Customer Ratings & Reviews

Bose first made a name for itself by making tiny surround sound speakers that produced larger than expected sound. This new smart soundbar reminds me of that because it's way smaller than you'd think it would be if you heard it before you saw it. It's plenty loud enough to fill a large room but also with great clear sound. Throw in WiFi that makes it compatible with all the major music streaming services and Alexa as a smart assistant and you've got a winner. PROS - Small Footprint, Big Sound - Impressive Bass without an actual subwoofer - Alexa Smart Home Assistant Built in - Works with AirPlay and Chromecast - Can add Subwoofer - Works with RokuTV out of the box - "Dialogue" enhancement CONS - No Google Assistant (maybe in an update???) - Subwoofer sold separately (If you need window shaking bass) - Not built for easy wall mounting If you're looking for the smallest soundbar with the biggest sound and the smartest features, this might just be it. As soundbars go, this one is definitely on the smaller side, but you wouldn't know that just by listening to it. It sounds as loud and as good as many other much large soundbars I've owned or experienced. And the sound is excellent which is what I'd expect from any Bose product. You can add a subwoofer to your setup (purchased separately) but you might not need to. This soundbar produces impressive lows - they won't make your sofa rumble or anything, but just as far as sound goes, it certainly gets the job done. The soundbar also has a cool feature that you can turn on if you have a hard time hearing/understanding dialogue when watching tv - it makes spoken dialogue a little louder than it would naturally be which is cool. What really sets this soundbar apart besides it's great sound are the smart features which currently includes Alexa Built-in, Chromecast Streaming, AirPlay Streaming, Spotify Streaming. Alexa works great - the mics pick up my voice just as well as any of the Echo devices I own. There's a little light bar on the front that comes on when Alexa is activated so you know she's listening. This eliminates the need for a separate echo device in the room you have the soundbar in which is great. I'll be using the soundbar for music streaming as much as anything else so having AirPlay and Chromecast streaming capabilities was very important to me and both work great! I can add the soundbar to speaker groups in Google Home for whole house music streaming and I can easily send music to the soundbar via AirPlay. I wish it also had Google Assistant built-in (you can control it using Google Assistant on a separate Google Home Speaker, but it's not built-in to this right now) - I have another smart speaker that has both Alexa & Google Assistant and I love that. It's possible Bose intends on adding this in the future since it already works with Chromecast and Google Home and I can see what looks like 5 little LED lights behind the front grille just under the Alexa Light Bar that look they might be intended for use with Google Home Assistant commands. BUT there's nothing that says that will happen so I'm just wishful thinking at this point. As far as design goes, there's not a lot to say about this - it's a fairly plain and simple design. Looks like a typical soundbar. It does have speakers on the top for Atmos simulation as well as on the front. The soundbar is designed to sit on a shelf or something under the TV. There's no mounting brackets or anything like that in the box. Overall, I'm impressed with this little guy. It doesn't take up much space but provides excellent sound and really great features that best most soundbars on the market!

First and foremost let me say I am a BOSE woman. I have like 3 portable speakers that I've had for many years which actually influenced my decision to try a soundbar, this soundbar. Purchased this Smart Soundbar to pair with my Samsung S90D tv I got during Black Friday. I hooked it up directly via HDMI since I read reviews of how the bluetooth is shotty. Garbage speaker stopped working the same day!!! The connection would lag when turning it on with the tv. You'd have to wait sometimes 2 minutes for it to sync and start outputting sound, that is until it wouldn't connect at all and stopped outputting sound. Honestly the sound is better from the tv than with this soundbar. RETURNING this weekend and definitely not worth the money even with the sale. Most of the new tvs that have the Dolby integrations sound great without soundbars anyway.

