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If you are in search of the most effective soundbars to improve your TV’s audio, then it is no secret that you simply’re not brief on selection – which may make selecting one all of the extra advanced.
Bose’s 2026 flagship, the Lifestyle Ultra Soundbar, leans firmly into refined design – as its very title suggests – so in case you’re in search of a mode possibility, then its mixture of glass high, materials cladding, and bodily controls makes for a powerful decide.
But this soundbar is simply as certified within the audio division, delivering Dolby Atmos decoding straight out of the field – with two upfiring audio system in its 5.0.2 channel association to deal with such audio correctly – for a sensationally wide-and-tall soundstage.
With competitors from Sonos to Samsung and past, nonetheless, this Bose soundbar has its work reduce out within the value wars. I’ve been dwelling with one at house – paired with Lifestyle Ultra Subwoofer and Lifestyle Ultra Speaker pair for full 7.1.4 encompass – and this is why I can completely advocate it.
Price & Availability
The Bose Lifestyle Ultra Soundbar is on sale proper now, priced at £999 / $1099 / AU$1799. It’s the improve to 2023’s Smart Ultra Soundbar, which has since decreased in value.
Around this value level there’s so much else to contemplate, in fact, as even the Sonos Arc Ultra is £/$999 – however has seen current value drops make it even decrease, per the buying widget embedded under.
To actually flesh out the Bose decide, nonetheless, you’ll be able to add the Lifestyle Ultra Subwoofer (£899 / $999 / AU$1299) with a Lifestyle Ultra Speaker pair used as rears (£299 / $299 / AU$549 every). Discount bundles additionally exist, once more per the buying widget under.
Features & What’s New?
(Image credit score: Future / Mike Lowe)
The transfer from Smart Ultra Soundbar to Lifestyle Ultra Soundbar wasn’t only a nip-and-tuck course of. The new flagship represents the “biggest acoustic overhaul in a decade,” Bose spokespeople informed me on the product’s reveal again in April.
The new soundbar includes a nine-element array, two of that are Bose’s PhaseGuide know-how – utilised to regulate sound directionality, primarily permitting output anyplace inside a room with out the necessity for audio system to distinctly level there. This is superb information for immersive audio and Dolby Atmos, in fact.
Bass is dealt with utilizing Bose’s QuietPort system, which funnels sound by elongated tubes to amplify the low-end output and not using a distinct woofer being current. You can add a separate wi-fi subwoofer, in fact, to up the low-end output even additional.
(Image credit score: Future / Mike Lowe)
Straight out of the field the Lifestyle Ultra Soundbar is a 5.0.2 system, the ‘2’ representing the 2 upfiring audio system on the ends of the soundbar. These aren’t visually highlighted as open ports, per the earlier product launch, as an alternative are ‘invisible’ beneath the material end that covers nearly all of the ‘bar – save for the stylised glass top-plate.
Within this glass plate there is a distinctive new sunken management ‘wheel’ – which I mused was reminiscent of a classic iPod control – while touch-sensitive Bluetooth, mic mute and ‘action’ buttons sit to the side. Volume up/down and play/pause buttons are within that wheel, but you can use Bose’s updated app to handle everything (as there’s no physical remote included – and you can’t buy an official one).
Design & Setup
(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)
As said up top: the Bose is really pushing the style factor with great success, delivering one of the nicest-looking soundbars I’ve had in front of my TV for some time. And I test a lot of soundbars in tandem with the best TVs.
The soundbar is 110cm long, so in excess of a metre, meaning it’s best matched with larger TVs – nothing under 55-inches, I’d suggest, as those will measure approximately the same length. This ‘bar the same length as the Sonos Arc Ultra, therefore, meaning it’s in direct competition with that product.
It’s also head-on equipped with similar specification, as around the back you’ll find an HDMI eARC socket, but no further HDMI passthrough. Much as I will criticise that, it’s not uncommon – and you’d need to spend more on, say, a Samsung HW-Q990F to gain such an extra (plus a sub and extra surround speakers in the box).
Not that once you’re plugged in – with the included HDMI cable ported to your TV to automatically take over sound controls – you’ll be paying attention to what’s around the back. As the Lifestyle Ultra Soundbar is all about how it looks.
(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)
I like how Bose has managed to balance elegance and functionality in a discreet way – there’s nothing riotous about the Lifestyle Ultra Soundbar’s design, per se, but little touches such as that top-plate really elevate it above and beyond much of what else is out there.
There’s a slight blip in this design, however, as the glass is of course reflective – so you’ll see what’s on screen mirrored in the surface below, without being able to do much about it. Bose ought to figure out a way to adjust refraction within the material to minimise this; especially as many of the best OLED TVs are now baking in anti-reflective panels.
Aside from the super-simple physical setup process, the Bose is best handled from the Bose app (iOS/Android free download), which has been updated and simplified to make for a really easy end-to-end process. It’s within these screens where you can make adjustments and personalisations, too, which only further this soundbar’s delivery.
