Bose - Lifestyle Ultra Wireless Speaker - Black

PROS + Excellent sounding out of the box, with minimal tuning required + Can be used standalone, in a stereo pair, in a multi-room set-up, or as rear speakers in a home theater setup with the Lifestyle Ultra Soundbar + 3.5mm Aux input for devices like turntables + Supports Alexa+ for a better Alexa assistant experience + Bose app is largely consistent and easy to use + EQ controls in the app available to help dial speakers in + Work really well as rear speakers to complete a 7.1.4 set-up + Supports Airplay, Google Cast, and Spotify Connect CONS - No Dolby Atmos music support when used on their own, despite having an upward firing driver - Could use more low-end extension OTHER THINGS OF NOTE * Tidal Connect is not currently supported but should be coming later with a firmware update * Design kind of reminds me of a coffee mug when looking at them in person * Really benefits from adding the optional wireless subwoofer * Height effects and vertical spatialness doesn't extend all the way to my ceiling in my spaces, but still adds solid 3-dimensionality to the soundstage THE LONG AND SHORT OF IT If you are looking for high-quality wireless speakers to round out a home theater or just for standalone listening, the Bose Lifestyle Ultra Speakers are a very strong contender that mostly hit the mark. They sound excellent right out of the box with a neutral profile that requires very little tuning, though you do have solid EQ controls in the app if you want to dial them in. I really appreciate the flexibility they offer; you can use them as a stereo pair, in a multi-room setup, or as rear channels to complete a full 7.1.4 Atmos system, which is how I primarily used them. They also include a 3.5mm aux input for turntables and support for AirPlay, Google Cast, and Spotify Connect, making them very versatile for modern setups. They compete well in the space, with Tidal Connect being the one bigger omission for me as a Tidal user, although it should be coming with a firmware update in the future. The Bose app remains consistent and responsive, and having Alexa+ support built-in is a nice touch for a better voice assistant experience, which is a big deal as I don’t think I have seen any other devices, beyond 1st-party amazon speakers, which support Alexa+, and is a game changer if you use Alexa in your house. Expanding on the sound quality a bit, I think the speakers sound largely flat from a tuning perspective, with a bit of a peak in the treble. You can EQ then, but vocal clarity in the mid-range was excellent, especially when used as a stereo pair. As a pair of rear speakers, which is how they were mostly used in my house, they were excellent, and provided a necessary addition to really fill out the Dolby Atmos bubble in my home. Excellent sound all around and definitely competitive in the space. However, there are a few quirks that keep these from being perfect. The most glaring omission is the lack of Dolby Atmos music support when the speakers are used standalone, which is strange given they have upward-firing drivers. You can use them as part of the home theater set-up which means Atmos music from a device like an Apply TV will play Atmos to the rear speakers, but you can’t decode Atmos on the speakers directly, which is a bit of an omission in my opinion, even if Atmos music isn’t always my preferred way of listening to tracks. Also, the only mark I would make on sound quality is that, on their own, they could also use a bit more low-end extension, though adding the optional wireless subwoofer solves this and really helps them sing. You can only do so much with how relatively compact they are. On the design front, I can’t help but feel they look a bit like a coffee mug in person, which isn’t bad, but once you see it, it is just kinda funny. It has to do with the textured cover only stretching the first half of the speaker, with the rear being uncovered, like the handle of a mug. On top of the speakers you get touch controls, which are nice if you don’t want to go into the app to mess with the audio settings for the speakers. Overall, these are great speakers that deliver a premium experience, and while they have a couple of limitations and a unique look, they are easy to recommend for anyone already in or looking to join the Bose ecosystem. If you have the Bose Lifestyle Ultra Soundbar, then I would go so far as to say they are a must add for a full Atmos experience.

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!

Reviewed as a complete system 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!

Reviewed as a system 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!

Verdict: In short… I thought I had an amazing home theater setup and then I installed the the Bose Lifestyle Ultra Subwoofer (as part of a Bose Lifestyle home theater setup)… Mind blown! Bass, immersion, and room-shaking like in the movie theater! In terms of a multi-unit Bose package that includes this subwoofer, I can’t imagine a better setup when considering footprint, ease of use, and epic performance. Worth every dollar. Background. This review is only for the subwoofer unit, but we installed several pieces to build a Bose home theater system. Initial impressions. The box for my subwoofer was fairly damaged on the outside from the home delivery, but the bass unit itself was flawless, so thank you for the excellent packaging. I also really appreciate the lift handles to remove the bass from the box… Very handy given how heavy it is! I was immediately impressed by the size and weight of the subwoofer. It also looks very sleek with the glass top (and easier to keep clean with a quick dust off). There is just one button on the subwoofer (reset) and a status light. Setup. I already had the app from another Bose product, but if you don’t already have it, you will have to download the app to setup. Installing with the app was quite smooth for me, quickly finding the subwoofer and adding it to the other equipment in our setup. Once that was installed, I was able to add more to the system (sound bar and rear speakers). I knew this was special when I pressed the bell icon to send a tone to the subwoofer and it shook the room! The app said that it would take 45 minutes (!!) for software download and setup, but it only took about 15 minutes max for me. Beside plugging into power, the subwoofer will connect wirelessly to other Bose equipment through the app. Nevertheless, there is a line-in connector for more options. Performance. We thought we had a nice home theater, but there is simply no comparison with this Bose setup, especially with the added bass. The subwoofer vibrates the entire room and conveys massive feelings from the movies or content you are watching. To me, it’s comparable to the immersion you get in a movie theater. I have never felt this before in our house. The bass isn’t just for power rattling… We noticed a very interesting spatial component to it, for example, when watching a meteorite land at a distance, it creates a initial rattle, which is then followed by the growing and accelerating rattling as the shockwave gets closer. Amazing! I love that the app will autotune for any room to make sure you have great sound. Things I love: - Best bass performance I have ever experienced in a house - Very easy setup - It looks great - You can grow your home theater setup over time by adding more components - Line-in connection for more options (and compatibility?) - Anti-slip feet - Lifting handles to get it out of the box Things I don’t love: - Nothing… it’s perfect! Overall, I could not be happier about the Bose Lifestyle Ultra Subwoofer, and the seamless integration with other Bose units to create an epic home theater system. It has renewed our excitement about watching movies at home. We most highly recommend the Bose Lifestyle setup.