Review: Is the $499 Bose Smart Soundbar worth it?

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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 greatest 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.

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, films, 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 films 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.

Testing the soundbar while watching “Dune.”
Credit: Timothy Beck Werth / Mashable

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 films 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.

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.

You only need two of these cables to start using your new soundbar.
Credit: Timothy Beck Werth / Mashable

You insert cables at an angle, which saves space.
Credit: Timothy Beck Werth / Mashable

Bose Smart Soundbar connectivity: The good and the bad

The good news? It was incredibly easy to set up this soundbar. Truly, it was up and running in minutes. I had to re-shuffle some of the inputs on my TV, but even this didn’t take long. Even for folks who aren’t particularly tech-savvy, I think the setup will be really simple. Simply plug the HDMI cable into your TV’s eARC input and follow the instructions.

I did experience some connectivity problems. First, because I didn’t have additional surround sound speakers or a sub-woofer, I tried to connect the soundbar to my Bose Soundlink Max portable speaker. The connection was really easy, and I was able to group them together instantly. Unfortunately, the Soundlink Max wireless speaker played on a slight delay, rendering it useless.

Setting up the soundbar is incredibly easy.
Credit: Screenshot: Bose

Using the Bose app.
Credit: Screenshot: Bose

When I had wanted to play music from my phone, I found that I had to pair and re-pair the soundbar with my iPhone 15 Pro repeatedly. I don’t know why this type of Bluetooth connectivity is such a pain point with Bose. My review of the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds noted a similar problem with multi-point pairing (which has since been fixed). In terms of time wasted, it’s less than 30 seconds to repair, but it’s annoying, especially in a $500 product.

I should also note that I was able to connect my Amazon Music account to the Bose app, but not Spotify. This could be a problem on Spotify’s end, so I haven’t docked any points for this. I was still able to stream music with a simple Bluetooth connection.

Is the Bose Smart Soundbar worth it?

On balance, I think it is. The connectivity issues never stopped me from actually using the soundbar for the desired purpose, and the improvement over my regular TV speakers was immediately clear. With added perks like Dialogue Assist and Dolby Atmos, it provides a powerful upgrade for your audio setup.

Again, if you want a true Hi-Fi experience with all the possible bells and whistles, you’ll need to pay $1,000 or more. And if you buy a budget soundbar for $300 or less, you might as well just stick with your regular TV speakers, as there won’t be much of a difference.

For most users, I think this soundbar hits the sweet spot in terms of features, sound, and value for the dollar. If it was priced at $399 instead of $499 (and it’s often on sale for $399), it would have received a higher score from me. You can buy this soundbar from retailers like Amazon or directly from Bose.