The Lifestyle Ultra soundbar is a plug-and-play device. Once you connect it to power and your TV, it’s ready to go. However, you’ll want to download the Bose app and run CustomTune audio calibration as soon as possible to match the soundbar’s output to the acoustics of your living room or home theater space. Of course, if you add the Lifestyle Ultra subwoofer or Lifestyle Ultra speakers to the soundbar, you’ll need to repeat the CustomTune process.
Once all that is done, the Lifestyle Ultra soundbar dramatically improves the sound on your TV. The Up-Firing and PhaseGuide drivers deliver a pleasing level of immersion and dimensional audio, which is evident in shows like Drive to survive And Airbenders. However, the bass output is the most impressive thing about this soundbar. It’s enough that users working in small to medium-sized spaces may not immediately feel the need to add a subwoofer. Even after several weeks of testing, I’m still baffled by the low-end performance when a sound effect demands this part of the frequency range.
This bass is also very evident for music. Sylvan Esso’s “Flood Season” has enough bass for bass guitar riffs and kick drums, while more bass-heavy tracks, like Russian Circles’ “Empath,” maintain tonal depth without getting muddy. I also like the way the center tweeter allows vocals to consistently float above the mix. This makes albums like that of Hayley Williams Death of the ego at a bachelorette party particularly pleasant.
As I mentioned before, Bose allows you to expand your home theater system with the Lifestyle Ultra subwoofer and Lifestyle Ultra speakers. Unless you have a larger space or just want the extra immersion that the rear speakers can provide when watching movies or TV shows, I don’t think either is absolutely necessary here.
The speakers cost $349 each and the sub costs $899, but if you opt for the home theater package or surround sound package (Lifestyle Ultra packages), you can save a few hundred dollars. (Oddly enough, Bose doesn’t offer savings on the Extra Bass Set, which includes the soundbar and subwoofer).
I tested the add-ons one by one. First, I added the Lifestyle Ultra Subwoofer to the soundbar – perhaps the most likely additional purchase for most people. This achieves the obvious result of adding more bass, which might be preferential if you plan on having the Lifestyle Ultra gear do double duty as your primary music setup. But even in my living room, open to the main dining room and kitchen, the soundbar alone was still sufficient for music.
I then added two Lifestyle Ultra speakers as rear units, which I quickly discovered was my favorite way to improve the soundbar’s performance. Since the Lifestyle Ultra soundbar shines in the bass department, its only real flaw is directional audio and overall immersion. Add those two rear speakers and this weakness is corrected, and turning off the subwoofer doesn’t result in much sacrifice in overall output. I only really noticed a big difference in some scenes with really resounding effects, like some parts from the first episode of Airbenders (no spoilers from me).
AirPlay, Google Cast and Spotify Connect are all available on the Lifestyle Ultra soundbar for quick and easy music streaming. You can also opt for Bluetooth, if you prefer, but I find the three methods I’ve mentioned to be more convenient for transferring audio from a phone or laptop to a soundbar.
Gn tech
