Bose has launched three new speakers under the Lifestyle Ultra name, and the pitch is simple: high-quality audio you can actually set up without reading a manual. The line includes the Lifestyle Ultra Speaker ($299), the Lifestyle Ultra Soundbar ($1,099), and the Lifestyle Ultra Subwoofer ($899).
Setup is now more straightforward
Bose built the new Lifestyle Ultra line around open standards rather than its proprietary Bose Music app, which made adding and managing music streaming services more cumbersome than it should have been. Google Cast, Apple AirPlay, and Spotify Connect are all supported, meaning you open whatever music app you already use, find the speaker in the output list, and send audio directly. That's also how you'd sync with speakers from dozens of other brands that support Google Home or AirPlay, and how you'd fold older Bose models, like my Soundbar 500 and the Portable Smart Speaker, into a multiroom setup alongside the new hardware.
Amazon's Alexa+ voice assistant is built in to handle more complex requests and works with a broader range of music services than the Bose Music app, including Amazon Music, Apple Music, Spotify, Pandora, SiriusXM, and TuneIn, among others. Bluetooth 5.3 is available as a fallback for any compatible audio source.
The soundbar does a lot for one box
The Lifestyle Ultra Soundbar is the flagship of the trio. At 43.5 inches wide and just 2.6 inches tall, it fits neatly under most TVs (55 inches and wider). Inside, nine individual speaker drivers work together to produce seven channels of directional audio, including two drivers aimed upward to bounce sound off the ceiling, helping create a more honest concert hall experience and here-there-everywhere localization effects. (Arguably, the Masters of this Domain, Bose has been building room reverberant “direct/reflecting” speakers since the late 1960s with drivers pointing to the back and sides as well as forward.)
The soundbar supports Dolby Atmos, the 3D surround sound format used by most major streaming services. For content that wasn't mixed with Atmos, Bose applies its own TrueSpatial processing to approximate a similar 3D spatial audio effect. The soundbar also includes a dedicated speech-clarity feature that makes dialogue easier to follow, especially at lower volumes.
Connectivity covers the basics well. HDMI eARC lets it receive high-quality audio from your TV over a single cable, which is the cleanest way to connect a soundbar to a modern television.
The speaker that punches above its size
The Lifestyle Ultra Speaker is compact at under 5 inches wide and just over 7 inches tall, comparable in footprint to the Sonos Era 100 ($219), which is the obvious competitor here. What makes it interesting is the driver layout: two forward-facing speakers plus one aimed upward to create a more spacious, room-filling sound than you'd expect from something this small. Bose’s fine-tuning of the bass response adds to the impression. One handles most rooms fine; two set up in stereo noticeably widens the effect.
Unlike the soundbar, this model doesn't support Dolby Atmos. Bose's TrueSpatial processing does the heavy lifting for spatial audio. It also lacks an HDMI connection, but includes a standard 3.5mm headphone-style auxiliary jack for wired connections.
The subwoofer is optional, but capable
For anyone who craves even more visceral, room-shaking bass, the Lifestyle Ultra Subwoofer ($899) connects wirelessly and weighs about 34 pounds. At roughly 12 to 13 inches in each direction, it's compact for a subwoofer, and Bose says it can be placed up to 30 feet from the soundbar. For a full home theater setup, two Lifestyle Ultra Speakers can also be added to the soundbar as rear channels, creating a 7.1.4-channel configuration (seven directional channels, one subwoofer, four overhead).
Design-wise, Bose kept things neutral
I’ve left the cosmetics for last, though many will gravitate toward them first because of the “goes with everything” design of these products. Seamless curved cabinet construction, nubby knit fabric speaker grilles with “tonal colored” threads (very old school!), glass accents on the soundbar and sub, and clean, tactile top-mount controls are the order of the day.
All three speakers are offered in Black and White Smoke options, while the Lifestyle Ultra Speaker (alone) will also be available in a most attractive Driftwood Sand (soft beige) colorway with a solid white oak base at a bumped-up, “limited edition” $349 price.
The Lifestyle Ultra Speaker ($299), Lifestyle Ultra Soundbar ($1,099), and Lifestyle Ultra Subwoofer ($899) are available now at Bose.com and on Amazon.
[Image credit: Bose]
