Customer Ratings & Reviews

The Bose TV Speaker provides amazing sound for such a small size sound bar. I connected it by optical cable and had sound coming from it and my built-in tv speaker (for comparison) at the same time and what I noticed is there were sounds coming from the Bose TV Speaker that seemed to be missing in the audio output of the TV's built-in speaker. The Bose speaker sound was clear and the audio sounded great. While it does not include a subwoofer in the box, the bass sound the speaker provides is pretty impressive for what it is. I was watching a music performance on a premium cable channel using the speaker and was totally drawn into it with this speaker. The speaker itself didn't seem to require any special setup (easy) to get up and running, it was just a matter of plugging in the right cables and it was ready to go out-of-the-box. This may seem like a small thing, but this Bose TV Speaker also powers on and off quicker than other Sound bars that I have owned in the past, which is something I appreciate. I want to note that there was not an HDMI Pass-Thru (in/out), which means if I use HDMI ARC I lose an HDMI port on the TV.

An unimaginative name but an accurate description, and for that purpose, a very good product. To put this review in context, I purchased the Bose TV Speaker to improve the audio of a Toshiba 23" TV in my kitchen dinette area. The dinette and kitchen have a 10' ceiling and are partly open to a larger area that includes living and dining rooms and entrance foyer, all of 10' height, so it is not a small acoustic environment. our primary listening positions are approximately seven feet from the speaker front. The TV has small, down facing speakers, but with Audyssey enhancement, sounds better than many other small TVs, however, with age (mine & my wife's), dialog had become more difficult to understand at reasonable levels. In my application, a small sound bar is required since the TV is only 21.5" wide, about the same width as the Bose Solo 5 that appeared to be a leading choice. Unfortunately the height of the Solo 5 would have obstructed the TV's IR receiver and $200 seemed a high price for the limited features that it offers (the TV cost less than that). Despite the price concern, I purchased the higher priced Bose TV speaker, which is an updated version of the Solo 5 and was introduced in July 2020. The TV Speaker has a lower profile than the Solo 5 and does not interfere with the TV as well as added features that may increase its usefulness over time. As compared to the Solo 5, the TV Speaker is like a 60's car; longer, lower, wider by 1.8, 0.5 and 0.6 inches respectively, but in this case that's an asset. The increased length is accounted for by the inclusion of the power supply within the left end of the sound bar, whereas the Solo 5 has a separate power module that must be concealed elsewhere. The lower profile is facilitated by oval drivers that are angled to the sides approximately 30 degrees, similar to the Solo 5's taller 2 inch round drivers. The increased depth is presumably to maintain enclosure volume with decreased height. A domed center driver of about 1in. has been added (and presumably a third amplifier channel) that I assume is to augment the voice enhancement feature. The TV Speaker also adds a subwoofer output and an HDMI ARC connection with CEC, which would be very useful for TVs that support HDMI control to allow volume adjustment via the TV. My TV lacks that feature, necessitating the use of two remotes, however, the Bose speaker can be configured to remain in standby and turn on when an input signal is present. Note that the TV Speaker does not have the large, programmable remote that ships with the Solo 5 (except the Costco version), instead a small remote is provided for the Bose alone and which is essential since there are no controls on the speaker. Controls are minimal, in any case: volume, bass (plus or minus 2 steps), dialog enhancement on/off, muting, and source (TV or Bluetooth). Indicators are even more sparse: just two LEDs that change brightness (3 levels including 0), change color (4) and/or flash to indicate operating modes or conditions. This is generally adequate, once you have memorized the code, however volume changes merely flash for each incremental change and there is no indication of where in the range it is set. The Bose TV speaker feels solid and has a premium appearance while its low profile and lack of visual embellishment allow it to be as innocuous as a table top speaker could be. The dark gray, perforated metal grill covers the front and both end surfaces. The top surface is a uniform black, semi matte surface with only a small gray Bose logo near the front edge and it is surprisingly immune to finger prints. Bose has excelled at products that offer surprising performance for their size, with speaker enclosure designs that manage to extend the bass response beyond what seems reasonable for their miniscule drivers, but usually at the expense of low frequency detail and solidity. In that regard, the TV Speaker is no exception as it offers surprising low end fullness but lacks bass definition. Midrange clarity is very good and speech is easily discernable, even with my diminished hearing. The speech enhancement mode is effective and switch-able from the remote and is particularly useful with so much poor TV audio from people working at home. I won't comment on the speaker's high frequency