Customer Ratings & Reviews

Great speaker for a great price. Bose sound is incredible for a compact device.

Absolutely love this Bose. The sound quality is amazing.

My got for my husband, he was so happy it was the home speaker he wanted and I totally recommend it the sound is just perfect

Superb sound quality. It also use for outdoor. I love it.

Hi. The sound from Bose speaker is the best.........

Love Love love this speaker. Doesn't take up a lot of space but the sound is truly BOSE. It sits next to a glass vase with no vibration at all just clear and crisp. FANTASTIC

The Bose Home Speaker 500 is an amazing speaker. This speaker is constructed and designed very well. The speaker has 2 custom drivers pointed in the opposite direction. The oval shape was a good choice by Bose, because with the 2 driver speakers it gives it a good presence of 360 degree sound. The Bose Home 500 gets plenty loud enough, both in volume and base. Bose does a great job balancing the bass, making it heavy and smooth wile not overpowering the rest of the music. The result, a crystal clear sound with just the right amount of bass. The speaker can connect to your device 3 ways; bluetooth, wifi through the Bose music app, or aux cable. The Bose music app is the primary way to control the setting of the speaker including, bass, treble and wifi set up. The speaker has a colored LCD display located on the front of the speaker, that when playing music through the Bose music app - will display the album artwork. Although, when streaming with bluetooth, it just displays the bluetooth symbol with the title of the track on the bottom. The resolution and color are lacking pretty bad, but this is hardly a deal breaker, as this is more of a bonus feature than anything else. This speaker also comes equipped with Amazon Elexa built in. The microphone picks up voices very efficiently, with it's 8 microphone array. Elexa is very responsive when it comes to using voice controls. I like how this speaker doesn't force you to use Elexa, if you don't want to. You have the option to use your mobile device, or you can use the custom buttons built-in on top of the speaker. Overall, the Bose Home Speaker 500 is a solid speaker, with premium sound. This speaker will easily fill up an entire house with sound, and has plenty of control options to use it. I would definitely recommend this to anyone looking for a premium streaming speaker.

Love Bose Great sound I recommend highly to get it

Not.bad...recomend.buy .....................2024......

Bose name great product wish I had one more great full sound. Very good bass good comprehensive sound full spectrum fills the room symphoniclly

Pros The sound quality is awesome, Airplay 2 works flawlessly Speaker would play any radio station through iheart app added to any 6 presets set on top of the Bose Speaker. Cons But after few hours when you ask Alexa to play any radio station through Iheart app, it would not work and give you an error “that didn’t work please try again” to my surprise pressing the preset button plays that radio station. To fix the issue you have replug the power cord. Spent two hours with Bose support but they were no help. See the attached screen shot for Bose technicians response.

