Bose has revived its iconic Lifestyle branding — first introduced in 1990 and discontinued in 2022 — with three new home audio products launching May 15. The Lifestyle Ultra Speaker, Lifestyle Ultra Soundbar, and Lifestyle Ultra Subwoofer are all available for pre-order today, according to Bose’s official pressroom announcement.
The most interesting product in the lineup is the Lifestyle Ultra Speaker — a compact unit with three drivers: two front-facing and one up-firing. It supports AirPlay, Google Cast, Spotify Connect, and Bluetooth, and can be grouped with non-Bose speakers — a deliberate move away from the closed ecosystem approach Sonos uses.
Bose’s CleanBass technology uses a proprietary QuietPort acoustic opening and advanced signal processing to deliver deep bass from a small cabinet. TrueSpatial audio processing uses the up-firing driver to add height and dimensional depth to the sound.
First-listen impressions from New York events have been positive. Reviewers noted strong vocal clarity and room-filling sound that felt larger than the speaker’s size suggested. (Engadget first impressions) One concern raised was the absence of room correction at launch — a surprising omission, particularly when using two speakers in a stereo pair. Bose has indicated it may add this feature in a future update.
The speaker comes in black and white at $299, with a limited-edition Driftwood Sand variant at $349. It sits in price between the Sonos Era 100 at $219 and the Era 300 at $479.
The Lifestyle Ultra Soundbar — $1,099
The Lifestyle Ultra Soundbar is Bose’s first major soundbar redesign in years. It is a 5.2-channel unit housing six full-range drivers — two up-firing — along with a dedicated center tweeter and two PhaseGuide drivers for directional horizontal audio.
It supports Dolby Atmos and features SpeechClarity, an AI-powered dialogue enhancement system that gives users more control over vocal clarity without eliminating background sound. CustomTune calibration optimizes audio output for the specific room.
Early impressions were mixed. Reviewers found the soundbar impressive for width and vocal clarity but noted a gap between bass and midrange frequencies when used without the subwoofer. Paired with the Ultra Subwoofer, that gap disappears.
At $1,099, it matches the price of the Sonos Arc Ultra directly.
The Lifestyle Ultra Subwoofer — $899
The Ultra Subwoofer rounds out the lineup at $899 — the same price as the Sonos Sub 4. Reviewers who heard it paired with the soundbar described a significant improvement in low-end fullness.
A full Atmos configuration using two Ultra Speakers as rear channels creates a 7.1.4 setup. The complete soundbar and subwoofer combo lands at $2,000 — matching the cost of a Sonos Arc Ultra paired with a Sub 4.
Open Ecosystem — The Key Differentiator
The most notable strategic decision Bose made with this lineup is openness. Rather than building a proprietary app that controls everything, Bose lets users stream through Apple Music, Spotify, and other apps they already use — with AirPlay, Google Cast, and Spotify Connect all supported.
Bose president of premium consumer audio Raza Haider described the approach as deliberately “app-less.” The Ultra Speaker can also be grouped with non-Bose speakers via AirPlay and Google Cast — something Sonos does not allow with competing hardware.
Auracast support is built in but will not be enabled at launch. Bose says it will activate the feature once that ecosystem matures.
Availability
All three products are available for pre-order now and ship May 15.
- Lifestyle Ultra Speaker — $299 (black/white), $349 (Driftwood Sand)
- Lifestyle Ultra Soundbar — $1,099
- Lifestyle Ultra Subwoofer — $899
