The Best Bose Soundbars of 2025

I’ve been reviewing audio products for over a decade, and in that time, Bose has cemented itself as one of the top brands I recommend. The company sells several home theater solutions across budgets, including different soundbar models. The best Bose soundbars are perfect for people who want immersive audio but can’t fit a large multi-speaker system in their room.

To help you narrow down which model is right for your needs, I tested every Bose soundbar on the market. My top recommendation for most people is the Bose Smart Soundbar. It offers full, clear sound but is still compact enough to fit on most TV stands. It also has Dolby Atmos support to bounce audio effects off your ceiling and supports Amazon Alexa. However, buyers who want a more budget-friendly option with an even smaller footprint should consider the Bose TV Speaker. That model doesn’t support Dolby Atmos but still delivers solid audio quality for less money.

Below, you can find a full breakdown of all the best Bose soundbars. I’ve also recommended an add-on subwoofer for people who want to expand their system with extra bass.

Our top picks for the best Bose soundbars

Best overall: Bose Smart Soundbar – See at Amazon

Best high-end: Bose Smart Ultra Soundbar – See at Amazon

Best for smaller spaces: Bose TV Speaker – See at Amazon

Best add-on: Bose Bass Module 500 – See at Best Buy

Best overall

The Bose Smart Soundbar isn’t the brand’s most advanced model, but it balances cost and performance the best. It offers rich sound, an extensive set of features, and Dolby Atmos support — all at a midrange price. This enables it to serve as a great audio upgrade for even the best TVs.

The Smart Soundbar is a refresh of Bose’s now-discontinued Smart Soundbar 600. It’s physically the same device as the previous model, but it has two new software features: AI Dialogue Mode and the ability to use Bose Ultra Open Earbuds as wireless rear speakers.

The Smart Soundbar can play 5.1.2 channels of audio via its 3.0.2 speaker configuration to spread effects all around your room. This driver array includes two Dolby Atmos up-firing speakers to bounce audio off your ceiling. I was impressed by the Smart Soundbar’s wide sense of sound when watching movies and listening to music. In a moderate-sized living room, its volume is more than powerful enough to encompass viewers and keep them engaged. Even if the content you’re streaming doesn’t support Dolby Atmos, Bose’s TrueSpace processing can up-mix stereo and regular 5.1 surround sound to create a height effect.

The Smart Soundbar includes Bose’s AI Dialogue Mode, which uses a real-time machine-learning algorithm to boost vocals separate from background effects like explosions. I was thoroughly impressed by this Dialogue Mode and ended up leaving it on most of the time. One of the primary reasons people upgrade to a soundbar is to improve the quality of speech when watching TV, and this solution is excellent.

Another cool perk is Bose’s Personal Surround Sound feature. You can connect a pair of Bose Ultra Open Earbuds to use as rear speakers with the soundbar. I tested this while watching “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” and it worked flawlessly. The Ultra Open Earbuds left my ears exposed to hear the soundbar but accentuated the finer surrounding details of laser blasts, engine noise, and explosions. If you happen to already own Bose’s Ultra Open Earbuds, this feature is an interesting bonus, but it’s not compelling enough to be the sole reason to buy those earbuds. I also question whether it’s worth the hassle of wearing earbuds every time you watch a movie.

Beyond playback from your TV via HDMI or optical cable, the Smart Soundbar offers plenty of wireless connection options with WiFi, Bluetooth, Apple AirPlay, Google Chromecast, and Spotify Connect all supported. You can use Bose’s mobile app to start playing music or send songs to the soundbar directly from one of your other devices. Amazon Alexa is also built in for voice control and digital assistant functionality, extending the soundbar’s usefulness beyond just being tethered to a TV.

For more top picks from other brands, check out our guide to all the best soundbars.

Best high-end

The Bose Smart Ultra Soundbar is the best option for movie lovers looking for big sound, robust up-firing Dolby Atmos performance, and a full suite of features. It expands on the Smart Soundbar’s foundation with even more drivers and a larger footprint.

