Bose Smart Ultra Soundbar With Dolby Atmos

Arrived in perfect condition. Very easy to install.

It gets very loud with no distortion. There’s ample bass. Surround sounds are convincing enough.

For music:
Problem is the sound is fake or very artificial and somehow sounds hollow. Like some frequencies are scooped out. The limited EQ doesn’t fix the issue. Acoustic instruments sound absolutely terrible in this thing; their tonality is hardly better than a pair of 40$ discount bin computer speakers.

I didn’t even try it for movies. I’m not keeping it anyway considering how absolutely bad it is with music.

Plus: Chromecast is absolutely garbage. When playing tracks on the device, it randomly skips them. I don’t know if it’s the implementation on this product or Chromecast in general, but it is absolutely unusable.

I’ve had different surround systems over the years and really appreciate good, immersive audio. The one thing I haven’t really appreciated is the bulky reality of multiple large speakers all around the room that, while delivering great sound, can also be eyesores in the interior design. Hence the search for a higher-end soundbar that could be low profile so it blends with the decor, while still offering top-notch audio features, especially one of the modern pinnacles of sound tech, Dolby Atmos.

Bose has always been at the top of my list and this new soundbar certainly keeps the brand at the top in my book! The sound is simply amazing, and all put together in an eye-pleasing, low-profile form factor that accents other audio-video pieces, but doesn’t take over with box-like “trip hazards” in a small-space, home-theater room.

Key benefits that I wanted in a soundbar and how the Bose Smart Ultra Soundbar delivered:
• Immersive audio in a low-profile package: The Bose Smart Ultra really came through here. Its TrueSpace tech creates the multi-channel experience even more than others I’ve compared with multiple satellite speakers! I do plan on adding the Bose Base unit and may add the Bose rear speakers to this system for even more surround sound (I really like the low-profile design of the rear speakers!)
• Dolby Atmos: This tech was a must-have in my search for a soundbar, and Bose checked that box for me from the get-go!
• Super easy connection: While I am kind of a techie and don’t mind more complicated set-up, especially with high-end, quality tech enhancements, I really liked that this Bose soundbar was really easy to set up and get to the reason I wanted higher-quality sound to begin with: enjoying the home theater!
• Enhanced dialogue mode: Because a lot of cinematographers are mixing sound differently these days to take advantage of the immersive sound systems available, both for cinema and home-theater environments, without a sound system with a feature like Bose’s A.I. Dialogue mode, words (and story) can get lost amongst the other robust sound design of a movie or show. Dolby Atmos helps define the dialogue for sure, and Bose’s A.I. Dialogue Mode helps to define voices so that the dialogue is more discernible (and I don’t have to turn on the annoying subtitles)!

I definitely recommend this soundbar and will be telling more than a few friends!

I followed the guide on setup using the Bose Music App which launches from a QR code you get in the box.

Then I tested out audio playback on the Soundbar several ways.

Using TV with audio playing on the Soundbar via ARC connection – it automatically stops using the TV speakers and routes audio to the soundbar – can support up to 5.1.2 Dolby Atmos playback.

Using Apple TV going in to the TV input with audio playing on the Soundbar via ARC connection – it automatically stops using the TV speakers and routes audio to the soundbar – can support up to 5.1.2 Dolby Atmos playback.

Using iOS Apps connecting to Airplay 2 to play audio on the Soundbar.

Using iOS Apps connecting to Bluetooth to play audio on the Soundbar.

Using the iOS Bose Music App to play Spotify audio on the Soundbar – there are awkward and limited menus here but it does work.

Using the IOS Spotify App to play music on the Soundbar – you have to turn off Use Local Devices Only to see the Soundbar as a choice. A quirk when using the Spotify App exists where to initially start playing on the Soundbar you want to start playing audio on the iPhone first and then switch over to the Soundbar as the Soundbar doesn’t seem to connect if there isn’t an audio signal already playing.

Each way of connecting worked, but I will most often use the Spotify App or Apple TV. Directly connecting to the Soundbar from the Spotify app is the most responsive way to start and stop and change the music.

Sound quality is good, build quality is good, I’m happy with it. I don’t have additional speakers in the room. Playing movies with 5.1 support or 5.1.2 support works well. Dialog is clear even without the special AI option.

The Bose Music App is easy to use and allows you to tweak Height, Center, Bass, and Treble levels but I didn’t feel the need to change these. For CEC settings, besides on and off you can set other variations in case you are getting odd interactions between connected equipment like the TV getting turned back on when you are just accessing the soundbar via Airplay 2. I use the setting called Option 6 to avoid having the TV turn back on just after turning it off. There is a choice of having the Soundbar automatically turn off after 20 minutes if not being used, but I set it to never automatically turn off as it is a bit confusing when you go back to your TV which is still on but the Soundbar is turned off.

I wish it had on/off and play/pause buttons on the bar as I find that feature useful on Sonos speakers from time to time. I think if you are already bought in to the Sonos ecosystem, the Sonos Arc is a better choice because it is also high quality and syncs so well with other Sonos speakers you may already own.