Customer Ratings & Reviews

Love the fact that the speakers sync together from different rooms. It’s like I have surround sound throughout my house. Or having the music live

Well people already know when you hear Bose is sound quality. Not bad at all but it lacks some other sounds as I was looking for more cinematic/theater sound. Honestly it’s too expensive in a way that with that price on the soundbar 500 and Bass 500 you can get something better and more completed as for surround sound. I got the new Vizio Elevate 5.1.4 and let me tell you by far on sound it’s way better but the app needs to be improved.

No complaints here I love this sound bar. It works for me. After getting use to it I made it work for me. I could feel the bass in my heart YES...

The first thing that catches your eye on the Bose soundbar 500, is the low profile and how sleek it is. It has a very classy look to it that screams, high quality. The construction of the unit is also very good, it’s constructed of premium material and the design is flawless. A nice thing about this sound bar, is the low profile. It’s not as bulky and wide, like a lot of sound bars on the market. This is especially useful if you’re limited with space. Then there’s the wireless subwoofer, this is a remarkable product on it’s own. Together, they both look really amazing. The main sound bar unit comes packed with an HDMI cord, remote control, sound calibrator headset and power cord. The set up is very simple, it guides you through with very thorough directions. All you need is a smart phone with either Google play store, or the Apple app store - to download the app. Through this app, you will be able to adjust the settings of the sound bar, as well as select your music. My only disappointment with this, is the streaming serves that are offered in the Bose Music app. While Airplay 2 is scheduled to come out sometime in 2019, that still leaves other services out, like Google music and Tidal. You can still connect through bluetooth, to play those, you just won’t be able to select music through the Bose app. The Soundbar 500 comes equipped with Amazon’s Alexa built in. The voice control works great, and I had no problem getting her to understanding me. With the built-in wireless internet, you can ask Alexa for simple things, like weather, sports updates etc… The sounder actually has 3 ways to connect to your devices; HDMI, optical, or bluetooth. Now for the main part, the sound and performance. The first thing I tested out, was music streaming. I tried both streaming from the Bose app with Amazon music, as well as bluetooth connection with iTunes. The sound quality is amazing, to say the least. The vocals come through crystal clear, and with the added wireless subwoofer, the bass is smooth and deep. The next source I tried, was watching a movie and TV. Again, the sound is incredible! Very clear, no distortion and very loud. Bose really seemed to master the way the acoustics are angled. The way the sound bounces off the wall and beam forms behind you, really gives you a sense of true surround sound. Overall, this soundbar is fantastic, with both build quality and sound. While the Bose music app lacks a few features, you can still use them through bluetooth. So, this does not hinder the overall performance of the soundbar. With the added feature of Alexa, this soundbar is a home run, and I would definitely recommend this to anyone.

Awesome soundbar would purchase one again . Its nice

I think I have too many Sound Bars. Good problem to have. I have one connected to every TV and used the Bose to replace a 4 year Polk Sound Bar. The difference is night and day. I paired this with the coordinating bass module and will review that separately. I will break this review down to 4 categories; setup, Alexa, TV sound and music. First, the setup was easy. The included paper instructions are pretty useless, just download the Bose app and set it up through that, very easy. I used the included HDMI cable to connect to the ARC input on my Hisense TV and plugged it in and then set the TV to the new speaker...done. The whole setup took under 10 minutes. Next I started using the Alexa functions. The mic's on this speaker are fantastic. They pick up my voice very well while playing music or the TV. There is also no annoying sound effect every time I say "Alexa" (looking at you Sonos). Like all non Amazon Alexa devices, you cannot change the wake word. This would be a game changer for me. I have way too many Alexa and changing the wake words would be very helpful. I can however, tell my Sonos one to turn on my Bose or adjust the volume so it works perfectly. For now I have disabled the mic on the Bose and use other devices to control it via Alexa. The other reason for this is that I have found that the Bose volume moves around on it's own. I can set the volume to one but then if i start watching TV then fall asleep, the alarm will wake up the neighborhood in the morning. I also love that because this connects via the ARC connection on my TV, I can tell Alexa to turn on Bose and it will turn on the tv as well. Fantastic. Sound for watching TV is fantastic. It is easy to make sound adjustments on the Bose app to get it right where you want it. It fills the room with clear sound at all volumes. For such a slim speaker, I was really impressed by the sound, but I guess I should expect that from a Bose product. Sound for music is great as well. My old sound bar sounded terrible when playing music on it, not the case with the Bose. The Airplay 2 update that is coming in 2019 will be a great addition as well. Since you cannot do multiroom audio with Alexa devices of different brands, Airplay fixes that issue. My only gripe is a small one. I wanted to mount the speaker but it does not have built in mounting holes nor an included bracket. I had to spend $40 on the Bose bracket which is about $20 more than it should be. No biggie, it's mounted now and I love it!

