

Whether or not you are an audiophile or you do not know your aux out of your Atmos, the probabilities are you’ve got heard of Bose. The American tech big is likely one of the greatest audio firms on this planet, and is a model that individuals instinctively belief to ship good merchandise with first rate sound high quality. The excellent news? Usually talking, that is not far incorrect.
The agency’s newest soundbar, the Bose Sensible Soundbar 600 hopes so as to add to that. It sits round center of the corporate’s soundbar providing and serves up wide selection of connectivity choices – to not point out guarantees Dolby Atmos spatial audio from a single speaker, with no subwoofer add-on. Costing $499 / £400, that takes it head-to-head with the superb Sonos Beam Gen 2. However can it ship as promised, and the way does it stack up towards its formidable competiton? This is my full assessment.

Bose Sensible Soundbar 600
The Bose Sensible Soundbar 600 delivers massive Dolby Atmos sound however falls quick in some facets, and its insistance on spatial audio when it is not all the time convincing could be irritating. Nonetheless, its compelling function set helps to make up for this, making it an interesting selection for customers prioritising comfort and performance over audiophile-level sound.
- Heat, detailed sound works properly with Atmos soundtracks
- Nicely-made, fashionable and compact design
- Straightforward setup
- Intensive connectivity choices
- Cannot flip off TrueSpace, and it is not all the time convincing
- Decrease bass is missing
- Wall bracket comes at an extra value
Design
- Dimensions: 56 x 694 x 104mm
- Weight: 3.1kg
- Wall mount out there individually
For those who’re available in the market for a visually discreet however fashionable soundbar, then you possibly can contemplate the Bose Sensible Soundbar 600 the last word box-ticker. Boasting a smooth and understated design, there is not any doubt it will complement nearly any TV it is plonked beneath, be it a humongous OLED or a smaller TV for a kitchen or bed room.
Count on sturdy plastic for the primary physique and a perforated metallic grille wrapped across the entrance and sides – plus one other grilled part alongside the highest for the Atmos-focused drivers. It is understated nevertheless it works – it appears to be like the half and feels stable with out shouting too loudly about it.
One of the best half, nevertheless, is the Sensible Soundbar 600’s compact measurement. When it comes to dimensions, it measures simply 56 x 694 x 104mm, and weighs in at 3.1kg, which makes it simply wall-mountable. Though – in true Bose type – the non-obligatory bracket comes at an extra value. Grr.
Nonetheless, it makes it a very easy soundbar to accommodate irrespective of your property cinema setup, notably for these in smaller rooms who haven’t got the house to make approach for a separate subwoofer too.
Options
- Dolby Atmos help
- 1 x HDMI eARC, 1 x optical
- Wi-Fi, AirPlay 2, Chromecast, Spotify Join, Bluetooth 4.2
Whereas the primary promoting level of the Bose Sensible Soundbar 600 is that it is a compact and versatile all-in-one soundbar, there are different issues to shout about right here too.
After all, the biggie is that it provides help for Dolby Atmos soundtracks, however in a really completely different solution to Sonos’ Beam Gen 2.
That is as a result of, of the 5 drivers that you’ll find right here behind this grille, two full-range drivers fireplace upwards to bodily enhance the sense of peak by projecting sound upwards – one thing Sonos’ soundbar does just about. There is a single driver dealing with the centre channel in the midst of the bar, whereas a racetrack driver at both finish of the soundbar give some added width, in addition to peak.
These bodily drivers are supported by Bose’s proprietary TrueSpace processing. This claims to upconvert stereo and 5.1 channel sources into an Atmos-like soundtracks, with the identical sense of added peak as you’d count on from a local soundtrack – however extra on that shortly.
Connectivity-wise, the Sensible Soundbar 600 consists of an HDMI eARC port for lossless Atmos playback, plus an optical digital audio enter for connecting an older TV that does not help HDMI ARC/eARC. You’ll lose all native Atmos performance over Atmos although, and revert solely to Boses’s TrueSpace processing, so do query your determination to spend the additional on an Atmos soundbar in case you’re not utilizing HDMI.
A second HDMI enter to supply a passthrough could be a pleasant addition, although that is one thing that is not all the time discovered on finances soundbars – the Sonos Beam does not embody one, for instance.