Bose is a long standing audio brand. While venerable, controversial and simultaneously famous and infamous, Bose has long stood as a cornerstone in the home audio market. Bose’s latest Smart Soundbar is a refresh of the previous Smart 600. Bose has simplified their 2023+ offerings by standardizing on TV, Smart, and Ultra Soundbars. The Smart sits right in the middle with a 3.0.2 speaker arrangement. So is the Smart Soundbar going to be famous or infamous? Luckily this seems like a good product with some compromises. The Smart Soundbar first and foremost is a soundbar that is space conscious. Like many trendy Bose speakers over the years, the Smart Soundbar highlights its volumetrically small stature as a selling point. Due to its short 28” length, it will easily find a home under practically any modern TV over 42” in size. Inside the box you’ll find the soundbar, remote, power cable, HDMI cable, and optical cable. Given the retail price of $499, I applaud including all necessary cables to get the soundbar hooked up to practically any TV made in the past decade. The remote is a small little rubberized flat affair with 8 total buttons with quick access to the input array, volume, mute, and play pause. The soundbar itself is a 3.0.2 Atmos setup. That’s a left, right and center channels with 0 subwoofers and 2 height channels. Overall this means the soundbar can generate a fairly immersive experience by flexing the height channels. These top side drivers reflect sound off your ceiling and add do a fairly good job. There are a few ports on the back, but it boils down to power, HDMI, and optical. There are also IR and Sub ports with 3.5mm jacks that aren’t even mentioned by the user manual. My assumption is that the sub outputs subwoofer appropriate analog audio and the IR is for input from an IR blaster common in many home theater setups, but I was unable to confirm. Hooking up the speaker is relatively painless. I replaced an existing soundbar that was already hooked up via eARC, so plugging in the speaker’s power and HDMI got me up and running in seconds. CEC worked flawlessly with my Hisense TV, but I was surprised when I dug into settings that the CEC control has lots of compatibility settings in the app (more on that later). Volume, and power control worked, but one interesting thing was that CEC volume didn’t show the LED volume indicator that would appear when using the native remote. Downloading the app on iOS was easy enough. To enter setup mode, hold the music and mute buttons for 5 seconds until the power LED glows amber. The app itself prompts you to do this after you select the Bose Smart Soundbar. It will prompt you to setup the speaker, and guide you through WiFi connection, AI dialog mode, and some other settings. In the app you’ll find source selection, audio adjustments, and instructions for voice assistant setup. Technically this soundbar does support Alexa, but I don’t set this up due to there already being Echo Show devices in my living room. There are 2 microphones for voice assistant features, so if that’s your thing it’s here. CEC has a large array of settings for compatibility, which I appreciate as there are always slight incompatibilities. Input wise, there is a nice array of streaming capabilities. Specifically Chromecast built-in, and Apple AirPlay work flawlessly. Bluetooth is also an option. All these mean your soundbar can be used not just for your TV listening experience, but also music streamed from your phone. Sound using Bose’s TrueSpace allows upmixing of Stereo with height channels to add more immersion. In practice this gave a feeling of the room being filled with more audio that you’d expect from a small 28” soundbar. The Atmos handling seemed to work well, with fairly good use of height channels. Passthrough of lossless audio from eARC seemed to work, but there’s no indicator light showing Atmos. In fact, it’s worth mentioning that there are really only 3 LEDs, the left and right showing volume up and down, with the middle being power status making a small area on the left of the soundbar light up. Now sound quality, it’s a mixed bag. On one hand, Bose outputs a lot of very smooth, warm, and crystal clear sound from a very small package. The other side is that it is a very small package, so once the volume increases, the speaker gets overwhelmed and starts compressing and losing details. Overall, if you're listening at medium volume in an apartment, it is the perfect speaker: it won’t annoy your neighbors, you’ll be able to hear dialogue very clearly, and feel immersed. However if you’re trying to fill a large space or trying to have a theater-like experience, this speaker will struggle. Perhaps pairing the Bose Smart Surround and Bose Subwoofer 500 would be able to add enough volume and presence to give you the full home theater feeling, but it’s something to keep in mind as those units are $399 and $499 respectively as add-ons. If you don’t want to add a subwoofer, adjusting the bass in the app up to +40 or +50 adds some presence without pushing the soundbar too hard. I’d say it’s one of the clearest perceived soundbars I’ve ever heard. It seems like Bose almost pulls details out too far, with some sound effects over emphasized in my opinion. For instance in Inside Out, the control panel seems to be teaming with sound effects that seem to be over-detailed. That said, these aren’t harsh and really do add immersion in most cases. The AI dialogue enhancement is quite good, but I found turning it off I still had quite nice dialog clarity without sacrificing audio balance overall. With the AI dialogue on, the dialog is emphasized at the expense of background sounds, and I found Overall, I really like the dialogue clarity, and ability to really highlight details that might disappear with cheaper soundbars. Top end is limited, and the bass, while impressive for its size, would be best complimented by a Bose Smart Bass Module 500 ($499 MSRP). That said, for a compact and unobtrusive CEC controlled soundbar, it offers a lot in a tiny package.

Verdict: The Bose speaker elevates the already solid performance of the Bose soundbar. It’s a compelling solution for easy and quality sound without the clutter. It’s wonderful for movie-watching, music-listening, smart-speaker functionality, and convenient controls. Protip: (1) f you want to mount it on a wall, remove the rubber pads to access the mounting screws. I wish I saw that before ordering the wrong mounting brackets. (2) If you own more than one Bose soundbar / speaker, try the grouping function in the Bose app. It works quite well… better than the headaches of trying to group through the Alexa app. Initial impressions. It is a standard-looking soundbar with speakers on the front, top, and sides. It feels fairly heavy. The soundbar fits easily between the legs of our TV, and should work for most people. Included in the package are a remote control, an HDMI cable, a fiberoptic cable, a power cable, and manuals. Setup. Straight forward setup through the Bose app; it took care of everything… I didn’t even have to go to the phone Bluetooth settings. To control the speakers, you must be on the same WiFi network. Adding the speaker to Alexa is done through the Bose app and permissions in the Alexa app. App. The app is simple but definitely adds value to the experience. I love being able to control volume, source, equalizer, and grouping from the app. I don’t always have the remote handy, but… I have my phone! It’s really nice to adjust volume or source on the fly. Creating groupings is really just two taps, and ending groups is just one tap; it works flawlessly so you can build custom groups quickly if you have several Bose systems. For movies and TV. I am quite impressed with the sound. Voice is full and genuine, as opposed to echo-ish with the TV speakers. There is definitely an impression of surround sound. For action movies you can feel the action, and for something as simple as sitcoms, the audience laughing feels different (like part of the room with you) than the cast dialogue… pretty cool! I tested several content items with 5.1 but could not find anything to stream with Dolby Atmos, so I couldn’t test this feature. This thing is plenty loud. HDMI ARC works perfectly; everything turns on and can be controlled with the TV remote. Voice4Video is another convenient feature that lets you change your HDMI input through Alexa once you set it up (easy to do through the app). The app also allows the selection of different audio tracks (maybe for different languages, which happens on some sports TV programing). Music performance. The music experience on this Bose soundbar is wonderful; it fills the room easily with well-balanced sound. The bass comes through very well (I use +20). The mids are full, and the highs are crisp and clean. Unfortunately, I could not get Airplay to work on this soundbar… maybe it requires a software update. No issues with Airplay on my other Bose soundbar. Features. I love the integration with Alexa voice assistant. I wish it had direct Apple Music integration for people in that ecosystem, but I can access that music through the Alexa connection (must setup Apple Music in the Alexa app). Bose SimpleSync easily swaps sound from speakers to Bose headphones, which is convenient if you want to continue watching TV after your spouse goes to sleep… Things I love: - Wonderful sound for music and movie - Small but powerful package - Easy setup - The app is actually useful and convenient - Lots of features through the app - HDMI ARC integration works perfectly Things I don’t love: - Airplay is not working for me… I hope a software update will fix this. I use this feature weekly on my other soundbar. It’s a really important part of how we want to use the soundbar for music. - I wish there were volume buttons on the soundbar. Sometimes I just need to turn it down quickly and can’t find the remote. Luckily, I can use the app for that too. - I have not been able to group this Bose soundbar (or my other one actually) to music groups on the Alexa app. The Soundbar is there… I can control it through the Alexa app and add it to different rooms, but my “play music everywhere” group plays music on all my Echos around the house for cool room-to-room music, except… for the two Bose soundbar. That’s really too bad… Those are the two speakers I really want to hear out of that bunch! I know that this is a limitation in the Alexa app (can’t group non-echo devices), and not Bose’s fault, but it’s really frustrating that the tech silos continue to deprioritize the customer convenience with broad compatibility and integration. Overall, the Bose Smart Soundbar is a fantastic soundbar, packed with strong features, a useful app, and great sound. I highly recommend this for small-to-medium rooms for movie-watching and music-listening.

