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The newest from Bose is the Way of life Extremely household, which features a soundbar, a subwoofer, and a sensible speaker, and I discover the sensible speaker to be probably the most attention-grabbing product within the lineup. Sensible audio system for the house are rising in recognition, and extra shoppers are taken with whole-home audio merchandise with sensible dwelling options — Bose is true on time.
I spent every week with the Way of life Extremely Speaker, and although it is $50 to $100+ greater than its counterparts from Apple, Sonos, and Amazon, it has one appreciable increase over the remaining. Let’s dive in.
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Out with the outdated, in with the brand new
The Way of life Extremely Speaker is the neatest speaker in Bose’s present catalog, promising Wi-Fi streaming, Bluetooth connectivity, AirPlay and Google Forged compatibility, Alexa built-in, and stereo pairing, wrapped in a smooth, trendy design.
As a real Wi-Fi sensible speaker, the Way of life Extremely Speaker requires connection to an influence supply, so it is not moveable. With a three-speaker configuration, together with two front-facing and one upfiring speaker, the Way of life Extremely Speaker will get a lot loud. The upfiring speaker is not a devoted Atmos top channel, and a single speaker is not Atmos-compatible.
As a substitute, the speaker makes use of Bose’s proprietary TrueSpatial expertise for added depth and house; I am detached about it. Happily, TrueSpatial does not sound as artificially upmixed as the corporate’s Immersive Audio in its headphones and earbuds, however a singular upfiring speaker is not sufficient for true immersion.
Nevertheless, with a further Way of life Extremely Speaker providing one other upfiring speaker and the Soundbar providing two extra, I am assured you’d get a fuller top expertise.
Nonetheless, even by itself as a single sensible speaker, there’s deep, punchy bass and noticeable highs and mids. At larger volumes, the bass can get muddy, however a fast EQ adjustment within the Bose companion app is a simple repair. Total, the sound profile is similar to Sonos’s Period 100: an satisfying, full of life, heat sound with the V-shaped audio profile most individuals choose.
Versatility for the win
The Way of life Extremely Speaker works nice by itself, not solely for its satisfying sound, but in addition for its ecosystem-agnostic design, which has at all times been one among Bose’s strengths. The corporate’s lack of an affinity for a single software program ecosystem means its units match simply into your current ecosystem. I think about {that a} main upside.
Alexa built-in, Google Forged, and Apple AirPlay are on deck, so when you have a number of Wi-Fi audio system with Android and/or Apple-friendly casting, you possibly can group them collectively. Whereas checking off duties on my after-work chores checklist, I grouped my kitchen’s Sonos Period 100 and the Bose Way of life Extremely in my upstairs workplace for multi-room audio. It labored like a appeal.
The Way of life Extremely additionally encompasses a 3.5mm aux-in port for wired connectivity with analog units, similar to a turntable. In a pair, two of those audio system behave equally to Sonos’s choices; you possibly can remodel them from standalone sensible audio system into rear audio system in a house theater configuration or use them as particular person left- and right-channel audio sources. Or, you possibly can place a number of round the home for multi-room audio.
ZDNET’s shopping for recommendation
Bose’s merchandise are nice for individuals who need one thing that can work nicely proper out of the field, with an equal appreciation for simplicity and trendy design. You should use practically any model of cellphone, laptop computer, or pill with the Way of life Extremely Speaker, and it’ll simply combine into your private home audio ecosystem, which is Bose’s biggest energy.
The Way of life Extremely Speaker is a stable sensible speaker for individuals with mixed-device ecosystems, particularly those that aren’t big followers of voice assistants. Solely Alexa and Alexa+ can be found on the Way of life Extremely Speaker to US shoppers. Although an Apple HomePod or a Sonos Period 100 is cheaper, these audio system have a number of {hardware} and software program limitations and function inside closed ecosystems.
