The Bose Smart Ultra Soundbar is the next generation of the Bose Smart Soundbar 900. The main difference between these top-of-the-line models is AI Dialogue support, a feature designed to automatically adjust your content to improve vocal clarity. That said, the core design is still the same: it supports Dolby Atmos, which is commonly found on streaming platforms and Blu-rays and comes with PhaseGuide technology, which the manufacturer advertises beams sound throughout your room to improve the immersiveness of your audio.
Our Verdict
The Bose Smart Ultra Soundbar is decent for mixed use. This premium bar has a bright sound profile, making dialogue sound clear but a bit piercing. It supports a lot of wireless playback options, so you can easily play content from your phone. It also supports Atmos content, which is great if you want an immersive experience from your movies and TV shows. While its sound isn't as spacious as full setups or a home theatre, it's not bad for a standalone bar.
- Gets loud.
- Supports a wide array of wireless playback options.
- Great soundstage performance.
- Not many sound customization features.
- No HDMI In port.
- Lacks low-bass.
The Bose Smart Ultra Soundbar is decent for dialogue and TV shows. It has a unique AI Dialogue feature that allows the bar to automatically adjust its sound to enhance dialogue in your audio content. Out of the box, the bar has a pretty neutral mid-range, which ensures that dialogue is clear, although its extra treble means that it also sounds very bright and, at times, piercing. You can tamper this down using the treble slider, though.
- Dialogue enhancement mode available.
- Not many sound customization features.
The Bose Smart Ultra Soundbar is good for music. By default, it has a bright sound. Vocals and instruments are present and clear but are also a bit piercing. Although the bar has an integrated subwoofer, it struggles to deliver a thumpy low bass. Luckily, bass and treble sliders are available to customize its sound. The bar also gets loud enough to fill a large room, and it supports all the major wireless connections for audio playback.
- Gets loud.
- Supports a wide array of wireless playback options.
- Great soundstage performance.
- Not many sound customization features.
- Lacks low-bass.
The Bose Smart Ultra Soundbar is satisfactory for movies. It supports Dolby Atmos, although it doesn't create quite as immersive an audio experience as a full setup with satellites. It also struggles to produce height, so sound effects like a drone passing overhead don't quite reach above you. This bar has a bright sound by default, too, and vocals, as well as sound effects like the clinking of metal, are piercing. On the upside, you can adjust the bar's sound with the bass and treble slider. The bar also gets quite loud, and its soundstage feels wide.
- Gets loud.
- Great soundstage performance.
- Sub-par surrounds performance.
- Lacks low-bass.
Changelog
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Updated Nov 28, 2024:
We've updated the Stereo Dynamics box to add a mention of the Sonos Arc Ultra.
- Updated May 28, 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 27, 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: Review published.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
The Bose Smart Ultra Soundbar comes in two color variants: 'Black' and 'Arctic White'. We tested the 'Black' model; you can see its label here. If you come across another variant of this soundbar, please let us know in the forums, and we'll update our review.
Popular Soundbar Comparisons
The Bose Smart Ultra Soundbar replaces the Bose Smart Soundbar 900 as the top-of-the-line product from this manufacturer. While both models look similar, this soundbar has a feature called AI Dialogue, which allows the bar to dynamically adjust audio reproduction so that dialogue is clearer and easier to hear. That said, many of the same key points from the 900 model are the same with the Smart Ultra: it has Dolby Atmos support via up-firing speakers, robust wireless playback options, and ADAPTiQ support, which is a room correction feature that uses an external microphone. It offers a solid overall performance for a standalone bar, but you may still want to upgrade with a subwoofer and satellites for a thumpier, more immersive sound.
Check out our recommendations for the best Bose soundbars, the best Dolby Atmos soundbars, and the best soundbars for dialogue.
The Sonos Arc Ultra is a better all-in-one soundbar than the Bose Smart Ultra Soundbar. It has a more balanced default sound profile, with better bass extension and an improved center performance, which helps localize dialogue. While the Sonos can't get as loud as the Bose, there's considerably less compression present at max volume. While both are 5.1.2 configurations, the Sonos has a slight edge when it comes to its surrounds performance and supports audio playback via DTS. The Bose is better built, though, and comes with an optical port, which could be useful for users with older TVs. Your decision could also come down to how each bar integrates with other devices in your audio setup. The Bose can pair with the Bose Ultra Open Earbuds Truly Wireless for a more immersive surround sound experience, while Sonos Ace owners will want to take advantage of the seamless audio switching between their headphones and the Arc Ultra.
The Sonos Arc has the edge over the Bose Smart Ultra Soundbar. While both bars offer similar performance in many ways, like stereo soundstage and dynamics, the Sonos has a slightly better less bright, piercing center performance . Its surround performance is more natural, too, and it has an Optical port that supports DTS. However, the Bose is better built and supports more wireless playback formats.
The Samsung HW-Q990C offers a more robust overall performance than the Bose Smart Ultra Soundbar. While both bars are premium, the Samsung comes with a subwoofer and satellites, has a more neutral sound profile out of the box, and gets louder. Thanks to its satellites and up-firing speakers, it offers a better, more immersive surround and height performance and has a wide array of customization features. It even supports HDMI In and video passthrough. However, the Bose has a better soundstage performance and supports Chromecast built-in.
While the Bose Smart Soundbar 900 and the Bose Smart Ultra Soundbar look similar, some differences exist. The Smart Ultra has a lower bass extension to help add a touch more thump and rumble to your audio. It also has an AI Dialogue tool to help enhance voices. However, the Smart Soundbar 900 has a less bright sound overall.
Test Results