While I have never maintained that Bose products tend produce what purists might consider “audiophile-quality” or “summit-fi” sound, what Bose products *are* able to do, they tend to do with aplomb: produce rich, full-bodied, often highly immersive sound-fields out of simple-to-use yet impossibly small enclosures. The Bose Smart Soundbar continues this trend by providing what is likely the largest-sounding Dolby Atmos sound-field you can possibly get from a slim & unassuming enclosure that doesn’t eat up a lot of valuable shelf space or obscure the bottom of a flatscreen TV sitting on a tabletop. In terms of presentation, the Smart Soundbar is about as unassuming as you can get. The construction feels reassuringly solid, & the enclosure is entirely black with minimal branding & only a few small & thankfully non-intrusive LEDs up front for power/connection status indicators & the Alexa feedback light. Some metal grillwork covers the front, side, & top-firing drivers, but otherwise, this soundbar is so nondescript it simply melts into the background. You’ll get optical & HDMI (for eARC audio) cables in the box along with a small remote as well as minimal documentation for hookup. However, do be warned that the power cable is laughably short for a home theater component—it didn’t even reach the power strip on the floor directly behind the media console it was sitting on (YMMV). You will also need the Bose companion app to finish setup; but fortunately, it’s a very intuitive app that does offer some useful options for tweaking performance & functionality including independent adjustments for center channel & height channel volume levels as well as treble & bass adjustments. However, be warned that the pack-in power cable is laughably short—we had to use an extension cord because it didn’t even reach down to the power strip behind the media console it was sitting on. Along with optical & HDMI inputs, the Smart Soundbar also works with Bluetooth & Wi-Fi for music streaming. We found the eARC setup over HDMI made for the most seamless setup in our master bedroom. Toggling TV power would turn the soundbar on & off & our TV recognized the soundbar as an Atmos-capable playback device & the soundbar responded to my TV’s volume adjustments—I did not need to reach for the tiny remote at all until I wanted to change inputs to try streaming audio. The built-in Alexa worked exactly like any of our other 8 Echo Dots we have scattered around the house—it answered queries, streaming music, & operated other smart-home devices…I would imagine that Google Assistant integration would seem just as familiar to those entrenched in Google’s smart-home ecosystem instead. Our master bedroom is reasonably large with very high ceilings; I currently run a discrete 5.1.4 home theater setup fed by a 120w/ch Dolby Atmos-capable receiver using THX Select-rated bookshelf speakers all around with up-firing height channels at the top of each satellite. What ultimately surprised us was just how close to that setup the Bose was able to get in terms of sheer output & spaciousness of the sound field, as well as overall richness, fullness, & clarity of the sound…and all without any dedicated sub or satellite speakers of its own. Yes, you could definitely tell when we switched from the 9 speaker/1 subwoofer setup to a single soundbar, but the difference wasn’t as dramatic as I expected it to be. Those of you short on space (or funds) for a beefier/costlier HT setup are probably not going to miss much going with a far more streamlined & economical all-in-one solution like the Bose Smart Soundbar. But what surprised us even more was how well the soundbar’s A.I. Dialogue Mode worked to enhance vocal clarity over that produced by our HT system’s dedicated center channel speaker. This is something both my wife & I have been struggling with lately as our hearing gets a little worse. We spun up a few movies & shows that have traditionally given us a hard time hearing conversations & hushed dialog…we were honestly taken aback by just how much better voices & conversations sounded using the Bose. Ultimately, while we were switching back & forth between the dedicated 5.1.4 system & the Bose Smart Soundbar during one of the Twilight movies (where a lot of dialogue is irritatingly whispered), my wife asked if we could keep the soundbar in the bedroom & find somewhere else in the house to put the dedicated HT system. It would be hard to give a more glowing endorsement than that! I also tried using the soundbar in my home office as a PC speaker. Unfortunately, neither my MSI motherboard’s integrated HDMI output, nor the HDMI output on my RTX 4090 video card, would recognize the soundbar as an audio playback device. I may try an HDMI audio extractor at some point just to see if I can get it to work, but I was able to use the optical cable for PC audio output. Using that optical connection, my PC reported support for high-resolution audio all the way up to 24-bit/192,000Hz; unfortunately, my Windows PC only recognized the soundbar as a 2-channel device rather than a multi-channel/Atmos-capable playback device. The Bose will automatically try to multi-channel “Atmos-ize” any incoming signal, including the 2-channel audio from my PC, but sitting so close to the soundbar dramatically reduced the depth of the resultant sound field. That’s not to say I didn’t like the results—as a PC speaker, the Smart Soundbar really cranked over a smaller set of deskside monitors…but the sense immersion or “sonic envelopment” was simply more pronounced & palpable in a larger room & sitting further away. The Smart Soundbar also has some interesting flexibility built in. Yes, you can integrate some of Bose’s wireless satellite speakers or bass modules to really flesh out a complete & more powerful sound field, but you can also pair the soundbar with a set of Bose Ultra Open Earbuds. When connected, they will act as personal surround speakers for anything playing from the soundbar. I don’t have a set of those buds myself, but it’s an intriguing feature that, if executed well, might really add some oomph to the listening experience without requiring so much additional equipment or expenditure to get it. While there is a lot to like here, there are a few areas where I think Bose may have missed the mark just a little bit. For example, the remote is a) tiny, and b) unlit. This may not be a huge problem if you integrate the soundbar with your TV over HDMI eARC in such a way that you don’t need to reach for the Bose remote very often. But if you do want to make any adjustments from the couch or bedside (assuming you don’t have your phone nearby to use the companion app), you’ll be hard-pressed to do it in a darkened room with this remote…assuming you haven’t lost it already in the cushions, blankets, or under a set of keys on a crowded nightstand. We thought the voice assistant integration was pretty cool & ultimately would allow us to jettison the smaller Alexa Echo devices from our nightstand. But you also must remember that the speakers that Alexa/Google Assistant will use to respond to queries & commands are the same ones that may have just been belting out a raucous & lively movie soundtrack. The first time we asked Alexa a question after a movie finished playing, we had to scream at the soundbar to make it stop responding because the voice was piercingly loud. If there’s a way to set the voice assistant volume separately from media/playback volume, I certainly didn’t find it. But assuming that capability is simply not on board, it is something that is sorely missed for those times when we engaged with Alexa for more than something that warranted just an “OK” response. The minimalist approach used for provisioning onboard controls also feels like Bose maybe took things just a little TOO far. There are only two touch-sensitive buttons on the soundbar itself, one to mute the microphone for voice assistant input, & one to activate the voice assistance manually (for when said mic is muted)…but that’s it. There is no power button, no volume control, & no way to switch inputs. While you could use a voice assistant for some of those functions, it would be nice to have a way to manually make those adjustments when casually walking by the soundbar, especially as a few additional touch-sensitive buttons really wouldn’t take up any more space on the top of the enclosure. Finally, while it is true that Bose has managed to engineer a small soundbar that admirably produces a very spacious sound field, those of you who watch movies/TV shows with particularly active or directional surround-sound tracks & effects may be slightly disappointed--the soundbar simply does not do discrete surround sound very convincingly. In particular, object panning & isolated surround channel effects come off as diffuse & non-specific, despite the noticeable sense of depth you get from the soundbar’s all-around-you style of sound field. For some, this may not be a big player in your decision-making, especially if you have limited space to work with. But along with a steady diet of Hallmark+ movies & character-driven sitcoms & procedurals, we watch a lot of fantasy, sci-fi, & action movies. The Bose Smart Soundbar will do its best to give the soundtracks from those latter genres some sense of space & dimensionality, but you aren’t going to be wowed by helicopter sounds realistically passing overhead or a starship whooshing by on the screen as the sound of the engines pan along from front-left to rear-right. These nits aside, the Bose Smart Soundbar really is a fantastic performer, especially when you take into account its small & compact form factor…definitely recommended!

