Bose is taking up the Sonos Arc with its brand-new Dolby Atmos-enabled Bose Sensible Extremely Soundbar. Pair it with the Bose Bass Module 700, and it’s speculated to be the ‘final answer’ in your dwelling audio wants. At this worth level, we certainly hope so.
The soundbar is undeniably a contender when contemplating specs and construct high quality. It’s compact and gives balanced audio proper off the bat. You possibly can anticipate detailed sound and a reasonably seamless expertise relating to setup and upkeep.
That mentioned, it falls simply wanting being the no-brainer Bose envisioned.
First up
We get it. Bose slapped an ‘Extremely’ badge on this soundbar to justify the sound high quality and the value tag. It’s additionally justified however that’s not the purpose.
Suitable with numerous sound codecs, together with Dolby Atmos, Dolby Digital, Dolby TrueHD, and Dolby Digital Plus, it options Bose’s ‘TrueSpace’ virtualisation tech. This know-how is always-on, enhancing non-spatial audio content material, and leveraging its nine-driver array for optimum efficiency.
Connectivity choices embrace HDMI eARC, digital optical, Ethernet, and a USB-C slot for servicing. Wi-fi capabilities embody Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.0 (SBC and AAC codec suitable), Apple Airplay 2 and built-in Chromecast.
There’s additionally one thing known as ‘’Adaptiq’ — an automatic room calibration perform that entails sporting a headscarf throughout setup. We didn’t go for this one in a bid to not look foolish.
Arrange
You’d anticipate a R30,000 soundbar and R35,000 bass module to be as user-friendly as doable particularly relating to set-up.
You’d be proper.
Setup is a breeze. Like Sonos, you’d must obtain a companion app to finish the setup correctly and hyperlink the bass module to the soundbar.
We discover it barely cumbersome that each piece of tech in the home now wants its personal companion app. It could be good to time journey again a bit and arrange dwelling leisure with no need an app and WiFi connectivity. However that’s simply the truth we reside in now.
After a lightweight hiccup of linking the bass module to the soundbar, the setup was full. Our setup included an HDMI cable connecting the soundbar with a Samsung TV and a PlayStation 5 on the facet.
Firing up
The Sensible Extremely Soundbar impressed us with its clear, balanced sound when confronted with Dolby Atmos soundtracks or movies.
It delivers distinctive element, that includes a clean transition by means of the frequency vary. The midrange is de facto the place it shines, with readability and excessive element ranges for voices. Nevertheless, some drawbacks embrace much less impactful bass and a barely edgy top-end at larger volumes. That’s if you happen to don’t have the Bass Module 700 connected, to be solely honest.
Regardless of the presence of up-firing drivers, the soundbar falls wanting delivering a really expansive spatial audio expertise. The ‘TrueSpace’ know-how makes an attempt to compensate for this, but it surely’s much less impactful in an open area than we’d have appreciated.
The bass module makes all of the distinction to amp up the cinematic vibes. Booting up Dune (2021) will provide you with chills in the course of the opening scene (and the remainder of the movie). It really gives bass ‘you possibly can really feel’. Your neighbours might turn into barely involved by the odd sounds emanating from your home.
The factor is, it doesn’t compensate for the less-impressive highs and lack of true spatial audio. It feels like a soundbar with added bass.
Clear up
The Sensible Extremely Soundbar follows the design cues of its predecessor, the Sensible Soundbar 900, with a discreet and smooth profile. It incorporates a premium construct from high-quality supplies, together with tempered glass and perforated steel.
We should word that the glass floor’s reflectivity and fingerprint retention could also be off-putting to some.
Person management choices embrace a distant management handset, voice management with Amazon Alexa compatibility, and a beforehand talked about Bose Music management app. The app covers each perform, from fundamental playback management to EQ changes and multi-room system setup.
We did run into some technical points with our older Samsung sensible TV, wherein the Bose soundbar wouldn’t robotically activate when the TV is turned on. At one level, the accompanying distant management turned our PS5 on and off. However after some enjoying within the app settings, we discovered that it was an HDMI CEC challenge and simply solved by tweaking just a few settings.
Bose Sensible Extremely soundbar + Bass Module Verdict
At R65,000 for the bundle, you’d must be both a large Bose fan or an audiophile eager to strive something to go for this. You’re getting a handsome flagship soundbar with premium specs for the money, although. It gives a compelling mixture of balanced sound, with nice mids and punchy bass from the extra module – all of which is able to make most audiophiles salivate.