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Bose launched its new good soundbar, fittingly referred to as the Bose Good Soundbar, in September 2024, and it is rapidly change into a preferred decide within the mid-range. And if you’d like the perfect soundbar underneath $500, this can be a robust contender for the title.
It is not a luxurious soundbar just like the Sonos Arc Extremely or a Hello-Fi speaker just like the Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar Max, neither is it a barebones finances choice. It is robust sufficient to supply a noticeable audio enchancment, and at worth for the function set.
After testing out the Bose Good Soundbar, I am able to render a verdict. Spoiler alert: It is definitely worth the cash, however in the event you can decide it up for the sale worth of $399, it is actually definitely worth the cash.
Unboxing the Bose Good Soundbar.
Credit score: Timothy Beck Werth / Mashable
Bose Good Soundbar evaluation: How does it sound?
That is the single-most necessary think about soundbar opinions, for apparent causes. And I can inform you that this soundbar does certainly sound unbelievable. Total, it supplies deep, balanced sound that is properly suited to TV exhibits, films, and music.
For TV exhibits, I used to be capable of flip off closed captions for all however probably the most accent-heavy exhibits. Once I activated the AI Dialogue Help function, the impact was much more dramatic, however even with out it, the dialogue sounds a lot clearer. The identical goes for action-heavy films the place dialogue typically will get drowned out by explosion sounds and automobile crashes.
Nonetheless, dialogue is not the one space the place audio noticeably improved. Once I watched a Components 1 race with the soundbar for the primary time, I heard an enormous distinction within the sound of the engines, pit crew, and crowd noise. The development positively made the race extra pleasant.
Testing the soundbar whereas watching “Dune.”
Credit score: Timothy Beck Werth / Mashable
Use the voice, Paul!
Credit score: Timothy Beck Werth / Mashable
The soundbar comprises 5 transducers and a central tweeter to mission sound throughout you. Two upwards-facing transducers even bounce hold forth the ceiling for a very immersive impact. When Dolby Atmos sound is offered, the sound high quality actually sings. I watched films like Dune and Mad Max: Fury Street to understand this impact to the fullest.
Music additionally sounds unbelievable on this speaker. On actually layered tracks (like Michael Jackson’s “Beat It” or Radiohead’s “The National Anthem”), the vocals are typically just a little buried, however this is not an issue on extra vocal-heavy songs (like Lewis Capaldi’s “Someone You Loved” or Adele’s “Hello,” each of which sounded unbelievable). The bass was particularly clear with music — and with out completely blowing out the bass like so many audio system do.
This soundbar excels in each class save one — the vibes
I’ve usually had good experiences with Bose merchandise. Typically, superb experiences. However I do typically marvel in the event that they want some assist in the branding division. The brand new Bose good soundbar would not have the most artistic identify. In case you have already forgotten, this soundbar known as — look forward to it — the Bose Good Soundbar.
Like a 15-inch HP laptop computer that is merely referred to as “HP Laptop computer 15,” it leaves one thing to be desired. And whereas Sonos was utilizing the cool, gravelly voice of Giancarlo Esposito as their model voice, Bose makes use of a generic feminine robotic voice that is chilly and sometimes grating.
An angled energy wire and HDMI eARC cable are inserted at an angle behind the soundbar.
Credit score: Timothy Beck Werth / Mashable
The soundbar’s design can also be fairly plain. Now, to be honest, soundbars aren’t meant to face out, they usually do not current many alternatives for artistic design. However this soundbar is just about only a black rectangle. As well-designed as it’s functionally, it is fairly bland-looking.
Does any of this matter? Lots of people most likely want this no-bullshit, focus-on-the-sound strategy. In any case, who cares what a soundbar seems like, would not it matter extra what it sounds like? The latter is extra necessary, completely. However as somebody who does care concerning the vibes and aesthetics of my merchandise — particularly after they’re asking for delight of place on the heart of my front room — I might like just a little extra. This product would have acquired the next rating save for its poor displaying within the “Wow Factor” class.
From a sensible standpoint, this speaker does have a sensible design. You insert the HDMI and energy plugs at an angle, saving you an inch or two of area in your leisure console. The bar itself is 2.2 inches x 4.1 inches x 27 inches, letting it simply match beneath your TV.
You solely want two of those cables to start out utilizing your new soundbar.
Credit score: Timothy Beck Werth / Mashable
You insert cables at an angle, which saves area.
Credit score: Timothy Beck Werth / Mashable
Bose Good Soundbar connectivity: The great and the unhealthy
The excellent news? It was extremely straightforward to arrange this soundbar. Actually, it was up and working in minutes. I needed to re-shuffle a few of the inputs on my TV, however even this did not take lengthy. Even for people who aren’t significantly tech-savvy, I believe the setup shall be actually easy. Merely plug the HDMI cable into your TV’s eARC enter and observe the directions.
I did expertise some connectivity issues. First, as a result of I did not have extra encompass sound audio system or a sub-woofer, I attempted to attach the soundbar to my Bose Soundlink Max moveable speaker. The connection was very easy, and I used to be capable of group them collectively immediately. Sadly, the Soundlink Max wi-fi speaker performed on a slight delay, rendering it ineffective.
Organising the soundbar is extremely straightforward.
Credit score: Screenshot: Bose
Utilizing the Bose app.
Credit score: Screenshot: Bose
Once I needed to play music from my cellphone, I discovered that I needed to pair and re-pair the soundbar with my iPhone 15 Professional repeatedly. I do not know why such a Bluetooth connectivity is such a ache level with Bose. My evaluation of the Bose QuietComfort Extremely Earbuds famous an analogous drawback with multi-point pairing (which has since been fastened). When it comes to time wasted, it is lower than 30 seconds to restore, however it’s annoying, particularly in a $500 product.
I also needs to be aware that I used to be capable of join my Amazon Music account to the Bose app, however not Spotify. This may very well be an issue on Spotify’s finish, so I have not docked any factors for this. I used to be nonetheless capable of stream music with a easy Bluetooth connection.
Is the Bose Good Soundbar price it?
On steadiness, I believe it’s. The connectivity points by no means stopped me from truly utilizing the soundbar for the specified objective, and the advance over my common TV audio system was instantly clear. With added perks like Dialogue Help and Dolby Atmos, it supplies a robust improve on your audio setup.
Once more, if you’d like a real Hello-Fi expertise with all of the attainable bells and whistles, you may must pay $1,000 or extra. And in the event you purchase a finances soundbar for $300 or much less, you would possibly as properly simply stick together with your common TV audio system, as there will not be a lot of a distinction.
For many customers, I believe this soundbar hits the candy spot by way of options, sound, and worth for the greenback. If it was priced at $399 as a substitute of $499 (and it is typically on sale for $399), it could have acquired the next rating from me. You should buy this soundbar from retailers like Amazon or immediately from Bose.
