More players are joining the world of 3D spatial sound in the living room, with Bose up next in a new soundbar.
Sound is one of the most important aspects of watching a film, and while surround sound has been the norm for several years now, there’s more the sound experience can deliver.
While surround aims to get sound to travel around your living room, it’s not quite the same as the bubble of sound spatial sound delivers. Different again, spatial fires sound up and above you, either with speakers in the ceiling or with speakers that bounce on the ceiling, creating a dimensional sound that sits you in the centre.
It’s a style of sound movies have offered for years, and one we’re seeing more and more of lately as soundbars find a way to bring the technology home.
And this month, Bose is joining that world, launching a new variation of its soundbars with upward facing speakers found at either end, arriving in the Soundbar 900.
Built to handle 5.1.2 sound (five surround, one sub, two upward), the Bose Soundbar 900 brings support for Dolby Atmos spatial sound to living rooms alongside support for Bose’s multiroom audio technology, which is a little like what Sonos offers in its system, but made for folks with Bose speakers (or who are planning to grab one).
While the inclusion of multiroom also sees voice assistant support for both Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant, as well as Spotify Connect and Apple’s AirPlay 2, the real focus in the Bose Soundbar 900 will be that Atmos support, which is joined by Bose proprietary technologies to guide the sound in rooms. According to Bose, there are four specifically, with QuietPort handling bass performance inside the soundbar, Adaptiq dealing with sound in different spaces, PhaseGuide increasing dimensionality, and Bose TrueSpace accounting for the height of the sound, something Sonos added to its Arc Atmos speaker last year.
Interestingly, Bose is pricing the Soundbar 900 to compete directly with the Sonos Arc, and even B&W’s recent addition to Atmos soundbars, the Panorama 3. That means you’ll find the Soundbar 900 retailing in Australia for $1399.95, basically positioned directly opposite Sonos and Bowers & Wilkins specifically.
You’ll find it in stores shortly, landing in Australia from April 11.
