- Gorgeous sound
- Architectural design
- Works best in a team
Some speakers, no matter how excellent they are, just aren’t made to be on their own. The Bose Lifestyle Ultra Speaker is exactly that. Despite having some of the best, and most balanced sound out of any speaker we’ve tested, some aspects like the bass and sound stage are lacking when it is all alone.
This makes total sense; the Lifestyle Ultra isn’t really meant to be a sole trader. Like any home audio set-up, it is made to complement a twin, a soundbar, and perhaps even a subwoofer or two. Testing the audio, you can hear where these would make the most difference. Despite having wonderful depth and clarity, the bass doesn’t thump on its own. Adding a subwoofer would add the resonance the lone speaker is missing.
Similarly, the sound stage and directionality are pretty good with the one speaker - it rivals some headphones I’ve tested where the audio is already technically coming from two spots - but it is really only a glimpse of what you could achieve with another speaker to complete the duo.
If you’re looking to start, or upgrade your home audio experience, then a pair of these will do a lot of heavy lifting, but I can’t blame you if the price gives you pause. Retailing for $545.95 for one speaker, balling out for two straight away is a big ask. Especially when you could buy a pair of Sonos Era 100s for the same price. Obviously the Era 100s are significantly older, but they are still near the front of the pack when it comes to experiential audio.
Similar to Sonos speakers, the Lifestyle Ultra includes plenty of wireless connectivity options. You can connect via Bluetooth, use Apple AirPlay, Cast from Google devices, and connect via WiFi and the Bose App. You can even control it using Alexa.
Bose does have Sonos beat on the design front. Despite still looking like a speaker, the wrap-around front panel and sleek curves of the speaker are gorgeous. It is a welcome change from the usual square or round, meshed blob that most speakers take on. I don’t love the seamless buttons, which need more pressure than a touchscreen but don’t have the tactile feedback of an actual button, but I can understand why Bose made that decision. Having physical and clicky buttons would look strange against the architectural look of the Lifestyle Ultra. All up, it is a design that is made to be seen, so you’ll be less tempted to try and hide this speaker along with all your cables.
Buying a $500 speaker can be nail-biting enough, but if you’re considering the Bose Lifestyle Ultra Speaker then I implore you to throw caution to the wind and buy two instead. Having a pair will bypass the narrow sound stage, and instead throw you into an immersive audio experience. You won’t jump straight to surround sound, but if that is what you’re working towards, then the Lifestyle Ultra will set you up for success.
We've spent enough time with this product to piece together our thoughts, but not enough time to put it through our official testing process. We've got a good sense of what is good, what could be improved, and whether it is worth your money, but we're not assigning a score to this one.
Anula Wiwatowska
Offsite Editorial Lead | Instagram
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