Skip to main content

Bose Smart Soundbar 600 one-ups the Sonos Beam with up-firing drivers

Bose’s latest soundbar, the $499 Smart Soundbar 600 is the company’s latest volley in the cat-and-mouse game it plays with Sonos. In 2021, Sonos updated its compact Beam soundbar with Dolby Atmos capability, giving it a feature that Bose’s similarly priced and featured Smart Soundbar 300 didn’t possess. The Smart Soundbar 600 addresses that gap and even moves the needle just a bit further by integrating up-firing drivers, something the Beam lacks. It will be available October 20, but you can pre-order it starting October 10.

Bose Smart Soundbar 600.
Bose

For those who may not be steeped in Dolby Atmos minutiae, the 3D immersive sound format takes advantage of height as well as left/right/center and rear surround speakers. But not all Dolby Atmos soundbars possess dedicated, up-firing drivers to bounce those height sounds off your ceiling to your viewing position. The second-gen Sonos Beam is one of these soundbars, and it uses virtualization to create that sense of height instead.

Recommended Videos

Virtualization can be very effective, but it’s rarely as good as dedicated drivers, so we expect the Bose Smart Soundbar 600 to have an edge in this area. It’s also got a set of side-firing, racetrack-shaped drivers which can spread the sound out to the sides, and a dedicated center driver for dialog.

Bose Smart Soundbar 600.
Bose

I was treated to a demo of the Soundbar 600 at the September 2022 launch event for the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II, and if that was any indication of its audio prowess, it’s looking like Bose has another excellent speaker for buyers to choose.

Please enable Javascript to view this content

When you’re not listening to Dolby Atmos content, Bose says that its TrueSpace tech will intelligently upscale stereo or 5.1-channel content into an immersive mix, giving you an Atmos-like experience for all of your movies and shows.

Like its previous smart soundbars (300, 500, 700, and 900) the Bose Smart Soundbar 600 can be expanded with Bose’s collection of subwoofers and surround speakers, and you can make it an element in a multiroom speaker system, with the Bose Music app acting as your mission control.

Bose Smart Soundbar 600.
Bose

The soundbar is equipped with Bluetooth, and Apple AirPlay 2. It has Chromecast built-in, and you can use it as an Amazon Alexa smart speaker thanks to the built-in mics. If you opt for Alexa smarts, you’ll also be able to use Bose’s Voice4Video feature which lets you control a connected TV with a few simple voice commands.

Speaking of TV connections, the one downside to the Smart Soundbar 600 (the same downside as all Bose and Sonos smart soundbars) is that it only has a single HDMI ARC/eARC connection, so you can’t connect an external video source like a streaming media device and passthrough video to your TV while the soundbar handles the audio.

Bose Smart Soundbar 600.
Bose

Like the Sonos Beam Gen 2, the Smart Soundbar 600 is quite compact, at just 27 inches wide and only 2.2 inches tall. That makes it the perfect size for a lot of small-to-medium-sized rooms on its own, or larger spaces if you add the additional components.

We’ll get our hands (and ears) on the Smart Soundbar 600 very soon, and when we do, we’ll be back with our in-depth review so you can see if this is the Bose speaker you’ve been waiting for.

Simon Cohen
Simon Cohen is a contributing editor to Digital Trends' Audio/Video section, where he obsesses over the latest wireless…
How to connect a soundbar to a TV: a guide to cables, connections, and features
Vizio 2021 elevate soundbar.

Soundbars are all the rage these days, and for good reason. They're a simple, affordable way to boost your TV's sound quality. And connecting a soundbar to your TV is usually a breeze: plug the soundbar into the TV using the provided cable and then connect the soundbar to a power outlet. If all goes well, turn both devices on, and you'll enjoy top-notch TV sound and music in no time.

However, before you rush out to purchase one of the best soundbars for your TV, let's delve deeper into how soundbars and TVs communicate. While soundbars are more accessible to set up than dedicated AV receivers and speakers, there are still several options to consider based on your TV, soundbar, and room. Here's what you need to know.
Connection types: wired or wireless

Read more
How to choose a soundbar: size, subwoofers, surround sound, and more
Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar Mini - right angle view.

While some of the best TVs coming out today have upped their game when it comes to their built-in sound, we're still a few leaps and bounds away from not having to suggest new TV buyers invest in a soundbar to bring an improved sound experience to your movie, TV, and sports watching at home.

Hence, the need for this guide on how to choose the best soundbar for you remains, and we're happy to oblige. Soundbars have been around for a minute, and you can check out some our favorites in our best soundbars guide. We've even got a guide specific to soundbars that come with subwoofers. But like most consumer tech items, buying a soundbar can be a daunting endeavor, mostly because there are so many options.

Read more
Can a new soundbar fix Sonos’ self-inflicted wounds?
Leaked image of the purported next Sonos soundbar codenamed, Lasso.

According to The Verge, the next Sonos soundbar — code-named Lasso and pictured here — will look a lot like the Sonos Arc. The Verge

Sonos is prepping a new soundbar code-named Lasso, according to report from The Verge. If the accompanying leaked pics from an apparent beta tester are any indication, it's going to be a spruced-up version of the existing Sonos Arc, with built-in Bluetooth and new driver technology courtesy of Mayht, a Netherlands-based startup that Sonos purchased in 2022. Those drivers, which are said to be more efficient than traditional designs, may also be more expensive to produce. This has led to speculation that the Lasso could cost as much as $1,200. (The existing Sonos Arc sells for $899.)

Read more