Bose® - Acoustimass® 300 wireless bass module - Black

I just purchased the Bose SoundTouch 300 and Acoustimass 300 this weekend to upgrade my home theater system. Up front, I will tell you that I am very happy with the sound quality of both items when they are paired. I am a Bose fan and have been for years owning numerous Bose products. Set up was fairly straightforward. I have an older Samsung LED TV and was upgrading from one of those all in one Samsung home theater units with a built-in Blu-Ray player. I don’t use DVD anymore. I have Apple TV for my movies and streaming from my Apple products as needed. My original concern was the lack of inputs on the back of the sound bar itself. Basically, you have one HDMI connection and one optical digital connection and that is it. I ran my Direct TV connection to the back of my TV with HDMI and the same for the Apple TV and then used the optical digital connection output from the TV to the sound bar. My older (six-year-old) TV acts like a switch for the audio with me plugging in up to four devices via HDMI. I could probably plug older things like RCA jacks too if I wanted. My TV has the optical digital output which goes into the SoundTouch. One cable provides sound for all of my devices so I do not see the lack of inputs on the back of the sound bar as an issue like others have complained about. Calibrating the system was pretty simple. You plug in the headphone looking thing (ADAPTiQ headset) and follow the commands once you press the right buttons on the included universal remote. Speaking of the remote, it is said to be universal but I could not get my TV to work or my Direct TV box to work so I went back to my trusty Logitech Harmony One which works like a champ. Zero issues there. Pairing the Acoustimass 300 was pretty easy, again, you do what the simple instructions tell you to do and that is it. What the instructions do not tell you is how to turn up the volume on the subwoofer. I had to call Bose to get that information. My current set-up is the sound bar and subwoofer and to me, it sounds amazing. I did increase the subwoofer volume two settings just because I wanted to see what it would do and I am impressed. We watched the TV show The Voice last night and the musical performances sounded great to me. Especially with that thumping base. Bose has an application for the iPhone and Android devices but (to me) is not that great. First of all, the sound bar has the ability to play music (once set up) straight from the application using services like Spotify. Pretty cool if you use them but I have playlists on my iPhone that I would prefer to play. You can do this but you have to go through the app on your phone to do this. That isn’t a big deal but what is a big deal when I want to go back and watch TV, I have to get the SoundTouch remote and physically press the TV button to change the output on the sound bar. That is a bit of a pain to do. My solution for that is to just use my Apple TV since that is using the TV output anyway. One less reason to use the remote. If Bose would include the ability to change the output or do the output automatically, that would be a huge gain for people like myself that are not using the remote. It seems like an extra step anyway. The sound bar has NFC in it but I didn’t see any instructions on how to make this work so I will have to take Bose’s word that it works. One more mention about the application is that if you have the Virtually Invisible 300 rear speakers, a new update to the sound bar and application allow you to change the volume of these rear speakers. That is pretty cool since the initial reports I have read said that the volume was low on these units. Since this upgrade has come out, I am now planning to add these rear channel speakers to my system. What the application will not allow you to do is change the volume/output of the subwoofer which is odd to me. The only way to change the output of the subwoofer is using the universal remote which again, I am not using. In a perfect world, the iPhone app would take care of everything for me where I could control output of the sound bar and adjust the subwoofer. I mentioned above that I called Bose for information on the Acoustimass 300. I had read on another site that the pair light on the far right of the lights was supposed to be lit when the unit was paired. Bose informed me that these lights would turn on when the unit was turned on to pair the units and then go away. It would be nice if there was documentation on what the lights mean because they turn different colors, flash, and stay on depending on what you are doing. When the pair light goes off, the Acoustimass 300 is paired if the light on the bottom of the subwoofer is white and not flashing. Who knew? The bottom line here is this. Would I recommend this sound bar? Absolutely. I love everything about it. My system sounds great and looks great too. I plan to add the rear channel speakers soon since I can adjust the volume for these units now using the iPhone app. I wish the iPhone application would allow me to change the output of the sound or the unit would automatically change depending on what it was receiving. I also wish that I could change the volume of the subwoofer through the application like you can the rear channel speakers. These are minor things and I have work arounds for them both. I hope that this review helps you with your decision to either purchase or not purchase the Bose SoundTouch 300 and its components.

