Professional’s Score
Professionals
- Modern, compact, and effectively made
- Cohesive Dolby Atmos sound
- Easy setup course of
- Big selection of connectivity choices
Cons
- Bass capabilities are restricted
- Wall bracket prices further
- Speaker grouping characteristic is hit or miss
Our Verdict
The Bose Good Soundbar 600 brings Dolby Atmos sound in a giant manner, but it surely does miss the mark in just a few locations, particularly on the subject of bass.
Bose has a knack for pushing the audio envelope with innovation and delivering high quality with out breaking the financial institution. And that’s been a great a part of the model’s success through the years.
The audio big’s newest dwelling theater launch, the Good Soundbar 600, is not any exception. Promising to ship high-end sound together with Dolby Atmos spatial audio packed right into a compact but elegant design and at a extra wallet-friendly value, there’s a lot to be enthusiastic about right here. The query is, does it hit the mark? And the way does it rise up towards fierce contenders just like the second-generation Sonos Beam?
Design & Construct
- Solely out there in black
- Minimal and premium design
- Compact
In the event you’re searching for a soundbar that’s minimal but trendy, the Bose Good Soundbar 600 ought to undoubtedly be in your radar. It boasts a smooth design that may complement any TV. The construct high quality is top-notch, too, due to some sturdy plastics and chic perforated metals that give it a premium appear and feel all through.
In the event you’re searching for a soundbar that’s minimal but trendy, the Bose Good Soundbar 600 ought to undoubtedly be in your radar
Sadly, this soundbar is just out there in a single shade: matte black, so should you had been hoping to match it up with any present silver or white Bose sensible audio system in your house, then overlook it.
Lee Bell / Foundry
On the plus facet, the Good Soundbar 600 is a good dimension. Measuring simply 2.2 x 27.3 x 4.1 inches (HxWxD) and weighing simply 6.8 kilos, it’s fairly compact, particularly when in comparison with the model’s bulkier and pricier brother, the Good Soundbar 900. Its comparatively gentle weight and compact dimension means it may be simply held on a wall should you don’t have a TV stand. However bear in mind that it will require a further wall bracket that Bose sells for an additional $39. (You’ll find less expensive options on Amazon, should you’re keen to strive a third-party bracket).
This assessment is a part of TechHive’s in-depth protection of one of the best soundbars.
When it comes to controls, the Good Soundbar 600 sports activities a few haptic buttons on high of the system itself within the type of a mute and voice-control motion button. It additionally ships with a small distant with a barely prolonged however nonetheless very fundamental set of features together with quantity management, enter mode, pause, and play. Nevertheless, should you contemplate lifting a distant an excessive amount of effort, you do have the choice to boss the soundbar round by way of voice due to its baked-in Alexa and Google Assistant assist. However extra on that later…
Lee Bell / Foundry
Connectivity
- 1 x HDMI eARC, 1 x optical port
- Bluetooth 4.2
- Assist for Wi-Fi, AirPlay 2, Chromecast and Spotify Join
On the connectivity entrance, the Good Soundbar 600 is provided with a HDMI eARC port and an optical digital audio enter for these older televisions missing HDMI assist.
Whereas the addition of a second HDMI enter for passthrough would have been a welcome characteristic, it’s price noting that this isn’t one thing you’ll discover in all soundbars today, particularly extra budget-friendly choices. The equally priced Sonos Beam Gen 2, for instance, additionally lacks this functionality.
However, wi-fi streaming selections are aplenty within the Good Soundbar 600, with assist for Wi-Fi, AirPlay 2, Chromecast, Spotify Join, and Bluetooth protocols.
Lee Bell / Foundry
Good Options
- Built-in voice management from Alexa and Google Assistant
- Dolby Atmos assist
- Nice companion app providing straightforward setup
- Multiroom characteristic is hit or miss
Whereas the principle promoting level of the Bose Good Soundbar 600 is that it’s a compact and versatile all-in-one soundbar, there are different nice options to shout about. The primary one is that it gives assist for Dolby Atmos soundtracks however in a really completely different solution to its chief rival, the Sonos’ Beam Gen 2.
That’s as a result of, of the 5 drivers that it has behind this grille, two full-range drivers fireplace upwards to bodily enhance the sense of top of the sound, one thing Sonos’ soundbar does just about. In the meantime, there’s a single driver dealing with the middle channel in the course of the bar, whereas a racetrack driver at both finish of the soundbar gives a wider feeling of sound.
Lee Bell / Foundry
Different options that assist put the “sensible” within the Good Soundbar 600 embrace its concentrate on hands-free motion, and–as you’d anticipate from a contemporary soundbar–it helps both Alexa or Google Assistant for all of your hands-free wants. This implies you may bark orders at it, like telling it to crank up the amount or skip tracks, all with the ability of voice. It really works effectively more often than not, however–as with all voice-enabled system–it’s removed from good and may usually miss instructions, particularly should you’ve acquired the amount turned up.
You’ll additionally discover a host of Wi-Fi streaming providers, together with outstanding platforms equivalent to Amazon Music, Spotify, Pandora, Deezer, iHeartRadio, TuneIn Radio, and Sirius XM.
Seamlessly integrating with the Bose Music app, the Good Soundbar 600 will be simply put in, tweaked and adjusted as required, with choices to rename it, tinker with its equalizer settings, or create “teams” with different smart-enabled Bose audio system, when you have them.