The Bose Smart Soundbar offers a nice clear and immersive sound to fill my TV viewing space. I'm a big fan of the smaller and more compact form factor of this particular soundbar since it is easier to place on a TV stand or wall mount. This soundbar is very easy to setup and start using when combined with the Bose app. The soundbar measures in at 27.3"W by 2.2"H, with a total of 5 speakers built in. I've enjoyed the clarity of the fully immersive sound when watching 4K content in Dolby Atmos while using Prime Video or Disney+. The Bose TrueSpace is a very unique feature that helps to upmix the signal for all my media content to help give it a more immersive experience which helps to provide more pop to the sounds for shows, movies, and sports that I like to watch. The A.I. Dialogue Mode is a great feature that is built in for perfect balancing of voices so I'm not having to fiddle with the volume to make it too loud and then lower it again. I'm able to hear the dialogue in movies in quieter scenes and regular scenes with crisp clarity. Smart voice assistant, such as Alexa, is built in which allows for control of your various Alexa functions. This works with Google Assistant as well. Apple Airplay is also compatible with this soundbar. Chromecast is also built in which allows for easy access to the content within that platform. Overall I like the sounds quality for the high notes and the crisp sound quality that it provides for my music and media choices. There isn't a big punchy bass on this soundbar, but it's relatively good for being a small compact soundbar at this price point.

I recently installed the Bose Smart Soundbar, and its performance has left me impressed. Although compact in size, this soundbar produces a remarkably rich and immersive audio experience in my living room. It comes with all the latest features such as Dolby Atmos, Chromecast, Apple AirPlay. It also works with Alexa and Google Assistant. A notable quality of this soundbar is its remarkable dialogue clarity that I had not experienced with my other soundbars. During action-packed scenes, it has become easier to decipher what actors are saying. Additionally, the bass, despite the soundbar's slim profile, is surprisingly punchy, enhancing the depth and impact of movies and music alike. However, for those seeking deep, room-filling bass, the addition of a subwoofer would be a wise consideration. The setup process for the soundbar was remarkably straightforward. Guided by the intuitive Bose Music app, I had it connected to my TV and Wi-Fi within minutes. The built-in voice control with Alexa further adds to its convenience, allowing me to adjust the volume or change tracks effortlessly using just my voice. I wish it had more than one HDMI ports to add more customization to making connections. In conclusion, the Bose Smart Soundbar is an ideal choice for anyone seeking a compact yet potent soundbar that delivers outstanding audio quality. It excels in enhancing movies, music, and a wide range of other content. For those looking for a good all-around soundbar, I would recommend the Bose Smart Soundbar.

