High-end speaker manufacturer, Bose, is pushing a new smart-speaker and two smart soundbars to the market in an effort to modernize its offerings.
Both speakers come packed with Amazon Alexa, and Bose says more voice assistants will follow. AirPlay 2 is even making its way to the speakers in early 2019, according to the company.
Each device features both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, giving users a variety of connection options. The speakers even work with Spotify’s Connect feature. Further, the smart speaker includes a 3.5mm headphone jack, but the Soundbars need to have their sound routed through a television unless you’re connecting wirelessly.
Users can also connect the three new speakers together to play audio from multiple devices, though sadly this doesn’t work with Bose’s existing line of products and is only compatible with new devices.
Bose is also touting its microphone technology. The smart speakers feature a custom designed eight microphone array to help pick up commands overtop of loud music. The speakers also include a unique button that disables the microphone to ensure it isn’t listening when the user doesn’t want it to.
The Bose Home Speaker 500 is relatively small at eight-inches tall and six-inches wide, but the company claims it provides the widest soundstage of any smart speaker on the market. It features two custom drivers that shoot outwards at different angles to reflect sound off of walls, which helps fill a room better.
The other speakers are called the Soundbar 500 and 700 respectively. Both soundbars look sleek and have a very low profile of around two-inches tall. This means that they should fit under most TVs without obstructing the screen. The top of the 700 is made out of tempered glass too, giving it a premium look.
The soundbars also include HDMI Arc connectivity, allowing to turn on a television. The 700 model comes with a universal remote which is a blessing for users with a lot of home theatre equipment. Further, both soundbars support surround sound with the right setup, but not Dolby Atmos unfortunately.
All of the speakers are set to go on sale this fall. The Home Speaker 500 will retail for $499 CAD. The soundbars cost a bit more, coming in at $699 CAD for the 500 and $999 CAD for the 700.
MobileSyrup has reached out to Bose to confirm that the speakers are coming to Canada when they launch in the fall, as well as Canadian pricing information.
Update 29/08/2018: The post has been updated with Canadian pricing.
Source: Bose
