The Bose Smart Soundbar 900 is a standalone 5.0.2 setup with a premium design. Unlike its predecessor, the Bose Smart Soundbar 700, it supports Dolby Atmos content commonly found on different streaming platforms. It uses the manufacturer’s PhaseGuide technology to beam sound throughout your room to create a wide, immersive soundstage, and you can even with a separate subwoofer as the Bose Smart Soundbar 900 with speaker + bass module for a more immersive experience You can upgrade it with satellites. Like many premium bars, it also offers what Bose calls ADAPTiQ, a room correction feature that optimises the audio based on the unique acoustics of your room.
Its Room Correction feature automatically optimises audio playback according to the space. It also has neutral sound profiles suitable for a variety of audio content – Dolby Atmos and surround content are supported. Unfortunately, it doesn’t reproduce very extended bass, so you won’t get deep thumps and rumbles from action-packed movies or bass-heavy music. However, you can always improve performance by adding subs or satellites.
Otherwise, the soundstage is wide thanks to the soundbar’s nine transducers. A pair of up-firing drivers do a good job of bouncing the sound off the ceiling and producing the desired 3D effect. In the room I used, the breadth of sound was most impressive, as was the clear dialogue toggle. This toggle can improve less clear audio, but sounds artificial if the audio is already well mixed. It is good to have this as an option. Switching between mobile phone and TV can be done using the dedicated source button on the remote control or the app. This is usually done without any problems.
In the opening of Baby Driver in Dolby Atmos, Baby receives post-robbery coffee for the team. Again, there is a left-to-right spread as Baby passes other pedestrians, but the Soundbar 900 also adds a spread that exaggerates the distance depicted by the camera. For example, when Baby tries to pass by a motorbike just out of shot, the rotating sound sounds distant and atmospheric, whereas other systems sound much closer. However, in the warehouse scene that follows, the Bose’s airiness accentuates the reverberation and creates a natural feeling of space.
The Bose Smart Soundbar 900 has a fairly idiosyncratic acoustic approach to both Dolby Atmos and standard content, and while frequently enjoyable, is somewhat inconsistent in its effects, sometimes adding its own organisational structure and colouration.
With an impressively wide soundstage, clear front projection and bright character, many listeners are likely to be very satisfied with its responsiveness and cinematic performance. However, if you are looking for the ultimate premium Atmos soundbar, you may want to spend just a little extra for the added height, clarity, musicality and dynamics of the Sonos Arc.