Wi-fi streaming choices are aplenty, too, with help for Wi-Fi, AirPlay 2, Chromecast, Spotify Join, and Bluetooth. The Bose Music app integrates quite a few companies for streaming over Wi-Fi, together with Amazon Music, Spotify, Pandora, Deezer, iHeartRadio, TuneIn Radio, and Sirius XM.
From right here, you too can management the soundbar’s capabilities, together with choosing your supply and adjusting the quantity – there’s even an EQ for tweaking sound, in addition to the choice for including different appropriate Bose merchandise, like a sub or wi-fi rear surrounds, for a bigger system (although that may, partially, take away from the 600’s compact appeal).
In case your telephone is not handy, the Sensible Soundbar 600 comes with a distant within the field, which feels substantial sufficient for a product of this high quality – a far cry from these low cost clicky membrane gadgets that by no means actually work all that properly. There’s additionally the choice to regulate it by way of Alexa, or Google Assistant in case you desire, because the presence of bodily buttons on the soundbar itself may be very restricted – it solely includes a mute and voice-control motion button on the highest.
Alexa can provide fundamental controls like quantity and observe skipping, in addition to entry to music apps supported by the world-famous voice assistant. This works properly – more often than not. For those who’re extra of a Google Assistant particular person, Bose’s soundbar additionally performs properly together with your voice assistant of selection, supplying you with related performance when a Google speaker is linked to the community.
Alexa has the sting over the 2 for being inbuilt, which means it will possibly additionally use Bose’s Voice4Video function to regulate capabilities of a linked Sensible TV – every thing from turning it on and off, to enjoying and pausing video playback and altering channels.
Efficiency
Get the soundbar arrange – which is so simple as plugging it in and connecting it to your TV – and serve it the perfect of its capabilities, like an Atmos soundtrack from Netflix or 4K Blu-ray, and the Sensible Soundbar 600 shines. Watch massive blockbusters like action-packed Marvel movies, as an illustration, and the Bose handles them with authority and confidence, producing a large, open sound that locations results convincingly.
After all there are limitations to its capabilities, nevertheless it does sound greater than its bodily dimensions, and people peak channels do an honest job of including some elevation to the weather of a soundtrack that require it.
The midrange is stable and filled with loads of element, and dialogue is delivered with focus and readability. Bass is on the nice and cozy facet, however managed, including presence to the soundtracks of thriller or high-octane flicks. It is a dynamic sound too, the soundbar with the ability to categorical any shift in quantity with out second thought.
There’s, nevertheless, a scarcity of decrease bass right here. In a comparatively massive room, for instance, the deeper rumble you would possibly count on from a T-Rex operating amok round Jurassic Park falls a bit of quick – one thing you would possibly get extra from with a separate sub.
Some might also discover the insistance of Bose to have the listener embrace spatial audio at each flip a bit of annoying. Once you aren’t listening to Atmos soundtracks, Bose’s TrueSpace processing, which makes an attempt to imitiate an Atmos expertise from a non-Atmos soundtrack, is switched on by default – and cannot be turned off.
Whereas it may be convincing with some content material, and add an additional stage of immersion, it is not reliably so, and having some management of the playback on this sense could be appreciated.
Verdict
The Bose Sensible Soundbar 600 delivers massive on Dolby Atmos sound for its value bracket, with an efficient efficiency that provides the sense of peak in Atmos soundtracks you’d hope for.
Dialogue readability is commendable, and midrange element is nice, however whereas the bass out there is heat and stable, the decrease bass vary is underwhelming in comparison with these soundbar techniques that include devoted subwoofers. Anybody in search of a deeper, richer rumble will wish to contemplate that.
Some folks may even discover the soundbar’s insistance on spatial audio, even to the detriment of efficiency in some instances, irritating. It is a disgrace this cannot be turned off by the person, relatively than being on by default – and this loses Bose some edge.
On a extra optimistic word, the Sensible Soundbar 600 boasts a compelling function set that many different soundbars fall in need of, and the app-based setup is good and simple too – guaranteeing even technophobes will discover it simple getting this factor up and operating out of the field.
Finally the soundbar’s compact design and all-in-one kind issue means there’s a steadiness to think about – whereas aesthetically pleasing, there’s a restrict to its acoustic capabilities. For those who want one thing on the smaller facet, that is in all probability one thing you can also make peace with, however its massive competitors, the Sonos Beam Gen 2, arguably comes with fewer sonic quirks.