Bose Home Speaker 500 Review: Wall-to-Wall Stereo Sound

2023-01-10 | Yvonne

Tip: We tested the Bose Home Speaker 500, a wireless speaker with crystal-clear stereo sound and a great modern look.

Bose Home Speaker 500 Review: Wall to Wall Stereo Sound We tested the Bose Home Speaker 500 wireless speaker, which has a crystal-clear sound and great design.

Bose Home Speaker 500 Smart Bluetooth Speaker

We like this

It looks great everywhere
Excellent audio quality
You can connect via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth and Apple AirPlay 2
Integrated services such as Spotify, Pandora and Audible
Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant Support

The Things We Hate

High-end
There is no on/off button
Bose Music App needs some work

Bose Home Speaker 500, a wireless standalone speaker, is distinguished by its excellent sound quality and great design. It also integrates music streaming services. You can also control it hands-free with Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa.

This article explains.

Design
Installation
Connectivity
Software
Sound Quality
Prices
Concurrence
Final Verdict
Specifications

The Bose Home Speaker 500 was purchased by us so that our expert reviewer could fully test it and evaluate it. Continue reading to see our complete product review.

Modern home speakers systems do not all have good sound quality and connectivity. Although the Bose Home Speaker 500 may be more expensive, it offers excellent stereo sound and a beautiful package. The Bose Home Speaker 500 is also extremely easy to use.

The Home Speaker 500 is a great Bose speaker. We will be looking at its design and connectivity.

Design: Great for any location

This home stereo is beautiful. Bose was able to get every detail right. Bose did a great job building the aluminum body. The color LCD screen can be clearly seen and has a nice feel.

This speaker system stands out among others that we have reviewed due to its ovular design and modern, clean design. This Bose stereo is a great addition to any decor.

Rubber no-slip rubber pads on the bottom make the case feel solid and hold it in place while pushing the buttons. Even the power cable has a clean design—it plugs into the bottom at an angle, keeping it out of the way and easy to place out of sight.

These buttons don't actually have buttons, but are capacitive touch sensors. You just need to touch the surface for magic. However, the color LCD screen is touch-sensible. The LCD display displays the album artwork and system messages. It is easy to see from any angle because the colors are bright and clear.

Setting up is easy

Bose Home Speaker 500 is easy to use and has a simple design. We were shocked to find only the power cable and stereo system in the box when we opened it. In minutes, the stereo system was set up and connected to our smartphone using Bluetooth. Bose provides detailed instructions for how to use the system's built-in features as well as how to connect with the Bose Music App.

Bose Home Speaker 500 is easy to use and has a simple design.

You can use Alexa or Google Assistant to control the functionality of your speaker and stream audio through any of your favourite internet services.

The Bose Music app makes these internet-connected services easy to use, however we had trouble logging in to Pandora or Amazon Music. We are not the only people who had difficulty setting up streaming services, according to other reviews. This home stereo system's weakest feature is the Bose Music App.

Bluetooth Connectivity: Bluetooth is better than Wi Fi

Bose Home Speaker 500 supports streaming music over Wi-Fi. It can also be controlled by Amazon Alexa and the Bose Music App. The speaker can be connected via Bluetooth, Apple AirPlay 2 and the standard 3.5mm aux jack.

Spotify, Pandora and TuneIn allow you to stream music over Wi-Fi from Spotify, Pandora or TuneIn. Apple AirPlay 2 also allows you to access Apple Music services. The Wi-Fi was easy to set up, but we found the Bluetooth to be a more reliable connection—we suspect the Wi-Fi connectivity problem may be a firmware or software issue that will be addressed in the future.

This home stereo system's weakest feature is the Bose Music App.

The Bose Home Speaker 500, like all other Bluetooth headsets and stereos that we have tested previously, didn't function well with Chromebooks. It would disconnect randomly every 30 minutes, which can be frustrating when trying to watch your favourite Netflix series. The connection worked well with Android, iOS and Windows devices.

