The Bose Smart Soundbar 900 with Speakers and Bass Module is a smart soundbar setup released in 2021. It uses the manufacturer's PhaseGuide technology to beam sound throughout your room, resulting in a very wide and immersive soundstage. You can use its ADAPTiQ audio calibration feature to optimize audio reproduction based on your room. With this feature turned on, it has a very neutral sound profile suitable for listening to many different types of audio content, and there's even a little extra punch in the bass range. Unlike the Bose Smart Soundbar 700 with Speakers + Bass Module, it also supports Dolby Atmos content, although there's no DTS support.
Our Verdict
The Bose Smart Soundbar 900 with Speakers and Bass Module is great for mixed usage. With its ADAPTiQ room correction feature, it offers a neutral sound profile with a little extra punch in the bass range that's suitable for most types of audio content. Its excellent soundstage performance helps immerse you in your audio content. It supports Dolby Atmos content, too, although it lacks DTS support. There isn't an EQ, although some users may be satisfied with its bass and treble adjustments.
- Bass and treble adjustments.
- Excellent soundstage.
- Gets loud.
- Dolby Atmos support.
- No EQ.
The Bose Smart Soundbar 900 with Speakers and Bass Module is impressive for dialogue-centric content like TV shows. Thanks to its discrete center channel, dialogue is anchored in an accurate, pinpoint location in the soundstage. Also, its neutral sound profile helps reproduce voices clearly and accurately. There's even a dialogue enhancement feature available to make voices more crisp. Unfortunately, it lacks an auto-volume mode, which isn't ideal for users who watch a lot of TV at night.
- Gets loud.
- Dialogue enhancement mode.
- No auto-volume.
The Bose Smart Soundbar 900 with Speakers and Bass Module is amazing for music. Its ADAPTiQ feature automatically optimizes audio reproduction based on your room's acoustics. With this feature turned on, it has a neutral sound profile that's suitable for listening to lots of different music genres. Also, its subwoofer helps reproduce a little extra punch in the bass range. There are some bass and treble adjustments to help you customize its sound, but unfortunately, it lacks an EQ.
- Bass and treble adjustments.
- Excellent soundstage.
- Gets loud.
- No EQ.
The Bose Smart Soundbar 900 with Speakers and Bass Module is very good for movies. Thanks to its PhaseGuide technology, this soundbar offers a wide, immersive-sounding soundstage. Its discrete satellite speakers provide a very good surrounds performance, and the soundbar supports Dolby Atmos content. Its subwoofer also helps reproduce the deep thump and rumble in action-packed movies. While there's latency present regardless of connection, you can use the Audio Delay feature in the app to manually adjust for it.
- Bass and treble adjustments.
- Excellent soundstage.
- Dolby Atmos support.
- No EQ.
Changelog
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Updated Jan 10, 2025:
The Height (Atmos) section has been updated to compare the Sonos Ultimate Immersive Set with Arc Ultra.
- Updated May 10, 2024: Updated Stereo Dynamics results with new methodology from TBU 1.3. Added text to Audio Latency: ARC, and Audio Latency: Optical boxes.
- Updated May 09, 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.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
The Bose Smart Soundbar 900 with Speakers and Bass Module is available in 'Black' and 'Arctic White'. We expect both color variants to perform similarly. We tested the 'Black' variant, and you can see the label we tested here.
These results are only valid for the Bose Smart Soundbar 900 with Speakers and Bass Module as a full setup. You can also look at our results for the standalone Bose Smart Soundbar 900.
If you come across another version of the Bose Smart Soundbar 900 with Speakers and Bass Module, let us know in the discussion section below, and we'll update our review.
Popular Soundbar Comparisons
The Bose Smart Soundbar 900 with Speakers and Bass Module is a very versatile 5.1.2 setup. Its performance rivals other premium soundbars like the Samsung HW-Q950A and the Sonos Arc with Sub + One SL Speakers, thanks to its wide, immersive soundstage and its neutral sound profile out-of-the-box. You can also purchase the standalone Bose Smart Soundbar 900 if you prefer.
See also our recommendations for the best soundbars, the best Dolby Atmos soundbars, and the best soundbars with subwoofer.
The Bose Smart Soundbar 900 with Speakers + Bass Module is better than the Sonos Arc with Sub + One SL Speakers. The Bose has a better soundstage performance, and it supports more wireless playback options such as Bluetooth. Its default sound profile is also more balanced than the Sonos. That said, you can use the Sonos' bass and treble adjustments to create a more neutral sound profile if you prefer.
The Bose Smart Soundbar 900 with Speakers + Bass Module offers a better overall experience than the Bose Smart Ultra Soundbar. The Smart Soundbar 900's full setup with satellite speakers and a subwoofer gives it a fuller sound that's more immersive, especially when it comes to surround and Atmos content. That said, if you're low on room, the Smart Ultra isn't a bad choice, thanks to its integrated subwoofer, which helps add punch and warmth to your content. It has the same audio format support as the full setup, too.
The Bose Smart Soundbar 900 with Speakers + Bass Module is better than the Bose Smart Soundbar 700 with Speakers + Bass Module. The 900 supports Dolby Atmos content, unlike the 700. The manufacturer even says that its Voice4Video feature lets you control the bar and your TV with your voice. However, only the 700 offers DTS support.
The Sonos Ultimate Immersive Set with Arc and the Bose Smart Soundbar 900 with Speakers + Bass Module are both very premium setups with versatile overall performances. Depending on your listening habits, you may prefer one over the other. The Sonos supports more audio formats, such as DTS, and the up-firing drivers on its satellites provide a more immersive sound with Atmos content. However, it doesn't support Bluetooth like the Bose. The Bose's stereo soundstage is better, too.
Test Results
