Bose Lifestyle Ultra Soundbar Evaluation: Clear Dialogue and Massive Sound

The Bose Lifestyle Ultra Soundbar is the corporate’s newest flagship residence theater speaker. It’s a part of the model’s renewed give attention to whole-home audio, and it joins the not too long ago launched Lifestyle Ultra Speaker and Ultra Subwoofer. All three units can pair collectively to create a full encompass sound system. But you needn’t purchase all of them to get an awesome expertise. On its personal, the soundbar boasts spectacular efficiency.

Dolby Atmos playback is supported with upfiring audio drivers that create a way of top. There’s additionally an AI-enhanced dialogue characteristic that makes speech simpler to listen to. And although including a pair of Lifestyle Ultra Speakers and an Ultra Subwoofer will create a much bigger soundscape, the Lifestyle Ultra Soundbar does a strong job of simulating encompass sound and delivering deep bass with none add-ons.

But as spectacular as this soundbar is, it is not a transparent winner for everybody. The greatest downside right here is that the Lifestyle Ultra Soundbar is not suitable with older Bose wi-fi audio system or subwoofers. Surround sound pairing solely works with new Lifestyle fashions. If that is a dealbreaker, this is not the soundbar for you. But if you happen to’re a newcomer or do not care about pairing with older Bose audio system, the Lifestyle Ultra Soundbar delivers wonderful voice readability, dynamic music playback, and strong film sound.

The soundbar is filled with options and Alexa+ smarts

In some methods, the Lifestyle Ultra Soundbar appears like a playground for Bose’s newest tech, so get able to be taught a number of new advertising and marketing phrases. The soundbar incorporates varied options with flashy names, akin to QuietPort, ClearBass, PhaseGuide, TrueSpatial, CustomTune, and SpeechClarity. Those phrases probably do not imply a lot on their very own, so let me break down what they really do.

QuietPort and ClearBass each check with the soundbar’s ported design, which vents the interior tubing. This helps make low-frequency bass much less skewed and extra highly effective. PhaseGuide is Bose’s time period for its sound projection course of, which displays audio so it appears like there are digital audio system throughout the room. TrueSpatial is the corporate’s immersive audio processing, which might create a extra three-dimensional soundscape from stereo sources. CustomTune adjusts the playback to your room’s dimensions. And SpeechClarity is Bose’s newest AI-assisted dialogue enhancement, out there in low, medium, and excessive settings.

Many flagship soundbars from different manufacturers provide their very own variations of these options, so on paper, they’re nothing new. However, after seeing some behind-the-scenes demos and experiencing the soundbar in my residence, Bose’s strategy seems to make use of some significant, differentiated expertise underneath the hood.

When it involves connectivity, the Lifestyle Ultra Soundbar options an HDMI 2.1 eARC port for pairing with a TV. It helps Dolby Atmos for motion pictures, however not DTS or DTS:X. It can stream music from Apple Music through AirPlay or from Spotify through Spotify Connect. It helps Bluetooth and Google Cast, in addition to built-in Alexa or Alexa+.

I attempted Alexa+ with the soundbar, and it really works identical to an Amazon Echo. Bose’s extra reasonably priced and compact Lifestyle Ultra Speaker is a greater match for people who find themselves particularly searching for a wise speaker, however there isn’t any cause this soundbar could not be your main digital assistant.

The high of the soundbar homes the system’s contact controls. I discovered these useful for adjusting the TV quantity when coming into or leaving the room. Though the soundbar does not embody its personal distant, it may be managed by your present TV distant as long as your TV helps HDMI CEC (most TV fashions bought within the final decade do).

Bose’s app takes a special strategy than Sonos’

Bose’s cellular app for controlling the Lifestyle Ultra Soundbar errs on the facet of simplicity. It does not characteristic built-in entry to music streaming providers. To use the soundbar for wi-fi music, you will have to stream or solid music out of your system utilizing every particular person service’s app. For instance, you may stream Apple Music out of your cellphone to the soundbar utilizing the Apple Music app and Apple AirPlay connectivity.

This contrasts with Sonos’ strategy, which integrates varied music providers into its personal app so you may stream all of them from one place. But that methodology could be extra liable to glitches, as occurred to Sonos after a botched app replace in 2024. Seemingly, Bose noticed the issues Sonos encountered with its app and determined to not go down that path, no less than for now.

