Are you looking to elevate your home theater experience with immersive sound but don‘t want to break the bank or clutter your space with multiple speakers? The Bose Smart Soundbar 600 could be just what you‘re looking for. As a more compact and affordable alternative to Bose‘s flagship Soundbar 700, the 600 model still delivers impressive performance and features that will take your TV and music listening to the next level.
In this in-depth look at the Bose Smart Soundbar 600, I‘ll cover the key reasons why it‘s a compelling choice and how it compares to its bigger sibling. By the end, you‘ll have all the information you need to decide if it‘s the right soundbar for your needs and budget. Let‘s dive in!
Bose Smart Soundbar 600 vs 700: The Key Differences
Before we examine the Smart Soundbar 600 in more detail, it‘s worth looking at how it differs from the premium Soundbar 700 model. Here are the main points of comparison:
Size – The Soundbar 600 has a more compact profile at 27.5" wide and 2.25" high, compared to the 700‘s 38.5" width and 2.25" height. This makes the 600 a better fit for smaller spaces.
Speakers – The 600 uses 5 speakers (including 2 upward-firing) vs the 700‘s 7 speaker array. However, both support Dolby Atmos for height effects.
Mic array – The 700 has a superior 8 mic array for far-field voice pickup compared to the 600‘s 4 mic setup. In practice though, both handle voice commands well.
Extras – The 700 adds an HDMI input and has metal grilles vs plastic on the 600. The 700 also uses ADAPTiQ audio calibration.
Price – The biggest difference is cost, with the Soundbar 600 retailing for $449 vs $799 for the 700 model.
As you can see, the Soundbar 600 makes some reasonable tradeoffs to achieve its smaller size and lower price while still retaining core features like Dolby Atmos. For many, it will hit the sweet spot between performance and value. With that context, let‘s look at the top reasons to choose the Bose Smart Soundbar 600.
Impressively Immersive Sound
The headline feature of the Bose Smart Soundbar 600 is its support for Dolby Atmos surround sound. Using 5 internal speakers, including two upward-firing transducers, it creates an immersive 3D soundstage with precise placement of sound effects. Whether it‘s the rumble of a passing helicopter or leaves rustling overhead, you‘ll feel like you‘re in the middle of the action.
What‘s especially impressive is how well the relatively compact Soundbar 600 fills a room with sound, creating a wide and tall soundstage. Bose‘s TrueSpace technology also does an excellent job upmixing regular stereo and 5.1 content to take advantage of the height speakers for an enhanced surround effect.
Dedicated center channel – One advantage the Soundbar 600 has over some competitors is a dedicated center channel for improved dialog clarity. Voices sound crisp and stand out from background sounds, so you won‘t be reaching for the remote to adjust the volume during quieter dialog scenes.
So while the larger and pricier Soundbar 700 can produce an even bigger and richer sound, the 600 is more than capable of an engaging, theater-like experience in small to mid-sized rooms. Unless you have a very large space, you likely won‘t feel like you‘re missing out.
Flexible Connectivity
The Bose Smart Soundbar 600 gives you plenty of options to connect your gear. The main input is HDMI eARC, which lets you connect to a compatible TV with a single cable for the highest quality audio, including Dolby Atmos. There‘s also an optical digital input if your TV doesn‘t have HDMI eARC. A 3.5mm jack lets you connect an optional wired subwoofer.
Wireless connectivity is also well-catered for. Bluetooth and Wi-Fi are onboard for easy streaming from your phone or tablet. Apple AirPlay 2 and Chromecast are also supported, so you can cast audio from a wide range of apps. Spotify Connect rounds out the options for easy access to your playlists.
While the pricier Soundbar 700 adds an HDMI input for connecting a Blu-ray player or game console directly, the 600‘s options should be sufficient for most users. The wireless options in particular are reliably stable and make it easy to serve up your tunes.
Smart Features
Bose has equipped the Smart Soundbar 600 with smart speaker functionality thanks to built-in support for Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant. With the included microphones, you can use your voice to control the soundbar, your compatible smart home devices, and access features like weather reports, timers and more.
Voice control works pretty well overall and it‘s nice to have the choice of the two most popular platforms, not just Alexa like some soundbars. You will still need to use the remote or app for some functions, but voice is great for basic operations like adjusting volume and starting/stopping music.
One thing to note – the Soundbar 600 has 4 mics vs 8 on the 700 model, so its pickup range isn‘t quite as good in larger spaces. But I didn‘t have any major problems with it recognizing commands from a normal viewing distance.
Easy Setup & Use
Getting up and running with the Bose Smart Soundbar 600 is a breeze. You simply connect it to your TV with the supplied HDMI or optical cable, plug in power, and follow the guided setup in the Bose Music app. The whole process only takes a few minutes.
Once set up, the soundbar is easy to operate with either the included remote, your voice, or the Bose Music app. The remote provides all the core functions like input selection, volume, and sound modes. And the app lets you fine-tune the EQ, set up presets, and access music services.
While the Soundbar 600 lacks the automatic ADAPTiQ audio calibration you get with the 700, I found it sounded great out of the box. You can always adjust the bass and treble in the app if needed. But most users will be more than happy with the default tuning.
Expandability
If you want to enhance the low-end response, the Soundbar 600 connects wirelessly to the optional Bose Bass Module 500 or 700 subwoofers. And for an even more immersive surround experience, you can add wireless Bose Surround Speakers. While the Soundbar 600 sounds great on its own, it‘s nice to have the option to build out a fuller 5.1.2 system over time.
The other advantage of expandability is a cleaner look vs a traditional wired surround setup with rear speakers. The wireless Bose ecosystem is reliable and keeps cable clutter to a minimum. Just keep in mind, the full system can get pricey once you add the extra components.
Value for Money
At a regular price of $449, the Bose Smart Soundbar 600 is competitive with other Dolby Atmos-equipped soundbars in its size class like the Sonos Beam Gen 2 ($449) and Sony HT-G700 ($498). It‘s a significant saving over the $799 Bose Soundbar 700 while still delivering an immersive sound experience.
Bose‘s rich heritage in audio also shines through, with the Soundbar 600 exhibiting the refined sound profile the brand is known for. Dialog in particular is a standout thanks to the dedicated center channel. The smart features and wireless music options also add to the value and usability.
While you can find Atmos soundbars for less, they generally require wired surrounds to get true Atmos and/or lack the smart features of the Bose. If you value that flexibility and performance, the Soundbar 600 is well-priced for what it offers.
The Bottom Line
The Bose Smart Soundbar 600 strikes a great balance between performance, features and price. It delivers an impressively immersive Dolby Atmos experience from a compact package, with easy expandability if you want to add more bass or surround speakers later.
While it lacks a few luxuries of the larger Soundbar 700 like a spare HDMI port and fully metal chassis, it retains the core audio experience and smart features for significantly less outlay. And it‘s easier to fit in smaller spaces like apartments and bedrooms.
If you‘re looking for a simple way to upgrade your TV sound and gain smart speaker functionality, all without breaking the bank or cluttering your room, the Bose Smart Soundbar 600 is a fantastic choice. Highly recommended for anyone who values quality sound and the Bose brand heritage in a convenient package.