Sound Quality
(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)
But it’s not all just about looks. Bose has done a brilliant job is getting this metre-or-so-long system to output well beyond its proportions. Its sound width is room-filling – to the point that TVs of 75- or 85-inches or more would be capably catered for by it.
And that’s just the soundbar alone. As I noted on my very first listen, any additional products excluded, there’s a decent amount of bass drive here from the ‘bar alone. That’ll be great for those wanting to enhance low-end without paying for a subwoofer – or irking their neighbours, perhaps.
I don’t feel like the bass is quite as major as you’ll get from Sonos’ Arc Ultra, mind, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. If you want to go full system, then the Bose’s Lifestyle Ultra Subwoofer does a grand job in delivering bold, shaped bass – but it does cost a packet more to buy, unavoidably (much like Sonos’ equivalent, in that regard).
Width isn’t the only benefit of this Bose’s design, though, as the upfiring speakers do a very good job of projecting sound upwards. At its most basic this generates height, which is totally essential in matching believable sound in relation to what’s going on on the screen – which Bose totally nails.
(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)
No, you’re never going to get an ‘umbrella’ of hemispherical sound from a standalone soundbar like you will with a full surround system. But even when handling object-based audio decoding from a Dolby Atmos soundtrack, the Lifestyle Ultra Soundbar brings great exaggeration to sound motion – with sounds seemingly flying to the edge of a room and right up to the ceiling.
The clarity of that sound is wonderful, too, with great balance that a number of other soundbars can’t present in quite such a cohesive way. This feels like the full, considered package – from highs to mid to low – with carefully judged separation and ample channels to define the best movie soundtracks’ multi-positional output.
Expandability
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As I’ve already alluded to, you can take the Lifestyle Ultra Soundbar from a 5.0.2 system to a 5.1.2 system with the addition of a Lifestyle Ultra Subwoofer. From there it can be a 7.1.4 setup when adding a pair of Bose Lifestyle Ultra Speaker units – adding rear channels, with built-in upward-firing height output.
I’ve tested this full package and, while it can’t go all-out with four speaker separates like the LG Sound Suite, for example, most people aren’t going to need that. As a full package, the Bose is a dream for movies and even music – and that you can step by step upgrade, just as you can with Sonos’ equivalent, adds accessibility.
Unlike Sonos’ recent app debacle, however, Bose’s app update is a gem. It brings so much control to the base soundbar alone, but with everything added there’s a full suite of tools added to adjust equalisation (EQ) with simple treble/mid/bass +/- sliders. The subwoofer level can be adjusted individually, or switched off. You can also turn off the rear speakers when not desired.
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But the biggest point of interest in the app is the ‘Adjustments’ section, where you can increase of decrease output from centre, adjust the height mix, and the surround level – enhancing its separation. So many companies – such as Sony in its 360 Audio options for The Collexion headphones, for example – get this so very wrong. But Bose has it spot on.
Indeed, I can’t name a company that delivers better spatial upmixes than Bose. It does so in its headphones – such as the QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen) – and while it’s not porting exactly the same movement-based delivery here, the subtlety in adding rear speakers when listening to music is a wonder for percussion, as one example. It never sounds fake or metallic or off-kilter. That’s a rare yet wonderful thing.
Bose Lifestyle Ultra Soundbar review: Verdict
(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)
With the very same recommended price as the Sonos Arc Ultra, the Lifestyle Ultra Soundbar might seem easy to dismiss – but as a stylish alternative with arguably better app integration, Bose’s soundbar is a 5-star slammer.
As a standalone soundbar, the sheer sonic width and height impresses, as does the degree of bass – without the need to add any extras. It’s great for movies, just as it’s great for music – with ample yet simple adjustability options present within the app.
If you chose to upgrade later, however, then the Lifestyle Ultra Subwoofer and a pair of Lifestyle Ultra Speaker units totally transforms this ‘bar into a successful surround option – albeit at quite the cost – for an impressive cinematic experience.
Bose has really gone nose-to-nose with Sonos in its flagship soundbar fight this year. And while the Arc Ultra might give more bass oomph as a standalone solution, not everyone’s going to want that – marking the Lifestyle Ultra Soundbar out as a sound and stylish alternative.
Also Consider
Time is as much a benefit as it is curse, however, as the Arc Ultra is currently so well discounted that it’s a more obvious purchase – for the cost-savings alone. It also sounds brilliant, is ideal for anyone in the Sonos ecosystem already, and doesn’t have a reflective top-plate design.
If surround sound is your ultimate goal, then it’s also worth considering Samsung’s previous-gen flagship, the HW-Q990F (as the newer ‘H’ version is negligibly different – and much pricier right now). This includes a sub and rear speakers in the box, plus the ‘bar has an HDMI passthrough port (4K/120Hz) too.
All of this too pricey for your needs, or your TV too small for it to be necessary? Then Sonos’ Beam 2 is always a sensible suggestion – especially when it’s on offer. It’s got much more sonic bite than the company’s Ray product, too.
This page was created programmatically, to read the article in its original location you can go to the link bellow:
https://www.t3.com/tech/soundbars/bose-lifestyle-ultra-soundbar-review
and if you wish to take away this text from our web site please contact us