This model delivers 5.1.2 channels of audio via nine integrated speakers and a center tweeter, and I found performance to be deep and expansive, with a wide sound field that seems to extend beyond the bar’s physical size. The results are impressive and rival the home theater quality of similar Dolby Atmos soundbars like the Sonos Arc.

Beyond size and driver count, the most significant feature that separates the Bose Ultra Soundbar from the brand’s cheaper Smart Soundbar is ADAPTiQ calibration, which adjusts the sound profile to your specific room. This makes the biggest impact in oddly shaped spaces or ones with uncommon furniture placements. Be aware that you need to use the included wired microphone headset to complete the calibration process.

For people all in on Bose, the Ultra Soundbar also supports private listening with the company’s headphones and earbuds. These audio devices can be grouped together for late-night binges. Like the Smart Soundbar model, the Ultra Soundbar features Bose’s AI Dialogue Mode to enhance voices if you have trouble hearing them over other sounds.

The Ultra can also play music over WiFi, Bluetooth, AirPlay, Chromecast, and Spotify Connect. Amazon Alexa support is built in for voice control, making this a home theater soundbar and smart speaker in one. Unlike the company’s other soundbars, which only come in black, the Ultra is also available in a white color option, so if aesthetics are important, the Ultra offers a bit more variety.

Best for smaller spaces

The Bose TV Speaker is the brand’s most compact and affordable soundbar. It’s under two feet in length and just over two inches tall, which makes it the best Bose soundbar for people in smaller spaces like an apartment. Despite knowing its dimensions ahead of time, I was still a bit shocked at how compact the unit looked in person.

Though it delivers less rumble and a lower max volume than Bose’s larger models, don’t let the TV Speaker’s small size deceive you. This compact two-channel soundbar is still capable of producing compelling stereo audio via three speaker drivers.

Though the TV Speaker doesn’t have the same bass level or dynamic range as other Bose soundbars, it still delivered a huge upgrade to the speakers built into my smart TV. During testing, the dialogue was clearer, and the overall sound was more evenly balanced. The TV Speaker compares favorably to the Sonos Ray, a similar option that earned a spot in our guide to the best budget soundbars. The TV Speaker is a good alternative to the Ray for people who prefer the Bose brand.

That said, this isn’t the best Bose soundbar to pick if you crave advanced features and big sound for larger spaces. There’s no Dolby Atmos support or WiFI connectivity, for instance. However, it does support Bluetooth, so you can use it to play music from your phone. But be aware: While the TV Speaker does support connecting to a display via HDMI ARC, it doesn’t come with an HDMI cable in the box. It comes with an optical cable instead. Check out our guide to the best HDMI cables if you need a good option.

Best add-on

Bose offers several add-ons for its soundbars, including subwoofers and rear surround speakers. All of these products can enhance your audio experience in meaningful ways, but I recommend you start with the Bose Bass Module 500 if you’re looking for an initial upgrade.

This wireless subwoofer provides a big jump in deep low-frequency performance that will make movies rumble and bring more depth to music. The Bass Module 500 is compatible with all of the best Bose soundbars. Even if you’re pressed for space, the subwoofer connects wirelessly so it can be placed anywhere in the room (though it does need to plug into a power outlet).

Bose also sells a larger Bass Module 700, which offers extra oomph and power, but the more modest 500 unit is no slouch. It greatly enhances the low-end impact of movies when paired with Bose’s smaller TV Speaker and Smart Soundbar, and it even adds a noticeable amount of bass to the larger Ultra Soundbar.

If you’re craving a bit more kick from your Bose soundbar system, this is a worthy upgrade to invest in.

How we test Bose soundbars

To evaluate the best Bose soundbars, I conducted hands-on tests with each of the brand’s current models to get a sense of how they perform individually and in relation to each other. When considering which Bose soundbar works best for different types of people, I focused on audio quality, physical size, connectivity, advanced software features, ease of use, and overall value for the money.

I used each soundbar in different environments, from a bedroom at night to a living room during the day, to get a sense of how each performs in various spaces. I also used a variety of streaming video services to test audio performance when watching the latest blockbusters and classic hits. For models that support Dolby Atmos, I also tested content with that format. I also streamed different songs from a wide range of music genres to get a sense of how the speakers performed for music lovers.

