The Backstory
Our living room TV audio was embarrassing. Like, I could barely hear dialogue in movies unless I cranked the volume to “annoy the neighbors” levels. My partner finally said we needed a soundbar, and after way too much research, we landed on the Bose Smart Soundbar 900.
It’s been set up for about two months now. Here’s my honest assessment.
First Impressions and Setup
The soundbar itself looks sleek. It’s slim, mostly glass and metal, and doesn’t dominate the space under our 65-inch TV. That said, it’s wider than I expected - measure your entertainment center before ordering.
Setup was surprisingly painless. Downloaded the Bose app, followed the prompts, and had audio playing within maybe 20 minutes. The room calibration feature (ADAPTiQ) requires wearing this weird headset thing while it plays test tones, but it made a noticeable difference in how the soundbar performs in our space.
How Does It Actually Sound?
This is where things get complicated.
For movies and TV shows with Dolby Atmos? Phenomenal. The first time we watched something with proper Atmos support, my partner actually looked up at the ceiling thinking a helicopter was flying over our house. The spatial audio is legitimately impressive.
For regular TV content and music, it’s… good. Not mind-blowing, just solid. Dialogue is finally clear without maxing out the volume, which was our main goal. Music sounds full and rich, though audiophile friends might want more bass (you can add a Bose subwoofer separately, but that’s more money).
What sounds great:
- Dolby Atmos content is immersive
- Dialogue clarity improved dramatically
- Room-filling sound without distortion
What’s just okay:
- Non-Atmos content sounds good but not spectacular
- Bass is adequate, not powerful
- Some content doesn’t seem to trigger the spatial features
Connectivity Options
This thing connects to basically everything. HDMI eARC, optical, WiFi, Bluetooth, Chromecast built-in, AirPlay 2, Spotify Connect. Whatever you want to throw at it, it probably works.
I mostly use the HDMI connection from our TV, and it’s been reliable. Occasionally there’s a half-second delay when first turning on the TV, but once it’s going, no issues.
Voice assistants (Alexa built-in, Google Assistant available) work fine if you’re into that. I turned them off because I don’t need another device listening to my conversations.
The Smart Features
You can use voice commands to control volume, switch inputs, play music directly. The Bose app lets you adjust EQ, create presets, and manage multi-room audio if you have other Bose speakers.
Honestly, I mostly just use the remote or the TV controls. The smart features exist, and they work, but I haven’t found them essential to my daily use.
What Bugs Me
The soundbar occasionally loses connection to our TV and I have to toggle the HDMI-CEC setting. Happens maybe once every few weeks. Not a huge deal but annoying when it does.
Also, the remote it comes with is fine, but I wish it had more direct buttons for switching sound modes. Currently you have to cycle through them or use the app.
And yes, the price. This is an expensive soundbar. You’re paying for the Bose name, the Atmos support, and the build quality. Whether that’s worth it depends on your budget and priorities.
The Verdict
Things I appreciate:
- Dolby Atmos performance is excellent
- Clean design that doesn’t look cheap
- Tons of connectivity options
- Finally solved our dialogue clarity problem
- Easy setup process
Things that could be better:
- Occasional connectivity hiccups
- Bass could be stronger without buying the subwoofer
- Price is hard to justify for casual viewers
- Smart features are underutilized (at least by me)
Who Should Consider This
If you have a nice TV and watch a lot of movies or prestige TV with Dolby Atmos support, the Soundbar 900 is a solid upgrade. The spatial audio genuinely enhances the experience.
If you just want clearer dialogue for regular TV watching, you could probably spend less and be perfectly happy. There are decent soundbars at half this price that would solve that problem.
For us, it was worth it. But we watch a lot of movies, and the Atmos support was a big selling point. Your mileage may vary.
Current pricing may vary by retailer.