The reverberating companion to the SoundTouch 300 Soundbar is this Acoustimas 300 Wireless Bass Module for even more electrifying listening enjoyment. It weighs 30 pounds and is, 12” W x 12” L x 15” H, containing a 10” woofer. For its compact size it packs a lot of audio engineering by Bose. It easily pairs, wirelessly, to the 300 Soundbar using the remote, included with the soundbar. The intensity level of the bass can also be increased or decreased by using the remote. At the Bose 'Support Center' you can download the Owners Guide for the Acoustimas 300 Wireless Bass Module. It is very comprehensive, detailed and includes many illustrations. If you have any issues you may find the solutions there, or, in the Owners' Community Blog. I consider myself an 'audiophile' with over 50 years of amateur experience in building Hi-Fidelity, stereo systems. This is my summary of this fantastic soundbar and subwoofer pairing. Keep in mind the Bose 300 Bass Module is built and configured specifically to operate with the SoundTouch 300 Soundbar. It is not a subwoofer component that you can use in any other system. The Acoustimas 300 is a wireless, powered subwoofer, which has its own built-in amplifier. This powered amp takes the load away from the smaller speakers in the soundbar when low frequency sound is reproduced in the bass module. Because bass demands more power at low frequencies, 20Hz to 80Hz, and less power as the frequency increases. The smaller speakers in the soundbar start to take over around 90Hz using Bose' PhaseGuide technology, which makes you feel like you are hearing sounds from areas of your room where there are no speakers. In my opinion one of the best characteristics of a good subwoofer is that it doesn't emit 'boomy' and late sounds out of sync with the satellite speakers (soundbar) at low frequency. Because of Bose Quiet Port technology this subwoofer module produces clear, vibrant, omnidirectional bass that you can't even tell where the low frequency sound is coming from. It surrounds your whole room, especially, after you calibrate both the soundbar and bass module using the proprietary, ADAPTIQ Calibration process. YooHoo! This is the primary reason why the Acoustimas 300 Bass Module compliments the soundbar to provide you with richer, more vibrant, realistic sounds that the soundbar alone can duplicate. The Bose Acoustimas 300 accomplishes that with success. And the construction of the bass module with its unique glass top probably has a lot to do with the amazing, crisp and deep, distortion free bass. This matched system was designed for you to conveniently connect to the ARC, HDMI port from your TV. It takes no power from your TV just the acoustical pass through signal. The Bose 300 Soundbar and Bass Module do not require connection to an A/V Receiver or Amplifier. However, you can connect the Bose 300 Soundbar to an A/V Receiver if you have the appropriate connections. I connected my A/V Receiver to the 300 Soundbar and was floored by the dynamic, awesome, sound. Since the bass module does not have an LFE port it cannot be connected to the A/V Receiver, but still operated through the soundbar. Although I have a graphic equalizer in my receiver, I did not need to use it. Instead I tried enhancing the sound through the various audio presets like concert hall, arena, movie, theater, gaming, etc. Unbelievable. WooHoo! The Acoustimas 300 does have a power saving mode so you can safely keep the unit plugged in all the time to an A/C outlet. It powers itself 'down' when not receiving a signal from the soundbar. While on the subject of 'Power' - I want to bring up surge protection for your home theater, TV, Bose SoundTouch 300 Soundbar and Acoustimas 300, and all other associated electronics. Protect your expensive, electronic equipment with appropriate surge protection. Better protectors exceed peak ratings of 1000 joules and 40,000 amperes. The higher the rating in joules, and the lower the let-through voltage, the better you are protecting your devices. The 300 soundbar, 300 bass module, subwoofer, and two optional, wireless speakers can all be protected using surge strips or a space-saving surge protector that sits over an existing wall outlet. It is too risky to go without it. If you take anything away from my review – please, consider adequate surge protection for your audio and electronic equipment. If you already have the SoundTouch 300 Soundbar, then the Acoustimas 300 Wireless Bass Module by now is a 'Must-Have'. I highly recommend the Acoustimas 300 Wireless Bass Module because of its significant, audio engineering features. No matter where you place this unit in your room you will not be able to tell where the dynamic sounds are coming from. It won't rattle your windows, or break glass, but it will provide you with quality, distortion free, acoustically matched music enjoyment. By adding the Invisible 300 wireless surround speakers you can also create a true 5.1 channel system of auditory sensation.