response since I've lost the top octave (or more) of my hearing. At volume levels higher than I will ever use, the sound remains clear and undistorted throughout the open spaces well beyond my intended listening area. I found it necessary to set the bass at minimum, yet "boom" was still excessive. Although I've not heard the Solo 5, many of its user reviews criticized its "weak" bass response and I fear Bose may have overdone retuning of the TV Speaker as there is no shortage of low end output, but it lacks definition and detail. A string bass can sound as a diffuse, "muddy" boom, not readily identifiable. Using a sine wave generator via bluetooth, I hear two audibly obvious resonant peaks at about 62hz and 170hz, likely exacerbated by my rather "live" room. Output rapidly diminishes below the lower peak and is inaudible below about 50hz at normal listening levels. Nevertheless impressive from drivers so small. This is a vast improvement over my TV's built in speakers and after initial set-up I streamed the 2018 concert, "Houser and Friends" and enjoyed 2 hours of pleasant viewing/listening with my wife; I previously had NO inclination to use this TV for musical programming. Still, I wondered if the bass boom might be reduced by adding acoustic impedance to the bass port and, to that end, I loosely bunched the corner of a microfiber dust cloth into the port and, voilà, the bass became much tighter and detailed, if a bit too restrained. since then I've experimented with other materials and currently have a single cotton square make-up pad from CVS placed in the port. With this arrangement, the bass response is much more natural and I have increased the bass level to -1, but securing the pad in the port is problematic. Now the previous 62hz peak is not audibly apparent and the annoying boom is mostly absent yet bass is strong and better defined! In fairness to Bose, their instructions advise not to place the TV Speaker in a corner and if on a shelf, to locate it at the front edge. Mine is located near a shallow corner formed by the kitchen cabinets and a wall and, although it is on a perforated metal shelf, it is a few inches back from the edge and at a shallow angle. I relocated the speaker to the front edge and could not perceive an audible difference. The corner no doubt lends some bass reinforcement, however I doubt it is entirely responsible for the overshoot and ringing (boom) that seem associated with an under-damped design. Horizontal dispersion of sound is good, however I perceive little or no stereo imaging at my usual ~7 foot distance, unsurprising with both channels centrally located, but certainly no worse than the original TV audio. Given the short length of this sound bar, I doubt any other driver location would make a substantial difference. This is an unusual speaker enclosure design inasmuch as both channels share a common enclosure and ducted bass port (as best as I can glean from photos on the web). It is not Bose's first single port stereo arrangement, as the original Wave Radio had but one port, however, the channels had separate enclosures and only one driver drove the single "waveguide" and port, perhaps with a dual voice coil since it had a deeper magnet structure than the other channel. Because of the common enclosure of the TV Speaker, I would expect diminished channel separation irrespective of the central speaker locations. For a more rigorous listening test, I prepared an mp3 file with alternating left/right, wide spectrum audio (applause). Beginning within 30" of the speaker, each channel was quite distinct and seemed to emanate from positions well outboard of the driver locations, suggesting that the outward angled drivers and curved cabinet front are effective. Moving further away, apparent separation rapidly diminishes such that by 80", both channels seem as one in the center. Using a 1KHz test tone in one channel only and measuring sound level at the speaker grill where it was a maximum for each channel, the channel separation was significantly less than 10db. For Comparison, an LP phono cartridge (remember those?), which once was the limiting factor in channel separation, may achieve separation of about 20-25db. Given this lack of stereo imaging, I consider the TV Speaker's Dolby decoder to be a wasted effort, except perhaps to extract the center channel for dialog. The TV Speaker would likely provide reasonable stereo imaging if used as a desktop computer speaker. So, is the Bose TV Speaker the core of a killer home theater system? Well, no. Can I retire my 48 year old Dynaco A-25s in the adjoining room? A ludicrous proposition! Is it the sonic equal of the less expensive, 3.1 channel Sony HT-CT150 in our bedroom? No again, although dialog clarity is better with the Bose. The bottom line is that the Bose TV Speaker is just what the name suggests and provides the enhancement that I sought: clarity of sound, more intelligible dialog, and much improved musicality for my small TV, all while fitting the limited space available, being visually unobtrusive, and simple to set up and operate. What's not to like? Well, there is the price, and it is hard to argue that an enhancement to any product can be worth 140% of the product's cost. So I'll leave the value judgment to others, but in my case, the Bose TV Speaker fulfills my purposes while I found no alternative that was as suitable. I'd like to have another for my guestroom TV, but the cost is prohibitive.

