Bose Lifestyle Ultra Speakers Review: Small Size, Big Ambition!

In their Lifestyle Speakers range, Bose continues a strategy that has become rare in the home cinema world: designing satellite speakers that are sophisticated enough to function beyond their initial purpose. Marketed as the rear speakers for the Lifestyle Ultra system, they can also be used independently for listening to music, podcasts, or soundtracking a room.

The concept is intriguing. While many manufacturers limit their surround speakers to cinema use, Bose offers a product that can operate alone or in stereo pair. This strategy allows users to amortize their investment while benefiting from an expandable system: one speaker today, a second tomorrow, and eventually adding a soundbar and subwoofer to create a complete home cinema set.

Let’s see if these Lifestyle Ultra Speakers have enough features to convince beyond their original Atmos mission.

Bose Lifestyle Ultra (speaker)Technical Specifications

This review was conducted with speakers provided by Bose.

Bose Lifestyle Ultra (speaker)Fabric, Curves, and Care

The Bose Lifestyle Ultra Speakers adopt the aesthetic codes of the soundbar. A prominent acoustic fabric front stretched over a chassis with generous curves, available finishes in black or white, and a compact footprint. However, Bose has not sought to miniaturize at all costs: the speakers measure approximately 18 x 12 x 17 cm and weigh 1.6 kg.

Unlike the Sonos Play, which measures 19 x 11 x 7.7 cm and weighs 1.3 kg, the Lifestyle Ultra Speakers are chunkier, indicating a deliberate choice to accommodate their three drivers.

The top of the speaker houses a discreet yet noticeable vertical driver, hidden behind a micro-perforated acoustic grille. This design detail immediately recalls the product’s primary purpose: Dolby Atmos surround sound. Yet, it does not disrupt the overall sleek silhouette.

Here you’ll also find all the tactile control buttons, with the play and volume controls encircled. The speaker also includes built-in microphones for managing the Alexa voice assistant and auto-calibrating the speaker according to the characteristics of your room.

Dedicated stands are available optionally (160 euros per pair), featuring integrated cable management, as well as wall mounting brackets (90 euros per pair).

In terms of connectivity, apart from the power input, there is a mini-jack 3.5 mm input to potentially provide an audio signal via cable.

The only downside is that the speakers do not have a battery, so their placement will depend on the proximity of a power outlet.

Bose Lifestyle Ultra (speaker)Drivers and Bass-Reflex

Bose designed each speaker with three drivers: a tweeter and a woofer directed forward for the horizontal channel, and a midrange driver pointed towards the ceiling for Dolby Atmos effects in a surround configuration. When used solo or in stereo without the bar, this vertical driver remains functional and broadcasts certain sounds to add verticality to the sound.

Bose has chosen a bass-reflex acoustic loading to enhance the lower frequencies, giving them more extension. At the back of the speaker, there is a resonator tube that boosts the very low frequencies produced by the front woofer.

Another good news, the presence of the front tweeter allows for a finer reproduction of high frequencies.

Finally, the shape serves the function, with non-parallel walls of the speaker promoting a more harmonious circulation of sound inside. This might seem trivial, but it is crucial for sound clarity.

Bose Lifestyle Ultra (speaker)Solo, Stereo, or Multiroom

The Lifestyle Ultra Speakers are fully controlled via the Bose Music app. Initial setup requires an active Wi-Fi connection and internet access: without a network, it’s impossible to complete the activation. Once this step is completed, the system operates even if the internet connection is lost later. However, both are mandatory at the first launch, even if you plan to use it only via Bluetooth.

The app provides access to volume adjustment, source selection, audio settings, and power management.

With two speakers, setting up a stereo pair is straightforward: you connect one speaker, assign its channel, then add the second. A swap button allows you to reverse the channels if the speakers are incorrectly positioned in the room or if you move them. Once the pair is registered, the two speakers behave as a single system: one entry in the app, one volume slider, one selected source.

The app also offers a multiroom use. Multiple Bose Lifestyle Ultra Speakers on the same network can be grouped to play the same source simultaneously in different rooms or operate independently as needed.

For sources, the app centralizes the selection. The Lifestyle Ultra Speakers support AirPlay 2, Google Cast, and Spotify Connect for Wi-Fi streaming, covering most common listening platforms.

Bluetooth is also available, but pairing is not done directly from the smartphone’s Bluetooth menu: it also goes through the Bose Music app, via the “Source” button. This isn’t a major constraint, but it’s an additional step compared to most Bluetooth speakers on the market, which pair directly from the phone’s settings.

Regarding codecs, as usual with Bose, you have to make do with the basic SBC codec. As long as you can listen over Wi-Fi without any quality loss, this is of no consequence.

The app offers basic tonal adjustment: treble, midrange, and bass, nothing more. A fourth setting, named “height,” adjusts the level of the ceiling-oriented driver.

Unlike the Bose Lifestyle Ultra bar, there is no possibility of calibration for the small speakers. You therefore only work with the manual equalizer and good sense of placement. This is sufficient for the vast majority of listening contexts, but those expecting automatic acoustic optimization comparable to what Sonos offers with Trueplay will need to go through the complete system.

Bose Lifestyle Ultra (speaker)The Bose Signature in a Compact Format

Bose has never sought to make neutral speakers. The American brand has built its reputation on a signature that is recognizable among all: rich and present bass, slightly recessed midrange to avoid fatigue at high volume, highlighted highs to add air and detail. This philosophy is applied here with the consistency expected from a product in this range.