I have been humbled – and now must eat my own words. I previously wrote a very positive review for the Bose Soundtouch 300 Soundbar, and included the following words, “You can add an optional wireless bass module and wireless surround speakers to achieve a full 5.1 home theater experience. Having said that, I am more than satisfied with all aspects of the sound without the optional components.” True – the Bose Soundtouch 300 soundbar is an exceptional product and delivers excellent sound without the optional components. And, I honestly believe it's the best soundbar available. However, now that I have added the optional Bose Acoustimass 300 Wireless Bass Module, I must change my tune. I can no longer say, “I am more than satisfied with all aspects of the sound without the optional components.” Now that I have added the Acoustimass 300 Wireless Bass Module, my listening experience has become so much more enriched that I cannot imagine being satisfied with just the SoundTouch 300 Soundbar. And, let me tell you why... The Acoustimass 300 Bass Module is unlike your typical bass subwoofer. You don't just hear the sound, you feel the sound. The sound feels like it's coming at you from all directions vs. just a single fixed point. This is due to the “quietport” technology used by Bose in the bass module (“quietport” technology is also used in the soundbar for similar sound delivery). In addition, your typical subwoofer is usually designed to optimize sound for either movies or music. I won't go into the technical and physical properties of the two typical subwoofer types. But, I will go straight to the bottom-line: the Acoustimass 300 Bass Module performs excellently with both movies and music. The end-result is a bass module which adds a whole other dimension to your listening experience. When playing movies or watching TV, regardless if I was watching an action movie, football game, or other, the Acoustimass 300 made movie sound effects feel as though they were happening in my living room, and made me feel I was on the football field as one football player tackled another football player. And, for music, the bass module provides a solid, bottom-end of deep bass sound – regardless of the type of music. I listened to everything from acoustic guitar instrumental to pop/rock to jazz to classical to EDM (electronic dance music) to see if the Acoustimass 300 performed as expected – and it did in every scenario. Obviously, the sound of the Acoustimass 300 Bass Module is what I was most concerned with. But, I would like to mention that this product is built well and looks great. You can place it anywhere you wish to put it in your room. And connecting it to the SoundTouch 300 soundbar is a breeze – simply plug it into an electrical outlet, turn it on, use the remote provided with the SoundTouch 300 to pair it to the soundbar, and used the ADAPTIQ headset (provided with the soundbar) to perform audio calibration. All done in less than five minutes. The bottom-line: The Bose Acoustimass 300 Bass Module is an excellent addition to the Bose SoundTouch 300 Soundbar. I highly recommend the purchase of both products. As I found out, the listening experience becomes so enriched and full when both products are in use together.

To my knowledge Bose was was never a company that was never known for being bass-heavy. But Bose Acosustimass 300 Subwoofer proves that Bose knows Bass and they know it pretty well. It shattered all of my expectation when using it paired with the Soundtouch 300. There is so much attention to detail with the subwoofer that it's mind-blowing. The most noticeable when first opening up the box is that there is Styrofoam with the Bose logo imprinted upon it. I love the little touches like this in products because it shows how much you care about the products that you put out even if it's the tiniest detail. The Subwoofer is heavy first and foremost. Where ever you use this you should probably keep it there. The engineering and construction of the subwoofer it's phenomenal, it feels weighted and sturdy. I mean it should for that price that you're paying it down right should but I really like how everything is so beautifully lined up and no edge is rough for machine manufacturing. There is tempered glass layered on top of the subwoofer giving it a glossy finish which some people love and others hate. I personally love it. Their easy setup is present here. The instructions and quick easy guide is pretty self-explanatory getting you setup in no time. I wont go too deep into instructions but I will say in order to re-calibrate your soundtouch 300 for optimal sound, you have to use ADAPTIQ headset. Again to me this was the most tedious process owning the Soundtouch 300 and Acosustimass 300. How is the Bass you ask? This thing is worth every single penny that you pay for it atlease I think so. The Bass is pretty strong and it makes my condo sound like a freaking movie theater! The intensity to what you would expect to feel at an IMAX theater. In fact neighbors three doors across from me could feel the Bass at the maximum volume in their home. I have to say this isn’t something you want to turn up to late at night if you live in apartment building. All of this combined with the SoundTouch 300 delivers unprecedented sound without distorting. Wow...it's phenomenal and certainly is the best subwoofer I have ever owned...EVER. It actually left a long lasting impression on me with the Bose branding. It flawlessly works with the Soundtouch 300 and I would certainly invest in Bose's Virtually Invisible 300’ wireless speakers that also is sold separately. Would I recommended this to a friend? Yes and everyone else I know without a doubt. Even though Acosustimass 300 is expensive I give this product a 5/5; If you own a Soundtouch 300 you MUST have this if you want more bass. Heck, I would give it more stars if I could.

