The Bose Smart Soundbar has a boring name and great sound
Bose released its new smart soundbar, fittingly called the Bose Smart Soundbar, in September 2024, and it's quickly become a popular pick in the mid-range. And if you want the best soundbar under $500, this is a strong contender for the title. It's not a luxury soundbar like the Sonos Arc Ultra or a Hi-Fi speaker like the Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar Max, nor is it a barebones budget option. It's strong enough to provide a noticeable audio improvement, and at a good price for the feature set. After testing out the Bose Smart Soundbar, I'm ready to render a verdict. Spoiler alert: It's worth the money, but if you can pick it up for the sale price of $399, it's really worth the money. the bose smart soundbar in its box on living room floor Unboxing the Bose Smart Soundbar. Credit: Timothy Beck Werth / Mashable Bose Smart Soundbar review: How does it sound? This is the single-most important factor in soundbar reviews, for obvious reasons. And I can tell you that this soundbar does indeed sound fantastic. Overall, it provides deep, balanced sound that's well suited to TV shows, movies, and music. For TV shows, I was able to turn off closed captions for all but the most accent-heavy shows. When I activated the AI Dialogue Assist feature, the effect was even more dramatic, but even without it, the dialogue sounds much clearer. The same goes for action-heavy movies where dialogue often gets drowned out by explosion sounds and car crashes. However, dialogue isn't the only area where audio noticeably improved. When I watched a Formula 1 race with the soundbar for the first time, I heard a big difference in the sound of the engines, pit crew, and crowd noise. The improvement definitely made the race more enjoyable. bose smart soundbar under TV playing dune Testing the soundbar while watching "Dune." Credit: Timothy Beck Werth / Mashable the bose smart soundbar under a TV; closed caption text reads 'use the voice' Use the voice, Paul! Credit: Timothy Beck Werth / Mashable The soundbar contains five transducers and a central tweeter to project sound all around you. Two upwards-facing transducers even bounce sound off the ceiling for a truly immersive effect. When Dolby Atmos sound is available, the sound quality really sings. I watched movies like Dune and Mad Max: Fury Road to appreciate this effect to the fullest. Music also sounds incredible on this speaker. On really layered tracks (like Michael Jackson's "Beat It" or Radiohead's "The National Anthem"), the vocals are sometimes a little buried, but this isn't a problem on more vocal-heavy songs (like Lewis Capaldi's "Someone You Loved" or Adele's "Hello," both of which sounded incredible). The bass was especially clear with music — and without totally blowing out the bass like so many speakers do. This soundbar excels in every category save one — the vibes I've generally had good experiences with Bose products. Sometimes, very good experiences. But I do sometimes wonder if they need some help in the branding department. The new Bose smart soundbar doesn't have the most creative name. In case you've already forgotten, this soundbar is called — wait for it — the Bose Smart Soundbar. Like a 15-inch HP laptop that's simply called "HP Laptop 15," it leaves something to be desired. And while Sonos was using the cool, gravelly voice of Giancarlo Esposito as their brand voice, Bose uses a generic female robot voice that's cold and occasionally grating. bose smart soundbar under tv playing 'dune'; closed caption text reads 'make life outside the cities of Arakis truly hostile' An angled power cord and HDMI eARC cable are inserted at an angle behind the soundbar. Credit: Timothy Beck Werth / Mashable The soundbar's design is also pretty plain. Now, to be fair, soundbars aren't meant to stand out, and they don't present many opportunities for creative design. But this soundbar is pretty much just a black rectangle. As well-designed as it is functionally, it's pretty bland-looking. Does any of this matter? A lot of people probably prefer this no-bullshit, focus-on-the-sound approach. After all, who cares what a soundbar looks like, doesn't it matter more what it sounds like? The latter is more important, absolutely. But as someone who does care about the vibes and aesthetics of my products — especially when they're asking for pride of place at the center of my living room — I'd like a little more. This product would have received a higher score save for its poor showing in the "Wow Factor" category. From a practical standpoint, this speaker does have a smart design. You insert the HDMI and power plugs at an angle, saving you an inch or two of space on your entertainment console. The bar itself is 2.2 inches x 4.1 inches x 27 inches, letting it easily fit below your TV..