Sound: The sound is very detailed and clear, with adequate amount of bass that gives warmth to the sound but it doesn't overly saturated. The speaker is oval-shaped because it has a set of speakers firing to the right and left to provide stereo sound from a single speaker. It's the sound expected from a Bose product and does not disappoint. We have other smart and Bluetooth speakers in the house and this is by far the best sound. It has great soundstage (Where we hear the sound comes from, in stereo), something I could not discern from other speakers Industrial design: The whole speaker, besides the top and bottom, is made of a single piece of thick aluminum, giving it a nice heft. The bottom is rubberized and the top has touch-sensitive controls and a 360-degree mic array. In the middle of the speaker there is a nice LCD screen that provides cover image for the song and additional information like artist, album, song name or station name. There is also a 'light bar' on top of the screen that lights in different colors and directions based on different actions. Controls: All the controls are touch-sensitive, and they work really well. There are seven presets (programmable via an app or holding the button), volume controls, a single play/pause that also doubles as skip forward and skip backwards, for which I would have preferred individual buttons, aux and Bluetooth (input) buttons, and two buttons for Alexa: One to mute the microphones, and an action button that causes Alexa to listen (or stop) without invoking the Alexa word, or use it to stop an alarm or timer. Initial setup: The initial setup requires the 'Bose Music' app on iOS or Android. It doesn't work with PCs. Install the app and follow the step by step guide. It's very simple and worked well the first time, although there can be too many steps that includes creating an account with Bose if there isn't one, then configuring the speaker on Wi-Fi and then adding music services. Some steps require logging into the Bose account again and then to the music service to authorize them. It didn't fail and some steps can be done later on. Bluetooth: I have to say, this is one of the best Bluetooth implementations I've seen for how well it sets up and controls. If there is no BT device connected, it goes into pairing only when in BT mode. Once paired (with an iPhone), the speaker can control the volume (ie, change the volume either on the phone or the speaker and they are both in sync). Prev/Play/Next controls work as they should and the screen will display artist, album and song (It didn't display the image on my tests). It can connect to multiple devices and each device can be removed individually via the app, which by the way can also control the speaker while in BT mode to change songs, play/pause and volume. Alexa: There is support for Amazon Alexa (No other assistants, at least for now). It's not required by any means to use the speaker, but it works very well. It's able to pick up commands even when music is playing, much better than the older Echo speakers we have. This is an 'Alexa-Enabled' speaker, so while Alexa works very well, it doesn't do everything an Echo can do. It supports alarms and timers but doesn't support communications (Drop-in, calling phones or Alexa contacts does not work), and this seems to be a limitation on Alexa on any non-amazon device, not specific to Bose speakers. App and streaming services: - Tune-In is already included and doesn't need nor allow a login (so no Tune-In favorites, but they can be set on the speaker). - Amazon Music (Of course, since it supports Alexa). - Pandora. - iHeartRadio: Radio stations that used to be Clear Channel are no longer available on TuneIn, and require iHeartRadio accounts. Presets can be set for iHeart stations or the rest, including NPR stations, via Tune-In. - Spotify - SiriusXM (Requires streaming plan) - Deezer And that's it. Currently there is no support for Apple Music (Except via Bluetooth), Tidal or other music services, nor podcasts outside of the above or for audiobooks. Apple AirPlay 2 support was announced by Bose for 'early 2019'. Also, support for Google Assistant (and perhaps Chomecast Audio) would be coming later on as well, but it's not currently present either. Other integrations: There are currently no integrations with Smart Homes or IFTTT, however, at developer.bose.com, there is a statement of upcoming integrations. Also, if you already have the older Bose SoundTouch speakers, this speaker runs on a whole different platform. There is no integration whatsoever with SoundTouch speakers. Control app: Bose Music is a new app specific to the new 'Bose smart speakers', with a modern, card-based design. It works very well, and supports personalized accounts on each phone (ie, each household member uses their own Amazon, Spotify, etc. accounts, not a shared account like in other platforms). Speakers can be grouped together on demand through the app. It's a premium speaker at a premium price. It's design is excellent and sounds fantastic for the type of speaker it is. And while it's network platform is evolving, Bose will deliver, as they depend on getting these products right.

The speaker looks beautiful, had it less than a day. I listen to classical music and thought this would a great speaker for my small office, i had turned the volume up just over half and very quickly started to make a rattling sound. When I turnedthe volume down just a bit, the rattling would stop and the music would sound great. I thought there was something loose inside, I turned the speaker upside down but heard nothing from inside. It’s a shame, beautiful design as far as looks but not so much for the actual music.

I was surprise by the weight of this speaker. It is pretty heavy for how small it is. The packaging was sleek and it was super protected. Set up was extremely easy, plug in, download the app, and connect it to the app. The app allows you to change settings, link services like pandora, Amazon music, etc. Alexa makes it very easy to change the song, volume and other settings. The sound is crystal clear. Deep rich sounds. All types of music and audiobooks sound crisp and clean. Which is surprising when you actually look at it. It’s perfect for a bedroom or office. I chose to use mine in my office and on my bar and I am very impressed. It’s sleek but small. Very versatile. The Bluetooth connects quicker than other speakers. I’ve been listening to audiobooks and they are crystal clear, and the sound is perfect, The volume goes pretty high also. It connects to other Bose speakers, it makes everything more efficient, I also noticed there’s no interference with other Bluetooth devices. All in all this speaker is perfect! My only complaint would be that the cord is rather short. It does the job but a little longer cord would make it better.

Pro: This smart home speaker makes it easy to navigate through my media. From the laptop to anything smart edition that delivers quality sound throughout the room. The third speaker from Bose, and soon, going for the S1. Con: Nothing yet! :)

This Bose 500 speaker has a very crisp sound and very good clarity of the music and is worth the money spent on this

