The Bose Solo 5 is a basic cheap soundbar with a useful universal remote, but its sound quality is a little underwhelming.
Soundbars were designed for those who don’t have enough room for a 5.1 surround sound setup, while the Bose Solo 5 appears to be designed for people who don’t have enough room for a soundbar.
It has to be one of the smallest soundbars we’ve ever seen, measuring just 55cm long and 7cm in height. This makes it ideal for individuals who want something low-profile enough to go under their main TV or who want to improve the sound of a smaller bedroom TV.
However, its size has its own set of issues, and while we’re all for excellent things coming in small packages, this appears to be its shortcoming.
From a design standpoint, the Solo 5 keeps things simple, with the goal of sitting beneath your TV (or wall-mounted if you choose) without any bother.
There are no buttons or switches to muddle things up, just a simple black grille on the front and black plastic on the top and sides, which helps to make it light while still feeling sturdy.
Behind the grille are only two drivers, which are positioned in the center of the device and slanted out slightly to provide a larger sound field. When specific functions are enabled, a couple of LED status indicators glow and change color, and they also blink in acknowledgment as you modify the volume.
The soundbar is controlled via a large remote, which is nearly half the size of the soundbar itself and seems a little hefty.
However, this is due to the fact that, in addition to operating with the soundbar, it can also be programmed to function as a universal remote for your TV, Blu-ray player, and any other infrared device.
Bose provides the connectivity we’d expect at this price point, including optical, coaxial, and auxiliary inputs, as well as built-in Bluetooth for music streaming.
It also has some intriguing features, such as auto-wake, which causes the soundbar to wake up whenever it detects an audio signal. It will also shut down automatically after 60 minutes of inactivity.
Aside from that, Bose’s approach is basic. There aren’t a tonne of sound modes, EQ options, or settings to pick from — it’s supposed to be plug and play, and it mostly succeeds in that regard.
We attach it using the accompanying optical cable (the suggested connection, though a coaxial wire is also included), and the Bose Solo 5 is ready to go.
The only thing you need to double-check is that your TV speakers are switched off — you should be able to find this option someplace in your TV’s sound settings.
Unfortunately, once you start listening, the proportions of the Bose Solo 5 work against it.
However, the size of your TV will influence how much of a difference it can make, and it is worth noting that a tiny TV would benefit more from the Solo 5 than a larger one.
We connect it to a 32-inch Samsung TV and watch Gravity on Blu-ray. The Solo 5 immediately lays its cards on the table, turning up the volume to a respectable level and adding clarity and weight over the TV’s native sound.
Voices are transmitted more clearly and accurately (to the point where we didn’t need to use the inbuilt dialogue mode), and the overall presentation has more body and solidity, avoiding the thin, harsh sound that many compact TVs have. The midrange is concentrated and direct, while the treble is controlled and sharp.
But if you dig a bit further, there’s not much more to it. Sure, there’s more weight available than most TVs, but the bass is still deficient in absolute terms.
This means that the Solo 5 falls short when it comes to adding punch or impact to huge explosions or action scenes. There is a bass boost option, which can make the low end seem more real, but it also reduces midrange clarity.
Even with the bass boost cranked on, we find ourselves wanting more, and while there is more weight, there is no genuine presence.
It’s also lacking in other areas. There isn’t much more detail available than what your TV provides, and it falls flat dynamically, lacking the capacity to develop any sort of tension or excitement with soundtracks.
The placement of the drivers in the middle of the bar also appears, resulting in a narrow sound field that is much smaller than the expansive, room-filling sound of speakers like the Philips HTL5140.
When it comes to music, we just select the Bluetooth symbol on the remote and couple it with the Solo 5. Streams from Spotify are supplied with reasonable clarity and consistency, but they have the same personality as movies.
Detail is lacking, the bass could be more powerful, and it has to be more dynamic to be genuinely interesting.
The gadget is designed to be as unobtrusive as possible, with a black long block, a single indicator light, and a silver Bose logo. Connectors for connecting cables, optical, coaxial, and analog audio inputs are located behind. My advice to everyone is to utilize “optics,” which is fantastic because the kit includes such a cable. Software upgrades necessitate the use of a rear USB port. Don’t forget to make the appropriate adjustments in the TV settings so that the sound from Solo 5 is promptly replicated.
If you look closely, you’ll notice the Bluetooth buttons, Bass, the first of which is required to enable the wireless connection. Yes, given that there are well-tuned speakers, the soundbar can easily become a column for the living area. The Bass button will aid in the addition of low frequencies. It is best not to overuse the low frequencies if your house is easily audible.
Unlike many other simple soundbars, the Bose Solo 5 specifications offer three distinguishing qualities that I found really appealing.
The first characteristic is voice intelligibility. You need to use a button with a bubble, like in comics – you press it and then you hear voices; the music and effects do not fade into the background, so you can hear the dialogue even at low intensity.
The second feature is TrueSpace technology, which allows you to get surround sound from wherever in the room; you can count on roughly twenty meters. Any input signal is converted into a five-channel signal via video stage technology. Here’s a “basic” soundbar, as the term goes.
Yes, this is the third feature. You can pair two Bluetooth devices to the Bose Solo 5 at the same time and switch between them as needed. For example, from an iPhone, you can listen to podcasts, and from an iPad, you can listen to music that has been saved in memory. Or something else, depending on your preferences.
The large remote control is convenient and may be used to replace your TV or other device’s remote control. I use it in conjunction with a TV and a DVD player.
Overall, the Bose Solo 5 is a straightforward soundbar that accomplishes its two primary goals: improving the sound of your TV and looking beautiful while doing so.
The issue is that it doesn’t offer anything to the experience outside of that. It faces more talented competition that, although not matching its proportions and convenience, blows it out of the water in terms of performance.
If you’re searching for a small soundbar to give weight and clarity to a modest TV in your home, this is a good option. Anything more substantive than that can be found elsewhere.
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