Disappointed with Bose Soundbar

Grassshoppa

Grassshoppa

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So I bought this Bose soundbar: https://www.bose.com/p/home-theater...ml?dwvar_SUSB-SOUNDBAR_color=BLACK&quantity=1

To go with this TV: https://www.costco.com/samsung-65"-...rs-of-total-coverage*.product.4000259752.html

Unpacked the soundbar, connected it using the optical cable, turned it on and it powered on with movie theater "powering on" sound which sounded great. Tested it with movies and was very disappointed. Did not sound like the power on sound at all and didn't notice much difference than with my TV speakers. We would cycle back and forth between TV sound and the Bose optical sound but it was very underwhelming. Come to find out, my TV has upward and downward speakers and pretty good audio which is maybe the reason I'm not impressed.

I was expecting movie theater sound and am disappointed. Will be returning the Bose soundbar. Luckily, they pay for shipping and free returns.

Anyone else have a similar lackluster experience with Bose soundbars or soundbars in general?
 
I've got some Yamaha soundbar. It has trouble connecting every now and then but that is easy fixed. It cost a measely $400 or so and does a pretty good job so yeah I'm happy.

Normally I'd buy pricier set ups but at the time nothing else was around or I had insufficient knowledge about more expensuve units.
 
We had a Polk soundbar that was decent, till it died.
We then got a Sonos Beam and the sub. It's great for what it is.

Unfortunately, we rent and can only use the sub when the neighbors are not home. It's that loud.
If I owned a home I would buy a Sonos Arc, the sub and call it a day
 
Get yourself a pair of powered bookshelf speakers instead.
Sound bars have the same issue that your tv has, the internal volume for the speakers is too small.
The Edifier R1280t’s are on sale for $84 on Amazon, and will be better than any sound bar in the same price range.
 
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liner said:
I really like the bose noise canceling ear buds, a few generations back. I tried about 6 different brands and liked bose the best.
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I have them and I don’t find they work as good as the Dre beats i got for free as a gift like 15 years ago honestly. I still wear those beats. I’m not an audiophile but they were free.

I bought new trucks with Bose sound only to be let down but to be fair, my HK however many speaker isn’t much better in my truck or my hellcat

I don’t think you get much now for sound without planning it out
 
Plissken said:
Bose is one of those brands coasting on past glories, as they got bigger they outsources more and cheaped out more. They just bought McIntosh so hopefully the same doesn't happen to that brand.
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Bose is and always has been garbage. Maybe they were good when they were a small upstart, but that time was gone before even middle-aged guys like myself were born.

They're that company that spends 100x as much on advertising as they do on R&D or manufacturing infrastructure. Their stuff has always been a terrible buy.
 
Aren't stand alone soundbars always going to be inferior to set ups with multiple speakers placed in front and to the side of you? I thought in order to have a surround sound type feel, you need to be actually surrounded by speakers.

I don't know much abouy this, but I think cheaper set ups with bookshelve speakers and a separate subwoofer would be superior to the most exspensive soundbars.
 
BreatheSherBro said:
Aren't stand alone soundbars always going to be inferior to set ups with multiple speakers placed in front and to the side of you? I thought in order to have a surround sound type feel, you need to be actually surrounded by speakers.

I don't know much abouy this, but I think cheaper set ups with bookshelve speakers and a separate subwoofer would be superior to the most exspensive soundbars.
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This is true in my case. Just bought a Yamaha receiver with a 5.1 hardwired speaker system for 400 bucks. Great sound. I was having so much trouble hearing movie dialogue with my tv's built-in speaker system and the Yamaha solved the problem.
 
Does it not come with a subwoofer? You need the subwoofer.

I have two sound bars. I think both are Sony. They each have a sub. They improve the sound so much. Idk how I ever lived without them.
 
Soundbars are an ideal companion for modern really thin TVs that have tiny speakers in them but you really need a soundbar + rear speakers and a sub to get the more typical surround sound experience (there are soundbar packages that include all of these components)
 
Madmick said:
Bose is and always has been garbage. Maybe they were good when they were a small upstart, but that time was gone before even middle-aged guys like myself were born.

They're that company that spends 100x as much on advertising as they do on R&D or manufacturing infrastructure. Their stuff has always been a terrible buy.
Click to expand...
I mean a lot of those classic stereo companies were already decades old before we were born, a lot of them (Bose among them) started in the 50's and 60's, the quality for many started to change in the 70's with outsourcing production to east Asia, and the 80's saw a larger decline in quality. Bose was more known for their experimental nature rather than high quality (like Pioneer, Sansui, Marantz, Sherwood, McIntosh), but still they are now known more for marketing than any sort of innovation (failed or successful).
 
1733114953920.jpeg
I’ve had this for about 2 years now. It has really good bass, can hear voices clearly, the removable speakers on the side allow you to put them anywhere and have good battery life. You really just have to hear it to see how great this thing is, I’ve had many big stereos over the years and this is more than anyone would need.
 
Grassshoppa said:
So I bought this Bose soundbar: https://www.bose.com/p/home-theater...ml?dwvar_SUSB-SOUNDBAR_color=BLACK&quantity=1

To go with this TV: https://www.costco.com/samsung-65"-class---oled-s90d-series---4k-uhd-oled-tv---allstate-3-year-protection-plan-bundle-included-for-5-years-of-total-coverage*.product.4000259752.html

Unpacked the soundbar, connected it using the optical cable, turned it on and it powered on with movie theater "powering on" sound which sounded great. Tested it with movies and was very disappointed. Did not sound like the power on sound at all and didn't notice much difference than with my TV speakers. We would cycle back and forth between TV sound and the Bose optical sound but it was very underwhelming. Come to find out, my TV has upward and downward speakers and pretty good audio which is maybe the reason I'm not impressed.

I was expecting movie theater sound and am disappointed. Will be returning the Bose soundbar. Luckily, they pay for shipping and free returns.

Anyone else have a similar lackluster experience with Bose soundbars or soundbars in general?
Click to expand...
If you're after a good soundbar:
www.sonos.com

Arc: The Wireless Dolby Atmos Home Theatre Soundbar | Sonos

Experience immersive 3D sound for films, sports, games and more. Sonos Arc's upwards-firing drivers create a multi-dimensional soundstage that moves around you, rendering every detail with dramatic clarity and depth. Enjoy control with your remote, the app, your voice and Apple AirPlay 2.
www.sonos.com www.sonos.com

Great on its own but paired with the sub and two rears it's pretty badass.
 
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