Bose Lifestyle Ultra Speaker
execs and cons
- Nice sound
- Native Android and iOS casting
- Smooth, trendy design
- Pricier than some rivals
- Favors Bose’s in-house spatial audio over Atmos
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The latest from Bose is the Way of life Extremely household, which features a soundbar, a subwoofer, and a wise speaker, and I discover the good speaker to be essentially the most fascinating product within the lineup. Sensible audio system for the house are growing in recognition, and extra shoppers are all for whole-home audio merchandise with good residence options — Bose is correct on time.
Additionally: Sonos Play review: This portable Wi-Fi speaker may be Sonos’ greatest hit yet
I spent every week with the Lifestyle Ultra Speakerand although it is $50 to $100+ greater than its counterparts from Apple, Sonos, and Amazon, it has one appreciable enhance over the remainder. Let’s dive in.
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Out with the outdated, in with the brand new
The Way of life Extremely Speaker is the neatest speaker in Bose’s present catalog, promising Wi-Fi streaming, Bluetooth connectivity, AirPlay and Google Forged compatibility, Alexa built-in, and stereo pairing, wrapped in a glossy, trendy design.
As a real Wi-Fi good speaker, the Way of life Extremely Speaker requires connection to an influence supply, so it isn’t transportable. With a three-speaker configuration, together with two front-facing and one upfiring speaker, the Way of life Extremely Speaker will get a lot loud. The upfiring speaker is not a devoted Atmos peak channel, and a single speaker is not Atmos-compatible.
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As a substitute, the speaker makes use of Bose’s proprietary TrueSpatial expertise for added depth and house; I am detached about it. Happily, TrueSpatial would not sound as artificially upmixed as the corporate’s Immersive Audio in its headphones and earbuds, however a singular upfiring speaker is not sufficient for true immersion.
Nevertheless, with a further Way of life Extremely Speaker providing one other upfiring speaker and the Soundbar providing two extra, I am assured you’d get a fuller peak expertise.
Nonetheless, even by itself as a single good speaker, there’s deep, punchy bass and noticeable highs and mids. At increased volumes, the bass can get muddy, however a fast EQ adjustment within the Bose companion app is a straightforward repair. Total, the sound profile is similar to Sonos’s Period 100: an pleasing, energetic, heat sound with the V-shaped audio profile most individuals want.
Versatility for the win
The Way of life Extremely Speaker works nice by itself, not solely for its pleasing sound, but additionally for its ecosystem-agnostic design, which has at all times been one in every of Bose’s strengths. The corporate’s lack of an affinity for a single software program ecosystem means its units match simply into your current ecosystem. I contemplate {that a} main upside.
Alexa built-in, Google Forged, and Apple AirPlay are on deck, so you probably have a number of Wi-Fi audio system with Android and/or Apple-friendly casting, you may group them collectively. Whereas checking off duties on my after-work chores listing, I grouped my kitchen’s Sonos Period 100 and the Bose Way of life Extremely in my upstairs workplace for multi-room audio. It labored like a attraction.
The Way of life Extremely additionally incorporates a 3.5mm aux-in port for wired connectivity with analog units, reminiscent of a turntable. In a pair, two of those audio system behave equally to Sonos’s choices; you may rework them from standalone good audio system into rear audio system in a house theater configuration or use them as particular person left- and right-channel audio sources. Or, you may place a number of round the home for multi-room audio.
ZDNET’s shopping for recommendation
Bose’s merchandise are nice for individuals who need one thing that may work properly proper out of the field, with an equal appreciation for simplicity and trendy design. You should utilize almost any model of cellphone, laptop computer, or pill with the Lifestyle Ultra Speakerand it’ll simply combine into your private home audio ecosystem, which is Bose’s biggest power.
Additionally: Sony vs. Bose: My buying advice after listening to flagship headphones from both brands
The Way of life Extremely Speaker is a strong good speaker for individuals with mixed-device ecosystems, particularly those that aren’t large followers of voice assistants. Solely Alexa and Alexa+ can be found on the Way of life Extremely Speaker to US shoppers. Although an Apple HomePod or a Sonos Period 100 is cheaper, these audio system have a number of {hardware} and software program limitations and function inside closed ecosystems.