I do recognize the simple interface and design of the Bose app. All the principle controls are entrance and heart. Your most incessantly used speaker configuration and audio controls are one contact away. If you even have an Ultra Subwoofer or rear Ultra Speakers, you may toggle them on and off in seconds.

Similarly, if you happen to activate CustomTune, which makes use of your cellphone’s microphone to optimize the soundbar to your room’s dimensions, that EQ adjustment could be turned on and off. It’s simple to A/B check the sound profile and resolve which you favor. Even swapping the rear left and proper audio system is a single button press within the app.

Movies sound immersive and dynamic

I examined the Lifestyle Ultra Soundbar in a number of methods, together with as a part of a full encompass sound system with two rear Lifestyle Ultra Speakers and a Lifestyle Ultra Subwoofer. This configuration permits a whole 7.1.4 expertise. It will get unbelievably loud, but stays managed, like being in a theater. The immersion is spectacular, but it surely’s additionally not shocking for the roughly $2,600 it’ll price to purchase all 4 elements.

Mostly, although, I targeted on utilizing the Lifestyle Ultra Soundbar to look at motion pictures and reveals by itself. At $1,099, the soundbar itself is already an funding. I needed to see what it may do, and a great soundbar should not want different items to sound full and substantial. The soundbar helps 5.1.2 Dolby Atmos playback and options two built-in upfiring audio drivers to bounce pontificate your ceiling.

I really like turning on “Dune,” “Interstellar,” “Ready Player One,” and different traditional “testing” motion pictures. The soundbar sparkled within the desert sand and reproduced the chaos of digital actuality racing with wonderful constancy. I additionally repeatedly use “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” to check soundbars. Its intro crawl is iconic, and the opening scene is stuffed with deep-bodied dialogue and high-pitched lasers. The Ultra Soundbar performed this film completely. It captured the meant spectrum of audio parts.

If you need probably the most immersive expertise doable, you may modify the soundbar’s top and encompass results within the Bose app. Separate from EQ, you may change the middle, top, and encompass choices between -10 and +10. Depending on the film or present, the consequences could be extraordinarily engrossing, particularly the encompass possibility. Personally, I most well-liked to go away these set to zero, however even at increased ranges, they did not sound overly gimmicky such as you would possibly anticipate.

You may also toggle on SpeechClarity, which Bose says makes use of AI to boost on-screen dialogue with out dulling or altering different sounds. In my testing, I discovered that to be correct. On low, it completely boosts dialogue only a contact, which frequently felt like how the film ought to have been combined within the first place. Going to medium and excessive ranges sounds among the many most pure of any “voice boosting” tech I’ve heard. This characteristic alone may not be a cause to purchase this soundbar, but it surely’s tempting if you happen to usually have hassle listening to voices in motion pictures and TV reveals.

I additionally ran Bose’s CustomTune course of a couple of instances to regulate the soundbar to my setting. But since my front room is an average-sized rectangle, I did not discover a lot distinction after I toggled it on and off. Other individuals with extra atypical room designs could get extra dramatic outcomes, however the good factor is that you simply aren’t confined to it.

How does it evaluate to related soundbars?

The Lifestyle Ultra Soundbar serves as a substitute for the older Bose Smart Ultra Soundbar, which additionally had upfiring drivers and related capabilities. However, this newer Lifestyle Ultra Soundbar does ship greater, beefier sound total. In that sense, it is the higher high-end soundbar for newcomers to Bose’s residence theater lineup. But if you happen to already personal the previous-generation Ultra Soundbar, it is not value upgrading to this new mannequin until you wish to go all in and construct a full Bose Lifestyle encompass sound system.

To additional check the Lifestyle Ultra Soundbar, I additionally put it head-to-head with its greatest competitor on this area: the Sonos Arc Ultra. Sonos’ flagship soundbar additionally retails for $1,099 however is usually on sale for as little as $899. Both are full residence theater options in their very own proper, however in my back-and-forth comparability, I discovered the Arc Ultra edged out Bose’s soundbar in bass.

