The Bose Smart Soundbar 700 is a 3.0 setup released in 2019. It's a sleek and premium soundbar with built-in voice assistant support for hands-free control right from the comfort of your couch. You can use it as a standalone bar, or you can upgrade it to the full Bose Smart Soundbar 700 with Speakers + Bass Module for improved performance. Unlike the Bose Smart Soundbar 900, there's no support for object-based audio formats like Dolby Atmos, but it still offers some premium features, such as the ADAPTiQ room correction tool.
Our Verdict
The Bose Soundbar 700 is decent for mixed usage. Overall, it's a really premium and well-built soundbar with built-in voice assistant support, and it has a great sound quality that's suitable for lots of different audio content. Dialogue in movies and TV shows is reproduced with clarity, and instruments in your favorite tunes are detailed in the mix. Without a sub, you don't get a deep rumble in the low-bass, and without satellites, its surround sound performance isn't the best, but you can add on both of these components separately. There's no support for object-based formats like Atmos, though.
- Very well-built design.
- Neutral sound profile.
- Easily upgradable setup.
- Lacks sub-bass.
- Lacks Full HDMI In ports.
- No Atmos support.
The Bose Soundbar 700 is good for dialogue-centric content like TV shows and podcasts. Dialogue is clear and present in the mix right out of the box, so you can follow along with your favorite shows with ease. Its discrete center channel improves overall vocal reproduction, and if you want dialogue to sound more crisp and clear, there's also a dialogue enhancement tool on hand. Plus, its low latency ensures that there aren't any lip-synching issues.
- Neutral sound profile.
- Very wide soundstage.
- Diffused sound due to large soundstage.
The Bose Soundbar 700 is very good for music. Like most premium setups on the market, there's a room correction feature available to optimize its frequency response based on your room's unique acoustics. The bar's sound is very even, especially in the mids, so voices and lead instruments are reproduced with clarity and detail. Aside from bass and treble adjustments, however, you don't have much ability to control its sound, and you'll need to add on a separate subwoofer to enjoy the deep rumble in the low-bass.
- Neutral sound profile.
- Very wide soundstage.
- Lacks sub-bass.
The Bose Soundbar 700 is fair for movies. While it doesn't offer support for object-based formats like Dolby Atmos, you can still playback 5.1 surround sound like Dolby Digital, which are commonly found on different streaming platforms. Without satellites, however, the bar has to downmix this content into stereo in order to play it, which doesn't sound as immersive. However, you can always add on separate satellites to improve its surround sound.
- Neutral sound profile.
- Very wide soundstage.
- Diffused sound due to large soundstage.
- Lacks sub-bass.
Changelog
- Updated Sep 24, 2024: Updated the Stereo Dynamics, Stereo Frequency Response With Preliminary Calibrations, and Surround 5.1 results with new methodology from Test Bench 1.3 and accompanying text. Added text to Audio Latency: ARC, Audio Latency: HDMI In, and Audio Latency: Optical boxes.
- Updated Sep 19, 2024: We've converted this review to Test Bench Update 1.3. If applicable, we've retested stereo sound based on the manufacturer's recommendations. Additionally, we've expanded our audio latency tests to the following boxes: Audio Latency: ARC, Audio Latency: HDMI In, and Audio Latency: Optical. You can see the full changelog here.
- Updated Nov 15, 2023: We've added a comparison between this soundbar and the Bose Smart Ultra Soundbar in Build Quality.
- Updated Jun 02, 2023: Converted to Test Bench 1.2. Updated the results for audio format support via ARC/eARC, HDMI In, and Optical. Added Video Passthrough to TV results as well.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
The Bose Soundbar 700 comes in two color variants, 'Black' and 'Arctic White'. We tested the 'Black' variant, and you can see the label for the model we tested here. We expect both variants to perform similarly in tests.
If you come across a variant not listed here, let us know in the discussions below so we can update our review.
Popular Soundbar Comparisons
The Bose Smart Soundbar 700 can easily be upgraded with a wireless sub and satellites to the Bose Smart Soundbar 700 with Speakers + Bass Module. By itself, the bar has an extremely wide soundstage thanks to the side-firing speakers. Though it lacks some low-bass, it has a neutral sound profile that makes it suitable for listening to a variety of audio content. It's also one of the better-built soundbars that we've tested and it has a very unique and sleek style with a glass panel.
If you want to see more options, check out our recommendations for the best soundbars, the best Dolby Atmos soundbars, and the best soundbars with a subwoofer.
The Sonos Arc is slightly better than the Bose Smart Soundbar 700, but which you prefer depends on your needs. The Sonos isn't as well-built as the Bose but supports Atmos, which is great for a more immersive listening experience. It also compresses less at max volume. However, Bose integrates more easily if you're already part of the brand's ecosystem. You can easily upgrade both setups.
The standalone Bose Smart Soundbar 700 is better than the Bose TV Speaker. The Soundbar 700 is better built, with better soundstage, center, and surround performances. It gets louder and has built-in voice assistant support. It also offers a room correction feature and more wireless playback options.
When comparing the bars by themselves, the Bose Smart Soundbar 700 is slightly better than the Sonos Beam. The Bose can get slightly louder without as much compression at max volume. It feels better made and has a premium feel, with a glass plate covering. The Bose also has more inputs and can play content wirelessly via Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. On the other hand, the Sonos is smaller and easier to fit in your home theater setup.
The Sonos Beam (Gen 2) and the Bose Smart Soundbar 700 are both good standalone soundbars. The Sonos has a more compact design, and unlike the Bose, it supports Dolby Atmos content and has better surround performance. That said, the Bose has a more balanced sound profile out of the box, which some users may prefer. It also gets louder and supports more wireless playback options like Bluetooth.
Test Results