When my old HDTV suddenly died, it also killed every device that was connected to its HDMI ports -- including my Sony STR-DH590 receiver. So, when I replaced my HDTV with a new TCL 49 inch 4K UHD TV, I thought about reducing my home theater clutter by replacing my 5.1 surround receiver setup with a new soundbar. This review is based on the Bose 500 Soundbar paired with the optional wireless Bose Bass Module 500 Subwoofer. This is my first soundbar and I was a little skeptical about it being able to match the sound produced by a true 5.1 system. For me, the 3 most important things for a home theater sound system are: 1. Vocal Clarity 2. The low rumble and thumping bass associated with Movie Theater like ambiance 3. Surround Sound effects that envelop you The soundbar has a low profile (only 1.75 inches tall) and was compact (31.5 inches wide) so it easily fit underneath my TV’s built-in stand. It did slightly obstruct the IR sensor on my TV so I now have to point at it at a higher angle for the TV to respond to my remote. I noticed that the soundbar has an IR connector in the back but I don’t know what it’s used for. I was hoping that it is some sort of IR repeater so it can pass along IR signals to any components that are blocked behind the soundbar but the IR cable (from some other equipment that I had) that I tried did not seem to work for this purpose. Maybe it needs a different type of IR cable for this to work. Setup was very easy. I connected the soundbar to my TV’s HDMI ARC port and plugged in the power adapter. I then installed the Bose Music app on my tablet and followed the instructions to setup and calibrate the soundbar using the included ADAPTiQ headphone. I first tested the soundbar without the bass module. The first thing I noticed was the extreme clarity of vocals. I can easily hear and understand the dialog from TV shows and movies. So, the soundbar by itself satisfies my first requirement for a home theater sound system. By itself, I thought the soundbar had decent bass but it didn’t give off that “movie theater” experience that I like. I then proceeded to set up the subwoofer. To do this, I plugged the subwoofer to an AC outlet and used the Bose Music App to add it to the soundbar. It detected the Bass Module 500 Subwoofer and I was able to easily paired it with the soundbar. I like that it is wireless so we can place the subwoofer at any convenient place. After pairing, the app reported that I had a Bass Module 700 instead of the Bass Module 500. That’s weird. I tried to redo everything by removing all accessory speakers and attempted to add the Bass Module 500 again but the same thing happened. The app keeps reporting that I have a Bass Module 700 after pairing. It probably doesn’t make much difference but I was worried that it might not calibrate the system correctly if it thought I had the more powerful 700 instead of the 500 paired to the soundbar. Anyway, after adding the subwoofer, I recalibrated the system again and now I hear movie theater-like bass being pumped out! It feels like I’m watching movies in a movie theater. The subwoofer made a huge difference for me. At loud settings it has enough oomph to annoy neighbors but at normal settings it offers deep and smooth bass that is not overpowering. The combination provides crystal clear sound with exceptional vocal clarity and the low rumble and thumping bass of watching movies in a theater but I did not get a good surround sound effect. With my prior discrete 5.1 system, I would hear sound coming from all around me but I did not experience this with the soundbar. As a smart assistant, the Bose Soundbar 500 gets my highest rating. It’s voice recognition and detection is fantastic as I would expect from a company with years of experience in sound research. From my limited experience, it has the best voice recognition of all the smart speakers (both Alexa and Google Home Assistant) that I own. It’s so sensitive that it usually responds to my commands even when I am physically closer and speaking to another smart speaker in an adjacent room. I did notice a quirk where the volume level which Alexa responds with can fluctuate a bit where it sometimes responds at a higher volume than it did earlier. Using Alexa to listen to my music and podcasts is really satisfying on the Bose Soundbar 500. Music generally sounds great although I think the bass produced is better suited for movies than some genres of music. It has a kind of boomy quality instead of being tight. The bass also seems more noticeable when playing music compared to watching movies. Overall the Bose Soundbar 500 and Bose Bass Module 500 is a great home theater sound system for those who do not have the space for a true 5.1 surround sound setup. It is able to produce crystal clear audio with exceptional voice clarity along with the muscle to produce room thumping bass and the low rumble ambiance of a movie theater. The only weakness is that I did not experience good surround sound effects with this setup. The ability to produce good surround sound effects from a Bose soundbar might depend on the room layout because Bose speakers use sound reflection off walls to enhance the experience. I think with a smaller living room or different layout there might be a more noticeable surround effect. I like the sound quality, simplicity, compactness, and convenience of the Bose Soundbar 500 so much that I will probably go out and add their Surround Speakers to try and rectify the lack of surround sound effects.