To my ears, the Arc Ultra places out extra low-frequency sound. In a blind check, you would possibly even be capable to persuade somebody that the Arc Ultra is utilizing a devoted subwoofer when it is not. That could be much less probably with the Lifestyle Ultra Soundbar, although I might nonetheless describe it as full and highly effective.

Music sounds nice, too, however there’s a catch

Although the Lifestyle Ultra Soundbar is primarily a house theater soundbar designed for motion pictures and TV reveals, it could additionally function your front room music speaker. This is the place Bose’s TrueSpatial expertise turns out to be useful. It makes use of the soundbar’s upfiring drivers to develop the soundstage of any music supply.

I primarily used Apple Music to AirPlay songs to the Lifestyle Ultra Soundbar, and I additionally in contrast music playback with a Sonos Arc Ultra. The Bose Lifestyle Ultra Soundbar has a barely sharper sound with the default EQ. Even although there’s full, wealthy bass, the highs reduce by means of extra, and the entire sound is brighter than Sonos’ providing.

There’s one other distinction between the 2. The Sonos Arc Ultra helps native Dolby Atmos music playback, whereas the Bose Lifestyle Ultra solely helps Atmos for motion pictures and TV reveals. With native Dolby Atmos playback, a soundbar makes use of metadata embedded within the music monitor by the recording engineers to position sounds precisely by means of its upfiring drivers. Bose, in contrast, depends by itself TrueSpatial processing to create an identical impact, deciding for itself easy methods to place the completely different parts of a music monitor. Though Bose’s TrueSpatial tech works nicely sufficient, native Atmos music playback could be extra correct, and it is odd that it is not supported.

While I would not suggest spending the cash on the Lifestyle Ultra Soundbar simply as a music speaker, it really works nicely as a secondary perform when your TV is off. The quantity is super, and it may simply function a celebration speaker.

Other cons to think about

Although Bose’s cellular app is well-designed and simple to navigate, I’ve run into some bugs when pairing further elements. There had been a few instances when the Ultra Subwoofer would disappear from the app. That drawback appears to have been resolved. I used to be additionally having issues early on making an attempt to arrange two Ultra Speakers as a stereo pair. It’s not unusual for brand spanking new merchandise to have some software program points at launch, so hopefully these kinks can be ironed out.

There’s one other extra notable downside buyers ought to take into accout. As I discussed within the intro, the Bose Lifestyle Ultra Soundbar can solely pair wirelessly with different Bose Lifestyle merchandise. Even although Bose has a number of different subs and rear audio system, you may’t use any of them to create a wi-fi encompass sound system with this soundbar. Whether that is on account of a technical cause or not, clients on varied boards aren’t comfortable about not with the ability to use not too long ago bought Bose gear. You cannot hold your present wi-fi Bose Bass Module 500 subwoofer, for instance, and improve to the Lifestyle Ultra Soundbar.

However, there’s one exception. You can nonetheless use a Bose Bass Module 700 with the Lifestyle Ultra Soundbar if you happen to use a wired connection. Otherwise, your solely possibility for further bass is the Bose Lifestyle Ultra Subwoofer.

Should you purchase the Bose Lifestyle Ultra Soundbar?

The Bose Lifestyle Ultra Soundbar has sufficient low-end thump to make film scenes really feel huge, even on the small display screen. But it is also good at making it sound like there are extra audio system round your room than there truly are. It has terrific dialogue enhancement, which isn’t a assure with all soundbars. The Ultra Soundbar has loads of wi-fi connectivity and room to develop. It’s a great instance of why such a single-speaker resolution is taking up the house theater area.

But it is not good. The greatest draw back may be the extent of dedication and belief required to purchase into Bose’s new Lifestyle Collection. Older Bose audio system cannot be used with this soundbar to construct a system. Your decisions for rear audio system and a subwoofer are restricted to 1 every — a $900 subwoofer and a $600 rear pair.

But as long as that caveat is not a dealbreaker, the Bose Lifestyle Ultra Soundbar actually performs nicely. It’s an awesome different to the Sonos Arc Ultra for individuals who want the Bose model or who’ve jumped ship from Sonos after its 2024 software program issues.

For extra audio suggestions, try our full guides to the perfect soundbars and greatest Bose soundbars.