Bose has a reputation for being good at what they do. I don’t know personally, it’s just what I have heard. Having never owned anything from them myself, I was very curious to get my hands on the ‘Bose Lifestyle Ultra Speaker’ to really see what all the buzz was about, since I am constantly chasing good audio to enhance my music listening obsession lately
On first appearances, the Lifestyle Ultra Speaker is not particularly a statement piece. Nothing about it *looks* too lavish. It’s simple and clean. Also available in the colour White Smoke, this black unit is pill-shaped in the base and stands about 18.5cm in height
Made in a very solid plastic casing, making it weigh a whopping 1.66kg, the acoustic cloth that wraps around the front is thick but airy enough to deliver sound while protecting the inners from dust and debris
Here you will find the Bose logo front and centre. Being solid in weight, this speaker is not going anywhere when you place it down, making it safer from little wandering hands, but it is powered by a cable, so you are limited to access to a power point.The top surface is where you will find all the controls. They are nestled into the surface with a smaller speaker circle insert, making for a sleek look
Minimalistic in design, the only controls on a surface level you will need to worry about are the play/pause/Media button with a forward and back button on either side in a circle indented dugout, and a mute (which also mutes the internal mic), home and Bluetooth connect button just above the mini speaker insert
The circle cutout is also purposeful as you run your finger around the outside rim to turn the volume up or down on its touch controls. At the back, you also have an AUX port for us, retros, if that is your connecting preference. Worked well with my vinyl player, too
Accompanying the Bose Lifestyle Ultra Speaker is a easy to use and practical mobile app. Here you can set up surround sound if you have two, a home theatre if you have a soundbar or, in this case, because we only have a singular speaker, do updates and have general control of your audio from this device. The app also has a very handy tutorial and walkthrough that I would highly suggest using.
You can add Alexa voice commands, but I would definitely prefer they extend that reach to Google products (I know not a single person in my Australian tech community that uses Alexa), but you CAN ‘Google Cast’, meaning you can share movies or music to your Google Home. Regardless, these are cool features
Here, you can also adjust the trebles, mids and bass, even the height levels of sound. Having this so readily available at the blink of an eye and at a fingertip just from reaching for your phone. Each has a very clear audible difference for each listening need
Now, this is a speaker I tested in a few different scenarios. It might be hefty in weight, but it is quite portable in an indoor environment. I took it around the house to a few different places. Each time the sound was delivered with precision and a real crispness
Anything with dialogue was vibrant in clarity as you increase those trebles, the bass slapped all the way up to 10 for songs like Darude’s ‘Sandstorm’, and mids were great for battles and dragon flight as I nestled into the couch to watch ‘House of the Dragon’
It recommends not using the speaker alone with a T.V. due to latency and lip syncing issues, but I found it fine when you cast T.V. shows from your phone to a big screen
Whether it be a relaxing bath with some music, connected to Netflix to deliver sound for a movie in the lounge, listening to a podcast while cleaning or listening to a recipe in the kitchen, this is a great little speaker for delivering audio
The bass is strong, punchy and impactful in an enclosed room with surrounding sounds precise; it’s a very enjoyable listening experience. Unfortunately, and it’s a big flaw, it is only limited by where you can place it for a power
This speaker also has a set of accessories available online too, not provided with this review unit. Wall brackets and speaker stands are available to elevate your audio experience atBoseif that is what you are looking for
The Bose Lifestyle Ultra Speaker IS expensive for only one, clocking in at AUD$545.95 on theBose Website. While I don’t particularly think I could justify the price for one, and I don’t even know why it is sold singularly, I certainly would recommend doubling your money and getting a pair for surround sound if you are going to drop a bag.The quality of sound is that good that I feel a surround sound set would be much more beneficial