Let's admit that a small speakers of the SoundTouch 300 Soundbar could not physically deliver a reach powerful bass, good thing is that Acoustimass 300 is here to help! This subwoofer delivers a precise powerfull bass when needed, it does not exaggerate it, just adds a nice pulse exactly when it's time. If you planning on listening to the music or watching action movies - this subwoofer would be a must have addition. Pairing with the soundbar is a breeze, wireless pairing took less than a few seconds and subwoofer was ready, running ADAPTiQ calibration process is required for the correct audio performance right after pairing. If you having any torubles - wired connection is also possible using a regular 3.5mm stereo cable, soundbar has a dedicated "Acoustimass" port just for the subwoofer connection. Exterior design is stunning! Black glass top is covering up a massive 10" upward firing speaker, leaving a 1/2" slot for the sound to come out, the rest of the enclosure is mate black plastic. Inverter port is located at the bottom of the front wall. Bose recommends that subwoofer is placed on the floor close to the wall or corner for more bass, noting should be placed on top of it either. If you have a thick carpet - put a single floor tile under the speaker for stability. Overall: it's a must have companion for the SoundTouch 300. It seems like not only the bass becomes better, but adding a subwoofer actually does improve the overall experience, sound becomes deeper due to the fact that you have another speaker away from the soundbar. It's only a 10" driver though, you'll feel the bass, but don't expect it to shake your house! It's not clear in the manual wether or not this subwoofer could be used with another system, it does have a regular RCA subwoofer input port though.

Bose Acoustimass 300 Subwoofer is excellent subwoofer and it is exceeded my expectation when it paired with Bose Soundtouch 300 sound bar. The packing was excellent and unpacking was very pleasant. I am impressed by the design of this subwoofer, weighing in at nearly 40 pounds and with the dimensions of a small table. The premium glass-top smooth exterior look stunning. Setup is very easy and able to configure with Bose Soundtouch 300 sound bar. Just follow the instructions given in manual and you should be sync the subwoofer with sound bar less than two minutes. As for as the bass itself, it can only be described as clear and powerful. Similar like Bose Soundtouch 300 sound bar, the audio feels as if it is coming from all around you instead of from a single point. This is due to “quietport” technology from Bose. The Adding Acoustimass 300 module to your SoundTouch 300 soundbar is a perfect combination for your home theater experience. You can add Virtually Invisible 300 wireless surround speakers can complete the package for a full 5.1 surround sound experience. Similar like Acoustimass Subwoofer module, these wireless surround speakers have a wireless range of 30 feet. They stand less than 4" high and blend nicely into your room. This is the best subwoofer made by Bose. I highly recommend this subwoofer to get premium sound quality and theater sound experience for your home theater setup.