Bose has done it again. A great sounding Alexa compatible speaker. A relatively small footprint, easy to use with killer sound that has become expected form Bose. Unboxed the speaker and can say it was pretty hefty for a small speaker, which I guess was a precursor to the sound. After trying to set it up with the Bose Connect app already on my phone, realized that I needed to download the Bose Music app which was simple to download and the app walks you through the setup easily. After set up, the Bose 500 will download the latest software so you need a few minutes to be able to hear it. Be patient. And then you turn it on. Pick one of the music services you subscribe to and select it on the Bose 500 and hear that great sound, even when turned up loud, no distortions. Personally I use Pandora and it worked great. Having some issues with Radio.com but will work with Bose to fix that. Not sure if the issue is Bose or my own user error. And it works great with Alexa. All the Smart Speaker functions including the information included in Alexa and connection to smart home devices work wonderfully. One function though that does not seem to work is calling friends with other Alexa devices. Perhaps this is fixed with future software updates, but in the meantime, don't use this speaker in an area where that feature is important. The speaker has a screen which shows what is playing or the time of day if nothing is playing and that feature is activated. Touch controls on the top are intuitive and work well. Would be nice if lighted, just don't use in a dark room or use voice controls instead. Back to the sound, it is fantastic. And if not perfect, through the app you can control treble and bass. I haven't taken this outside yet due to the time of the season, but based on how loud it is inside, I figure I can cover the entire back yard. Positives: great sound, easy set up (once you download the Bose Music app), ease of use and Alexa compatibility. Negatives: cannot call friends and issues I have with some of the music services that are supposed to work on this. Overall, Bose has hit another one out of the park.

I’ve been looking for a replacement and upgrade for my first generation Alexa speaker and found exactly what I wanted and more in the Bose Home Speaker 500 with Amazon Alexa Voice Control. Sure, the price may not be in the range of most of the competition but, after hearing the sound this little machine can do, you definitely get what you pay for. I want to start off by reviewing my favorite feature of this device… the sound! I was really taken back by the sound this device produces; it’s almost overwhelming and can fill up most medium to large areas. I’ve barely been able to turn it up past half way and you can hear the deep bass sound that you would expect from Bose through several rooms in our house. Bose finally incorporated Amazon’s Alexa capabilities into their devices, including this speaker, activated and synced through their Bose Music app. The microphones are easily able to identify my voice controls without having to yell at it while music is playing. You can also sync other streaming music options such as Spotify, TuneIn and Pandora. Syncing everything during the initial set up was easy and self-explanatory; I had music playing with voice controls within about five to ten minutes from taking the device out of the box. The speaker also has bluetooth capabilities and an auxiliary input for you to plug in any other devices. One fun thing, but doesn’t serve much purpose, is the tiny front display that shows album art which is also mirrored in your smartphone’s app. The presets on the top of the device came in handy for setting streaming radio station presets. The Bose Music app provides some simple additional sound options to adjust the bass and treble. Overall Bose provides an amazing, and must needed, upgrade to the Alexa line of products with incredible sound.

I ordered a brand new and then there's a scratch ang chip! Disappointed...

I was curious to try this out as I was looking for a good speaker with Alexa built into it. I was extremely impressed with the sound quality and how reliable the mic is on the Bose 500. Pros - Deep Base / Great Sound Reliable Strong Mic Screen Display TuneIn Channel Buttons Non-Listening Mode Cons - No Battery No Shutdown/Turn Off Option App Functionality No Equalizer ::Setup:: It is pretty much plug in play right out of the box when using your Bluetooth to connect. However afterwards when trying to setup to the network through the app it became very challenging. If you have your SSID hidden / custom network configuration you will need to go through the "Alternate setup method". There are no instructions that comes with the device so I had to go to their support website. After a few key combo steps "AUX and Play/Pause buttons for 5 seconds" I was able to successfully setup via browser option. :: Sound / Mic :: The sound quality is amazing at all levels of the volume. I tested at 20% , 50% and 100%. The speaker can go so loud that I found I only needing to play it at 40% in loud environments. There was no distortion even at level 100% which was very impressive however good luck trying to get the MIC to pick up your voice when calling for Alexa. Speaking of the MIC I was very impressed at how well it picks up while the speaker is playing music. Even at 50% when calling for Alexa the speaker would pick up and obey the command. My only issue is there is no equalizer, you have a basic "Bass / Treble" option to increase by number but its very basic. Luckily it is not really needed with great sound quality right out of the box. :: Bose Music Application :: The application itself has 5 categories you are able to swipe between. Home provides Presets and recently played section that makes it easy to setup those presets. Amazon Music is perfect for searching for music to play on the speaker "If you are subscribed to service" TuneIn allows you to search for all the available channels you can play/set as your presets and is a really great feature. Bluetooth/Aux is pretty much to allow you to see what devices are connected to it via Bluetooth/Aux. The issue I have with this application is when trying to customize settings its very hidden and have to go through loops to locate / change / set. The adjustments only allows Base / Treble and does not have an equalizer which is a huge miss as this speaker has incredible ranges. Settings allows for the basic Product Name change/ display and voice assistance setting. If they were to allow more customization for the display screen that would have been a great addition. Overall I really enjoy this product and find myself always using it to play music, ask for Alexa or turn on my smart lights. I would recommend this product for whoever wishes to have a great speaker that would be able to clearly pick up asking for Alexa at high volumes.