Bose is a soundbar company that emphasizes expensive and high-end products. Recently, they have been more focused on mid-range soundbars that better suit consumers on a budget and create something that still maintains its quality. The Bose Soundbar 700 Smart Speaker is the one that has stolen the spotlight today, which is currently priced at $799.99. Compared to other soundbars like the Bose Smart Soundbar 300, it is still a cut above the rest with its price point.
Similar to previous models, the Bose Soundbar 700 Smart Speaker is compact and has no subwoofers that come alongside it during purchase. With all that aside, does it live up to its name with more expensive pricing if compared to others? Let’s find out.
Click to buy Bose Soundbar 700 Smart Speaker from Bestbuy.com.
List of Specifications
Table Of Content
| Channel Configuration | 3.0 |
| Product Dimensions | 38.5 x 2.25 x 4.25 inches |
| Weight | 10.5 pounds |
| Amplifier output | NA |
| Wireless Audio Protocol | Bluetooth
Wi-Fi |
| Audio Decoding Codecs | DTS
Dolby Digital |
| Subwoofer Type | It can be bought separately |
| Connectivity | 1 x HDMI Out
1 x Optical Audio In 1 x micro USB (updates only) |
Pros
- Well-built design
- Easily upgradable setup
- Above-average audio reproduction
- Wide soundstage
Cons
- Lacks full HDMI In ports
- Lacks sub-bass and subwoofer
- Diffused sound due to wide soundstage
What’s in the Box
- 4 AA batteries
- ADAPTiQ headset
- Bose Soundbar 700 with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant
- Cleaning cloth
- Global safety sheet
- Optical cable, HDMI cable, power cord
- Quick start guide
- Universal remote
Design and Build
With the Bose Soundbar 700 Smart Speaker being designed minimalistically, nothing can be derived from the design and build itself. Although some consumers like it just the way, it is – simple yet elegant. This particular soundbar does not have a subwoofer that comes along with the package. However, the bar itself is a premium look because of its unique style with a glass top and a stylish metal grille that covers both the sides and the front.
The bar itself stretches 38.4 x 2.25 x 4.25 inches and is fairly large. This makes it most unlikely to fit between the legs of a 55” TV stand. The upside is that the height isn’t that tall, so you can place it underneath your TV and still enjoy a full screen without having it block off your view.
On the back of the soundbar, you will find 2 ports, one located on each side of the speakers themselves. It also comes with 2 openings, for power supply and inputs respectively.
The overall build quality of the Bose Soundbar 700 Smart Speaker is excellent with its unique design. With a robust setup, the soundbar has a premium feeling to it that attracts consumers immediately. On the contrary, since it is made out of glass materials, it can easily collect fingerprints and dust on it will be visible.
Controls
With a minimalistic look, the functions of the Bose Soundbar 700 Smart Speaker are no different. It has no display whatsoever and only consists of a light that acts according to your actions which is quite difficult to get used to.
The Bose Soundbar 700 also has two touch-sensitive buttons: an “action button” and a “microphone” button. The “action” button is used to toggle voice assistants manually and turn off alarms and timers. The “microphone” button can be used to disable voice assistants and needs to be toggled again to reactivate them.
Coming together with the soundbar is a universal remote that works on other devices as well. The remote itself can control all the functions included in the soundbar but is rather large in size. The concept behind its size might be because it can control all other devices in your home, so it comes with extra buttons.
The soundbar can pair with the Bose Music App, which can act as an alternative remote. It also houses a Power Saving Mode that detects inactivity and goes into standby mode after 20 minutes. It supports HDMI CEC and HDMI ARC, which means that some features are available for control using the TV remote.
Connectivity
Connectivity-wise, the Bose Soundbar 700 Smart Speaker generally does not have the best connections. With the limited ports available, it cannot serve as a hub because it lacks a Full HDMI In port. It also does not come with Analog Audio, meaning that older devices are probably out of consideration. Similar to previous soundbars, it comes with 2 unusual ports: an “IR” input and a “Bass” port; and 2 more ports: “DATA” port and “ADAPTiQ” port.
Fortunately, it does come with common wireless connectivity such as Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, so modern devices can easily connect to it and stream content. It misses out on Chromecast support but gets AirPlay instead.
As for audio format support, the Bose Soundbar 700 Smart Speaker has eARC and supports Dolby Digital and DTS. However, most audio formats are not supported, such as Dolby Atmos and Dolby Digital Plus, which reduces the audio quality and functionality for certain movies.
The Bose soundbar doesn’t have an HDMI In port, so it cannot relay external video signals via other devices.
Performance
The Bose Soundbar 700 Smart Speaker has a 3.0 channel, while the stereo frequency response is decent and better compared to the similar Bose Soundbar 500. Unfortunately, this soundbar requires an external subwoofer to produce heavy basses further and elevate the audio quality for a pleasant movie experience. Overall, the sound profile is rather balanced and neutral, minus the weaker bass performance.
The soundbar has a wide soundstage because of the side speakers built into it, so the sound reflects the wall and the listener. This increases the width of the soundstage but, at the same time, makes it sound unnatural because the sound doesn’t seem to be coming from an accurate pinpoint location.
The Bose Soundbar 700 has an excellent dynamic performance. The maximum sound can reach high volumes while keeping its finest content without compressing it too much. This is ideal when using the soundbar at large parties or crowded environments when you want the sound to reach all corners.
The general sound is clean and pure because of its great THD performance. There are no traces of sudden spikes in THD at max volume, and it is controlled within a great amount during normal listening volumes. Due to its configuration, the dedicated centre speaker with the soundbar can generate clearer and more accurate audio reproduction of the dialogue in movies.
All in all, the Bose Soundbar 700 has decent sound enhancement features as its predecessor. It comes with a room correction feature set up through the Bose ADAPTiQ headset and automatically adjusts the sound settings based on your room. The Dialog Enhancement feature assists in clearing audio for dialogues in movies, making it clearer even under lower volumes.
Competition
Expandability is not an issue with the Bose Soundbar 700 Smart Speaker, but the lack of accessories still leaves room for improvement. The soundbar is good for overall usage, but the competition is stiff. Let us have a look at where it stands –
Sonos ARC
The Bose Soundbar 700 Smart Speaker is a slightly better option when compared to Sonos ARC. The Sonos ARC does not include as many functions as its competitor, but an upside is that it supports Dolby Atmos, providing a better movie listening experience. On the contrary, the Bose Soundbar 700 has a better sound profile and supports Bluetooth playback.
Bose Soundbar 500
The Bose Soundbar 700, in theory, is definitely better than the Bose Soundbar 500. It has improved audio quality and can reach higher volumes while possessing less compression at max volume. It also supports more audio formats and is slightly better-built and sleeker-looking thanks to the glass panel on top of it.
Conclusion
The Bose Soundbar 700 Smart Speaker is decent for mixed usage after its review. It has a decent stereo frequency response that’s fairly well-balanced and neutral, which is great for a wide variety of music genres and voice-oriented content. This bar also reaches high volumes suitable for different playbacks, with a unique and vast soundstage, courtesy to its side-firing speakers. The lacking performance of the bass can be improved through the addition of another subwoofer. The general listening experience is not as good for movies, but separate setups can increase performance.
Buy Bose Soundbar 700 Smart Speaker Review from Bestbuy.com now!