So I've been using the Acoustimass 300 for a couple of weeks now and I'm very impressed with the sound, setup, and stunning looks of this Sub. The Acoustimass 300 is a perfect complement to the SoundTouch 300 soundbar. The two devices look perfect together and the sound they produce in concert is excellent. I gave the device 4 (4.5) out 5 stars for one reason that I'm hopeful I'm overlooking or that it is something that Bose will fix in a software/firmware update in the future. Let me backup though prior to addressing that issue. First off unboxing. I know booooring. But this is the first and only time I've been truly impressed with the way a company packaged their product for delivery and more importantly for unboxing. The box the item ships in is excellent for preventing shipping damage. More importantly if there was an opposite to the dreaded "clamshell" packaging this would be it. Unfortunately I didn't take pictures as who really likes unboxing pics/vids but this is one time I wish I had. Inside the shipping box is another shell of a box that sides out to provide handles to slide the actual Sub out with. This alleviates the dreaded "hey honey, hold the box while I try and pull out this heavy object that is wedged in to tight to budge even an inch. It can't really be explained without experiencing it but trust me it is the coolest thing since sliced bread. Moving on to looks. I really really liked the look of the SoundTouch 300 but I like this Sub even better. It is piano black without being gaudy and built like a brick house. Which is weird considering the top of the sub is a sheet of beautiful glass that really needs to be a classy end table in an upscale home not flanking a TV and Soundbar in the front of a living room. With this in mind I put mine just off set of the TV instead of the corner so everyone and their brother can see it because it just looks that great. Sound wise. Bose hits it out of the park again. Sound is full, rich, deep, and rangy without any rattle from the enclosure at all. The sounds really does compliment the SoundTouch 300 soundbar and it is clear they were designed to work in concert with one another. So where does that.5 star get docked from. Well, I'm hoping I'm missing a setting or Bose has pushed out an update in the last few days. I looked through everything, I think, during the seamless and painless setup that took all of 20 minutes from opening the package, to tuning, to playing music. Nowhere in the setup process did I notice a setting to control the volume of the Sub module separate from the Soundbar. So assuming I've read correctly there is 4 volume settings for bass using the remote for both devices. My .5 star dock comes from the highest setting for bass sounds good on the soundbar but isn't quite enough volume for the Sub in certain movies/music. I really would like Bose to give the consumer the ability to "turn the volume up" more than it is now for Bass and ideally to do so separately for the Soundbar from the Sub. In a perfect world I would also like to be able to fine tune the crossover for the Sub as well but it seems to work well enough. At the end of the day I'm really happy with this setup. The Sub is not a crucial piece of equipment as the Soundbar by itself does a great job of covering all frequencies on its own. Having said that if you want the best sound possible and the ability to wake up your children while watching a good action movie or having a small house party the Acoustimass 300 is defintely the way to go. The Sub is gorgeous and sounds awesome. Well done Bose. Keep up the good work!

Let me just start with wow, what a great subwoofer. I have a Bose SoundTouch 300 and recently paired it with the Bose Acoustimass 300 Bass Module. The SoundTouch is impressive on its own, but the Acoustimass adds a whole new dimension to the sound. The Acoustimass looks gorgeous, especially for a large cube! It is about 40 pounds and feels solid. But the appearance is very elegant, particularly the glass top. There are no buttons of any sort, but setup was a breeze. You just plug it in and have your other Bose 300 system speaker locate it. They paired easily on the first attempt. I almost always prefer a manual setup process, but this was as simple and efficient as it gets. Kudos to Bose for getting it to work right straight out of the box. The sound is expressively deep. You can feel the thump, thump, thump from the screen during an intense movie. In addition to lending excellent dimension to a movie, the Acoustimass also adds impressive depth to music. A lot of subwoofers do one or the other well, but the Acoustimass does both very well. We tried a variety of musical styles with the Acoustimass and were impressed and pleased each time. From twangy slow music with subtle bass to stadium rock to aggressive rap with a heavy beat, the Acoustimass handled each style with aplomb. In each setting, the Acoustimass delivered a tangible feel with the music along with clear, rich, bass sound. Pros: --Excellent, rich sound for movies and music. --Luxurious appearance. --Simple setup. Cons: --Only works with other Bose 300 speakers. If you already have a Bose SoundTouch 300, my very strong recommendation is that you add the Bose Acoustimass 300 to your system. Just make sure you don't drive your neighbors crazy with the deep booming sounds you'll be able to enjoy!