding the sub makes everything even better and if you want the full surround sound you should get a pair of Bose surrounds. I have the whole set up. And every single person I have giving a demo to, was amazed. It’s really the best set up you can get right now. But it is on the higher end of the retail spectrum but you pay for quality and sound. Plus the design is sleek and elegant, not to big or tall. Blends in nicely with the tv. You have Bluetooth and Apple AirPlay built in after you set up through the app and add everything together. There is no more remotes but it has an EARC so you can either control through your tv remote or the app. You can customize the sound to your liking. I pretty much leave it at default but you can adjust pretty much every setting. This does offer a dialogue enhancement but to me you don’t need it. changing that setting will introduce some weird and unnatural sounding voices. Again, if you know Bose you know it’s going to be great. I love it and this is my new favorite set up for enjoying a fun movie night with my wife and kids.

This is one amazing sound system. I have this connected with both the new released bass module and satellite speakers. One small drawback is the soundbar does not come with a remote, so everything must be set up with the app. I took one star off for that. Otherwise the set up was fairly straightforward and easy to set up once everything synched up. The look is new with a round circular control on the far right end of the speaker. The top is a high gloss glass which is very easily smudged with fingerprints, so be sure to use a soft cloth to keep everything neat and clean. Speaker features AI Speech Clarity and clears out background noise or distortions. It comes with Dolby Atmos and 9 drivers which provides incredibly clear and crisp sound. You can alwo use your moblie device to assist with calibration for the best possible sound quality. Of course this soundbar works at peak performance with the bass and satellite speakers taking it to a full 7.1.4 system. The sound is tue best Bose has ever produced and is ahead of its rivals. It works with HDMI/ARC, Bluetooth, Apple Play and Google. Absolutely recommend this new Lifestyle System.

The BOSE Lifestyle TV Sound System Bundle delivers a premium home theater experience that feels both powerful and refined. From movies and television to music streaming, the system creates immersive sound while still being simple enough for everyday use. The sleek design, smart features, and customizable audio settings make it feel like a complete entertainment upgrade rather than just another speaker system. Ease of Setup Setup was much easier than expected for a surround sound system. The app walks you through the process step-by-step, including speaker connections, TV integration, Wi-Fi setup, and calibration. Everything felt organized and straightforward, even without prior experience setting up a home theater system. The guided setup removes a lot of the frustration that usually comes with surround sound installations. Sound Quality Sound quality is where the system truly stands out. Dialogue is crisp and easy to hear, even during louder scenes, while the surround sound creates a cinematic atmosphere throughout the room. The bass is deep without overpowering the rest of the audio, and music playback sounds rich and balanced. Whether watching movies, sports, or streaming music, the sound feels detailed, immersive, and consistently high-end. App Performance The Bose app is clean, responsive, and very user-friendly. Switching between devices, adjusting settings, and controlling music streaming can all be done quickly from a phone or tablet. The app makes everyday use much more convenient and keeps the entire system easy to manage without constantly needing the remote. TV Sound Feature TV audio sounds dramatically better compared to standard television speakers. Voices are clearer, background sounds are more noticeable, and action scenes feel fuller and more immersive. Even regular TV viewing sounds upgraded with better depth and clarity. Music Streaming Music streaming is seamless and reliable. Streaming through Bluetooth or Wi-Fi is quick to connect, and the audio quality remains excellent across different genres of music. Vocals sound clean, instruments are well balanced, and the system fills the room without distortion even at higher volumes. Alexa Integration Alexa integration adds a convenient hands-free experience. Voice commands work well for adjusting volume, controlling playback, and launching music. It’s a useful feature that blends naturally into everyday use without feeling overly complicated. Room Tuning Technology The room tuning feature makes a noticeable difference in overall sound performance. After calibration, the system automatically adjusts to the size and layout of the room, creating more balanced surround sound across different seating areas. The audio feels fuller and more natural instead of only sounding good in one spot. Equalizer Function The equalizer settings allow for a more personalized listening experience. Being able to adjust bass, treble, center channel, and surround levels makes it easy to fine-tune the sound depending on whether you’re watching movies, listening to music, or casually watching TV. The customization options help the system feel even more premium. Final Thoughts Overall, the BOSE Lifestyle TV Sound System Bundle combines outstanding sound quality, easy setup, smart streaming features, and customizable audio controls into a polished home entertainment system. It delivers a true theater-style experience while still being practical and user-friendly for everyday use.

