Before I purchased this system I spent a lot of time to finding/reading reviews. There were not many, and most of them were old. So I decided to write a short review. Disclaimer: Yes real 5.1 systems are obviously better than soundbars, also much cheaper than Bose bars. My decision to purchase a soundbar:

• Relatively small space, not much space behind the sofa (whole "tv area" is around 20 sq meters)

• Not willing to drill/hang stuff on the wall.

• No proper cabling opportunities (can't hide cables on sides since I have windows starting from the floor, no carpeting)

So let's dive in to Soundtouch 300 and Acoustimass:

First I bought only the bar since the sub-woofer Acoustimass was out of stock. I did the setup of the bar and tried some Dolby 6 channel movies:

It gives you definitely that movie theater surround feeling, BUT there is no clear effect of hearing from behind like in real surround systems. Which is to be expected, but just saying so that people shouldn't expect real surround from a bar of speakers in front of the TV. Score and effects of movie vs voice of actors had that "surround effect", you could hear that score/music was around you and dialogs were coming directly from actors, i.e. from front speakers. There is also feeling that some sounds are coming from your left/right side, even somewhat behind (like 4/8 o'clock), but it is up to a degree, not full 100% effect. It also depends on the structure of your room, walls and etc. Soundtouch's bass quality was also good, I even decided it is enough for relatively small space. I was considering canceling my sub-woofer order. But then decided to just try it, if it is not worth it I can return it anyway.

Connecting to TV via HDMI ARC worked directly. But some TV functions were not working via Bose remote. After some research I learnt that you need to put in manufacturer code of the TV. Mine is Samsung, so after entering it's code all functionality on the remote worked.

Setting up requires choosing 5 positions, sitting with plastic headphone thing, which has also a long cable which gets easily tangled up. Also there isn't proper description of setup process, where should those 5 places be? How close to one another and etc. Afterwards I found out that it is sorted according to priority (mostly used sitting space, then second best, then third and etc.) Set-up part could be better described in help document.

After 4 weeks I received my Sub-woofer. Setting it up was easy, just turn it on, hold some buttons on remote and voila. No cables required, connects wireless. With Acoustimass you get 10 times better experience. I thought soundbar would be enough, but you have to hear the same thing with Acoustimass, much much better, even in a small area. I decided to keep it.

App: App is not the best thing there, but it works, there are lots of internet radios, also I use Spotify app mostly, I can just select output device to S300 and it will play directly there. Otherwise I don't use Soundtouch app.

Cons:

• App could have more options, like equalizer, bass level, voice mode and etc (which is set by remote)

• Set-up process requires using headphone with a long cable which is a mess.

• When you first turn on the soundbar and play music, it takes some seconds till the sub-woofer kicks in. This connection delay (around 2-3 seconds) occurs when you turn it on, afterwards there is no problem.

• If you want to play music from your Iphone directly, you have to use bluetooth connection (maybe it is an Iphone thing, but anyway, WIFI would be better)

• Doesn't support Alexa (Amazon Echo). It was announced that it will come with update, but currently it doesn't work. You can just connect Amazon Echo via Bluetooth, but you can't give commands to Bose. What you can do is to use Spotify via Alexa and play it via Bluetooth on Bose Soundtouch.

Pros:

• Works perfectly with Spotify.

• Has a chic design, build quality is top.

• Wireless Sub-woofer.

• Expansion capabilities; add 2 wireless rear speakers and you get real 5.1

• Voice mode (which is probably not a special thing, if you have an eq just adjust the frequencies, but it is at least one button away)

• I tried Sonos, Samsung soundbars with sub-woofers in stores, but honestly they all sound good there, you can't feel the differences, demos are different, there is a noise of the store and etc. Best option is to try same music track/movie with other soundbars in your setting (at home). Unfortunately I couldn't do that so I cannot say which one is better. They are all almost in the same price range (+- 200 USD), I went for Bose, I am happy with it and I expect future updates from Bose (like Alexa support, better app and new features)

We have had a Soundtouch 300 with the Acuostimass 300 bass module for almost 2 years. We love the system and the Acoustimass Bass is great. The Soundtouch 300 sits right under the TV. I have an Apple TV 4K connected to the Soundtouch 300 which is connected to a Samsung TV. We use the Apple TV for all content and the AppleTV remote for everything.

Our problem is on many shows and movie we have a hard time hearing voices (center channel). Our solution is to get the Bose remote and press the dialog button (green light turns on). This is a pain and it cuts out a lot of the bass. Are there any other solutions to being able to hear voice better? Will moving he Soundtouch 300 above the TV help? Will buying the rear speakers help? I just want to be able to turn on the Soundtouch 300, be able to hear voice (center channel), still have good bass, and not have to alway get the Bose remote and press the dialog button.

Hello everyone!

So this is actually my first Reddit post ever, but I had a Soundtouch 300 from Bose (soundbar). I just upgraded and got the Smart Ultra that came out, and I feel like this new soundbar has NO base compared to my old Sound Touch 300!!! The old one would rattle the TV stand it was on, and this one hasn't rattled it at all. I will max out the bass on the app, and it still isn't even 70% of the old one, and it does seem like it gets as loud in general. Did anyone else feel like this, or is my sound bar defective?? Very frustrated.

I’m in the market to buy a sound bar that I can build on later on (basically don’t want to break the bank just once). I see 3 options from Bose here in Canada. I’m confused as not many websites have been able to compare these options properly. Hence reaching out to Reddit to see if I can find help here.

I initially wanted to purchase Solo 5, but a few years ago I bought solo 15 and that was such a let down. I would think solo 5 it's pretty much the same thing.

Next options I notice are:

SoundTouch 300 - CAD 899.99

Soundbar 500 - CAD 639.99 down from CAD 699.99

Soundbar 700 - CAD 999.00

How do I compare the 3. It seems all of them are compatible with wireless Acoustimass subwoofer. All of them are compatible with optional surround speakers. All of them are compatible with Alexa (which I don't care about). They all look the same (I think soundtouch 300 also comes in white - which again I don't care about as my entire setup is black).

Can someone help compare the 3 products?

Thanks!

What do you all think?

Hi. Help requested please.

I own the Soundtouch 300 Soundbar and recently bought the Bass Module 700 to add to it.

Soundtouch 300 Soundbar doesn't work with the Bose Music app. And while I was successfully able to pair the Bass Module to the Soundbar (via Bluetooth) - the Bass Module is emitting barely any volume. I used the Soundtouch 300 universal remote to increase the volume of the Bass Module 700 but it barely made a difference.

I just want the Bass Module to be louder. Its a 20-30 lb speaker and I'm barely noticing its turned on --- just a very low rumble.

I'm wondering if I need to connect it via a wired connection. OR - if I'm forced to buy a "Smart" soundbar from Bose so that I can use the Bose Music app to have better control of the Bass Module settings.

If anyone has advice - it would be very much appreciated!!

I currently have a Soundtouch 300 with Acoustimass 300 sub. Is it worth upgrading to the 600?

I've been searching around the internet, but haven't found a comparison to help make my decision.

Hello Everyone..

I’m a little bit confused.. I know the 700 comes with a new remote and alexa built an and I think a new software.. but when it comes to the sound quality are those two sound bars sounds exactly the same?

Thank you all in advance.