This isn't my first experience with BOSE, their product line is top notch and when I wanted, or my wife would say needed to take our TV sound system to a whole new level the BOSE TV system was perfect. I did research other systems but not much beats BOSE especially in this price range. From shipment to receiving, and unpacking the unit, we were thrilled. The directions and hook up were simple to follow and and all cords and remote battery came with the unit. It's a fairly slim unit that hides well behind the TV but packs one heck of an audiophile punch. Everything from Disney movies, to action thrillers sound good. The bass is solid, even without a sub and the mids and highs are clear. I highly recommend this unit to anyone looking for a major sound upgrade at a good price from a reputable brand. Also, I really like that I don't need to use the remote that came with the system. It automatically turns on and off with our TV, where our old sound system didn't do that and I hated having to use so many remotes just to get things going.

Love the sound, its very clear and the profile is sleek and small. It can get loud and fill the room with no problem

As a long time Bose user, I was skeptical that this small soundbar would be able to put out a full, rich sound with a decent bass, but I was proven wrong right from the start. I have had this soundbar for 2 weeks now and I am impressed. After connecting both via bluetooth and optical cable, which was very easy to do, I was surprised by the clarity of the voices and the complete sound of music and the action sequences for movies. The multiple bass level adjustment is a great feature also, but even at the highest level, it was not obnoxious. The remote is very small, which is my only complaint as it will be easy to loose. The dialogue mode is OK, but I do hear that much difference so I don't see that being used much. I have connected through my cell phone and the music sounds very good. I have not connected via the HDMI yet. I highly recommend this soundbar for anyone who wants quality sound.

Adds much depth to our viewing experience. Nice size.

I am so disappointed in what Bose has become. To pay this much for crap product is very irritating. My Samsung sound bar sounds way better. After getting this and the subwoofer, I can honestly say that I don’t think I will buy Bose products in the future. Even the pawn shop didn’t want it!

WOW! The sound is awesome & good bass, don’t need anything extra like sub woofer, especially if you live in an apt like i do, its loud enough. And when you play music, thats when it is at it’s finest.

I own and have listened to many Bose speaker systems and I truly believe they are the best in the business by far. This is the first tv sound bar I have used from them and wow it continues to prove my point of Bose being the absolute best. The speaker in small in size but delivers power clear sound with very good bass as well. This system is extremely easy to install with taking only a couple minutes to hook up. I like this system so much that I have 2 of them, one of which I have installed in my garage and it sounds even better out there than on my tv.

