My Favorite Amazon Buy of the Day: the Bose Smart Soundbar.
Last year, the Bose Smart Soundbar received lukewarm reviews from critics, who noted only minor improvements for its higher price. But now, with a $100 discount, we can seriously discuss who it’s for. According to price tracking tools, the Bose Smart Soundbar is available for $399 (originally $499), its lowest price ever.
The Bose Smart Soundbar is the successor to the Bose Smart Soundbar 600 , which was already a very good soundbar, so it goes without saying that the expectations were high. Essentially, Bose created a new soundbar with more modern features but didn’t update the hardware, which, according to PCMag and many other reviews, makes the steep price hike questionable. If you already own the 600, upgrading isn’t worth it, even with the discount. However, if you’re looking for a modern, premium soundbar with enough bass to eliminate the need for a subwoofer, then consider the new Bose Smart Soundbar.
Like most premium speaker systems, a soundbar doesn’t need a subwoofer because it produces bass on its own, but it’s never as powerful as a dedicated subwoofer. This is ideal for bedrooms or small apartments. However, keep in mind that you can always add a subwoofer and/or rear speakers. Incidentally, if you have Bose Ultra Open Earbuds , you can connect them to the soundbar to act as rear satellite speakers, creating a pseudo-surround system (just for you, of course).
As the name suggests, this is a smart soundbar with Wi-Fi, meaning you can stream media to it via AirPlay or Chromecast while on the same Wi-Fi network. The soundbar’s main selling point is its instrument separation, which pairs perfectly with the AI Dialogue Mode feature for enhanced dialogue. But if you can afford to spend a little more, the Sonos Beam Gen 2 is the best standalone soundbar you can buy.