I got this Bose Soundbar 500 and the Bose Module 500 in the mail approximately 2 months ago and couldn't be more excited about it. My husband and I highly value great quality audio products, such as speakers, subwoofers, headphones and bluetooth earpieces. Sound quality is what matters the most for us when it comes to make a decision what brand to buy. We have owned many different brands of speakers and surround sound systems, from really inexpensive ones to some that cost 10K for a speaker system from Martin Logan. Most of the economic ones I ended up returning because we didn't like the sound quality. I have a good ear for music and most regular speakers just can't deliver the richness of a sound or note musical instruments produce. Although, we were very happy with our Martin Logan speakers but only till we had to move to another state. Extremely bulky, too many pieces and lots of wires. Some pieces also got damaged during the move and the whole process was very costly. Later we had to move again and decided that we don't want to keep moving or shipping it and sold it for a fraction of the price we paid. Then my husband said that it would have been so much better and easier if we had a single speaker with a subwoofer instead of the surround sound system we had and that someone recommended him to get Bose. We are big fans of Bose products. We have owned a bluetooth earpiece and over the ear headphones that are now about 8 years old and still functioning perfectly. We compared those Bose headphones to Beats headphones before purchasing and the sound quality just was so much better. Also the bluetooth earpiece was the only one where people on the other line of a phone call could hear you clearly in a noisy environment, such as a mall or a busy street. We were so excited about this new sound system when it came out and we are happy we got it. Everything was nice about it, even the packaging. When I got the boxes, my husband wasn't home and I just could not wait to open it and try the speaker and the subwoofer together. I'm not a techie person in general and I don't really know how to set up speakers. So, I took my time to read the instructions in the manual before doing anything and did as it said there. It's important to study the manual well before testing any electronics to avoid any unintentional damage, especially if that piece of electronic is expensive. The whole set up took me about half an hour without any rush. Anyone can do it, just read the instructions and follow the steps. I was very pleased with the design of the product: it's very elegant, sleek and blends in well in any environment. I was also pretty impressed how compact it was. The speaker is not very big itself: about 2 inches high and a little less than 32 inches long and weights 7 pounds. If we have to move again, we can easily fit it in a suitcase together with the subwoofer. Very convenient. When I finally tested the sound quality, it blew my mind! I connected it to my phone via bluetooth and put some songs to play that I found on YouTube. That was impressive. The speaker is in the living room and it's very spacious with high ceilings, open kitchen, a hall and still it sounds so powerful and as if there is a whole surround sound system. Probably because in this speaker sound comes out not only on the front but on the sides too. Very sophisticated design. The sound quality is impeccable and the bass is pretty powerful, especially together with the subwoofer. I don't even put all the volume up much because I live on the 3rd floor and don't want to get any complaints from the neighbors below. We mostly use this sound system for playing music during the day and for watching movies, series or shows at night on our projector. It' a lot better than a TV, more impressive. This is a smart speaker too, it can be voice-controlled with Alexa and it can also automatically customize the sound depending on the specifications of the room it's in. The future is here. I just need some time to catch up myself. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who loves good quality speakers. It can make a really nice gift for Christmas too. As for me, it's definitely a keeper. I left a review on Bose.com and now I'm planning to make a YouTube video about testing this product too.

