Bose Smart Ultra Soundbar: High-end look, but how does it really sound?

Florian Bodoky

24/1/2025

Translation: machine translated

Bose's flagship soundbar is inconspicuous. But the important values are hidden inside - and these are impressive with upward-firing speakers and Dolby Atmos. Bose's problem: others are more convincing at this price.

Bose took a break from the soundbar market in 2024. But in autumn 2023, they launched the Smart Ultra Soundbar, a device that is visually impressive. Bose's flagship is heavy, robust and has a high-quality finish - exactly what you would expect in this price range. However, it comes without a subwoofer. Anyone who thought that Bose had fundamentally revised the design is wrong: The soundbar has retained the elegant, angular and flat look of its predecessor, including the shiny glass finish and oval openings.

I really like this - I like clear edges and shapes that aren't too playful. It also has clear advantages depending on the TV and stand design: You can either position it between the stands, because it's slim enough for that, or you can place it in front of the stands and under the TV. As it is relatively low, it does not obstruct the TV's field of vision. Something that sometimes happens with the 8.7-centimetre-high Sonos Arc, for example - here in the test - if you are sitting very low in your armchair. The Bose, on the other hand, is only 5.8 centimetres high (and 105 centimetres long).

The Smart Ultra, which is available in "Arctic White" and black, also has a cut-out at the back for the connections. This allows you to run power and HDMI cables discreetly under the TV so that they are not visible from the front. There are also buttons for Amazon Alexa and microphone mute on top. There is also an LED bar that displays the current status - from Bluetooth to phone calls.

A look under the bonnet

Keyword "inner values": With nine drivers, the soundbar has plenty of power. Three tweeters, one on each side and one in the centre, as well as a total of six broadband drivers, two of which are directed upwards (upfiring). This is how the bar produces 3D sound.

There are also plenty of connections in the aforementioned recess: an HDMI eARC, optical input (ToS-Link), Ethernet and even a connection for the Adaptiq headset - this is a proprietary Bose system that measures the room and adapts the sound. There is also a USB-C port. Not only are the ports all positioned at the back, they are also positioned so that the cables do not cross each other. What Bose does without is HDMI passthrough. Logical, as there is only one HDMI port. Other soundbars in the same price range offer two connections (including passthrough) - e.g. the Bravia Theatre Bar 8 from Sony

In addition to the Bluetooth connection option, AirPlay2 and Chromecast are also virtual interfaces. These allow you to stream content to the bar.

Adaptiq and Bose app

The Adaptiq system ensures that the sound is adjusted to your room. To do this, put on the included headset and start the Adaptiq measurement in the app. You then sit on five different spots in the room and the soundbar sends sounds around the room.

These are somewhat unpleasant - reminiscent of a mixture of synthesiser or whale song. As weird as it sounds, it works surprisingly well. With other devices - for example JBL's Live Beam 3, here in the test - I have found the calibration to be far less effective. With the Smart Ultra, on the other hand, I immediately notice in the before-and-after test how the bass has been toned down a little and high-frequency sounds are no longer quite so shrill. More on this later.

The app also offers various smart functions: For example, there is direct support for Spotify, Deezer and Amazon Music. It's just a shame that Tidal Connect is missing - a minus point, especially for hi-fi fans. You have to use the classic Bluetooth method.

You can also control AirPlay and Chromecast and customise the sound to your liking with an equaliser. Last but not least: If you don't like the app, Bose also provides you with an old-school remote control.

Sound: A bit aged, but if the price is right ...

I'll jump straight to my audio highlight: the AI-based dialogue function. This highlights voices - i.e. spoken dialogue. Specifically, the AI ensures that the soundbar recognises and amplifies spoken language in real time. For example, when dialogue is difficult to understand due to loud background noises, explosions or other fuss. Plosive and sibilant sounds in particular are then emphasised. The same applies to scenes in which people mumble.

This actually works well! So I was glad in the hail of bullets in "Blood and Gold" or the jet noise of "Maverick" to have a little helper to help me understand the dialogue. With studio talk - in my case the sports panorama - or when listening to music, the voices can sound unpleasantly cutting and the instruments somewhat unbalanced if the dialogue function remains switched on. Of course, it depends on what you like. I always switch it off.

I initially used the Bose Smart Ultra directly from the box, i.e. without Adaptiq calibration. I did this because I wanted to know how audible the improvement in the audio actually was after the calibration. The system effectively lowered the bass a little and took the particularly shrill sounds to the curb.

With regard to my bare concrete walls and the hard, sealed wooden floor, I still found this pleasant, as the particularly high frequencies sounded somewhat discoloured and shriller than actually intended without the adjustment.

However, you don't have to think that the soundbar comes across as lacklustre. On the contrary: the volume and the still powerful bass make me forget the lack of an external subwoofer. Even compressed audio content - from Bluetooth players or simply of mediocre quality - sounds good.

After the film test, I listened to a live concert. Here I could also clearly localise the direction from which the individual instruments were coming. With surround sound, the Bose Smart Ultra reveals its limits, albeit subtly. I didn't always have the feeling that sound was really reaching me from the sides. There was also very little coming from behind. A real 3D audio effect only materialised in places.

In a nutshell

Can do everything I want - but sometimes not to the level of perfection I desire

The Bose soundbar combines practically all the functions I could wish for - including music streaming and object-based 3D sound. With interesting features such as the AI dialogue mode, the Bose Smart Ultra soundbar does a more than good job in terms of both functionality and performance. The soundbar also looks great.

All in all, it's a great stand-alone soundbar, especially at the current price. However, there is tough competition if you want to spend a little more money or if a subwoofer is a must for you. For example, the Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 8 or the Sennheiser Ambeo Plus. In a similar price segment, there is also the Sonos Arc Ultra, which our colleague Fontana praises to the skies.

Four stars at the current price.

Pro

• Elegant design
• Convincing dialogue mode
• Adaptiq adapts sound well to the room

Contra

• 3D audio not convincing across the board
• Comparatively high price for a high-end device
• No subwoofer included

Sound bars

EUR909,–

Bose Smart Ultra Soundbar

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Florian Bodoky

Editor

Florian.Bodoky@digitecgalaxus.ch

I've been tinkering with digital networks ever since I found out how to activate both telephone channels on the ISDN card for greater bandwidth. As for the analogue variety, I've been doing that since I learned to talk. Though Winterthur is my adoptive home city, my heart still bleeds red and blue. more

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