Bose is a household name synonymous with great sounding speakers. My own vehicle has a Bose sound system from factory that I love, so I was excited to finally have a sound bar that shares the name and quality. ><><>Pros<><>< - Bose signature sound. Forward, center, and upward firing speakers on the Bose Lifestyle Ultra Soundbar create an immersive experience. We love watching our favorite shows and movies to feel like we’re right in the scene, especially when you pick up on background sounds you don’t normally pick out. - You can use the EQ in the Bose app to dial in the sound. Although the EQ is limited, you can still adjust for bass, mids, and treble. Other adjustments are center, height, and surround, along with subwoofer volume (if you have one, I highly recommend to get one). The app will also use your smartphone to optimize the sound by calibrating the speakers to your sitting position. The Custom Tune process takes a few minutes and a quiet room, but will further customize the sound to your place in the room. - Multiple options for connectivity are a must as homes become smart homes. You can use airplay, google cast, or just connect Bluetooth for multiple wireless options. The best way to connect to your TV however is the included HDMI cable into your eARC HDMI port on your TV. This allows the device to come on with your TV (in most cases) and pass thru audio from other HDMI connected devices. - I like how there’s a glass top for the soundbar. It adds a bit of elegance to it that departs from the standard “nice plastic”. There are haptic touch buttons on the top to use Bluetooth, mute the microphone, or power the device. Since this will likely be front and center of your living room along with your TV, it’s nice to see a bit extra was done for design. This currently looks great on my TV stand but if you want to buy the mount kit, you have the option to mount the soundbar to the wall as well. - Small thing to celebrate, but the power cable was long enough as to not restrict placement. The included HDMI had plenty of room to reach my wall mounted TV from my short entertainment stand below. ><><>Cons<><>< - One thing I would have liked to have in the app is a description for the EQ settings Center, Height, and Surround. It’s not immediately obvious what these do if this is your first surround sound system. Descriptions in the menu in general would be useful. - I didn’t see a manual or online documentation that explains what the buttons do on the soundbar. While the app does a good job walking you through setup, some documentation either within the app or in the box would be helpful. - I would have loved to see the wall mount kit included for the sound bar. Bose does sell a kit so you can bundle that if you’re interested, but it’s sold separately. Not a deal breaker and likely not included to prevent waste, but I personally prefer to mount my sound bars. This sound bar is an easy recommend. It has elegance, great sound, full featured with wifi, Bluetooth, and wireless connectivity. No noticeable delay in the sound, and if there was, you can adjust it within the app. Bose has been around for a long time and is a trusted brand.

