Traditional Bose Sound – Compact Design
Review Summary
Product Name: Bose TV Speaker
Product Description: Compact 3-channel powered soundbar system | Dialogue Mode | HDMI ARC | Bluetooth connectivity | Metal front grille
Brand: Bose
-
Bose TV Speaker Soundbar System
See full review below
Model year: 2020 to present
Bottom Line: The Bose TV Speaker will upgrade the audio from your TV’s speakers with quality room-filling sound that will enhance your TV viewing experience. The compact size of this soundbar allows for a low visual profile within your viewing environment, but will certainly get your attention as its sonic abilities kick into action as you watch movies/TV shows or while listening to music.
Its one-cable setup is fast and easy so even non-techies will be up and running in no time.
Although the Bose TV Speaker is limited in features, it certainly doesn’t skimp on performance for a soundbar in its price class with a price of admission set at $279.00, which makes it a good option for individuals looking to improve on the sound quality from their TV speakers.
Warranty: One year parts and labor
Pros
- Provides better sound than TV speakers
- Compact space-saving design
- Easy to setup
- Dialogue mode
- Bass-level output control
- Bluetooth connectivity
Cons
- No virtual surround mode
- Lacks bass punch during movie sound effects
Intro
Bose is well known for producing high-quality sound from compact speaker designs, and the Bose TV Speaker follows that tradition. This model replaces the Bose Solo 5 Soundbar – see the review here.
The Bose TV Speaker is the entry-level model in their current soundbar lineup and is now available for a retail price of $279.00.
Design & Features
As mentioned earlier, the Bose TV Speaker is a very compact design and measures 2.2″ H x 23.4″ W x 4″ D, and weighs only 4.3 lbs.
The speaker enclosure has good build quality and is made of sturdy plastic and features a metal front grille. The rear of the enclosure contains the connection ports.
The Bose TV Speaker consists of a 3-driver array with two full-range drivers handling the left and right audio channels and a tweeter handling the center channel audio. The two left and right full-range drivers are angled to deliver wide, spatial sound; while the center channel tweeter is optimized for speech and clear dialogue.
Inside Speaker View
Product Features:
- Slim compact design fits seamlessly with a flat panel TV and room décor
- Built-in Bluetooth for wireless music streaming from compatible smartphones and tablets
- Dialogue Mode – speech is easier to hear
- Soundbar connects to your TV with a single cable (HDMI or optical)
- Optical cable included
- The remote includes buttons for bass output level, Dialogue Mode and Bluetooth connectivity
- The Bose TV speaker is compatible with the Bose Bass Module 500 and the Bose Bass Module 700 for deep bass output when using the soundbar
Connectivity
- 1 HDMI ARC output
- 1 Digital optical input
- 1 Aux 3.5mm analog input
- 1 Bass module output
- Bluetooth
Rear Panel
Setup
Setting up the Bose TV Speaker is very quick and easy. You can use the supplied optical digital cable to connect the soundbar to your TV’s optical digital output. However, the preferred connection would be to use an HDMI cable (sold separately) to take advantage of the soundbars’ HDMI-ARC output which allows audio from your TV to be sent through the soundbar.
Paring the soundbar is easy and straightforward: On the remote, press the Bluetooth button. The Bluetooth light slowly pulses blue. On your mobile device, enable the Bluetooth feature. Select Bose TV Speaker from the device list. Once connected, you will hear a tone. The Bluetooth light glows solid white. The Bose TV Speaker will appear in the mobile device list. You are now ready to stream.
Performance
Considering the soundbar’s compact size, I enjoyed the sound quality from the Bose TV Speaker. The audio output was crisp, detailed and clean. This compact system produced full-bodied and spacious sound that spread well beyond the physical boundaries of the speaker itself.
With music, I experienced good stereo separation with a well-defined sound stage. I also encountered well-defined high and midrange frequencies from both music and movies. And to my surprise, the soundbar produced solid bass impact (although not deep bass) from such a small package. If you want to experience more bass output, especially when watching movies, then I suggest you use one of Bose’s bass modules mentioned above.
And speaking of movies, the Bose TV Speaker produced a decent amount of dynamic range for its size from movie soundtracks that contained loud passages and sound effects such as explosions, etc. However, the bass output from these scenes was lacking and had a limited amount of punch and impact, which was no surprise since the soundbars’ small speakers simply weren’t capable of low bass output. So again, I recommend using a Bose Bass Module.
Dialogue was clean and easy to hear and was enhanced when using the “Dialogue Mode”. This is accomplished by the soundbar effectively lowering its bass output.
Generally speaking, the Bose TV soundbar will not have trouble filling up to a medium-sized room with full-bodied and spacious sound within its design parameters.
Conclusion
The Bose TV Speaker is a good choice for anyone looking for a soundbar that is easy to set up and provides much better sound quality than your average flat panel TV, and if you don’t mind the absence of certain features such as virtual surround mode; then the Bose TV soundbar may be a good option for you.
Check out HDTVs and More’ YouTube video review for the Bose TV Speaker here.