First, this arrived boxed and packed extremely well. The fit and finish of the sound bar is impeccable. After unpacking, setup is straightforward, and is accomplished by scanning a QR code. After downloading the app, the soundbar setup is done through the app. Basic setup is quick and easy through the app, and has settings for Group, Source, Power, and Audio - bass and treble; center and height channel levels; AI dialogue mode, and wall EQ. More audio settings include audio track, AV group sync, and audio delay. This has Voice Assistant, Chromecast, Music Services, AI Dialogue Mode, can connect to auxiliary speakers or subwoofer. Has inputs for HDMI/ARC, optical and IR; outputs for bass, along with blue tooth and Wi-Fi connectivity. On to testing sound. After setup, started Blu Ray movie using the HDMI/ARC input. I found the sound from the sound bar quite remarkable, and a huge improvement over internal TV speakers. I played with the sound settings and was surprised at such big sound out of such a small package. Voices were distinct, highs clear, a fair amount of bass, and plenty of volume. And, it actually had good left and right separation. Can be used as is, but with just the addition of a subwoofer, this would be a great sound system for compact spaces.

I recently had the opportunity to test out my home entertainment system with the Bose Smart Soundbar. This soundbar is packed with features that elevate the audio experience to a whole new level. So, lets go over some of the features and see what this soundbar has to offer. Dimensions: 2.25H X 27.5W X 4.09D and about 7lbs. Inputs: WIFI, Bluetooth, HDMI (eARC), Optical Dolby Atmos: Dolby Atmos elevates my home entertainment experience to a whole new level. The sound seems to come from every direction, creating a truly immersive and cinematic atmosphere. It's like being transported into the middle of the action, whether I'm watching a thrilling movie, playing video games, or simply listening to my favorite music. The soundstage is so expansive and detailed that it feels like I'm surrounded by the audio, making every experience more engaging and lifelike. Truespace Technology: Listening to content in Dolby atmos is amazing, but not all cotent is encoded in Dolby, for those contents you have Truespace. TrueSpace technology makes my soundbar feel like a much larger system. It intelligently analyzes the audio and creates a multi-channel experience, even with older content and all the time. This means I can enjoy a rich, full soundstage without the hassle of extra speakers. It's like having a surround sound system built into a single, sleek bar. Smart Soundbar: So as the name suggests this is a smart soundbar. This soundbar can be connected to WIFI to access online music services, internet radio stations, your personal media and your TV. The soundbar is compatible with Google, Alexa and apple ecosystems. The soundbar can be controlled via the provided remote control, Bose App and voice controls. The soundbar can also be connected to other Bose products via Bose SimpleSync for audio that follows you from room to room. If the soundbar alone is not enough for you, you can alway add a bass module or even surround sound speakers. My Experience: I am amazed by the clarity, depth, and detail of the sound produced by this soundbar. Whether It’s watching a movie, listening to music, or playing your favorite game, the audio was consistently impressive. The upward-firing transducers added a new dimension of sound, making me feel like I was there. Overall, I was extremely impressed with the Bose Smart Soundbar. It's a fantastic piece of audio equipment that can elevate your home entertainment experience. If you're looking for a soundbar that can deliver powerful, immersive sound, I highly recommend this one.

Unboxing: This sound bar is well packed with the included remote, battery for the remote and includes an HDMI cable, and Optical cable and a flat power cord. I was able to unpack, plug in and start using this within 3 minutes. The included cord was about 5 feet in length which is appropriate for most below TV Installations but may fall short with an extremely large television or specific scenario so I would recommend checking that prior to any installation. The cord is a standard 2 pin power type. Performance: I am no stranger to Bose products and I feel that they deliver and last quite a long time. This sound bar delivers as advertised, very high quality sound with very clear output at low to mid volume ranges. Speech can be enhanced as a feature enablement through the app. This not only works well but is a welcome addition for anyone with minor hearing issues as watching movies or media with loud background sounds can make hearing dialog especially difficult. Music and other media sounds great. I tested this out in a large living room setup and it is able to provide a good stereo field as far as 20 feet from the sound bar. It also excels at close range - This sound bar is being used below a 43 Inch gaming monitor on a large desk. The audio is incredibly clear at close range ( sitting at the desk ) and there is still a wide field of stereo separation. Setup with HDMI pass through, Optical and Bluetooth - The default mode at power on is HDMI or Optical input. HDMI pass through is first. Bluetooth can be used by selecting the Bluetooth icon and pairing it with the remote. You can also power the unit up to Bluetooth by simply pressing the icon on the remote and it will start in that mode. I will also admit it took me a few days to realize the icons on the top of the sound bar can also be "touched". I am perpetually trying to use my devices without the remote as they tend to be misplaced and I'm always interested in operating a device without it. This can be powered up and mode switched without the remote. Overall - Another great product from Bose ! Clear room-filling sound at any volume range. Installation tips - Please note that the drivers in this sound bar do take advantage of reflection - it sounds best if placed with the drivers in front of a TV or monitor. if the upward facing drivers are directly below it will interfere with the overall sound. Things I love ! CLARITY OF SPEECH AT LOW TO MID VOLUME !!! Room filling sound Ability to use at close range as a gaming speaker Room for improvement: I needed a longer power cord - an extra foot would have been great !

