Bose’s 5 Soundbars: 3 List Dolby Atmos, Wi-Fi and Alexa

Bose’s US store lists five soundbars, and they split three and two. The Lifestyle Ultra Soundbar, Smart Ultra Soundbar and Smart Soundbar decode Dolby Atmos with upward-firing drivers, connect over HDMI eARC, stream over Wi-Fi and have Alexa; the TV Speaker and TV Speaker (2nd Gen) connect over HDMI ARC or optical, stream over Bluetooth only and have no voice assistant.

Among the three Atmos bars, the clearest split for anyone planning to add speakers is the add-ons: one of the three uses its own surround speakers and subwoofer. That is the Lifestyle Ultra; the Smart Ultra and Smart Soundbar (affiliate link to Amazon, opens in a new tab) take Bose’s Surround Speakers and Bass Modules.

The five soundbars side by side

From the Technical Specifications, FAQ and box lists on each bar’s page on bose.com, read 31 October 2026, with the comparison table on Bose’s soundbar listing for speaker counts, ADAPTiQ and room size.

	Lifestyle Ultra Soundbar	Smart Ultra Soundbar	Smart Soundbar	TV Speaker (2nd Gen)	TV Speaker
Dolby Atmos	Yes, up-firing	Yes, two up-firing	Yes, up-firing	Not listed	No
Bose’s channel label	5.1.2; 7.1.4 with add-ons	None given	None given; “5.1” with add-ons	None given	None given
Speakers, per Bose’s table	9 and center tweeter	9 and center tweeter	5 and center tweeter	Left, right and center tweeter	3
TV connection	HDMI eARC; optical not stated	HDMI eARC, optical	HDMI eARC, optical	HDMI ARC, optical	HDMI ARC, optical
Cable in the box	HDMI	HDMI eARC and optical	HDMI and optical	HDMI	Optical
Streaming	Wi-Fi (AirPlay 2, Google Cast, Spotify Connect), Bluetooth 5.3	Wi-Fi (AirPlay 2, Chromecast, Spotify Connect), Bluetooth	Wi-Fi (AirPlay 2, Chromecast, Spotify Connect), Bluetooth	Bluetooth	Bluetooth
Voice assistant	Alexa	Alexa built in; works with Google	Alexa built in; Google, see below	None	None
Room tuning	CustomTune (phone)	ADAPTiQ (headset in box)	None	None	None
Remote in the box	No, uses the TV remote over HDMI-CEC	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Width	43.3 in	41.1 in	27.3 in	23.5 in	23.4 in
Weight	14.3 lb	12.7 lb	6.9 lb	4.4 lb	4.3 lb

The Smart Soundbar’s product page says Google Assistant comes through a separate Google Home device, while its Bose Support specification lists “Google Assistant (Built In)”.

Prices on Bose’s US store

Read 31 October 2026. Where Bose showed a sale, the struck-through price is the list price.

Soundbar	List price	Bose price, 31 Oct
Lifestyle Ultra Soundbar	$1,099	$899
Smart Ultra Soundbar	$999	$679
Smart Soundbar	$549	$549
TV Speaker (2nd Gen)	$299	$299
TV Speaker	$279	$199

Black Friday is 27 November. With the sales above, the original TV Speaker cost less than its successor on 31 October. The two Smart bars were $130 apart.

The three Atmos bars

Lifestyle Ultra Soundbar (affiliate link to Amazon, opens in a new tab). Bose calls it “our most powerful and immersive soundbar yet” and labels it 5.1.2, rising to 7.1.4 with compatible surrounds and a subwoofer. It is the one of the five tuned with CustomTune, which uses a phone’s microphone, and the one with no IR remote in the box: Bose says it relies on HDMI-CEC and the TV’s remote. Its add-ons are its own, below. Bose says Atmos plays from the bar alone, through upward-firing height speakers, and that a pair of Lifestyle Ultra Speakers is what adds sound from behind.

Smart Ultra Soundbar (affiliate link to Amazon, opens in a new tab). Nine speakers, two of them upward-firing, with A.I. Dialogue Mode and ADAPTiQ calibration, whose headset ships in the box. Bose says it takes one or two wireless Bass Modules, if two are the same model, and its Surround Speakers. Its page also lists Personal Surround with Bose’s Ultra Open Earbuds, the name Bose uses there without a generation. How its upward-firing drivers differ from virtual height is in our explainer on Atmos height channels.

Smart Soundbar. At 27.3 inches it is the narrowest of the three, with five speakers and upward-firing transducers, A.I. Dialogue Mode and no ADAPTiQ. Bose says it takes a wireless Bose bass module and surround speakers “to get even more performance and a full 5.1 experience”, and that Personal Surround with the Ultra Open Earbuds works for one listener. It is the Bose bar on our soundbar shortlist, where outlet scores for it range widely.

All three list eARC. Streaming Atmos plays over ordinary ARC on many TVs, while lossless Atmos needs eARC at both ends, as our ARC and eARC explainer sets out; Bose recommends eARC for the Lifestyle Ultra.

