The soundbar market is getting pretty crowded, and to attract more buyers, it seems that Dolby Atmos is now the big buzzword in soundbar features.
To keep pace with the competing products such as the Sonos ARC, Sony HT- AT7000, Samsung HW-Q950A, Vizio Elevate, Klipsch Cinema 1200, and others, Bose has now come to the table with its own Dolby Atmos equipped unit, the Smart Soundbar 900. Let’s find out if it might be the right soundbar for you.
Product Design
The Soundbar 900 has a sleek, low design that can fit below most TVs without obstructing the screen. It can also be wall-mounted with the purchase of an additional wall-mounting kit.
Soundbar Dimensions: The 900 is 41-inches wide, 2.3-inches high, and 4-inches deep.
Speaker Complement: Inside the soundbar are five horizontal facing speakers and two vertically firing speakers placed at each end of the soundbar to support its Dolby Atmos capability. For content that isn’t Dolby Atmos encoded Bose includes TruSpace technology that provides a Dolby Atmos-like listening experience.
Phase Guide: The speakers are complemented by Bose’s Phase Guide technology that supplements the speakers in the soundbar by directing the sound both up and out to the appropriate spots in the room to provide a more realistic surround sound listening experience.
Connections
- HDMI with ARC/eARC
- Digital Optical input
- Ethernet port (Wi-Fi is also built-in)
- Power
- ADAPTiQ input (more on this in the Feature Set section)
- USB (for service only – can’t be used with USB drives for playing music files)
- Wired Bass Module output (optional)
- Wired IR blaster input (optional)
TIP: The soundbar 900 doesn’t provide connections for additional sources. AV sources need to be connected to the TV and then the TV passes the audio to the 900 via the TV’s HDMI-ARC/eARC or Digital Optical connection.
Feature Set
Here are the key features of the Bose Smart Soundbar 900.
Supported Surround Sound Formats: Dolby Atmos®, Dolby Digital, Dolby TrueHD
Bose Music App: Although the Bose Soundbar 900 comes with remote control, the Bose Music app lets you set up and control the soundbar from any mobile device, such as a smartphone or tablet. You can also use the app to stream music from a variety of popular services, as well as internet radio stations to the Soundbar 900. The Bose Music app is available for both iOS and Android.
Streaming Connection Options: Bluetooth, Spotify Connect, and AirPlay 2.
ADAPTiQ Audio Calibration: This feature optimizes the Soundbar 900 to the acoustics of your room.
Voice Control Features: The Smart Soundbar 900 provides support for three types of voice control: Alexa, Google Assistant, and Bose Voice4Video.
Bose Voice4Video™ expands Amazon Alexa voice capabilities by not only providing control for the soundbar but your TV and cable/satellite box. With Alexa, you can turn on your TV and smart soundbar, switch to your video source, tune to a station by network name or channel number, and start watching your shows or movies.
Alexa, Google Assistant, and Bose Voice4Video can be set up via the Bose Music App.
SimpleSync™: The SimpleSync feature allows you to pair Bose Smart Speakers and Soundbars with other compatible Bose products, such as Bose wireless headphones and/or select Bose Bluetooth® speakers.
What’s Included in the Box
- Bose Smart Soundbar 900
- Remote Control with pre-installed AAA batteries
- ADAPTiQ headset
- Digital Optical cable
- HDMI cable
- Power cord
- Cleaning cloth
- Quick start guide
Pricing and Availability
The Bose Smart Soundbar 900 is priced at $899.95. Check out the complete user guide.
You can also boost the bass of the Bose Smart Soundbar with the addition of the Bass Module 700 ($699.00) which can be connected wirelessly or wired with an optional Cable.
You can also expand the surround sound capabilities of the Smart Soundbar with the Bose Surround Speakers 700 ($499.00 pr).
All Bose products can be purchased directly from Bose or Bose-Authorized Dealers.