Nevertheless, in my expertise, the multiroom or “grouping” characteristic doesn’t at all times work as seamlessly as anticipated. Generally, solely one of many audio system within the group will play the music, regardless of each being listed within the room you’ve created within the app. There’s additionally a delay if you wish to play the audio out of your TV by a speaker group, which appears loopy to me. If you wish to expertise encompass sound whereas watching a film, as an example, you may’t do it with a bunch of Bose sensible audio system. As a substitute, you’d must spend money on the corporate’s Encompass Audio system, which join on to the soundbar. This might show very irritating to these with present Bose-based dwelling speaker techniques who buy the Good Soundbar 600 for this very purpose.
Lee Bell / Foundry
One other frustration right here is that, when you disconnect from a speaker group you’ve created on the app–for instance, the Bose soundbar and the corporate’s Moveable Dwelling Speaker–the group will disappear when you’ve disconnected from it and also you’ll must create it over again the subsequent time you wish to take heed to music throughout a number of audio system/rooms.
…in my expertise, the multiroom or “grouping” characteristic doesn’t at all times work as seamlessly as anticipated
Sound High quality
- Large sound from a small soundbar
- Handles complicated sound results effectively
- Nicely-detailed mid-range
- Missing within the decrease bass vary
So, let’s dive into what makes the Bose Good Soundbar 600 an actual ear-turner. For one, it’s geared as much as deal with Dolby Atmos soundtracks due to its secret sauce: proprietary TrueSpace processing. This tech takes common stereo and 5.1 channel stuff and turns it right into a full-blown immersive expertise, such as you’re proper within the coronary heart of the motion. This ensures massive Hollywood motion flicks pop like by no means earlier than. Even the complicated sound results are untangled effortlessly, which is fairly exceptional contemplating its compact dimension and sub-$500 value level.
The midrange is stable and full of loads of element, and dialogue is delivered with focus and readability. It carries a dynamic sound too, with the ability to categorical any shift in quantity effortlessly.
…it’s definitely able to providing premium sound to those that don’t wish to half with greater than $500 for a soundbar
Lee Bell / Foundry
Whereas its audio sport is on level for probably the most half, it does wrestle a little bit within the decrease bass vary so that you would possibly really feel like these deeper notes are lacking. And with no subwoofer included, that’s hardly stunning. Bose has crammed a ton of audio tech into this smooth package deal, so one thing needed to give. Then again, the soundbar does work alongside Bose’s Bass modules should you’re actually lacking these deeper notes and don’t thoughts forking out further for one (and after I say further, I imply they begin at $499, gulp).
All in all, the Good Soundbar 600’s audio high quality is well-rounded and spectacular. Certain, it’s not precisely audiophile-level, but it surely’s definitely able to providing premium sound to those that don’t wish to half with greater than £500 for a soundbar.
Value & Availability
At $499, the Bose Good Soundbar 600 definitely isn’t a funds speaker. It nonetheless prices nearly double the Sonos Ray, for instance, making it extra of a mid-range soundbar. It could possibly in all probability be higher in comparison with the $449 Sonos Beam Gen 2.
You may seize the Bose Good Soundbar 600 from Bose itself, or from the likes of Amazon, Andorama, Dell, or Lenovo. If you wish to wall-mount it, the official Bose Soundbar Wall Bracket is an additional $39.
So how does the Bose Good Soundbar 600 evaluate to rivals?
In the event you’re in any respect accustomed to the world of audio, it ought to go with out saying that Bose’s greatest competitor is Sonos, a model that flogs a really equally specced and priced soundbar, the Sonos Beam (Gen 2). Because the two are very related spec-wise (each supply Dolby Atmos, for instance), choosing one over the opposite will possible come right down to which ecosystem you’d favor to be part of sooner or later (should you develop your house speaker system throughout a number of rooms, as an example).
The Good Soundbar 600 can also be considerably cheaper than the subsequent Bose possibility, the $899 Good Soundbar 900, so gives a really related dwelling theatre expertise to extra individuals than earlier than.
Verdict
With regards to Dolby Atmos sound, the Bose Good Soundbar 600 is a giant win. Dialogue readability is phenomenal and its TrueSpace processing tech means it might probably take common stereo and 5.1 channel stuff and switch it right into a full-blown immersive expertise.
Nevertheless, its compact design does put a cap on its sound potential. A restricted bass vary means you gained’t get that full-bodied thunderous bass you would possibly anticipate from high-end rivals that ship with subwoofers. Don’t get me incorrect, it’s nice for cranking up the leisure worth throughout film nights, however should you’re an audiophile chasing that deep and super-immersive sound, you could be a tad disenchanted.
On the intense facet, this soundbar brings a bunch of cool options that others miss, equivalent to AirPlay 2, Chromecast and assist for Alexa and Google Assistant. And at slightly below $500, there’s loads on supply right here, particularly for many who need an ideal all-in-one package deal over mind-blowing sound depth.
Specs
- Dimension: 2.2 x 27.3 x 4.1 inches
- Weight: 6.8 kilos
- Channels: 3.0.2
- 5x full-range transducers
- Enclosure: Bass reflex
- Audio I/O
- Optical digital
- HDMI ARC/eARC
- Subwoofer output (3.5mm)
- HDMI 2.0b
- Wi-fi audio connection
- Bluetooth 4.2
- Wi-Fi 2.4/5GHz
- Apple AirPlay 2
- Chromecast built-in
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