Subwoofers and surrounds: which fits which

From each bar’s FAQ and the compatibility lists on Bose’s add-on pages, read 31 October 2026.

	Subwoofer Bose names	Surround speakers Bose names
Lifestyle Ultra Soundbar (affiliate link to Amazon, opens in a new tab)	Lifestyle Ultra Subwoofer (wireless or wired); Bass Module 700 by wire	A pair of Lifestyle Ultra Speakers
Smart Ultra Soundbar (affiliate link to Amazon, opens in a new tab)	Bass Module 500 or 700, wireless; up to two of one model	Bose Surround Speakers
Smart Soundbar (affiliate link to Amazon, opens in a new tab)	“A wireless Bose bass module”; sold in a set with the Bass Module 500	“Wireless Bose surround speakers”; sold in a set with the Surround Speakers
TV Speaker (2nd Gen)	None named	None named
TV Speaker	Bass Module 500 or 700, by wire only	None; Bose says no

Add-on	List price	Bose price, 31 Oct
Lifestyle Ultra Subwoofer	$899	$849
Lifestyle Ultra Speaker (each)	$349	$349
Bass Module 700	$899	$699
Bass Module 500	$549	$549
Bose Surround Speakers	$399	$399

Bose says the Lifestyle Ultra Soundbar is not compatible with Bose’s earlier surround speakers, and the Bass Module 500 page says the same of that sub. An owner of a Smart-series system moving to the Lifestyle Ultra can keep a Bass Module 700, by wire, but not the surrounds.

Bose’s add-on pages do not all agree with the Smart Soundbar’s. Its own FAQ and Bose’s set listings pair it with a bass module and surrounds, but the compatibility lists on the Surround Speakers, Bass Module 500 and Bass Module 700 pages do not name it. Whether a bar needs a sub at all is what our subwoofer explainer works through from makers’ figures.

The two TV Speakers

Both are compact Bluetooth bars with Dialogue Mode, HDMI ARC with CEC, and an optical input. The 2nd Gen has what Bose calls a refreshed, rounded design, angled left and right speakers and a center tweeter for speech, and ships with an HDMI cable; its optical cable is not included. The original ships with an optical cable and no HDMI cable. Bose says the original takes a Bass Module 500 or 700 by wire and no surround speakers; the 2nd Gen page names no bass module.

Who each one suits, by the specs

• A TV with eARC, and plans for Lifestyle Ultra Speakers or its subwoofer: the Lifestyle Ultra Soundbar.
• Atmos with room calibration, and room for two subs or Bose’s Surround Speakers: the Smart Ultra Soundbar.
• Atmos and Alexa under a smaller TV: the Smart Soundbar, at 27.3 inches.
• A plain HDMI or optical bar with Bluetooth and no Wi-Fi: either TV Speaker; the original if you want to add a Bass Module later.

Questions people ask

What is the difference between the Bose Smart Soundbar and the Smart Ultra Soundbar?

Size, speaker count and room tuning. The Smart Ultra is about 41 inches wide with nine speakers and ADAPTiQ room calibration, with its headset in the box. The Smart Soundbar is about 27 inches wide with five speakers and no ADAPTiQ. Both decode Dolby Atmos with upward-firing drivers and have Alexa built in.

What is the difference between the Bose Lifestyle Ultra Soundbar and the Smart Ultra Soundbar?

Bose calls the Lifestyle Ultra its most powerful soundbar and labels it 5.1.2. It uses its own add-ons, Lifestyle Ultra Speakers and the Lifestyle Ultra Subwoofer, and is not compatible with Bose Surround Speakers. It tunes with CustomTune through a phone, and has no IR remote in the box.

Does the Bose TV Speaker support Dolby Atmos?

No. Bose’s comparison table lists Dolby Atmos as No for the TV Speaker, and the TV Speaker (2nd Gen) page does not mention Atmos. Of Bose’s five current soundbars, the Lifestyle Ultra, Smart Ultra and Smart Soundbar decode it.

Can I add a subwoofer to the Bose TV Speaker?

The original TV Speaker, yes: Bose says a Bass Module 500 or 700 connects by wire, with a Bose connection cable or a standard 3.5 mm cable. Bose says it cannot take surround speakers. The TV Speaker (2nd Gen) page names no bass module.

Which Bose surround speakers work with the Lifestyle Ultra Soundbar?

A pair of Lifestyle Ultra Speakers. Bose says the Lifestyle Ultra Soundbar is not compatible with its earlier Surround Speakers or Surround Speakers 700, and the Bass Module 500 page says it does not work with this bar either.

Which Bose soundbars have Alexa?

The Lifestyle Ultra, Smart Ultra and Smart Soundbar. Bose says the Lifestyle Ultra is ready for Alexa+ in the US. Neither TV Speaker has a voice assistant: Bose answers “No” for the 2nd Gen and lists no built-in voice control for the original.

Do Bose soundbars have HDMI eARC?

The three Atmos bars do. Bose lists eARC for the Lifestyle Ultra, Smart Ultra and Smart Soundbar, and recommends eARC over ARC on the Lifestyle Ultra. Both TV Speakers connect over HDMI ARC or optical.