I knew I was getting a Bose system but I did not realize how much booze has upgrading their system since I last used ones. This sound bar is only about an inch tall and maybe 3 feet long. This set up while at first was slightly difficult once I realized what was wrong it was a breeze. The trick to this specific type of system is that you need an HDMIARC poured in your television in order for it to work the way it supposed to. The first television and I attempted to use it with did not have that port I ended up having to use an optical cable, that is not provided I just happen to have one, but since you do not allow this sound like you access the Internet through an optical cable when you try to use the app to control the sound bar it does not work correctly. On the other hand, once I set it up in my room with a new TV with the rate HDM I port it was a whole new machine. Like I said I was initially frustrated with the set up but once I got the right port it was a matter of plugging in the power plugging the sound bar into the right HDMI port and then turning on the television my television and eyes there was an audio system attached and I did not have to use the remote control supplied by Bose. Although it does have useful features. One thing I didn’t do use as much as I would’ve liked to was the Alexa voice actived feature. Don’t get me wrong, I totally used it, and when I did, wow, even when playing music loudly Alexa still hears you, it was also able to automatically sync with smart devices in the house. I really like being able to adjust the Bass, Treble, Channel Centering and Volume all from the app. Another amazing feature is it’s AdaptiQ technology, which basically has you put on a pair of headphone type things with microphones in it, then the app asks you it sit in your 5 favorite places in the room. It calibrates to you exactly! The last neat feature I want to discuss it Dialogue Mode, in the app you have the choice to switch to Dialogue Moda when watching things that require voices to be clearer.

Set-up on this is a breeze! So great, so easy, and the sound is as I expect from Bose! We set this up with the HDMI Arc input on our TV but be advised, the HDMI provided with the soundbar is far TOO SHORT to connect through the wall if you want this wired up through the wall to a TV - at least for ours (it was too short by quite a bit). Gratefully we had a separate longer HDMI to use (25ft which was plenty long enough). Again, set up is simple with the Bose app, plug & play really is the name of the game here. We do have some Bose wireless speakers that will connected soon by the Geek Squad so we hope this completes the sound experience, but the soundbar alone is really great!

Hooking it up was easy, you have to download the app to set it up that is the only way. So that is important to note. Now depending on what internet provider you have and how the default settings are will determine if it works properly or not at first. Two separate calls to Bose support to go through the Comcast settings (under admin controls on your account) to change a few setting will need to be done before the speaker will work right. I will say Bose customer service is awesome!Once everything works right you can talk to Alexa and it will respond correctly. One odd feature is that you have to look at your speaker as two separate devices in one. So you can listen to your TV sound through the speaker and you can ask Alexa questions and she will answer and then it will go back to TV sound. However; if you ask Alexa to play music or one of your playlists or Sirius it will do so, but when you are done listening and have it stop it will not automatically go back to TV sound. You will need to get the Bose remote and select the TV button for it to switch back. Bose stated that this is how it must operate so just know you have to switch it on remote. Otherwise, after all of the bumps in the road the sound is great. I do wish when turning up the sound you knew what level or number it is on. It does not tell you that. I hope this helps.

