Nothing is more frustrating than owning a million-dollar 4K television that produces budget sound. To get the most out of your big, beautiful display, you’ll want to pair it up with a soundbar — and we’ve got an excellent one in mind, from Bose.
Our setup & unboxing guide will walk you through all the steps necessary to get your soundbar up and running, so you’ll never have to stress about your TV’s crappy sound again.
What’s in the box?
Along with the soundbar itself, you’ll find the following:
- A power cable.
- A Bose universal remote.
- An HDMI cable.
- A digital-optical cable.
- An ADAPTiQ sound calibration headset.
The soundbar doesn’t have a built-in subwoofer, but you can add Bose’s Acoustimass 300 wireless bass module for extra low-end power. Or, for surround sound, check out Bose’s wireless surround speakers.
Hardware setup
You’ll find all the ports and jacks on the back of the soundbar, located in alcoves near the center. Connect the power cable, then you’ll want to connect to your TV via HDMI, if possible. Ideally, connect to the ARC-enabled HDMI port on your television (usually, it’s explicitly labeled) — you’ll need to remove the little plastic caps from the cable first.
If you don’t have an ARC-enabled port, you’ll want to use the optical cable instead. It’s also got little plastic tabs that will need removing before you can connect. If you connect via optical, you’ll also need to head into your TV’s audio settings and switch output from “internal speaker” to “Optical.”
Features and design
The SoundTouch is a handsome device, dressed in all black with a metal grille across the front and sides and a layer of reflective glass on top. Five small emblems below LED lights in the upper left corner indicate which input is selected, and there’s an NFC touch strip on top (you can remove this), which is where you tap a compatible device for NFC interfacing.
Software setup
Once your soundbar is working, you’ll want to properly calibrate it using the included ADAPTiQ headset. Plug the headset into the soundbar (there’s a dedicated port, and the cord is lengthy), and press the corresponding button on the remote — it’s in the center next to the “AUX” button, and it looks like a sort of musical note. The little note icon will light up, and you’ll need to press and hold on the number 8, near the bottom of the remote.
Next, you’ll see two of the LED indicators on the soundbar itself begin to blink green. Follow the audible prompts — it will ask you to move about the room as it plays different test tones — and voilà! Your SoundTouch is calibrated.
Pro tip: Download the Bose SoundTouch app. It will walk you through the Bluetooth pairing process, and it interfaces directly with several popular music streaming apps — like Spotify — to make life simpler.
