Bose Lifestyle Ultra Speaker
good and bad
- Loud noise
- Native streaming for Android and iOS
- Sleek, modern design
- More expensive than other competitors
- Love the Bose surround sound system over the Atmos
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The latest from Bose is the Lifestyle Ultra family, which includes a sound bar, subwoofer, and smart speaker, and I find the smart speaker to be the most interesting product in the lineup. Smart home speakers are growing in popularity, and more consumers are interested in whole-home audio products with smart home features — Bose is just in time.
Also: Sonos Play review: This portable Wi-Fi speaker might be Sonos’ biggest hit yet
I spent a week no Lifestyle Ultra Speakerand while it’s $50 to $100+ more than its Apple, Sonos, and Amazon counterparts, it’s one improvement over the other. Let’s dive in.
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Out with the old, in with the new
The Lifestyle Ultra speaker is the smartest speaker in Bose’s current catalog, promising Wi-Fi streaming, Bluetooth connectivity, AirPlay and Google Cast compatibility, built-in Alexa, and stereo pairing, wrapped in a sleek, modern design.
Like a true Wi-Fi smart speaker, the Lifestyle Ultra Speaker needs to be plugged into a power source, so it’s not portable. With a three-speaker configuration, including two front-facing and one rear-firing speaker, the Lifestyle Ultra Speaker delivers great sound. The Fiery speaker is not a dedicated Atmos height channel, and the single speaker is not Atmos compatible.
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Instead, the speaker uses Bose’s proprietary TrueSpatial technology for more depth and space; I don’t care about it. Fortunately, TrueSpatial doesn’t sound as automatically mixed as the company’s Immersive Audio on headphones and earbuds, but a single immersive speaker isn’t enough for true immersion.
However, with the addition of the Lifestyle Ultra speaker that offers another exciting speaker and the Soundbar that offers two more, I’m sure you’ll get a full-length experience.
However, even on its own as a single smart speaker, there are deep, punchy bass and noticeable highs and mids. At high volumes, the bass can be muddy, but a quick EQ adjustment in the Bose-compatible app is an easy fix. Overall, the sound profile is very similar to Sonos’s Era 100: a pleasant, lively, warm sound with the V-shaped sound profile that many people like.
Diversity of winning
The Lifestyle Ultra speaker works well on its own, not only with its pleasing sound, but also with its ecosystem-agnostic design, which has always been one of Bose’s strengths. The company’s lack of compatibility with a single software ecosystem means its devices fit easily into your existing ecosystem. I consider that to be the best.
Built-in Alexa, Google Cast, and Apple AirPlay are on deck, so if you have several Wi-Fi speakers with Android and/or Apple-ready streaming, you can connect them together. While checking off tasks on my after-work list, I assembled the Sonos Era 100 for my kitchen and the Bose Lifestyle Ultra for my upstairs office for multi-room sound. It worked like a charm.
The Lifestyle Ultra also has a 3.5mm aux-in port for connecting cables to analog devices, such as a turntable. In pairs, two of these speakers behave similarly to Sonos’ offerings; you can convert them from stand-alone smart speakers to rear speakers in a home theater or use them as left and right channel audio sources. Or, you can place several around the house for multi-room sound.
ZDNET shopping advice
Bose products are great for people who want something that will work well out of the box, with an equal appreciation for simplicity and modern design. You can use almost any type of phone, laptop, or tablet with Lifestyle Ultra Speakerand will easily integrate into your home audio ecosystem, which is Bose’s greatest strength.
Also: Sony vs. Bose: My advice to buy after listening to headphones from both brands
The Lifestyle Ultra speaker is a solid smart speaker for people with a mixed ecosystem, especially those who are big fans of voice assistants. Only Alexa and Alexa+ are available on the Lifestyle Ultra Speaker for US consumers. Although the Apple HomePod or the Sonos Era 100 are cheaper, these speakers have several hardware and software limitations and operate within a closed ecosystem.