I have used numerous and continue to use a few soundbars in my home. These range from $100 Vizio soundbars up to $1500 Sennheiser premium soundbars. Each one brings something to the table whether it's fantastic pricing, top tier sound, size considerations, ergonomic advantages or more. I tried before to integrate an LG GP9 "gamer" soundbar into one of my gaming PCs several years ago, but the $500 "gamer" soundbar was terrible. After that, any soundbar worth using was usually too big to fit into my 32" display ergonomics and the ones that did fit did not have good sound. The Bose Smartbar seemed to check all the boxes I needed on paper. A quality soundbar from a known top tier brand that actually fit perfectly with the width of my 32" display and was low enough and compact enough to work ergonomically. Inside the box, you will get the Soundbar, a remote, optimal and HDMI cable along with some very limited literature with a QR code to download the Bose app. Looks wise, it is solid black with limited lighting, very solidly built and feels of high quality. The soundbar itself can be configured via optical, Bluetooth and ARC (HDMI) so you have plenty of connectivity options to your devices. I was initially going to go Bluetooth but then realized my motherboard has an optical out, so went that route. It will not work right out of the box unfortunately and you will need to install and use the Bose app available for iOS and Android. Also, unfortunately, you will need to register an account to use the app properly along with accept the normal TOS. Once you're into the app, setup and usage is really straight forward and I was up and running in about 5 minutes. Sound quality wise, it is good. It is very good for it's size. Maybe I was still fostering many previous bad experiences using soundbars with my PCs, but I was pleasantly surprised at not only the sound quality but separation of the highs and mids while gaming and playing back some choice audio selections. The downside, as always with a soundbar, is the lack of deep and meaningful bass and this holds true for the Bose Smartbar because the only, true way to achieve that good punch is with a subwoofer. You can add a subwoofer to the Bose Smartbar. The good news is the bass is good enough for my use and I am actually quite pleased they're able to get a passable amount of bass from such a small package. The sound has a good richness to it overall and does not sound hollow or empty. Overall, I am very pleased with the Bose Smartbar. It is compact, offers good sound, has a decent basic remote and is easy to set up and use. The sound output is above average for a soundbar this size and the build quality is solid. For the same price, the Bose Smartbar absolutely crushes the former "gamer" soundbar I had used in every aspect. The only negative I can think of is the account creation requirement just to use the app but that is a minor complaint.

I currently own two of the traditional Bose TV Speakers and when I saw that they have a “smart sound bar” version of it at a decent price, I jumped on it. While my reviews can be a bit tardy, I want to be sure that I use the new pieces of tech and give a complete, versus a rushed review. TL;DR for those that don’t want the story Good: Compatibility Size Look Audio Features Music Sound Dialogue Sound App / App Features Touch buttons 5GHz Wireless Bad: Nothing Meh: Same Remote Finding the correct App Alexa Only for voice assistant I started off by taking my old soundbar off the hanger and used the cables I had, 1 for 1 and had the speaker online and ready for use under the TV in literally 60 seconds. The Bose Smart Sound Bar has an almost identical look as the TV Sound Speaker but about 4 inches longer and fits perfectly in my soundbar hanger under my TV, just as the last sound bar had. While using the older Bose Speaker I decided to try another Atmos Soundbar with a subwoofer but the ability to hear dialogue was so bad that I had to fall back to the Bose TV Speaker. Going into this, I was hoping for the same dialogue clarity and YES it was there - a big relief. I feel that the dialogue is a bit more crisp and cutting than the TV sound bar. Music? Yes, it’s very good as well. I cranked the volume up and this speaker shot sound all across the room and I could hear little acoustic parts of songs that I hadn’t heard before while in my car or while playing it while working, for example. Bose has an App called: Bose but I already had “Bose Connect” and since that didn’t work, I was somewhat forced to use the QR code on the booklet to get the proper one. Once installed, I held a few buttons on the remote & put it into an App pairing mode and I was able to see the customizations that my previous TV speaker didn’t have: Chromecast capability, Voice Assistant (Alexa only), audio tunings that include: Center/Bass/Treble control as well as if the Sound Bar is mounted “on” the wall, vs on a stand or under the TV and “Audio Delays”; this is great if the voice doesn’t match the lip movement of people on TV (delay, too fast etc). Once this was tied up to WiFi, it connected over 5GHz, so I don’t anticipate any issues with delays or quality when streaming. From Atmos firing up to the ceiling and off to the sides, to the ability to enable “AI Dialogue Mode” - which tunes for dialogue vs music, explosions and the like of traditional shows and movies. I have both an Android and Apple ecosystem at home, along with Google Assistant and Alexa. In all cases, from Chromecast to Airplay and Alexa, the Smart Home integration is great with the Bose Smart Soundbar. On the speaker are some touch-sensitive “buttons” as you may, which are a quick way to mute the soundbar or toggle the Voice Assistant without invoking the Wake Word. Other than the remote - which is identical to the other sound bars from 2020 and Alexa as the only voice assistant (I’m a YT Music guy) so it won’t be all that helpful for me, this is a pretty fantastic speaker. I won’t knock the missing Google feature as Alexa may be others’ choice which will result in a rare 5 Star review from me. Well done Bose; recommended!

Despite the efforts of TV companies to make the sound of their products sound better, it is not always the best experience. Instead, adding a sound bar has become one of the best alternatives to improve the experience when consuming multimedia content, whether on TV, PC, Smartphone, Tablet, etc. Bose has high quality products and this smart sound bar is no exception. In the box comes the sound bar, a power supply cable, an HDMI cable, an optical cable, a remote control and a quick start guide. Everything comes nicely packaged and protected. Connecting the Smart Soundbar is quite simple, it can be connected via HDMI or optical cable directly to the TV and also via Bluetooth. It is recommended to download the Bose app to get the most out of the device. The app gives access to configure the Smart Soundbar in different aspects, from equalization, management of Bose devices connected to the same app, sound settings, etc. The remote control that already comes with its battery installed is compact but has the essentials to control the soundbar easily. Something I can recommend is to download the user manual from the app and learn a little more about the features and functions of this Smart Soundbar. Regarding performance, I have been pleasantly surprised at how a relatively compact soundbar sounds so good. By connecting directly to the HDMI ARC port of my tv I can control both devices with a single remote control. From the app I can modify the sound settings depending on the content I'm playing, whether it's enhancing the dialog or boosting the mids if I'm listening to music, etc. The sound quality is quite good, Dolby technology is perceived, whether watching a movie, series, listening to music or podcast the voices are clear, sound effects, instruments etc. Although I must admit that a subwoofer would be the perfect complement, because although the sound bar is very good, that bass punch is needed to make the floor vibrate. The device can be controlled by voice, with the app and with the remote control. It is important to mention that the soundbar does not have a screen where any information is displayed, the app is what helps in this regard. If you have other Bose devices at home, can be synchronized and used all at the same time or if you want privacy you can choose which device to play the desired content. This Bose smart soundbar is a quality device that serves its purpose and offers quite interesting features, more for those who have more Bose products at home. I feel that the user experience justifies the price, but the fact of the ease of setup and use and all that the app offers, is worth it. If you are looking for a good quality soundbar at a relatively affordable price, this is a good alternative, I can certainly recommend it.

