Bose Lifestyle Ultra: strong compact sound begs for a stereo pair
CNET’s review finds the Bose Lifestyle Ultra Speaker to be a stylish, compact smart speaker with punchy bass and a wider soundstage thanks to a height driver. It supports Google Cast, Apple AirPlay and Bluetooth (not portable) and can be used solo or as part of a stereo pair or as rear speakers with the Lifestyle Soundbar. Setup via the Bose app is straightforward, but software updates can take about 10 minutes per speaker. It isn’t backward-compatible with older Bose Wi‑Fi speakers and it doesn’t natively support hi-res 24-bit/192 kHz audio. Compared with Sonos Era models, the Ultra sounds better than Era 100 but not as expansive as Era 300; two units are recommended for true stereo. Price is $299 each, with a $70 discount when buying as a stereo pair.