First off, I have to say that this new Bose Lifestyle Ultra soundbar is very impressive. Set up was very straight forward. You need to download the Bose app and connect the soundbar to your Wi-Fi network. Once connected you add the soundbar to the app to control the soundbar. The bar does not come with a physical remote. The app allows you to control the volume as well as adjust the bass, midrange, center, treble and height. The Bose app also allows you to adjust the AI processed Speech Clarity function. There are 3 levels of low, medium and high that significantly raises dialog presence. The app is also where you will add additional Lifestyle components to the system including the subwoofer and rear speakers. Bose has updated the calibration setup with their new CustomTune feature which uses your phone’s microphone to measure 3 seating positions in the room using test tone sweeps of the various speakers in the setup. I initially set up the soundbar as a stand-alone system to test just the soundbar. I immediately noticed how wide a soundstage this soundbar provided. I have this set up in a 14X16 foot room with a 9-foot ceiling. The soundstage fills the entire room side to side. The soundbar uses Phase Guide drivers on the front of the soundbar instead of side firing drivers like a lot of other soundbars. The effect is amazing. The soundbar sounds like it is 14 feet wide coming from a bar that is 43.5 inches wide. The bar also has up firing speakers for Dolby Atmos content. Bose uses what they call True Space processing which uses the up-firing speakers in non-Dolby Atmos content including 2 channel content for a more immersive effect. A couple of things about this processing. The app does not offer any sound modes such as music or movies and does not have a way to turn this processing off so if you want to listen to stereo music content you will still have the up-firing speakers in the mix. The app does allow you to turn off the subwoofer and rear speakers if you want. As a standalone soundbar it is very impressive. The bar provides solid bass on its own and vocal clarity is exceptional. Dolby Atmos content is handled surprisingly well. I do want to talk about the cosmetics of the bar. Bose made a significant change for the better in my opinion. The bar is now more rounded on the ends with knitted fabric covering the bar along with a glass top that covers the center section of the bar without covering the up-firing speakers. There is a capacitive control panel at one end of the bar for controlling the volume, setting up Bluetooth using Alexa and turning off the microphone. I received the black version, and I must say this is one of the best looking soundbars I have seen. I have a couple of other sound bars in this class to compare it to. I have the soundbar connected via eARC to my ultra short throw projector displaying a 120” image and the experience with this soundbar has taken it to a whole new level. The next step in the process was to add the subwoofer to the mix. Again, this was a simple process using the app. The subwoofer does not need to be connected to Wi-Fi in the app. It appears the soundbar finds the sub and connects. The soundbar has a 3.5mm sub output if you want to connect the subwoofer wired. Bose apparently has improved the radios in the subwoofer for better wireless connection. I have not had any issues with connectivity. I will be reviewing the subwoofer separately but let’s just say that this thing adds so much to the overall sound that I can’t imagine anyone not getting the subwoofer to go with the soundbar. I re-ran CustomTune and the sub blends seamlessly with the soundbar and adds a level of low-end support that is hard to imagine. This sub can go low and I mean really low without port chuffing or distortion. Bose uses what they call Quiet Port technology, and it sure seems to work. I want to suggest that if you make any changes in the app for volume of the sub or EQ or height of the soundbar that you reset all settings to zero before running CustomTune. You can make changes to these settings after calibration if you need to. The last phase of the process was to add the rear speakers to the mix. It is important to make sure you connect the speakers in the app to your Wi-Fi first using the same network as the soundbar before adding them to the soundbar in the app. I downloaded all the owner’s manuals from the Bose website and initially missed this step and was unable to pair the speakers with the soundbar. Once I corrected my error the speakers were added in the app and everything paired up as designed. Again, I will be reviewing the rear speakers separately. Bose has made a major improvement over their past iterations of rear speakers. The speakers, in addition to a front firing woofer and tweeter, now have up-firing speakers. They also use the Quiet Port technology to improve the bass. Bose also did away with the large outboard power bricks and now just use a power cable. I ordered the matching Bose speaker stands to raise the height of the speakers above my listening position and will be able to run the cables through the stands. These speakers are interesting as they can be used as stand-alone wireless speakers in separate rooms and can be paired in stereo mode. They along with the soundbar support Alexa, Casting, Air Play and Spotify Connect as well as Bluetooth. In the app you can increase the volume of the rear speakers but there is no separate height adjustment which I find kind of odd. Again, I re-ran a final CustomTune for the added speakers. Like the soundbar the speakers have capacitive controls on the top of the speakers and knitted fabric for the front of the speakers. The addition of the rear speakers with the up-firing speakers makes a huge difference in the overall sound of the system especially with Dolby Atmos content. In my opinion these are as much of a must have as the subwoofer. I have to say that this Bose system is the best system I have heard for music as well. A lot of sound bars put most of their focus on movies and not so much on music. Bose seems to have put as much effort into tuning this system for music as it did for movies. I listen to a lot of Dolby Atmos Blu Ray audio and applaud Bose for their effort. I still wish they had given us the option for stereo listening. The components of the Lifestyle collection are all sold separately so you can start with the soundbar and add components over time. This system is by no means inexpensive. At almost $2600 this system competes with the best of the sound bars on the market and from my experience it is well worth the cost and surpassed my expectations. I am giving the soundbar 4 stars only because of the lack of a remote, the lack of separate rear height adjustments and the inability to set a sound mode for stereo listening. As a total system though it is a solid 5-star product. I would highly recommend this system to anyone who considering a high end soundbar solution.

Review for Bose Lifestyle Ultra Soundbar Amazing theater sound! More than 20 years ago we got a Bose home theater system that has stood the test of time. But when we replaced our TV recently with a bigger screen, it was time to say goodbye to all the wires. The new Bose Lifestyle Ultra Soundbar is an excellent addition to our home theater set up, but when coupled with the Lifestyle Ultra Speakers and Subwoofer, the integrated system really shines. And by coupled, I mean wirelessly! The sound bar, subwoofer, and speakers each require a power cord, of course, and the included HDMI cable connects the soundbar to the TV, but I no longer need all the cables that ran to the audio control unit, the speakers, and the subwoofer. Once I added all the components, I used the feature called CustomTune in the app to optimize the setup for my listening space. You get to choose three different listening locations within the space and the app creates the best listening experience for you considering those three points in the room. This is hefty soundbar - in all the best ways. It is long (43”) but low-profile enough to sit below most TVs on stands. It has simple controls on top for volume as well as music controls for play/pause etc. When you want to play audio from another source such as Airplay or Spotify, you can do it directly from the soundbar or by directly from your music source. You can also fine-tune and control the audio from the app, or, if you prefer, by using Alexa voice commands. Best of all, the system is designed to “just work” with your current TV setup. So the remote for your TV or streaming service also works to mute or adjust the volume. Setup is pretty straightforward using the Bose app. You start by using Bluetooth to add the soundbar, which then lets you connect to your home WiFi. After that you add each of the speakers and the subwoofer to the app. Finally, you combine them into a single home theater configuration.