Where possible, I tried to use different connection methods, but in most instances, I stuck with HDMI to get the best-quality audio signal. Similarly, when streaming music, I tested as many connection methods as possible but tried to evaluate the soundbars using the options that offer the highest quality, such as WiFi, when supported.

Bose soundbar FAQs

Can you mount a Bose soundbar to the wall?

The Bose TV Speaker, Smart Soundbar, and Smart Ultra Soundbar can all be wall-mounted with the Bose Soundbar Wall Bracket. The mount costs $39 and is a great option for buyers who don’t have a TV stand that can accommodate a soundbar. If you’re also looking for mounting solutions to hang your display, visit our guide to the best TV wall mounts.

Do Bose soundbars include remotes?

The best Bose soundbars all include dedicated remote controls. This is a nice perk, since some competing brands solely rely on mobile apps or pairing with a TV remote to control their devices.

Can you connect a subwoofer to a Bose soundbar?

All of the best Bose soundbars in this guide are compatible with the Bose Bass Module 500 and 700 subwoofers. Both of these subs can connect to Bose soundbars wirelessly, so you can place them anywhere in the room as long as they can reach a power outlet. If you prefer, you can also connect the subwoofer with a wire.

Buyers interested in soundbar models that already include a subwoofer in the package can check out our guide to the best soundbars with subwoofers.

Can you pair rear satellite speakers to a Bose soundbar?

The Bose Smart Soundbar and Bose Smart Ultra Soundbar both support wireless pairing with the Bose Surround Speakers or Bose Surround Speakers 700.

For speaker and soundbar recommendations that include rear satellites, visit our guide to the best surround sound systems.

Do Bose soundbars support Dolby Atmos?

The Bose Smart Soundbar and Bose Smart Ultra Soundbar both support Dolby Atmos immersive audio. Dolby Atmos is a surround sound format that uses object-based mixing to spread audio effects in all directions, including above your head. Bose’s soundbars use up-firing speaker drivers to bounce audio off the ceiling and back down to your ears.

You can learn more in our Dolby Atmos guide and our roundup of the best Dolby Atmos soundbars.

Can Bose soundbars play DTS audio?

The Bose soundbars in this guide do not support DTS. Instead, they support Dolby and PCM audio formats. This shouldn’t be an issue for most people, as Dolby is the most commonly used format on streaming services and live TV providers.

However, some Blu-ray and 4K Blu-ray discs have DTS audio mixes. In order to hear those tracks through any of the Bose soundbars we recommend, you’ll need to change your Blu-ray player output settings to PCM.

Is Bose better than Sonos?

The best Sonos soundbars compare well to Bose’s top offerings as both lineups offer similar features and capabilities. However, we do give a slight edge to certain options over others.

For those who want premium Dolby Atmos performance, the Sonos Arc Ultra is a more robust device than the Bose Smart Ultra Soundbar, thanks to Sonos’ beefier built-in woofer system.

However, we think the midrange Bose Smart Soundbar has a big edge over the competing Sonos Beam. Bose’s device has up-firing audio drivers to provide Dolby Atmos height effects, while Sonos relies only on audio processing, which isn’t as effective.

On the low end, the budget-friendly Bose TV Speaker and Sonos Ray are extremely similar, with only small differences. We like that the Bose TV Speaker has an HDMI port, which the Ray is missing. On the other hand, the Sonos Ray supports WiFi, while the Bose TV Speaker only has Bluetooth connectivity.

You can put together a wireless multi-room audio system with speakers from either brand, but you can’t mix and match them. Sonos speakers are only compatible with other Sonos devices, and Bose only works with other Bose models. As such, we suggest picking one brand and sticking with it.

What other audio devices does Bose sell?

In addition to soundbars, Bose also sells wireless speakers and headphones. The brand makes some of our favorite over-ear and earbud-style headphones, including the Bose QuietComfort Ultra.

For more details, visit our headphone guides: