Amazon has dropped the Bose Smart Ultra Soundbar to $649 from its usual $999, a $350 cut of about 35%. According to price trackers, it is the lowest price the soundbar has hit.
The Smart Ultra uses a 5.1.2-channel design, meaning five main channels, one bass channel and two height channels. It has nine drivers (the individual speaker units), including two that fire upward and bounce sound off the ceiling to create the overhead effects of Dolby Atmos, the surround format used in many films and games. It also includes Bose's AdaptiQ calibration, which measures your room's acoustics and adjusts the sound. The process takes a few minutes.
The soundbar doubles as a smart speaker, with Alexa built in. It supports Apple AirPlay 2, Google Cast, Spotify Connect, Bluetooth and multi-room audio through the Bose app. PCMag rated it "outstanding" and praised its immersive Atmos sound without a room full of extra speakers.
The weak spot is bass. The low end is respectable for a single bar, but it cannot fully replace a dedicated subwoofer for action movies, concerts or bass-heavy music. Bose lets buyers add compatible wireless subwoofers and surround speakers later.
That matters because premium one-piece soundbars rarely drop this far. At $649, the Smart Ultra moves closer to the territory of mid-range bars that skip the ceiling-bounce hardware and room calibration.
Bose's cheaper Smart Dolby Atmos Soundbar sits below it in the lineup and now costs $399, which leaves a $250 gap between the two. The choice comes down to bass and budget: anyone who wants more low-end punch will spend beyond $649 once a subwoofer enters the picture.