I love my Soundbar 900 and bass module 700 combo, but have been hoping for updated surrounds from Bose. The 300s are the equivalent of cube speakers from a 1999 home theater in a box setup. The 700s have been around since 2016 when the lifestyle 650 system went on sale. Bose later started selling them as their most “premium” surround speaker a few years ago. While they work ok as surrounds, they’re woefully anemic and a sonic mismatch to their atmos soundbars. Also, they come with more speaker wire than any other “wireless” speaker I’ve encountered. The power brick concept creates more problems than it solves and is easily 10-15 year old tech.

At this point maybe Bose is planning to perpetually rebrand and repackage these two “wireless” surround speakers.

Been debating getting the Bose Surround Speakers to pair with my Soundbar 500 for a few years. It feels like they haven’t updated them in a while and I keep thinking a new model will drop as soon as I buy them. Anyone have any insight into potential upgrade for this model?

Also, I’ve read lots of reviews and seen all the complaints about the wires and power converter box - any strong feelings one way or another on whether these are even worth it?

Thanks!

Looking to complete my Bose sound system for my TV. Just got a Bose soundbar 550 (200 new), Bose module 500 subwoofer (400 new) and like it where it's at, but I want to see how it will sound with the surrond sound speakers. If anyone has a similar Bose set up, please let me know if you think if the surrond sound speakers are necessary or just a want?

1. I don't want to break the bank considering I just spend 600, so I'm looking at best buy open box options.

2. Is it worth it to get best buy open box Bose - Surround Speakers 120-Watt Wireless Home Theater Speakers?

   • If so, considering price which one would you get:

     • Marked as Fair condition: $256

     • Marked as good pair: $286 (but not available)

     • Marked as Excellent: $312

3. Does anyone know if these open box models are demo models or customer returned items? Should I be concerned with speakers being blown, stressed, or anything like that?

I must admit the $256 price tag sounds super tempting. Thoughts?

I wasn't planning on spending the money on the surrounds, but I came across an open box set at my local Best Buy and figured, what the heck. Let's try em.

The speakers themselves look good and feel really well built. The amount of wiring connections and the power brick are ridiculous though. They're not complicated to setup, but it's tedious to do. And to have a power brick to plug in, then to have to run speaker wire from the bricks to the speakers looks messy unless you conceal it all. It's just unnecessary connections and wires in 2023. Quite frankly, it reminds me of home theater in a box setups from the 90's...looks like something you'd setup in a college apartment. Maybe I'm being harsh, but Bose's connectivity on the surrounds is outdated by years.

I set them up on some tall planter stands that we had in storage. They happened to be a good height for ear level placement to the rear and sides of our couch. I ran Adaptiq and gave em a go with various content. From the start, the volume was low from the rears. I get that surrounds are for immersion, so they're meant to be subtle and integrated sounding, but they were almost faint and whispy sounding. I wrapped them in microfiber cloths, set the speaker volume to zero and re ran adaptiq. The volume bumped up nicely and I was able to increase even more via the app. For the most part, I kept them at zero though.

They sound pretty good at times, but never great. With really well mixed content like 1917 or Matrix 4k remaster in Atmos, they did an ok job of handling spatial effects like planes coming in from behind and bullets flying by, but the speakers sound anemic compared to the heft I hear from the soundbar. It sounds uneven in that sense...like the surrounds weren't really designed for the setup and were just an add on.

At ear height, the speakers make the overall sound presentation linear which, I think, conflicts with the bar's goal to create an Atmos like bubble of sound. So you have this big wall of sound with a high and wide soundstage presented by the bar, but the rears change the dimension of the sound bubble behind you...like it shrinks and the overall presentation becomes more linear instead of expanding the sound bubble.

For kicks, I put them on the wall behind us at about 9 feet apart and near ceiling height using painter's tape to hold them in place (I wanted to approximate where I'd want to ceiling mount them) I re ran the adaptiq with cloths placed over them again. The sound bubble did get wider and higher, but, they still sound too linear compared with what the bar is trying to achieve.

Overall, my impression is just...meh. They don't sound bad, but they don't sound well integrated and don't really add much to the experience. In some cases, like with great Atmos content, I think they can detract from the experience. Our TV room is 12x16 with symmetrical walls and 9ft ceilings, so the bar and bass module alone do a great job of creating a high and wide sound bubble. In order to expand and add weight to that sound bubble, the system needs rears with more depth to the sound, better integration in terms of Atmos sound processing/presentation and upward firing drivers.

To me, the surrounds sound like what they are...speakers designed for a traditional 5.1 system, that have been connected to a bar designed for Atmos like immersion. I think they're a mismatch.

I'm going to return them and wait to see if Bose releases something new by 2034.

UPDATE: I got the surround speakers and it’s the best decision I ever made

I have bose soundbar 900 with sub 500. Is it worth buying surround speakers?? Or i should stick with this same combo??

Thanks.

I have tried the Bose surround speakers and they just are not good. They are extremely quiet and very underwhelming. Are there any other speakers I can use as surround speakers besides the two that are directly marketed as surround speakers? There is a decent enough sale going on right now. I was looking at the Revolve 2. Is there anyway I can use them in stereo with the Bose 600 soundbar? Thanks in advance!