In a world where tech companies build walled gardens and then charge you admission, Bose has decided to be the Switzerland of home audio. The company's latest Lifestyle Ultra family includes a soundbar, a subwoofer, and a smart speaker, but it's the smart speaker that's stealing the show - and possibly your living room.
I spent a week with the Lifestyle Ultra Speaker, and while it costs $50 to $100+ more than its rivals from Apple, Sonos, and Amazon, it brings one significant party trick to the table: it gets along with everyone. The speaker supports Wi-Fi streaming, Bluetooth, AirPlay, Google Cast, and Alexa built-in, plus stereo pairing, all wrapped in a design sleek enough to make your IKEA furniture jealous.
Now, before you get too excited, note that this is a true Wi-Fi smart speaker, meaning it requires a power outlet. It's not portable, so you can't take it to the beach, but you can blast it from your kitchen while you pretend to cook. With two front-facing speakers and one upfiring driver, it gets plenty loud. The upfiring speaker isn't a dedicated Atmos height channel, and a single speaker won't give you Dolby Atmos, but Bose's proprietary TrueSpatial technology tries to add depth and space. I'm indifferent about it - it's not as artificially upmixed as the company's Immersive Audio on headphones, but one upfiring speaker isn't exactly a recipe for true immersion. Add another Lifestyle Ultra Speaker or the Soundbar with its two upfiring drivers, and you'll get a fuller height experience.
On its own, the speaker delivers deep, punchy bass and noticeable highs and mids. At higher volumes, the bass can get muddy, but a quick EQ tweak in the Bose companion app fixes that. The sound profile is very similar to Sonos's Era 100: enjoyable, lively, warm, with that V-shaped audio curve everyone seems to love.
The real selling point, though, is its ecosystem-agnostic design. Bose doesn't force you into a single software ecosystem, which is refreshing. With Alexa built-in, Google Cast, and Apple AirPlay, you can group it with other speakers, regardless of brand. I paired my kitchen's Sonos Era 100 with the Bose in my upstairs office for multi-room audio while tackling my after-work chores. It worked like a charm - no tantrums, no compatibility meltdowns.
The Lifestyle Ultra also includes a 3.5mm aux-in port for wired connections to analog devices like a turntable. Pair two of these speakers, and they can act as rear speakers in a home theater setup or as left and right channels, or scatter them around the house for multi-room audio.
Bose is for people who want things to work right out of the box, with a love for simplicity and modern design. You can use nearly any brand of phone, laptop, or tablet, and it'll integrate seamlessly into your home audio ecosystem - Bose's greatest strength. The catch? Only Alexa and Alexa+ are available on the Lifestyle Ultra Speaker for US consumers. So, while an Apple HomePod or Sonos Era 100 is cheaper, they're stuck in their own ecosystems. Sometimes, paying a little extra for harmony is worth it.