This tonal signature has a real advantage: all recordings pass smoothly, with the slight surplus of highs making harsh tracks (metal, rock, etc.) more palatable.

Another common feature of many Bose products, this speaker, although small, can play really very loud while maintaining tonal balance.

We take a look at the response curves of the Bose Lifestyle Ultra Speaker. First the blue at a reasonable volume, then the pink at full power.

The curve at moderate volume shows this Bose balance, bass forward, midrange recessed, and treble at the level of the bass. In essence, a V-shaped curve that really listens well. The bass range is surprising given the small size of the speaker, with a valid extension down to almost 50 Hz (below which it plunges too much to clearly hear the sub-bass). This is quite a performance. We observe a peak at 70 Hz, a frequency from which we start to feel weight and depth. Higher up, the midrange shows an emphasis around 500 Hz, a fundamental frequency of many musical instruments (excluding percussion), which naturally brings relief. At the top end, the treble is therefore frankly forward, but the quality of the tweeter used makes the high frequencies flattering, pleasant to listen to.

The curve at maximum volume shows that the onboard electronics limit the extension of the bass to protect the drivers, but the speaker still plays deep bass down to 70 Hz. The midrange holds, but, surprise, the treble is noticeably recessed. Thus, at full power, you lose the smooth and pleasant side of the speaker at moderate volume, unless you adjust the treble level in the app. If the goal is to listen to these speakers very loudly, you have to play with the equalizer.

A Verticality that Adds Value

There is much to gain from using two Bose Lifestyle Ultra Speakers, not for a slightly higher sound volume, but for the soundstage that completely changes the auditory experience.

The soundstage opens up, the separation between the left and right channels is real and well-defined. Elements of the mix position themselves in space with a clarity that mono does not allow.

The stereo image is stable. The center is solid, the vocals do not wander all over when you move slightly off the ideal listening axis. This is an important point for use in a living room on a sofa: you are not always exactly between the two speakers, and the Lifestyle Ultra Speakers maintain their balance even off-axis.

The strength of the speakers remains their vertical driver, which plays certain sounds from the mix towards the ceiling. This adds an extra layer of spaciousness, and an interesting verticality to the sound, giving the impression of listening to floor-standing speakers.

Listening Impressions

Angel, Massive Attack

The synthetic double bass that opens the track immediately sets the stage for what the speakers can do in the bass range: present, round, with enough body to set the atmosphere. At moderate volume, the rendering is convincing. Horace Andy’s voice floats above the mix with a welcome clarity, the string pads occupy the space with some breadth. This is where the Lifestyle Ultra Speakers excel. As soon as you push further, compression is felt: the bass loses definition.

Comfortably Numb, Pink Floyd

The studio version reveals one of the most endearing qualities of these speakers: the slight accent in the highs that gives clarity to Gilmour’s guitar without ever being aggressive. The first solo, often rendered a bit dull on speakers with a shy high range, here opens up, breathes. The Lifestyle Ultra Speakers are in their comfort zone on this track: controlled dynamics, well-separated registers. It’s very good.

Me and Bobby McGee, Janis Joplin

The acoustic guitar in the introduction benefits from the same favorable treatment: the emphasized highs give it a fluidity, a natural brilliance that serves the instrument. And when Janis comes in, that’s where the speakers reveal something interesting. Her voice, in its more composed moments, is warm, well-centered, with a slight roundness in the lower midrange that gives it body. But it’s in the moments when she rasps, when she pushes into the highs, that the reproduction becomes really convincing: the range opens up, the harshest harmonics of her voice come through with all their expressiveness without ever becoming strident. Good work.

Die With A Smile, Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars

A track that has been on repeat on all platforms since its release, and whose very polished production lends itself well to the exercise. Lady Gaga’s voice, in the verses, is reproduced with a precision and presence that highlight the production work: every nuance of breath, every vibrato is there. Bruno Mars, in the chorus, brings a more grave register that tests the coherence of the lower midrange, and the speakers hold up. The final build-up, where the two voices overlap over a thickening orchestration, remains clear, without the sound planes mixing. It’s not the most technically demanding track, but it confirms that the Lifestyle Ultra Speakers know how to handle a modern pop production with the naturalness it deserves.

In the Complete Home Cinema System

In a home cinema configuration with the Bose Lifestyle Ultra bar and subwoofer, the speakers change nature. Their role is limited to the rear surround channels and vertical Atmos effects. And there, the difference with a solo bar is immediate and convincing. To learn more, feel free to read our test of the full Bose Lifestyle Ultra set.

Bose Lifestyle Ultra (speaker)Price and Availability

The Bose Lifestyle Ultra Speaker is marketed at 350 euros per unit, in black or white, and at 370 euros in driftwood color (beige). They can also complement the Lifestyle Ultra Soundbar (999 euros) and the Lifestyle Ultra subwoofer (899 euros) to form the complete system at about 2,600 euros.

These speakers do not really have direct competitors, as very few connected speakers have a vertical diffusion channel.

Sonos offers the Sonos Era 300, significantly larger and more expensive at 500 euros, but capable of impressive spatialization with very advanced support for Dolby Atmos for musical listening.

If vertical sound is not your priority, but you are looking for elegant, compact speakers capable of functioning in wireless stereo, then the Sonos Play is worth considering. Priced at 350 euros, it has a battery for portable use and offers a truly impressive sound, with support for AirPlay and Bluetooth.