Bose - Smart Soundbar 600

I have the Bose 600 with subwoofer and surround back speaker, it's amazing I feel like I'm at the cinema

Well … this post resulted in me walking 30 minutes to BestBuy and buying a Sonos Beam Gen 2. Spent ages comparing it to the Bose Smart Soundbar 600, and ultimately it came down to three factors: * I live in a studio apartment. For the time being (and for the sake of my neighbors) I don’t need/want a Sub. If the day ever comes that I want a Sub, the Sonos ecosystem appears to be more expansive. * I read multiple reviews that say the Sonos app is consistently more reliable than the Bose app, which does actually impact user experience even if it’s minor * I preferred the buttons and look for the Sonos

I was able to get it for 150 refurbished from the Bose site. I got a price match of 199 to the Walmart version, and then was able to negotiate a lower price since this was refurbished. YMMV, but if you can get this, then sounds like a good deal.

Hi everyone, wanted to share my experience from having the Polk Magnifi Mini AX for more than a year, and now I have switched to the Bose 600. I have/had them in a kind of small room, and the main purpose was gaming (PS5) and movies to take advantage of ATMOS effects. The Polk has good audio quality, very punchy sound because of the woofer, but the ATMOS effect is not great (neither top nor side effect). When compared to the Bose, the Bose gives us more details and the high-ends are better, but it lacks a lot of the power of the Polk mainly because it has no woofer. However, the Bose is way better in Atmos because of the top and side speakers, would say it is a bit better for music also. So mainly because of the Atmos, the Bose is better for me, but if you don't care about Atmos, for overall (TV, Gaming, movies, music, ...) use, I would say the Polk is a better package and most of the time it costs less....even more if you intend to add the satellites for surround since they are much cheaper.

Sorry for the late answer. If you want sound with power and punch, go with the Polk. If you want detail, clear voices, and atmos performance (the difference in atmos performance is significant), go with the Bose. Performance for the money, Polk is better IMHO, but I really wanted atmos performance.

i had both and the 900 is far superior to the 600, especially with the bass module. Get the 900 or Ultra

Top picks (all true Atmos + wireless sub, ≤ 42”) • Vizio M-Series Elevate M512e-K6 (41.38”) — 5.1.2 with included rears + up-firing in the bar. Killer immersion per dollar.  • Samsung HW-Q600C (40.6”) — 3.1.2 with up-firing drivers, eARC, and works with Samsung Q-Symphony (your Q90T supports Q-Symphony with compatible bars). Great if you want the TV+bar to play together.  • Polk Signa S4 (41.2”) — 3.1.2 with two dedicated up-firing heights; simple, slim, and dialog-friendly.  • LG S75Q (35.1”) — Compact 3.1.2 with upward-firing height channels, HDMI eARC, Dolby Vision passthrough.  • Bose Smart Soundbar 600 (27.3”) + Bass Module 500 — Small bar with 2 up-firing drivers; add the sub for real low-end. (Sub is separate.)

Do you think the Bose subwoofer is worth it? I have the soundbar 600 and it has a "Bass" 3.5mm jack on the back, which can be connected to a non-bose subwoofer. I got a lot of "rumble" but have turned it way down to just add that little bit of low-end. This seems to work.... So my main question is: Next step is the Surrounds and I don't see a cheaper way around them. Are you running the 700s or the "Bose surround speakers" (the more conventional ones. How much do they add to the sound? Thanks!

The soundbar provides all the amplification/sound out. I recommend the optical connection for most applications. You should be good-to-go with just the 600 (I have that one, love it!)

The bose 600 is nice !

Ultra. Granted I’m not a bass head and live in an apartment and tried both the 600 and Ultra. Wider soundstage and room correction(not sure if they’ve added it to the Smart). I’m still sometimes surprised at how sounds feel like they’re coming from the sides of my living room. If you feel the bass isn’t enough, you can save up and get the BM but you can’t add to the bar.

I have the Ultra and if the choice is between the two, get the ultra. There is a noticeable difference in the soundstage and the ultra also has room correction. The Smart is a good bar regardless if money is tight but the ultra is definitely better. If you’re looking at the Ultra price point maybe take a look at the Sonos Arc Ultra as well. I tried it but preferred the Bose.

I have the Bose Ultra and it is indeed excellent for dialogue. It’s a bit more than what OP is willing to spend though. The lower model (550/600/Smart) is also quite good. I think for Black Friday the 550 was selling for about $200. I tried the 600, Ultra, Q990C, Arc Ultra, Beam 2 and ultimately kept the Bose Ultra mainly for the dialogue clarity.

I have a 600 in our bedroom and 900 in our tv room. Flat, 8ft ceilings and we don’t get specific height effects either. Just a greater sense of height to the overall presentation. We have bass modules for both bars as well and they definitely up the immersion factor. Not just by adding bass…the whole setup sounds bigger. I think the sound processing might adjust when the bass modules are added which allows the bars to focus more on mid range stuff. There’s an added weight to the midrange…it’s not in your face, but noticeable.

That sucks that it doesn’t work well w the Hisense. I have a 900 and 600, both connected to Sony TVs and they’ve been pretty much plug and play since day one.

I own both and a lot depends on room size. The 900 has a wider sound stage and maybe a little more detail. For a small room, you might not hear the benefit of the 900s soundstage because the 600 does a great job filling smaller spaces.

For a room that size, I'd go with the 900 due to the wider soundstage. Our TV room is a little smaller than yours and the 600 doesn't sound as big and wide in there as the 900. We use the 600 for our bedroom which is a smaller room.