Bose has rebranded its midrange Smart Soundbar 600 as simply the “Bose Smart Soundbar.” The size, the sound, and even price ($499) remain the same, but the new model offers an improved AI-powered dialogue mode, plus a wild new option for those who own the company’s Bose Open Ultra Earbuds: surround sound without surround speakers. It’s available starting September 18 from bose.com.
Bose’s AI Dialogue Mode debuted on the Bose Smart Soundbar Ultra, and its machine learning-based algorithm lets the soundbar automatically adjust tonal balance in real time when it detects speech in an audio stream for clarity. This creates more separation between voices and background sound effects.
But from an innovation point of view, Bose Personal Surround Sound is the most interesting aspect of the new Bose Smart Soundbar. That’s the name Bose has given to the ability to pair a set of Bose Open Ultra Earbuds to the soundbar, which lets the earbuds receive the same left/right surround channels that would otherwise be processed by the bar itself, or sent wirelessly to a set of Bose Surround Speakers.
Because the Open Ultra Earbuds use an open-ear design, the wearer can hear both the soundbar and the earbuds at the same time. Bose Personal Surround Sound will eventually be offered as an update to the Bose Smart Soundbar Ultra. Tech Reader asked a Bose spokesperson if the company planned to enable Personal Surround Sound on the existing Smart Soundbar 600. “We’re always looking at ways we can expand product functionality for our existing customers,” we were told via email, but Bose didn’t have any specific info to share regarding the 600.
While it might not make sense to buy the $299 Open Ultra Earbuds just for this purpose, if you already own them — or have been considering them — you may be able to save yourself $100 (the Bose Surround Speakers cost $399).
The rebranding continues Bose’s move away from number-oriented model names. The company has already discontinued its smallest smart soundbar — the Smart Soundbar 300 — and rebranded the Smart Soundbar 900 as the Bose Smart Soundbar Ultra, leaving just two Wi-Fi connected soundbars in the company’s home theater portfolio. The Bose TV Speaker is the company’s non-Wi-Fi option.
The Bose Smart Soundbar maintains Dolby Atmos compatibility, helped by its built-in up-firing drivers, and it enjoys excellent wireless streaming support thanks to AirPlay 2, Google Cast (formerly Chromecast built-in), Alexa Cast, and Bluetooth. You can use it as an Amazon Alexa smart speaker, and it’s compatible with Google Assistant.
