Bose - 5.1-Channel Lifestyle 650 Home Theater System - Black

Above all I would like to rate this product on the sound it offers and it is simply put amazing! Why not 5 stars - I had to separately purchase wall mount brackets for all of the speakers and an in-wall wiring kit (BTW in-wall wiring kit had an issue with incorrect wire labels that was a pain to figure out, thanks to support blog posts). At this price one would expect that these would be included. Also, the set up process is not as easy/simple as Bose wants you to believe. I would recommend a professional to help with the installation and configuration in order to achieve best results on the sound.

I am a huge fan of Bose products and have purchased numerous products over the years, including headphones, SoundTouch speakers and a 3-2-1 AV system that produced excellent sound for over 10 years. We purchased a new LG OLED 65" 4K TV and decided to upgrade our 3-2-1 to the Lifestyle 650 at the same time. I purchase the L650 system for 3 reasons: (1) Sound quality; (2) single integration of external HD devices through 1 HDMI cable to the TV; and (3) combining all remotes into the single Lifestyle 650 smart remote. (1) Sound quality: when we were able to get the system working initially, the sound was incredible. It filled the room fully, and the 5.1 surround sound processing created a dramatic effect, particularly for true 4k inputs (Blue Ray and 4k streaming). It's hard to believe that the sound is coming from the tiny speakers. Set up with the ADAPTiQ was quite easy. I remain convinced that Bose is one of the best sound technology companies in the world. Sound quality review: 5 stars. (2) Video integration: This is where the problems start. The system has a lot of software issues attempting to deal with the ARC HDMI connection (which lets signals run both ways through the cable) and the HDCP 2.2 anti-piracy encryption. Unfortunately (in my experience), it frequently fails in the handshake with the counter device (4kTV, digital cable box, Blue-Ray, etc.), even when previously recognized. The net effect is there can be no picture, a flawed picture, or no sound. Our system worked well for a few minutes after set-up, but then lost sound. I spent the better part of 2 days on the phone with customer service, who acknowledged the issues and ran me through various reboots, configuration changes, re-connecting cables to avoid the ARC input, turning all CEC smart connections off, etc. This required me to remove and re-add the same devices in the software several times, and to eventually complete hard factory resets and start over from scratch on the whole set up. We also tried hard wiring optical audio from the TV to the Bose and from the inputs (cable, Blue Ray) to the Bose. In the end, none of it worked. You could unplug and replug the HDMI and it would work initially, but then fail again after a few minutes. Since all other devices and cables were new, Bose concluded the unit had software issues and that they would replace it. This could be true; however, in the process of troubleshooting, I came across numerous postings of similar issues -- both the ARC connection and particularly the HDCP 2.2 handshake failure. It does not seem that the problem is unique to me. Video integration review: 1 star. (3) Unified remote: Before the handshake issues started, I spent 90 minutes with customer service in the initial setup trying to get the remote to recognize my 3 devices: a new LG 4K TV, a new Sony Blue-Ray, and a current digital cable TV box. In the auto set-up, it said each device was recognized, but did not operate any successfully. We then did the manual set-up based on each specific product model number; it indicated that the product was found and paired, but the remote never worked for any of the devices -- not even a simple power on/off. We tried various combinations of CEC on and off without success. Bose ultimately recommended that we continue to use each of the manufacturers' remotes, rendering the 650 remote of little value and just a 4th remote on the table. Unified Remote review: 1 star. Conclusion: As much as I respect and admire Bose for sound, I think they are out of their sweet spot when they venture into video. (This was even true with the old 3-2-1 System (the Lifestyle 600/650 predecessor). The built in DVD player was buggy from the day we bought it, often skipping or just timing out and unable to display DVDs that a $30 replacement DVD player rendered perfectly. The sound was beautiful so we just avoided the DVD player...) In working through the troubleshooting for the 650, it was very frustrating as each individual fix caused other software failures to appear. (Hard reset caused the speaker connections to be lost from the unit. Factory reset caused the remote pairing to be lost.) All of these procedures were quite mysterious as there is virtually no substantive troubleshooting documentation available online -- only through customer service. Community blogs are very spotty, illuminating the issues but with few solutions. I would note that customer service was very friendly and patient, but also had wait times well in excess of an hour each time I called. In the end, the 650 system is marketed for elegance and simplicity. It is a well-constructed, beautiful product, yet is anything but simple. New technologies like the ARC and HDCP 2.2 do not seem to have the kinks worked out yet. I am returning the unit and will revert to a more traditional receiver setup. If you are looking for a simple, turn-key solution, a soundbar with wireless subwoofer and a direct optical audio connection may be the better bet. If you don't mind tinkering with various setup configurations and have good technical working knowledge, it may be the right product with excellent sound.

THIS IS WORTH THE MONEY FOR SURE! WE HAVE A THEATER EXPERIENCE, EVERY TIME WE WATCH A MOVIE.

The most quality electronics ever bought, I like this product so much, great technology.

Above all I would like to rate this product on the sound it offers and it is simply put amazing! Why not 5 stars - I had to separately purchase wall mount brackets for all of the speakers and an in-wall wiring kit (BTW in-wall wiring kit had an issue with incorrect wire labels that was a pain to figure out, thanks to support blog posts). At this price one would expect that these would be included. Also, the set up process is not as easy/simple as Bose wants you to believe. I would recommend a professional to help with the installation and configuration in order to achieve best results on the sound.

Not worth the price a bit disappointed. This unit was a replacement for a previous Bose home theater. The previous unit was a better unit. Not worth the price IMO.

This was an upgrade from my 20-year-old Bose Lifestyle 25 surround system. The unit is beautiful to look at and the sound produced by the small surround speakers is very impressive. A clear upgrade from the 25 is the streaming options...both through wi-fi and Bluetooth. The remote is a little bulky (is actually taller than the speaker cubes!), but not difficult to use. Connections to various media through the console are easy to attach and Bose provides ample HDMI ports. Although the rear speakers can be connected wirelessly, three different Bose techs I talked with suggested wiring them for optimal sound. Plus, the heavy "bricks" needed to connect wirelessly also require two electrical outlets. Note the 650 does not have a CD player or AM/FM tuner, but there are simple ways to add those if you want. To be honest, I do not hear a dramatic improvement is the overall surround sound, compared with my older Lifestyle 25, but I attribute that more toward the overall quality of the Bose products over the years than any perceived problems. The 650 is not cheap, but none of the Bose line of products are. I also am impressed with the Bose customer service techs who have helped me tweak the system over the past few weeks. They are quite patient and have helped me better understand "best practices" for the system. One significant downside to my experience was the terrible service I received from the Best Buy Geek Squad. From my first meeting with them, I experienced misleading promises, missed deadlines and delays. Much, but not all, of that disappoint was offset by the wonderful, excellent work of the Geek Squad installer who dismantled by old 25 and connected the 650. It was a four-hour process and he did a superb job. Too bad my initial experience with this group was so problematic. That said, a month in, I am happy with the performance and love the new system. I just hope the Geek Squad does a serious examination of their practices so the overall Best Buy/Bose experience in the future improves.

The best surround sound it's amazing buy you will love it and enjoy it you feel like you are in the movies