I continue to enjoy Bose products because they always seem to feel as aesthetically pleasing as their sound is well rounded. This Lifestyle Ultra soundbar is no different. It continues this trend. The soundbar is not huge but gives a high quality feel. The exterior is a blend of fabric, glass, and soft touch plastic that is the nicest presentation of a soundbar I’ve experienced. There are two up firing drivers that are apparent but the remaining drivers are behind the fabric on the front. A circular control panel on the top is the only other feature on the top. The back is pretty standard with one HDMI, the power inlet and an aux port. Two air ports are also there. And this is where I think sound comes in. In Bose fashion the ports are pointed toward the ends of the soundbar and this is intentional. They use these to help give the presence of stage. I’ve noticed over the years that soundbars try different things to do this but Bose seems to have a magic from their acoustimass days that just seems to beam the sound. This results in a really wide stage. For movies it is amazing. I will note that it works better in a room that has walls closer rather than farther. A very wide open room still needs more I believe. But even then there is a widening here that you notice. The app gives you the now Bose standard three band eq that you adapt to your taste. You also have a room calibration tool that works pretty well, especially when you pair a sub and the two lifestyle speakers Bose has also released. Overall the set with the sub and surround speakers is very nice. Perfect system to get that cinematic experience. Musically, I do get a pretty strong Atmos effect that elevates music especially tracks that are produced for it. So it is a really great system if you’re looking for a stereo experience as well.

With the Lifestyle naming Bose took a different approach with this sound bar. Its slightly bigger than the previous Bose ultra soundbar and has a new look. Its now wrapped in mesh with some glass on top which also matches their subwoofer design. I like that they kept the glass which I think gives that premium stylish look. Volume and touch controls are now on the right side. There is also a small led in the center under the Bose logo. Overall I think it looks great sitting in front of my TV. Setup was really easy. The soundbar seamlessly connected to the Bose app on my phone. It does connect to wifi using the old 2.4GHz which I thought was odd. The app said if you tried to use anything else it could cause issues so I went ahead did what it suggested. Again with this new Lifestyle model its only got 1 HDMI eARC port and no DTS support for older movies. They also dropped the remote so you will need to use the Bose app, touch control, or TV remote to adjust. I see this as a non-issue because I've never used the Bose remote anyway. It comes with Alexa+ voice assistant if you want to enable it but no others. I'm hopping that Bose and Google work together and bring Gemini to this thing as I would personally prefer that over Amazons Alexa. One really nice upgrade is that it comes with what Bose calls CustomTune which uses your phones mic to auto adjust the sound to your room instead of relying on a wired mic like they did with previous models. It makes a lot more sense sense and I found it easier to use than the traditional wired mic. It will ask you to sit in 3 different places in the the room while each speaker plays some tones. Takes about 5 min to complete depending on how many speakers you have connected to it. Once complete you can flip the tuning on or off (back to default) or run again. I highly suggest running this after setup. I've run it a few times now and during my testing I noticed it made a noticeable difference. Here is my take on the audio quality and I'm going to do some comparisons to the previous model. Out of the box the sound didn't immediately impress me, but running CustomTune after install fixed most of it. It has better bass and overall a deeper sound as you would expect with it being larger. Sounds sooo much better than my built in TV speakers. My one issue with this is that the speaker (I think the center speaker) that produces the audio for voice doesn't sound as good when watching TV shows/Movies. Everyone in my household made the same comment. I'm still tweaking eq but compared to the ultra/900, voice just sounds more hollow on this in comparison. There's a Speech Clarity feature designed to improve dialogue, but it addresses volume rather than tone, so it doesn't resolve the underlying quality issue. I'm still experimenting with EQ to see if I can dial it in. On the bright side Movies with Dolby Atmos sound phenomenal. The upward firing speakers earn their keep, and the app confirms it's genuinely rendering Atmos not just simulating it. We stream a lot of music through Spotify, and once the speaker is connected to Wi-Fi you are able send audio directly to it from the Spotify app. Music sounds clear and full-bodied, and it handles higher volumes well without any distortion. That said, I did need to tweak the center speaker again to get the balance right. Eventually I completed the setup by adding the rest of the Lifestyle speakers (the two rear speakers and the subwoofer) and the transformation was significant. The bass dropped noticeably deeper, and the surround sound went from implied to genuinely immersive. Overall I was extremely impressed. I don't think you will have any issues using this soundbar as a standalone unit for small to larger sized rooms. But I would suggest adding the optional speakers and subwoofer as well to take it to that next level. It a powerful, customizable system that requires a little tuning. Once fully set up, it delivers a truly immersive listening experience.

