Bose at its best? Bose Smart Ultra Soundbar review

As speakers have evolved over the years, quality soundbars have become a familiar inclusion in the home entertainment setup. This is such the case nowadays that they’re often sold in conjunction with the newest televisions. The best ones are sleek and stylish, they pack a terrific audio punch and can deliver immersive spatial sound, too. Bose is a giant within this world of immersive, cinematic home audio, with an impressive resume of soundbars.

At What’s the Best, we’ve been fortunate enough to get our hands on a Bose soundbar, and not just any soundbar. We’ve been able to test the Bose Smart Ultra Soundbar, the most premium Bose soundbar that’s currently available to buy.

Bose is promoting a long list of performance feats with the Smart Ultra Soundbar. Feats which - if true, could land it amongst some of the best soundbars. Courtesy of Dolby Atmos and TrueSpace, it promises a next step in immersive sound. AI Dialogue mode looks to snuff out a common problem found in soundbars and TV speakers alike. This feature actively balances the speaker output in accordance with dialogue scenes, meaning you’re no longer adjusting the volume between big action scenes or quieter dialogue moments.

The Bose Smart Ultra Soundbar is aiming to do far more than just your everyday soundbar. It’s got voice control, enabling users to connect via Alexa or Google Assistant. Private/party listening is also a handy feature that’s being pushed with this Bose sound system, as is the vast connectivity options such as in-app controls.

Let’s get down to business, here’s our comprehensive What’s the Best review for the Bose Smart Ultra Soundbar.

Verdict: The Bose Smart Ultra Soundbar has a lot to prove, especially considering its price point. This premium soundbar delivers premium audio like nothing else you’ll find on the market today. If you want to bring IMAX to your front room, this is the soundbar to do it. For that reason, it’s worth its weight (and price) in gold. It may suffer from some significant Bluetooth connectivity issues from user to user, which means there’s the possibility you won’t get to enjoy all of its features.

Textbook Bose brilliance?

I can't deny how high my expectations were of this soundbar initially after reading its promotional write up, and then as I physically unboxed the mighty speaker. Even the earliest glances were enough to establish that this is a soundbar deserving of a place within a grand home entertainment setup. It weighs in at just under 6kg and surpasses a metre in length, so it isn't without stage presence.

Looks do not deceive with the Bose Smart Ultra Soundbar. I thought it looked capable, but hearing it for the first time was just awesome. This soundbar earns its weight in gold when it comes to the promise of premium sound delivery. This experience of Bose's spacial sound is the closest I've ever felt to a theatre experience from my living room. In some ways, it exceeds traditional cinema audio expectations. If you were unsure on how to choose a soundbar, the Bose Smart Ultra has nearly all the green flags you should be looking for.

I tested the soundbar by watching various films and TV shows to see if it could deliver unique audio experiences for each. I watched Game of Thrones' House of the Dragon Season 2. The Bose Smart Ultra soundbar complimented the fantasy epic like I couldn't have imagined. When a dragon flies overhead, I can actually hear it as if it were. The spatial sound technology is unfathomable. This felt like an integrated sound experience. Many scenes in House of the Dragon occur in these grand, high-ceiling rooms, and you can hear the echoes of dialogue as it's being spoken. The soundbar nails the nuances, and that goes a really long way.

Switching the play now, I put on NFL sports docuseries Receiver on Netflix. I wanted to see how the soundbar could handle interviews and voice-overs, as well as fast-paced sports action. The short answer: immaculately. This soundbar can adapt from scene to scene, adjusting its audio projection, bass, and clarity depending on what's currently on screen.

The Bose Smart Ultra soundbar masterfully balances different sounds and audio outputs that you expect in a sports docuseries. Interviews and voice-overs were crystal clear, and it was as if I were hearing the players and coaches directly through a microphone. The game-day action sequences didn't disappoint either. I could hear each clatter of helmets and each roar from the crowd at a touchdown as if I were present in the stadium. I got my first inkling of how the speakers would fare with music as well. Countless scene transitions within episodes of Receiver would be topped with a bassy hip/hop track, so the soundbar was able to flex its bass capabilities a little bit here, too. Again, this soundbar, being the overachiever that it is, didn't break a sweat.

The Bose Smart Ultra Soundbar is just so dynamic, it took some real commitment to try and find something that it wasn’t good at. If there is anything, I had no luck finding it. I believe this very sentiment is where the Bose Smart Ultra really earns its stripes. We've reviewed some excellent budget speakers like the Majority Sierra Plus, which does very well to exceed its value. What you're getting with this Bose soundbar though is refinement and a pinpoint attention to detail, something you'll struggle to find in a budget alternative.

What you need to know before buying

There's no denying that there’s a lot to love about the Bose Smart Ultra Soundbar. Before I get into the aspects that don’t quite land though, there are some elements to this soundbar that’ll be worth considering before you buy.

As I’ve briefly mentioned, this is by any account a sizeable soundbar, likely one of the largest you can pick up on the market today. With that in mind, I’d recommend taking accurate measurements of the area that you might see the soundbar living. There’d be nothing worse than your excitement quickly deflating once you realise that you can’t actually accommodate the space.

Secondly, there are a few different ways to connect the Soundbar. This isn’t just important so you can connect altogether, but if you’re unable to connect one way, having the alternative might prove valuable. You can connect the Soundbar through Bluetooth, this is how you control the Soundbar via the app, and from there you can pair it with your TV or other devices. Alternatively, the Soundbar can be connected through HDMI or an optical cable. Unfortunately, if you’re unable to connect through Bluetooth and you have to opt with one of these wired methods, you won’t be able to unlock the soundbar’s wider features like EQ settings and party listening.

What lets it down?

Despite its incredible bass, clarity and truly authentic spacial sound delivery, I have to express how disappointed I was at how tricky the setup process was. Everything looked to be laid out on a plate, Bose provides a HDMI and an optical cable, and Bluetooth connectivity isn’t just suggested – it’s heavily encouraged. What I wasn’t expecting was to not be able to connect to the soundbar through Bluetooth full stop.

I set up the soundbar through the Bose app, which all seemed straightforward initially. The app is well designed, looks great, and is generally easy to interact with. However, following attempt after attempt, I could not manage to get the soundbar set up through Bluetooth. I could follow the steps through the app but at the point of connecting to my Wi-Fi, I'd be greeted with an error message. Proceeding multiple reboots of my router, my Bluetooth devices, and my TV, I still couldn’t connect this Bose soundbar through Bluetooth.

Yes, there are still other ways to connect the soundbar, not all hope is lost. However, all of the EQ settings are located and only accessible through the Bose app once you’ve connected to your speaker through Bluetooth. So, I was actually unable to adjust the EQ settings for the Bose Smart Ultra Soundbar. Fortunately, I was happy with the default settings, but not everyone might be.

More items to consider:

Who tested the Bose Smart Ultra Soundbar?

The Bose Ultra Soundbar was tested by Jack Barrell, What’s the Best Digital Writer and Tech Reviewer.

He used the Soundbar over a few weeks, documenting the setup, connectivity, performance and various other factors in order to determine if its value holds up.

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Jack Barrell is a Tech and Fitness Writer and Reviewer for What’s the Best. He is invested in the entertainment space and also keeps well in the loop with the latest sports and exercise trends too. On his off days, Jack can usually be found either in the gym – or watching his favourite Star Wars for the thousandth time.

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