For most folks , using a primed ofwireless headphonesorearbudswith asoundbaroffers two main benefits : you may hear privately without agitate others in your home ( or even in your bed ) , and you may discover details like dialogue more distinctly . Recently , Sonos add to these scenarios . ItsAce headphonescan reproduce 5.1 or full 7.1.4 spatial audio when grouped with one of the company ’s compatible soundbars .
And yet , each of these setups represents an either / or billet : You ’re either listening to your soundbar or you ’re listening to your wireless phone or earbuds .
That ’s what makes Bose ’s raw Personal Surround Sound technology so interesting . It accept the be phone provide by its new entering - levelDolby Atmos soundbar — the $ 499Bose Smart Soundbar — and permit you augment it with the company’sUltra Open Earbuds . When the devices are paired together , the earbuds act as a substitute for discrete environs speakers . Thanks to the earbuds ’ fully open design , you may listen all kinds of surrounding auditory sensation , including the soundbar ’s audio . subsequently this year , the feature will also work on theBose Smart Ultra Soundbar .
Bose send me the Smart Soundbar and the Ultra Open Earbuds so I could give Personal Surround Sound a vortex .
It take in some sentence to figure out the right preferences . But once I did , I found the upshot was telling .
When I earlier survey the Ultra Open Earbuds , I noted how they “ make an airy , lifelike hearing experience that does a better job of simulating a set of stereo speakers . ” This effect get them perfectly suitable to the task of re - creating surround speakers . Sure enough , the Open Earbuds bear those sometimes subtle / sometimes fierce remaining and right surroundings sounds in a way that felt completely rude .
Like using a fullDolby Atmoshome theater of operations system of rules , not all material benefits equally from Personal Surround Sound . TV appearance with 2.0 - epithelial duct audio are barely enhance , for instance . However , it give 5.1 , 7.1 , and Dolby Atmos capacity an supernumerary level of ingress that the Bose Smart Soundbar ca n’t accomplish on its own .
Movies likeMad Max : Fury Road , with tons of surroundings channel military action are idealistic . Other strong candidates are show like Netflix’sFormula 1 : Drive to Survive , with its whine of high - revving engines moving rapidly from one side to the other .
Music ( whether pelt from your TV or using one of the soundbar ’s wireless options ) can also get in on the Personal Surround Sound act . Depending on the lead ( and whether it ’s in stereo orDolby Atmos Music ) the effect can range from a slightly fuller strait to a quite noticeable added width and depth . Lusaint ’s cover ofWicked Gamegrows to encompass the whole room , while Fleetwood Mac’sLittle Liescomes across well-nigh unchanged .
What I had n’t expected was the earbuds ’ bass part - enhancing capableness .
subject - ear earbuds are known for their power to let you hear the world around you . But that often comes at the expense of gloomy - end frequency reception . And yet in a see environs like a living room , the Ultra Open Earbuds can lend a layer of low gear that I forthwith neglect when I turned Personal Surround off .
I do n’t want to overpromise on this — it ’s not like having a dedicated subwoofer in the room . But it enhance what the Bose Smart Soundbar produces , even with its sea bass tier set to maximum .
The one caveat is that you postulate to wager with the position of the Ultra Open Earbuds until they give you the best results . Their clip - like pattern lets them move up and down easily . That ’s great for comfort , but not always idealistic for sound quality .
I ’m a little surprised that Bose has n’t take away advantage of the Ultra Open Earbuds ’ question - tracking selection , which they use to deliver Bose ’s Immersive Audio feature . When using the buds normally ( with your speech sound for music ) Immersive Audio can keep the position of the virtual speakers fixed in quad as you move your head .
Applied to Personal Surround Sound , this could have kept the virtual environs utterer locked in their correct relative positions . But alternatively , they follow your head movements .
What ’s both amusing ( and perhaps a bit unfair ) is when you use the Ultra Open Earbuds while your sofa Ilex paraguariensis is define to just the soundbar . They think they ’re getting the full experience , and as far as the Smart Soundbar ’s capability are concerned , they are . It ’s just that you ’re getting so much more . For now , this will lead to the kind of fight that will make your remote ascendance jealous ; only one set of Ultra Open Earbuds can be used with Personal Surround Sound .
link the soundbar and earbuds is a zephyr ( as long as you ’re on the late microcode for each ): start the Smart Soundbar ’s setting in the Bose Music app , tap the Group clit , pick out the Bose Ultra Open Earbuds , and you ’ll be bring in to the Personal Surround Sound lineament .
When you arrive back at the soundbar ’s options , you ’ll now have separate book skidder for the soundbar and earbuds , with the option to enable Personal Surround .
If you ’re already wearing the Ultra Open Earbuds ( and playing message on the TV ) , you ’ll notice you could hear the same audio as the soundbar . In this fashion , they act like any other Seth of grouped Bose wireless headphones or earbuds — you’re able to damp the soundbar while still listening to the earbuds , vice versa , or something in between .
Enable Personal Surround Sound and the app merges the two intensity sliders and provides an extra readiness of options when you select the nearby three - dots button .
Here , mass , center channel , and stature / surround levels can be set individually for the earbuds . I needed to hike up the height / surround to its level best to get the most convincing surround heavy core .
Unfortunately , once you aggroup the Ultra Open Earbuds to the soundbar , there ’s no way to get at the earbuds ’ regular EQ controls . gratefully , they ’ll conserve whatever background was in use before grouping .
If you ’re think of corrupt the Bose Smart Soundbar , should you salve $ 100 on the damage of a set of $ 399Bose Surround speakersby getting the $ 299 Bose Ultra Open Earbuds rather ? It depends .
I see a few different scenario here . If you already own the Ultra Open Earbuds and you do most of your TV catch alone , by all means , take vantage of Personal Surround Sound and deliver some cash . If you ever decide you need a more lasting option , you’re able to always sum up the speakers by and by .
Likewise , if your elbow room ca n’t conciliate the extra speaker system , Personal Surround Sound is a wonderful alternative to strong-arm environs .
However , If you require dead on target surround audio and have the way and the budget , go with the dedicated verbaliser . Everyone who ’s watching can enjoy them , and you ’ll never have to go hunting for your earbuds to get the best experience .
