There are a lot of options in soundbars out there, from slim stylish models to fancy-looking units to absolute weirdos. Seriously, you might get a headache trying to figure out which one to get. With most speakers now touting multi-room playback as a feature, though, a quick look at the speakers you currently use is probably a great way to inform your next soundbar purchase. If Bose features prominently on your audio gear at home, then it’s probably a good idea to consider the new Bose Smart Soundbar 300.
The entry-level model in the outfit’s soundbar line, it comes in a familiar wide box form factor as other soundbars, albeit in an undeniably elegant shell and compact dimensions. As with many soundbars today, it’s packed with the latest contemporary tech, making it easy to use not just with any TV, but many other consumer electronics that you’re likely to be using around the house.
The Bose Smart Soundbar 300 boasts “spacious sound, clear dialogue, and rich bass,” which should make it great speaker to pair with your main viewing screen at home. While it’s always been tricky to fine-tune a speaker to work with every type of audio you play in it, the built-in real-time tuning algorithm has the ability to identify and analyze whatever is playing, which it then uses to make minuscule adjustments to the sound, ensuring you get an optimized listening experience, whether you’re listening to a live concert, dramatic dialogue, or a chaotic mess of sound because you’re mashing buttons on a console multiplayer.
It comes with the outfit’s Voice4Video technology, which allows you to control the soundbar using voice commands, so you don’t even have to grab a remote to change the volume, switch to a new EQ setting, or mute the darn thing. Oh yeah, that technology won’t just allow you to fiddle with the soundbar, as it lets you control both the TV and the cable box, too. Want to control the streaming stick and whatever else you got hooked up to the TV? Not a problem, as this comes with both Alexa and Google Assistant, so you can use the speaker to, pretty much, control your entire home theater using voice commands.
The Bose Smart Soundbar 300 has both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, so you can play more than just stuff from your TV, while Apple AirPlay 2 and Spotify Connect Support should let you use it as a primary speaker if you need it in a pinch. As with many modern audio gear, it’s designed to play nice with other Bose products, so you can sync it with any Bose speaker you have at home, as well as send the sound to your wireless Bose headphones when you find yourself watching TV while everyone else in the house is sleeping. It also comes with a companion app (Bose Music) if you want more granular control.
For more discerning home theater enthusiasts, Bose also offers optional speakers designed to beef up the soundbar’s sound profile. Specifically, they offer a subwoofer and a pair of surround speakers, each of which you can get separately.
The Bose Smart Soundbar 300 ships September 15th, priced at $399.95.