Engadget review finds Bose Lifestyle Ultra Speaker best suited for home theatre integration
The $299 speaker offers strong midrange clarity and Alexa+ support, but connectivity hurdles and restrained bass make it a weaker standalone competitor to Sonos and Denon.
Engadget has published a review of the Bose Lifestyle Ultra Speaker, a $299 device that the publication concludes is most effective when integrated into a complete Bose home theatre system rather than used as a standalone unit. The review highlights the speaker’s compact, pill-shaped design and strong midrange clarity, while noting that its bass output remains restrained compared to rivals.
The device features three drivers, including an up-firing unit for TrueSpatial immersive audio, and supports Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, AirPlay, and Google Cast. Notably, Bose is the first manufacturer to support Alexa+ on non-Echo devices, with the Lifestyle Ultra Speaker among the compatible products. The reviewer noted that while the voice assistant integration is robust, users preferring other assistants must disable the microphone.
During testing, the reviewer encountered initial connectivity issues when attempting to pair two units for stereo output. Sound from the second speaker was delayed and unresponsive until a 15-second power cycle resolved the problem. Although the pair eventually functioned, a minor sync delay persisted when resuming playback, though the audio remained perfectly aligned once both units started.
Bose advises against using the 3.5mm aux port or Bluetooth for television audio due to latency and lip-sync issues. Instead, the speaker is designed to function as rear surround speakers for the Lifestyle Ultra Soundbar, which is part of a new trio of Wi-Fi-connected devices from the company. The reviewer was unable to test the speaker’s performance with a turntable due to a lack of a requisite RCA adapter.
In the broader market context, the speaker is compared against competitors such as the Sonos Era 100, priced at $219, and the Denon Home 200, which retails for $399. The review positions the Bose unit as less competitive for standalone use than these rivals, suggesting that while it offers refined design and clear vocals, it performs best as part of a cohesive Bose ecosystem.