I've had multiple soundbars in the past and actually ended up switching to a receiver home theater setup a year or so ago so I could have a little more control over the sound delivery. I've got several Bose products (headphones and Bluetooth speakers) so I was anxious to get my hands on the new Lifestyle Ultra Soundbar from Bose. For review purposes I'm going to cover the 4 components as a system since the subwoofer and speakers are reliant on the soundbar for connectivity giving you a good 5.1 system. I received the following - - Bose Lifestyle Ultra Soundbar - Bose Lifestyle Ultra Speakers (2) - Bose Lifestyle Ultra Subwoofer Out of the box it was really easy to use but I do have a complaint. Bose is pushing everything to phone apps and my wife doesn't really feel comfortable using apps. For the most part the setup went well, using the phone app on my phone I was able to get 2 of the 3 sound zones dialed in for listening levels about the room but for some reason the last one I could never get locked in. That really doesn't impact the performance of the soundbar, only the fine tuning for that zone. I also received the optional subwoofer and 2 surround speakers (all wireless except you do need a wall outlet for power). Linking everything in the app was painless, it recognized each speaker and the sub. You don't even need to worry which surround speaker is left or right because that swap is easily done via the app. Connecting is easy with a HDMI cable to the HDMI-ARC in/out on the TV to the HDMI-ARC in/out on the soundbar. You can also link via Bluetooth from a smart phone and it supports Airplay from Apple devices. I only wish it had an optical connection option. The app allows control of overall volume and an equalizer. We have DirecTV and using their remote I was able to add the soundbar to the remote via the DirecTV on TV settings. I have had issues with the soundbar not responding to the remote and sometimes even powering everything off and back on won't fix the issue so it's to the app to see if I can get the soundbar to respond to it. Unfortunately, my biggest gripe is that no remote is provided by Bose so if the TV provider remote isn't doesn't control and I'm not home at the time my wife will just have to do without and use the anemic TV speakers. I've scoured the internet to see if there is a better universal remote that I can use but haven't found one yet. Now on to the sound... paired with the Lifestyle speakers and subwoofer you get a really wonderful sound stage. I've had to knock down the subwoofer a bit due to it being a bit much for some shows, mainly action movies, rattle the windows but in a good way for my taste but not so much my wife's. The Lifestyle Ultra Speakers as surrounds provide very good response with very rich sound providing that really good engulfing sound. The only thing I can knock, besides no remote in the box, is the price. Individually purchased if you grab everything you are looking at around the $2500 mark. You could just get the soundbar now and then add the subwoofer if you really like the thump you get from them and you could get the surround speakers later unless you are good with just a 2.1 system (soundbar and subwoofer). Once I tackle the remote control issue I'll be 100% perfect but for the price a remote for convenience if nothing else should have been a no brainer.

This Bose speaker is part of a system designed for your TV entertainment system, and kicks butt. The system sounds amazing. Perfect highs and mids with no distortions whatsoever. Setup was easy from a hardware perspective but setting up the app was initially problematic until Bose pushed out an update that enabled more customization for sound however the default found was just about perfect for me. To see this thing is loud is an understatement. I had the windows and the walls rattling in my living room and I could hear it coming from this living room to the front of the house. He gives the perfect theater experience in your own home. The sound bar itself looks good as part of your home entertainment set up. As a center channel of your sound system it is perfect. And added bonus is other than connect to your TV you can connect via Bluetooth to your phone tablet or computer pro providing excellent sound for listening to music or audiobooks or podcast it’s ajack of all trades kind of system that will provide many hours of listening enjoyment. You really cannot go wrong with Bose.