Bose has unveiled a new premium soundbar, which it calls the Smart Ultra Soundbar. It’s compatible with Dolby Atmos and even features what Bose calls an ‘AI Dialogue Mode’. It’s now available in both black and white and costs $899 / £899 / AU$1,499.
The most striking feature of the Smart Ultra is clearly the “AI Dialogue Mode”, with AI being such a hot topic. Bose says this uses machine learning to analyze dialogue and then adjust the tonal balance to make speech clearer, without sacrificing surround effects.
Bose says it won’t happen alone Dolby Atmos, as well as Bose Spatial Technologies to create an immersive experience for both movies and music. Using Bose PhaseGuide technology, the Smart Ultra promises to add to the overhead sound of Dolby Atmos, pinning the sound left and right so the soundbar completely envelops you in the action. Of course, all soundbars claim this, but we probably believe Bose more than most.
It also comes with Wi-Fi streaming so you can enjoy the best music streaming services through it all with a particular focus on Spotify Connect, but also AirPlay 2. The Smart Ultra Soundbar is also compatible with other Bose products such as subwoofers and rear speakers for an even more immersive experience, and even with some Bose headphones via the Bose music app for a more personal listening experience. It comes with voice assistant capabilities of Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa.
With its hefty all-in-one design suitable for TVs 55 inches and larger, two color options and the promise of spatial audio from a single bar, it clearly has the mighty Sonos Arc in its sights. But it’s less big than that soundbar, which is a bit of a beast – the Bose in some ways looks better for today’s minimalist TVs.
A new challenger appears
The Smart Ultra Soundbar, announced as a replacement for the Bose Smart Soundbar 900, is clearly aimed at, for example, the Sonos Arc and Sony HT-A7000, which are among the top. best soundbars available on the market if you want an all-in-one box.
Releasing the Smart Ultra Soundbar at the same price as the Sonos Arc certainly seems to indicate Bose’s desire to challenge the hugely popular Arc. Of course, Bose has plenty of form and expertise in making great soundbars BoseSmart600 is a soundbar that we still highly recommend as a great mid-range option, and is better than the Sonos Beam 2nd generation, so perhaps the Ultra will eclipse the Arc in similar ways.
Bose is certainly on a trend right now with the introduction of AI technology. Using this buzzword will certainly gain the Bose Smart Ultra Soundbar some traction and honestly, it sounds like intriguing technology. Clearer speech in movies is the main reason people often want better sound, so if Bose can use machine learning to improve speech levels in the same way makers of the best TVs have used it to improve picture quality, then we’re all for it. . .
While Bose is still a popular name in the audio world, Sonos has definitely taken the cake when it comes to soundbars in recent years. But if Bose’s new Smart Ultra Soundbar can deliver on everything it promises, we could be looking at the new king of home theater.