I purchased this as a replacement for my old Sony soundbar and sub-woofer. It was an entry level soundbar and I wanted something with better sound quality. Bose is obviously a name that everyone knows, so it was instantly in the running. I ended up narrowing my choices to the Sonos Beam and the Bose 500. Both had good reviews from home theater sites and bloggers, and both have Amazon Alexa built-in (which was a must, as the majority of our house has been switched over to the Lutron Casetta system and we like to voice control our lighting and TV). In the end, I ended up going with the Bose 500 because I didn't like the rounded look of the Sonos Beam. The sound quality is very impressive, even without the available sub and satellite speakers. The sound is very warm and rich, and the Alexa feature works perfectly. I definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a mid-high end sound bar with excellent sound quality and a good variety of features.

I have several Bose products, including computer speakers, and noise cancelling headphones, so when I needed a small but powerful sound bar for a small den, I looked at the Bose 500. It was more than I wanted to spend, but all the other sound bars in that class sounded either tinny or muddy. Bose has incredible precision in the sound, strong base, even without the add on sub woofer, and crystal clear center channel for voice. You get what you pay for. The manual is online and the setup was easy. It auto tunes to the position of the listener so there isn’t a lot you have to tinker with to get the best sound. I haven’t played with setting up Alexa yet, but quite frankly , I just wanted the sound bar. It’s really compact and the design and build quality is what you expect with Bose.

Let’s be realistic here, you could probably pay 2/3 this price and get an equally good sounding speaker. However what you get with Bose is a fairly easy setup and integration with your existing cable remotes to control it. You get a fantastic app which gives you full control of the sound bar, where you can control the soundstage by adjusting bass/treble (and a dialogue mode which I love). And you get a headset to calibrate the sound bar to the shape of your room, which I found works great! Let’s be real, you aren’t getting a lot of bass without the wireless subwoofer, but it’s more than enough for someone who lives in an apartment and doesn’t wanna disturb their neighbors.

Very happy I made the purchase. This soundbar replaced a Bose solo 5. I thought I was happy with the solo 5 but after having it for a year it was definitely missing something. I was shopping for a samsung soundbar but wasn't happy with how long it is. Pls. keep in mind this is paired to a saumsung 32" tv (which is in my loft) so I wanted something moderately sized. The bose 500 was perfect. Much more than I wanted to spend but the sound quality and size compared to the others is well worth it.

I'm a Bose fan. Great sound and easy set up. Like the Alexa added feature. Anyone in the market for a soundbar should check this unit out

The sound from the bar is excellent. The bass is nice and deep, and dialogue really stands out, even without dialogue mode enabled. The only thing that kept this from being a 5 star rating was the requirement to connect it online to set it up. If the only thing it's being used for is to enhance sound from the tv, why is it required to be online, especially to configure it. Other than that small gripe, it's been fantastic, even without a subwoofer.

This i had to purchase as my 8 year old Bose gave up on me, That's O.K. I sent it to my nephew in Idaho and he fixed it for his use. I'm not tech savvy enough to connect the Bose wireless sound system, so I bought a 1 year contract with the Geek Squad. The sound is great although I do not crank up the volume, I still have that great Bass sound from the Bluetooth bass module and clear sound from the sound bar. You must get the difficult to pair Bass module !

We bought another sound bar based off the sales person. We didn’t like the round and the subwoofer kept cutting out and disconnecting. We took that back and got what we originally had planned on getting, this Bose 500 sound bar. Could not be happier with this purchase. Easy to set up and use. Sound is amazing (even sounds surround-ish and we don’t even have the wireless speakers.. yet).

Bought this for my 90 year old father (getting a little hard of hearing). Had to call support (support # not with the info that came with the unit) to install. They were helpful-sent us a different cable. The remote is impossible for him to see. The serial #-I had to use Dad's lighted magnifying glass to read. Bose engineers take note, not everyone has great eyesight. Now for the sound, it is fabulous.