BoseTV Speaker- Small soundbar with Bluetooth connectivity

This Bose soundbar is ideal if you are short on space and looking for a simple, great-sounding and compact soundbar.Size of unit: This is the smallest soundbar I could find from a decent brand. Looks sleek and unobtrusive. Perfect if you have a smaller TV in the bedroom or kitchen. No separate subwoofer which saves on space.TV sound quality: No Dolby Atmos (the latest surround sound standard), but it still sounds punchy and clear. I rate the feature to make dialogue sound clearer. If you want to blast out an action movie with rumbling explosions, you will need something bigger with a separate subwoofer.Music sound quality: Sounds fantastic as a Bluetooth speaker and connects seamlessly to my iPhone. Crystal clear and lively sound.Set-up: Very straightforward, plug in and go. It has an ARC connection which means you can connect via HDMI. This means you can control the soundbar via your TV remote. You will need your own HDMI cable though. Alternatively you can use the included optical cable and keep an HDMI port free on your TV for your PS5 or whatever.Value: At £200 I thought this was a great buy. I see it is now £270. At this price point, other options open up. For example, Sony do a Dolby Atmos soundbar for £250, but it is a bigger unit.

We sat down to enjoy our new 4K TV, and immediately found that we loved the picture, but also found, to our dismay, that the sound was somewhat tinny and, worst of all, the spoken dialogue was very hard to hear, especially if the actors did not stand up straight and speak like an Englishman!It seems to be the case, that a really good budget 4K TV provides an excellent picture, but will cut corners somewhere, and that is usually the sound, probably on the assumption many can address that by investing in additional speakers of some sort.OK, in our case, the poor sound was not helped by the fact someone (who shall remain nameless) is also going a bit deaf, especially in the base and mid tone areas.Obviously, this meant we had to break open the piggy bank, again, and invest in an Amp and some additional speakers or, perhaps, just a Soundbar.The Amp and Speakers option can be the optimum solution but, that is very expensive, especially if needing the HDMI throughput to be 4K.Soundbars seemed like a good idea, until you start looking, and find they come in all different prices, with often confusing reviews.As luck would have it, I already had a very nice set of BOSE Headphones, and the sound quality there is first rate. So, I decided that BOSE could be a good option to consider first.After a lot of pondering, I kept coming back to the BOSE TV Speaker (Soundbar), because the reviews seemed to be consistent, and the price at around £170 was not too painful.One click, and it was ordered, and then here the following day.Easy to set up via an HDMI Cable connected to the eARC port on the TV, after which the BOSE TV Speaker instantly improved the sound, both in terms of base and dialogue.Even better, it also features a dialogue enhancement option. When that is active, one of the two little LED on the top goes from White to Green. That feature dramatically improves dialogue still further, so much so, that we just leave that on full time.Are we pleased?Yes.Would we recommend this?Yes, without hesitation.The BOSE TV Speaker is an excellent choice that balances price and audio quality very well indeed. You can improve on this, but the cost will rapidly escalate to get anything better.

ProsNoticeable upgrade from Solo 5Nice boxy (compressed) cinema Sound (no surround)Perfect for bedroom or average semi detached lounge sizeWell built and easy to assembleArc control (goes on and off , controllable by tv)Excellent clarity, speech mode is the best there is from my experience, so excellent for people that have trouble discerning it.One of the best tuned bass ports I’ve heard at this size, hums without being over bearing, obviously dependant on room size and shape. (Able to adjust bass level)A sub can be added , but I wouldn’t recommend that for the sorts of rooms this is likely going to find itself in, mainly because it will ruin sound quality in smaller rooms (bass frequency will kill the upper ones) But also be nice to the rest of the family and your neighbours!ConsNot a con but expect to use this in smaller rooms or the compressor will become noticeable.Harsh compressor effect (a compressor limits dynamic range to stop volume boosts and distortion) loud sounds will start to make a pumping / breathing sound effect at high volumes. Negligible for most use cases, I.e. constantly having the volume at max.2.0 system so no surround , while a much bigger stereo field than solo 5, it’s still very narrow , expected at this size though , so be relistic with your expectations. However better than a half baked surround effect all Soundbar have at this price which is normally little more than a reverb effect and will wash away voices.Very good for music , but because of the voicing , more suited for TV and Film.ConclusionSound is effected strongly by room size and shape and where your TV is situated. So mileage may vary.Overall I think this Soundbar , while expensive , is priced well for the performance you get.It doesn’t have a very big stereo field but that’s expected at this size , plus it is only a 2.0 system. I have the large original SoundTouch 300 unit with the glass top, which has a pseudo surround which throws the sound much wider and is very effective , think the 700 is the equivalent today. But you will pay three times this.Music sounds very nice , but because of the way it is voiced and the heavy compression , it has a much more closed boxy (in a good way for tv and movies) sound , so you’ll get much better dynamics from a midrange dedicated stereo system. Then again it is stereo which most Bluetooth speakers are not, so swings and roundabouts.This is a Soundbar aimed at bedrooms and smaller lounges with excellent clarity , while you don’t get the booms a dedicated sub unit will give you, it’s the best I’ve heard at this size by a long way, I much prefer it to the Yamaha units even with the subs.Don’t expect surround at this size , if a bar has a ‘surround effect’ it is normally at the expense of clarity so don’t be sucked in. Better a quality 2.0 system than a rubbish surround effect to try and negate the 2.0.This is a quality not quantity unit that is reasonably priced for the quality you get, hats off to Bose , this is a clear upgrade from the Solo 5 and addresses all of the Solo 5s shortcomings, even has slightly more stereo field.Most of the expense seems to have gone into dsp (digital processing) to great effect. The bass port has been tuned and doesn’t interfere with the rest of the frequency range , as long you don’t mount it close to the wall so the bass port gets to do its job effectively.Highly recommended!