I got this Bose soundbar to use with my PC because lately it’s hard to find a monitor that has sound. It’s also difficult to find a quality soundbar that is small enough to use in my computer space. After downloading the app and starting the set up I thought I might have made a mistake, because all the instructions were for connecting speakers and a TV. However, on the Bose website there were clear instructions for connecting the soundbar to a computer. I just had to go into the settings in Windows 11 and search for a new Bluetooth device. Then back into the app to the pairing prompt, after which the soundbar and the PC quickly found each other. When connected with the included HDMI cable the two disconnected when the PC went to sleep, but they maintain their connection when connected via Bluetooth. If connected to a TV via the included optical cable, a setting in the Bose app will make the soundbar power on the soundbar when an audio signal is received. Voice control can be enabled if connected to Amazon Alexa and it has Chromecast built-in to stream music from apps to the soundbar. There is an optional AI Dialogue Mode that improves the clarity of spoken words. It has a USB port to install possible future updates. I’ve had some trouble syncing the sound with the visual. Syncing is done in the Audio section of the app by selecting the millisecond delay. The millisecond range is between 10 and 200, so I’m still doing the fine tuning. The sound is everything you’d expect from a Bose. You can not only hear the music, but feel it too. At 27 inches it easily fits in my computer space and will also fit in front of my TV if I decide to use it there instead. I rarely give anything 5 stars, because most things aren’t quite perfect, but I do believe that I’ve found the perfect soundbar.

OVERALL SOUND QUALITY: When operational, this Bose Smart Soundbar provided an enhanced and digitally sounding immersive front beaming soundstage in a scaled down footprint. Movie dialogue is crisp and crystal clear, Bose got that right. And I was somewhat taken aback with the mid-to-upper-bass range that was emanating from a system without a dedicated subwoofer, just two small rear soundbar bass ports. Note that you will need to purchase the optional sub-woofer, and optional set of rear satellites, for a true 5.1.2 sound system. Nevertheless, very impressive for movies and more volume than I will ever require for our small finished attic. Larger rooms may not fair as well and you could be better served with Bose’s Ultra system. Now I was disappointed with DVD/Blu-Ray Concerts that had an overly digitally processed “ghost echo” soundstage unless I set the DVD players from 5.1 to 2.0 (stereo). Although streaming directly from “Music Services” (Sirius-XM) or Bose’s free TuneIn service sounded very good without any ghost-echoing artifacts. CONNECTIVITY ISSUES: From day one, I had nothing but intermittent connectivity issues. Specifically, both WiFi, along with HDMI, disconnecting. Add to that is an application that occasionally fails to find its soundbar and that renders the Bose setup features inaccessible. Seems to work during the day after resetting and reconfiguring, but the next day, if not latter the same day, there would be zero sound output and/or no network WiFi connectivity. Just to be clear, I use three competitor’s soundbars that do not exhibit these irregularities connected to our WiFi-7 mesh system. Even after working with Bose support three times, this system fails to provide a consistent soundbar solution without numerous restoration attention. FIRMWARE UPDATE: I manually had to update the original firmware from 8.0.16 to 9.0.11. Per the manual, the firmware was supposed to self-update at night OTA, but after two nights when it did not, I followed the Bose web-site instructions to manually download the current firmware update. (I am speculating it could not update at night because of the lost connectivity issues?) Note that this updated firmware did not resolve my soundbar’s current connectivity issues. SOUNDBAR BUTTONS: There are only two capacitive sensing buttons on the top of this soundbar. One will turn OFF/ON the microphone. While the other is the Alexa Action Options. Missing is a way to turn this soundbar on/off, control the volume, or select the source material from the soundbar. Not even a rear “reset” button. The miniature remote control can provide these functions, but is small will no doubt be misplaced or get lost between couch or chair cushions. If the Bose Application was consistently stable, that could be an acceptable backup. Note that I do not talk to my IoT devices, so Alexa is a non-option for me. BOSE SUPPORT: I must acknowledge that the Bose Support representatives I worked with were all top tiered professionals. And I am impressed at the very short phone hold time to reach an actual person. Each of the three techs knew this current model soundbar and were able to get it functional walking me through different procedures. Thank you! I will also admit the connectivity issues I experience may not be Bose’s fault. Could be my 2019 Insignia HDTV, could be my home WiFi-7 mesh system, could be my 2024 Android-14 phone. Or could be attributed to a combination of all of my collective technology. There are numerous other reviewers that express positive reviews without mentioning connection failures. Only a small percentage of users for Bose soundbars appear to experience similar issues. When I have time, I am considering setting up at my daughter’s townhome, a completely different environment with a new HDMI e/ARC HDTV, just to confirm or eliminate my home being the problem. Will update this review if/when I do with the outcome. NITPICK EQ: I wish there were Equalization (EQ) defaults, that are user configurable, with options that would allow different “presets” to accommodate different media. Examples: When listening to movies, a “MOVIE” preset, or listening to music, a “MUSIC” preset. Plus, a “NIGHT” preset to tone down the low end and raise the vocals at lower night-time bedroom volumes. Currently, users must open the application and tweak the numerous settings for each of these three examples. Then reverse those steps to return back. RATING: For overall sound quality in a small footprint for movie content, this system excels and would have earn a solid 4-Star Rating for it numerous features and better than average bass-response without a dedicated subwoofer. But due to its intermittent connectivity issues (HDMI & Application), it basically renders this system useless for my family (they will not be able to perform the required reset procedures) and this Bose Smart Soundbar earned itself a 2-Star Rating. Therefore, I cannot recommend this system to others at this time. Hopefully a future firmware upgrade can provide resolution.

