Bose is a company with a reputation of making great compact audio systems such as the Bose SoundTouch 130. But when it comes to the top home theater market, they couldn’t really brag much about it. That is until recently, when they released the Bose Lifestyle 650. It changed the way the industry looked at home theater systems.
They created a compact 5.1 surround sound system that delivers exceptional sound quality. Furthermore it is a reasonably affordable home theater, and without a doubt, worth the money you pay for it. Today we’ll have a closer look and find out the good things and the bad things about this home theater system. In our Bose 650 review, we’ll take a closer look at the features, design and sound quality of this surround sound system. Let’s get right to it, shall we?
Bose Lifestyle 650 Overview
First Looks
The Bose Lifestyle 650 system is marketed for elegance and simplicity offering a very attractive model with a classy and minimalistic design. The Bose Lifestyle 650 consists of three main components: the remote speakers, the wireless bass module and the console.
The brains of the entire system is the receiver. It takes all of the inputs, whether it is your computer or a 4k video, and acts as a mediator between them and the TV.
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The included remote gives you control over various aspects of the system. The wireless bass module, is the well known Bose Acoustimass 300. This piece comes with the amazing OmniJewel speakers, which means you’ll get four front and rear modules plus an extra center channel.
Design
There is also another reason why Bose have an advantage to other competitors and that is the implementation of advanced engineering in their systems. The OmniJewel speakers used in this system, take it a step further. Typical speakers work by pushing the air, the driver then vibrates, pushing the vibrations in the direction of the listener. That is why in order to work efficiently, the speakers need to be pointed at the listener.
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With the OmniJewel it’s another case. There is nothing pointed at you. There is a small grill around each satellite and behind that grill there is a pocket of air squished between two drivers. When working together, they push the air into the empty space, causing it to compress and move away in a 360 manner. That is how the 360 surround sound system works.
Sound Quality
Now that we know the mechanics behind the sound, let’s find out how they perform. To sum it in one word, incredible. You will definitely notice the difference if you just upgraded from a standard 5.1 system to the Bose 650 Lifestyle surround sound system. The speakers in this surround sound system might be tiny, but they produce crazy sound performance. The 5.1 surround sound processing creates a dramatic effect. It’s hard to believe that the sound is coming from the tiny speakers.
In fact the audio is so pure and clear that you’ll hear all of the distinct details in it. The sound of traffic on the road, birds in the distance, hoofs of the horses or the rustling of clothes from the characters as they move through the scene. In addition to that, the subwoofer is amazing and among the best in this price range.
Calibration
When it comes to an audio system of this caliber there are a lot of factors you have to take into consideration in order to make the most of the audio experience it has to offer. The shape and size of the room is one key factor. Positioning is key with this surround sound system, since it can project sound in any direction. So make sure it’s not projecting it in the wall.
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However the good thing about this system is that it can calibrate itself. It features an awesome system called ADAPTiQ. You just use the special pair of headphones and sit in your desired place. Then the system takes over and calibrates itself to that position. It takes a couple of minutes to set up the perfect sound for your room.
Connectivity
Connectivity is very important in a surround sound system and the Bose 650 Lifestyle has that covered. It features six HDMI ports, enough to connect everything you own. They also support HDCP, so they are 4k compatible.
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In addition, it also features two optical in ports, one out point, RCA, 2 digital coaxial in ports and a 3.5mm headset port. Furthermore it is stream friendly and it supports Deezer, Spotify, Pandora, iHeartRadio, Amazon Music and Sirius XM. It is also WiFi friendly and very easy to sync with your tablet or phone.
Conclusion
There it is folks, our brief Bose 650 review is done. We think that this audio system is among the best in its price range. Managing to put together a complex yet compact piece of audio that is very easy to use. You end up with incredible audio and amazing design, on top of that it is extremely easy to calibrate, making sure you get the perfect sound for your room. Overall, it is a marvelous surround sound system and we highly recommend it.
