Bose Home Speaker 500 With Alexa Voice Control Built-in Review
Bose Home Speaker 500 review
Killer sound comes at a killer toll.
Incredible audio
Works with Alexa and Google Assistant
Striking design with colour display
So. Damn. Expensive.
The smart speaker spectrum is a pretty wide one when it comes to everything from price to audio quality. On the 1 side, at that place'due south the ultra-affordable Amazon Echo Dot that you tin grab from less than $lx. Is it the best sounding thing in the world? No, simply information technology gets the job done. However, if sound is important to you, Bose has the other end of the spectrum well and truly covered.
I've spent the final few weeks with far too many smart speakers, and I tin say that the Bose Dwelling Speaker 500 is without a doubt the best smart speaker currently on the marketplace. There's just one problem - the price.
Bose Home Speaker 500 toll
Even higher than the model number.
I take to wonder if Bose naming this speaker the Home Speaker 500 was a witting choice to prepare potential buyers for its price, which only so happens to start with the same number. Yep, this bad male child will set yous back $599.95. Information technology'south plenty to put a lot of people off, but keep in mind this is Bose we're talking about. Cheap and cheerful isn't their thing - booming audio and high-stop hardware, on the other hand, is.
That said, in that location'southward no getting around the fact that it'south definitely 1 of the most expensive smart speakers on the market, with the average price of the speakers nosotros tested hovering around the $200 mark.
Bose Domicile Speaker 500 sound quality
Unbeatable.
The just mode Bose could get away with that spicy price tag would be to pull out something amazing in the audio department, which thankfully, they've done.
The Bose Home Speaker 500 features two custom drivers pointing in reverse directions, meaning audio can bounciness off walls and fill a infinite with ease. It'due south non a true 360-degree speaker array, just for its performance, it might also exist. The bass on Kittenish Gambino's 'Redbone' is rich and booming from all corners of the room, while melodies are make clean, crisp and detailed.
Even with the book turned upward as loud equally I could maybe have information technology (my neighbours honey me), the audio quality didn't diminish noticeably, although information technology wasn't quite as crisp as it is at a normal human volume. Where the Bose Home Speaker 500 really shines is in the mids and trebles, with fantastic dynamics creating the perfect sound song afterwards song.
Bose Domicile Speaker 500 blueprint
What a looker.
I tested the Lux Silver variant of the Bose Dwelling Speaker 500 (information technology also comes in Triple Black), which sports a beautiful, seamless matte silvery aluminium grille, disrupted in the front only by the color LCD, which displays what's currently playing, or, if nothing's playing, the time. At the back, y'all'll discover 2 inputs - one for the ability adapter, and one aux-in. Long live the aux cable.
On top of the speaker, you'll discover a bunch of impact controls for when you lot feel like giving Alexa a interruption. From there, you can play and intermission audio, increment or decrease the volume and mute the microphone (if you're paranoid about your smart assistant dropping in on your convos). From the Bose app, you can likewise programme the six numbered buttons to different playlists and radio stations.
In that location's no doubtfulness about it, it's a prissy looking speaker with a pattern that can both blend in and stand out. Information technology is a trivial on the heavy side, weighing in at a hefty 2.15kg, but that'south to be expected given its size and volume output.
Bose Home Speaker 500 smart assistant
Best of both worlds.
Tin can't make up one's mind betwixt Alexa or Google Banana? Why non have both? The Bose Dwelling house Speaker 500 has both pop AI companions built-in, so you tin can enable either one. Their abilities are pretty similar on the surface, but there are a few notable differences between the two.
Firstly, some music services aren't available on one or the other. For a full breakdown of which assistant tin can exercise what, check out the tabular array beneath.
| App | Google Assistant | Alexa |
|---|---|---|
| Spotify | | |
| Apple Music | | |
| Amazon Music | | |
| YouTube Music | | |
| iHeartRadio | | |
| TuneIn | | |
| Audible | | |
| Pandora | | |
| Deezer | | |
That said, there are ways to get your assistant to play music streaming services for which information technology doesn't support voice control, and you tin play pretty much anything through AirPlay (iPhone) or by casting (Android).
Secondly, there's the question of who's smarter. While Alexa is swell for shopping requests (what would you expect from an Amazon AI?), Google is by far the best when information technology comes to general knowledge inquiries like, "Who'south the lead singer of Lime Cordiale?", since your request will undergo a more intensive search rather than just scanning a Wikipedia page (*cough* Alexa *coughing*).
Bose Home Speaker 500 features
Proficient connectivity and a strong app.
Smart speakers typically offer you one of ii options when it comes to connectivity - WiFi just (similar Sonos and Apple HomePod) or both WiFi and Bluetooth. Thankfully, the Bose Home Speaker 500 falls into the latter category, meaning you can have mates drop in to play DJ without having to brand certain they're on the same Wi-Fi network as the speaker.
At that place'due south also the Bose Music app. Manufacturer-produced companion apps tend to exist pretty hit and miss, only this ane is absolutely a hit. The user interface is sleek and like shooting fish in a barrel to use, no affair if you're choosing tracks, adjusting the bass or treble or adding another Bose Dwelling speaker to your collection.
Is it worth it?
If you've got cash to burn.
I love the Bose Abode Speaker 500. Honestly, information technology'south a fantastic sounding speaker with some groovy features, plus it looks bloody gorgeous. Simply I have a hard time recommending a speaker - no matter how skilful it sounds - for such a budget-busting toll. Information technology'southward certainly worth a few hundred bucks, but at well-nigh $600, unless y'all're a real audiophile or have a bottomless wallet, you'd be better off buying multiple smaller (and cheaper) smart speakers for a multi-room feel.
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Source: https://www.reviews.org/au/smart-home/bose-home-speaker-500-review/
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