The Bose Smart Soundbar is essentially the successor to the Bose Smart Soundbar 300, with its main upgrades being support for Dolby Atmos and upward-firing audio. These features can have a significant impact if you’re able to take full advantage of them. As a long-time Bose enthusiast with extensive experience using their products, I didn’t expect a dramatic difference in everyday sound quality compared to the Soundbar 300, and for the most part, I was right. There’s a bit more clarity and richness in dialogue, but the real standout improvements only shine when Dolby Atmos is engaged. For its size, the sound quality of the Bose Smart Soundbar is exceptional, offering clear dynamics and a well-rounded listening experience. However, to truly appreciate its capabilities, I highly recommend adding the rear speakers and subwoofer. If you have to choose, prioritize the subwoofer, as it really enhances the overall depth of the audio. Together, the full setup delivers incredible sound, comparable to or even superior to other systems in this price range. I also have a soundbar in my master bedroom that costs twice as much, but honestly, the Bose holds its own, especially considering its price point. Bose has clearly invested significant effort into improving their app experience in recent years. When I first bought the original Bose Smart Soundbar, I was disappointed by the clunky and unintuitive app. Thankfully, Bose has since released several new apps with much better functionality. Setting up this soundbar was a breeze, and I was able to seamlessly switch my subwoofer and rear speakers from my Soundbar 300 to this new model with minimal effort. The addition of EQ capabilities is another welcome improvement, showing Bose’s willingness to adapt to customer preferences. While Bose has traditionally marketed their products as perfectly balanced right out of the box, the option to fine-tune the sound is a nice touch for those who want more control. One area where Bose really shines now is their app’s multi-room functionality. I can view all of my previous Bose smart soundbars (except for the original model from over five years ago) and link them together. This allows me to play music throughout my entire house, a fantastic feature that adds longevity to these high-end devices. Given that quality audio equipment can be a significant investment, it's reassuring to know that Bose is committed to ensuring their products don’t become obsolete anytime soon. As someone who owns four Bose soundbars—including the original Smart Soundbar, as well as other Bose products like the Solo 500 TV stand speakers and several Bose earbuds—I can confidently say that Bose has always delivered on both reliability and support. Of all the Bose products I own, only one has ever broken, and that was due to a power surge. Bose replaced it without any hassle, further solidifying their commitment to customer satisfaction. In the photos, I’ve included a comparison between this new model and the Soundbar 300. I appreciate the more prominent placement of the Bose logo on the new Smart Soundbar, as it was a bit hard to spot on the Soundbar 300 due to its odd positioning. Overall, I’m very pleased with this purchase. The sound quality is excellent, but I suspect the step up to the Ultra model will be even more substantial, particularly in terms of mid-range performance. In short, this soundbar is perfect for a bedroom setup, but if you're looking to fill a larger space like a living room, I’d recommend opting for a higher-end model.

I thought my smart TV was great- I mean it’s SMART- it had all the bells and whistles so why spend the extra on any audio speakers? This Bose SMART Soundbar with AI integration was released this week and I thought what a nice surprise for myself and my upcoming birthday….HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME! Easy setup although I did cheat by watching the Bose Youtube channel setup short video- made it MUCH easier- not that it was not easy without it but just quicker to get to the good stuff. Literally had it out of the box and setup in less than 5 minutes! The Bose app walks you thru it with setting up your apps. This gem had me pulling out all my old playlists and jamming along- drowning out how off pitch I am these days! My dog and cats were staring at the TV in amazement/horror as the words of Journey and Heart were scrolling on screen with the compatible music apps- no more just sitting in my car in the driveway enjoying my Bose car system- now I can submerge myself in rich sounds- clear vocals, soaring highs, solid mids and deep classy lows- 360 degrees with a minimal sized soundbar- with its light blinking Lionel Ritchie’s Hello at me. I started watching The Mandalorian again for the millionth time- did you know of all the sounds in the background that actually make you more engaged?? It is like I am falling for Pedro Pascal all over again! :D Thank you Bose- my pets thank you too!

The Bose Smart Soundbar 600 delivers impressive sound in a compact and sleek design. Right out of the box, the setup was straightforward, and it integrated seamlessly with my TV and smart home devices. The build quality feels premium, as you’d expect from Bose. What really stands out is the Dolby Atmos support — it creates a surprisingly immersive sound experience for a soundbar of this size. Dialogue is crisp and clear, and the surround effects are noticeable even without additional speakers. It really enhances movie nights and even casual TV watching. The Bose Music app adds convenience for adjusting settings, connecting to streaming services, and managing multi-room audio. However, the app can sometimes be a bit slow or glitchy, especially during updates. Voice control with Alexa and Google Assistant works well, and the Bluetooth and Wi-Fi options make it easy to stream music from a phone or tablet. The only thing I would improve is the bass — it’s good on its own, but pairing with the Bose Bass Module would really complete the experience. Overall, the Smart Soundbar 600 is a fantastic option if you’re looking for a compact soundbar with big sound, smart features, and easy integration.

Great sound. Doesn’t take up much space. Exactly what I was looking for. It sometimes disconnects from the tv and needs to reset with the remote which is a little annoying.

We initially purchased a Sonos soundbar only to discover that it was not compatible with our T-Mobile 5G internet router. The Bose soundbar setup was easy and is easily paired with our LG remote for our TV. There were no issues with the setup and our Internet. Bose customer service was extremely helpful and informative in advising us to disconnect our mesh extender when we did dthe initial setup. The bass will be better with the addition of a subwoofer but the sound clarity from this bar is great, even when voices are almost at a whisper.