Bose's new home theater system is optimized for your various TV setups - but can it beat Sony?

2026-05-05 · Source: News and Advice on the World's Latest Innovations | ZDNET · Field: Media & Entertainment — Entertainment Technology & Innovation, Digital Media & Streaming · Depth: Fundamental Awareness, short

Summary

Bose has launched its new Lifestyle Ultra collection, a modular home theater system comprising the Lifestyle Ultra Soundbar, Lifestyle Ultra Speaker, and Lifestyle Ultra Subwoofer. The Lifestyle Ultra Soundbar, priced at $1,099, features nine drivers, Bose's CustomTune room correction (using a mobile device's mic), TrueSpatial for upmixing stereo to spatial audio, and AI-powered SpeechClarity. It supports HDMI ARC/eARC, Google Cast, Apple AirPlay, and Spotify Connect. The Lifestyle Ultra Speaker, at $299, functions as a smart speaker with two front-facing and one upfiring driver, Bluetooth 5.3, Wi-Fi, and a 3.5mm aux port, and can serve as a rear speaker when paired with the soundbar. The Lifestyle Ultra Subwoofer, costing $899, includes CleanBass, QuietPort, and CustomTune. All products will be available starting May 15, with limited backward compatibility but support for grouping with older Bose products via AirPlay or Google Cast.

Key takeaway

For home theater enthusiasts considering a new audio setup, you should evaluate the Bose Lifestyle Ultra collection for its advanced room correction via CustomTune and native Google Cast support. This system offers a modern, modular approach to upgrading your sound experience, allowing you to build out your setup over time and integrate with other Google Cast-enabled devices, despite limited backward compatibility with older Bose hardware.

Key insights

Bose's new modular Lifestyle Ultra collection integrates advanced audio tech and modern connectivity, including Google Cast.

Principles

• Room correction should be user-friendly.
• Modularity enhances consumer choice.
• Proprietary AI can improve dialogue clarity.

Method

Bose's CustomTune technology uses a mobile device's microphone to automatically adjust soundbar output based on room acoustics, replacing the older AdaptIQ headset method for room correction.

In practice

• Use CustomTune for optimal sound calibration.
• Pair two Lifestyle Ultra Speakers as rear channels.
• Utilize Google Cast for multiroom audio.

Topics

• Bose Lifestyle Ultra
• Home Theater Systems
• Soundbar Technology
• Room Correction
• Spatial Audio

Best for: General Interest

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Editorial summary, takeaway, and curation by AIssential. Original article published by News and Advice on the World's Latest Innovations | ZDNET.