Software, The Bose Music App

Bose Music is used for setting up, controlling and browsing music on the Home Speaker 500. SoundTouch apps are used by older Bose SoundTouch models. The Home Speaker 500 doesn't work with Bose SoundTouch speaker, so we wish they could have worked backwards.

We tested three relatively new Bose speaker systems that all retail for around $300 and none of them are compatible with each other—if you are interested in linking multiple systems together, make sure you know which ones can be connected. Bose Smart Speakers' new family includes Bose Soundbar 700 and 500, Bose Bass Mod 500 and 700 and Bose Surround Speakers.

Bose Music's new app can be personalized to allow you to quickly access your favourite stations or playlists. The app can be downloaded on multiple devices, so that each person in the house can manage their content. It's easy to change Spotify playlists if someone wants to.

It may take some getting used to the Bose Music app. If you have more than one speaker, you can identify them and manage them from the app. This would make it easy to control all of your speakers. Some users complained that they had trouble controlling their speaker individually, switching sound sources and connecting to streaming services.

Stereo Sound Quality: Bose offers the best stereo sound

Bose's 500 Home Speaker has a clear, well-defined sound and a wide soundstage. Two custom drivers are used to bounce sound off walls, filling rooms with Bose's distinctive tone and quality.

This system can handle any audio type, no matter what.

With very minimal distortion, the speaker system is capable of producing very high volumes. The system was tested with TV programs, movies and music from many genres. It is easy to listen to live, classical and jazz music thanks the large soundstage. Although the bass sound is clear and powerful, it's not ideal for hip-hop and electronic music. We found that the mid-range was well-suited to metal and heavy progressive music.

Bose speakers have always been a top choice for sound quality, and we are happy to report that the Bose 500 Home Speaker doesn't disappoint. This system can handle any audio format, no matter what it is.

Prices: Higher quality

The Bose Home Speaker 500 stereo speaker system costs $399.95, which is a high price. Bose also offers a smaller version, the Home Speaker 300 with an LCD screen. It costs $259.95 (MSRP). We didn't think that the additional cost of the LCD screen was worth it. Instead, we recommend the Home Speaker 300 without the LCD screen if we can control the system from another device.

The cost of adding Bose Smart Speakers to your speakers group will go up quickly. Bose Soundbars are available at $549.95 to $799.95 MSRP, while the Bass Module is $399.95 to $699.95 MSRP. If you wish add Bose Surround Speakers you will need to pay an additional $299.95 MSRP. You're familiar with Bose products and know you get better sound quality.

Competiton: Bose Home speaker 500 vs. Apple HomePod

The Bose Home speaker 500 is difficult to compare with. The Bose Home Speaker 500 is more costly than both the Sonos One smart speaker and Google Home. You could purchase two Sonos One smart speaker and connect them for less than the MSRP.

Although the Apple HomePod smart speaker system may be a strong competitor, it is limited by its inclusion in the Apple ecosystem. Although the design, build, and sound quality of the Home Speaker 500 are comparable, it usually sells at about $100 more than the Bose. Apple products are known for their reliability and ease of use, while the Home Speaker 500 has issues with Wi-Fi connectivity. This is a major problem as Bose has made Wi-Fi connectivity one of its main selling points.

The Bose Home Speaker 500, despite all its great features, is still too costly due to the current Wi-Fi connectivity problems. If you find it on sale, this would make a fantastic purchase.

Specifications

Home Speaker 500: A Smart Bluetooth Speaker
Bose Product Brand
SKU 795345-1100
Prices from $399.00
Weighing 4.75 lbs.
Dimensions of the product: 8x6.7x4.3in
Color Black, Silver
8.8 Microphones
Bluetooth, Apple AirPlay 2, Connectivity Wi Fi, Bluetooth
Outputs/Inputs: 3.5mm auxiliary input. Micro-BUS service port. Power cable input
Compatibility Android and iOS with Windows, Mac, Linux
1-year warranty

Usanetwork.com/activatenbcu

www.Crunchyroll.com/activate

starz.com activate