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Bose Solo 5 Reviews: Is It Worth A Buy?

The Bose Solo 5 is a well-priced, ultra-compact soundbar for your TV. But is it worth buying one, or are you better off looking elsewhere? Let’s find out…



Cheap & Cheerful - It Gets The Job Done
Bose Solo 5
3.5
$170.00

Despite not boasting the advanced features or power of higher-end models, the Bose Solo 5 significantly enhances TV audio quality. Its ability to deliver clearer dialogue and dynamic range makes it a valuable consideration for those seeking a relatively inexpensive audio upgrade for their TVs

Pros:
  • Great Price Point
  • Simple Install
  • Quickest Method To Improve Your TV's Sound
  • Solid Design
  • Good Sound Quality
03/07/2024 09:01 pm GMT

If you’re looking to improve the audio quality of your TV, getting a soundbar is one of the easiest ways to do it. You have plenty of options when it comes to soundbars from brands like SONOS, LG, and Sony, as well as loads of other smaller, lesser well-known brands. And the price of a soundbar varies massively – you can pay $200 to $2000.

The Bose Solo 5, however, is positioned as a budget-conscious option. It retails for just $200/£200, is extremely compact measuring just 548 x 70 x 86mm, and it comes with its very own dedicated remote. If you’re looking to boost your TV’s sound performance, and you don’t want to spend a lot of money, is the Bose Solo 5 worth a buy in 2022 and beyond, or should you spend a little extra and get something more costly?

To answer this question, we’ll talk a look at the Bose Solo 5’s specs, a selection of Bose Solo 5 reviews from around the web, and at the end analyze whether or not the Bose Solo 5 is worth buying. Again, this product is positioned as an entry-level soundbar, a soundbar that nearly everyone can afford, unlike SONOS’ extremely expensive SONOS Arc.

bose solo 5 reviewPin

First, let’s take a look at what specs the Bose Solo 5 runs. After that, we’ll examine some Bose Solo 5 reviews.

Bose Solo 5 Specs

  • Bluetooth Wireless Audio Streaming
  • 548 x 70 x 86mm
  • 1 x Optical
  • 1 x Digital Coaxial In
  • Bose Videostage and TrueSpace
  • 1/8″ AUX In
  • Bass Control & Dialogue Modes
  • Includes Optical Cable
  • Includes Universal IR Remote
  • Wall Mountable

As you can see, the specs for the Bose Solo 5 are pretty spartan. There isn’t too much fancy stuff going on here. But you do have all the requisite I/O to get up and running quickly. There are plenty of customization options, though, and the inclusion of Bose Videostage and TrueSpace, which bring surround-sound effects to a single speaker, are welcome additions, especially at this price point.

The Bose Solo 5 is not going to be able to hold its weight against more premium soundbars like the SONOS Arc, but that’s almost a given – the Arc costs nearly four times as much as the Bose Solo 5. The point of the Bose Solo 5 is actually rather simple: it is positioned as an inexpensive way to upgrade your TV’s sound quality. If you have a small-to-medium-sized living room, it will be more than adequate.

At this price point, though, corners will have been inevitably cut. The Bose Solo 5 lacks the sound separation, overall power, and features of more expensive options on the market. But for those that just want to upscale their TV’s audio capabilities, adding in more dynamic range and making things like dialogue clearer, is the Bose Solo 5 worth a look? Let’s find out…

Bose Solo 5 Reviews

60

Expert Reviews

62

RTINGS

60

What HiFi

HiFi Report

50

Tech Gear Lab

45

Soundbars Dot Com

Is The Bose Solo 5 Worth It?

Overall, the Bose Solo 5 appears to be something of a mixed bag. For the price, it is certainly passable. But the consensus about whether or not it is worth buying seems pretty clear with nearly all reviews suggesting that you’re probably better off looking elsewhere.

So what is a good Bose Solo 5 alternative? If you want to spend approximately the same amount of money, your best bet would be the Yamaha YAS-108. It costs about the same as the Bose Solo 5 but come with better audio performance, more features, and wider codec support.

If you want the best of the best when it comes to soundbar performance, you’ll need to be looking at the SONOS Arc. The Arc is very expensive but it is also one of the most advanced, powerful soundbar speakers on the market – it sounds incredible, adding huge amounts of depth thanks to its array of speakers and tweeters.

If you want something powerful but don’t want to spend the best part of $1000/£1000, the SONOS Beam is around half the price and packs in plenty of performance. That is over double the price of the Bose Solo 5 but you will notice where all that extra money went once you plug it into your TV and start using it – it runs rings around the Solo 5.

Cheap & Cheerful - It Gets The Job Done
Bose Solo 5
3.5
$170.00

Despite not boasting the advanced features or power of higher-end models, the Bose Solo 5 significantly enhances TV audio quality. Its ability to deliver clearer dialogue and dynamic range makes it a valuable consideration for those seeking a relatively inexpensive audio upgrade for their TVs

Pros:
  • Great Price Point
  • Simple Install
  • Quickest Method To Improve Your TV's Sound
  • Solid Design
  • Good Sound Quality
03/07/2024 09:01 pm GMT
Richard Goodwin

Richard Goodwin has been working as a tech journalist for over 10 years. He has written for Den of Geek, Fortean Times, IT PRO, PC Pro, ALPHR, and many other technology sites. He is the editor and owner of KnowYourMobile.

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