Bose takes aim at Sonos Era 100 speakers with new Lifestyle range

Bose re-enters the smart speaker market with a three-driver design targeting Sonos Era 100 owners, and more, but room correction is oddly absent at launch.

Bose's new Lifestyle Collection features the Lifestyle Ultra Speaker, Lifestyle Ultra Soundbar, and Lifestyle Ultra Subwoofer. All three go on sale May 15 and are available to preorder now, but the one that caught our attention was the Lifestyle Ultra Speaker. One of the most popular articles we've ever published is a stereo pair review of the Sonos Era 100, and that is firmly the target that the Lifestyle Ultra Speaker is aimed at.

Modular architecture

The Lifestyle Ultra Speaker (dreadful name, just saying) is by far the most modular product in the lineup and acts in many ways as a gateway to the other two products. It uses a three-driver array, two front-facing and one up-firing, based on an evolution of Bose's Direct/Reflecting technology.

The up-firing driver works with TrueSpatial processing to add height and spatial depth, with Bose saying this effect is more pronounced in a stereo pair. Bass performance comes from CleanBass, a combination of the woofer, a QuietPort acoustic opening on the rear, and digital signal processing. The QuietPort, previously used in Bose subwoofers but a new addition to the company's wireless speakers, uses a shaped internal acoustic path to reduce low-frequency distortion at higher volumes.

Plays well with others

The Lifestyle Ultra Speaker can be used solo, paired in stereo, or even integrated into a full Lifestyle Ultra surround system as rear channels

The speaker can be used alone, paired in stereo, or added to the Lifestyle Ultra Soundbar and Subwoofer as rear surround channels, giving a 7.1.4 configuration. As we said, it's the entry point. Buy one, be impressed, and extend your system to stereo and then surround. 

What's more, the speaker can be grouped with non-Bose speakers over AirPlay or Google Cast meaning that you're not locked into the ecosystem. This is a refreshing change.

Connectivity covers WiFi, Bluetooth 5.3, Apple AirPlay, Google Cast, Spotify Connect, and a 3.5 mm aux input. Built-in Alexa Plus is supported in the US. Auracast capability is present but will not be active at launch. Touch controls on the top panel include a capacitive ring for volume. The Bose app handles setup, EQ, and system configuration but does not function as a streaming platform.

So, what does it sound like?

The Verge attended a hands-on event in New York and found the Ultra Speaker notably impressive, saying it sounded "impressively big with great vocal clarity." They noted, however, that the speaker can sound overly punchy on snare hits at listening volume, which they attributed in part to the absence of room correction for the Lifestyle Ultra.

That is a bit of an oddity, especially given its easy upgrade to operating as a stereo pair. Bose told The Verge it is looking into adding room correction for both single and stereo setups at a later date. Room calibration is present when the full system is running, so it should be hopefully an easy improvement to make. 

More speakers are planned, with obvious additions would be a battery-powered portable and versions at different sizes.

Pricing and availability 

Setting up a full surround system will cost you around $2000

The Lifestyle Ultra Speaker ($299/£299.95) comes in Black, White Smoke, and a limited-edition Driftwood Sand finish with a solid white oak base ($349/£349). The Lifestyle Ultra Soundbar is priced at $1099/£999.95 and the Lifestyle Ultra Subwoofer at $899/£899.95. All are available to preorder now with shipping May 15.