New QuietComfort Earbuds and a new soundbar, Bose has plenty to keep it busy this September. The American audio specialist is unveiling the Smart Soundbar, a lightweight version of the high-end Smart Soundbar Ultra soundbar. Bose has simplified its copy with a 5-speaker acoustic design, making it a more compact model to slip into your living room or a small room. More accessible, the Smart Soundbar remains a Bose and benefits from the manufacturer’s latest technologies. It promises immersive sound, supporting Dolby Atmos and TrueSpace. Artificial intelligence is never far away and strengthens the dialogue mode, but the main curiosity of this soundbar comes from Bose Personal Surround.
Technology turns Ultra Open Earbuds into rear-facing headphones
With this new technology, the soundbar can be paired with Ultra Open Earbuds so that they can be used as a rear channel. The manufacturer promises more immersive personalized surround sound, without any additional equipment or configuration. The only prerequisite is to evolve in the Bose ecosystem by using Ultra Open headphones in addition to this new soundbar.
Launched at the beginning of the year, these headphones go against the grain of current headphones by not offering a noise reduction system. This element, which can put off some users, becomes an asset in the configuration imagined by Bose. The fact of not filtering external sound leaves the possibility of perceiving the sounds emitted by the sound bar. The Ultra Open Earbuds will be responsible for providing surround effects, improving the immersive audio experience. To our knowledge, the device is new and it will not be limited to the Smart Soundar.
Bose says its Personal Surround technology is available now on this model and will arrive later this fall on the Smart Ultra soundbar.
Dolby Atmos, TrueSpace, Dialogue AI: the Smart SoundBard lives up to its name
As mentioned above, this soundbar highlights its Dolby Atmos compatibility. It benefits from an optimized design with two vertical speakers, but Bose reminds us that many contents are not encoded Dolby Atmos. TrueSpace technology helps to analyze the current content and adapt the signals. “Thus, even 5.1 and stereo contents benefit from an additional touch of immersion and realistic height effects,” defends the manufacturer. As for the dialogue mode, it is based on AI to avoid sound variations (too loud ads, action scenes, dialogues, etc.) and ensure better vocal clarity.
Finally, Bose does not leave music aside by offering numerous connectivity options. Bluetooth is obviously present and accompanies wifi compatibilities, Google Chromecast, Spotify Connect or even Apple AirPlay 2. Enough to ensure a certain versatility to access audio streaming services. It is also possible to control the sound bar by voice command, via Alexa or Google Assistant. Note that the latter is not natively supported.
The connectivity is reduced to the bare minimum, with an HDMI eARC port and an optical input. The Smart Soundbar measures 5.6 cm high, 10.4 cm deep and just over 68.6 cm, making it relatively compact.
Price and availability
Bose is already offering its new sound bar, at a price of 549.95 euros. It is only available in a matte black finish.
The Bose Ultra Open are available for 349 euros. Tests of these headphones are available from our colleagues at 01net and Presse-citron.
Bose Ultra Open Earbuds at the best price Base price: €349
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