The Bose TV Speaker is Bose’s newest external, surface or wall-mountable speaker to give you better sound from your TV than a built-in speaker can provide. First thing to understand this is solely a single-unit speaker, not a full “soundbar” system, which I would consider a combination speaker & external subwoofer unit that can be placed in a different area of the room to create that full room immersion you get with the multi-unit system. The standalone speaker gives you what you would expect from a Bose product – excellent, crystal-clear audio and provided much-improved sound from the built-in speaker on my TV. The bass response was good, but it did seem to lack that full-room sound without a subwoofer. Used in both my living room and a smaller bedroom, the TV Speaker was much more appropriate for the smaller bedroom. There is, however, a 3.5mm jack labeled “Bass” that allows you to connect it an external subwoofer device, but again that is not included. The TV Speaker connects to the back of any modern TV using either the HDMI (ARC) port or the optical port. I opted for the HDMI since it passes a larger bandwidth than the optical, but you may opt for the optical port if you have a TV with limited available HDMI ports. The ARC feature allowed for the device to be turned on & off automatically with the TV. The optical cable is included, but an HDMI cable is not. Multiple levels of bass are controlled via the included remote, as is the ability to toggle to “Dialogue Mode”, which boosts spoken word over other background noise in movies to give better ability to hear speech. While this mode does enhance voices, it comes at the cost of losing some of the background sounds. The remote itself is small, but with a smooth surface and buttons covered by a solid rubber membrane, making it fluid impervious in the event of a spill (versus buttons that sit raised from the surface of the remote). If you’re solely using this with the TV and using HDMI-ARC, you likely will never need the remote. The device also allows for connections for audio via Bluetooth and 3.5mm AUX port on the back. This seemed to be where the speaker really showed its “Bose” name. As with so many Bose products, the quality of sound comes thru. While sound was good using it with the TV, why audio seemed to sound much better than TV I think is the expectation for that full-room immersion with TVs that didn’t happen (for lack of the subwoofer), versus an expectation for audio only. The AUX port allowed me to hook in a Google Chromecast Audio to add the speaker to my home speaker group for full-home audio from room-to-room. Summary: The Bose TV Speaker provides a good alternative to the inexpensive built-in speakers in today’s TVs. The device provides excellent sound quality, but without the full room depth you would get with a more expensive speaker bar & subwoofer combo. It’s great for a small-to-medium size room, but loses its punch in a larger, open room like a living room.

The Bluetooth never worked. The app they require you to use to connect doesn't work 75% of the time

So far, we are pleased with the Bose Sound TV Speaker. Would definitely recommend for the price. We found a real improvement in sound when we tune in to our favorite music channels.

It's BOSE, Excellence. Easy to install sounds great and truly fills our room with immersive, full sound. I recommend for small rooms.

First I want to express how Wonderful this speaker is! I have tried so many options to get volume louder on my tv and This did the trick. Very easy setup! Great value the sound is out of this world and also love the fact how it fits perfect where my tv is! I would definitely recommend this to anyone that is looking for some more sound on the TV!

This Bose TV Speaker is living up to the great Bose name! It seamlessly hooks to the tv with little to no effort involved! It has such a sleek designe and looks sharp in any space. Th e sound quality is everything Bose has always offered and sounds amazing. The sound brings you right into your favorite TV or Movie! You will not be disappointed by this sound bar and that I am certain about!

Very nice sound! Slim speaker! Easy to use! Loving it

Its good speaker with awesome sound and all the features work well. The Bluetooth got connected easily without any hassle. The bass is low compared to other speakers I have and the volume is good for a living room. Its sleek and looks good on my tv stand . The green light turns on when you switch on the voice clarity mode and it does give you enough clarity. Just love that feature.

Most television now days recommend a soundbar to provide that all around sound feeling. Bose is usually my top choice but can also be rather pricey. I love that this soundbar packs a big punch in a small price. Works great and is easy to control with the durable lightweight remote. I also love that you can install in extra external sub to it.

Hard to tell, had excessive feedback and just never worked so it was returned

This soundbar is amazing. We use it alone and it has great sound quality and base. Would by many times over.