Bose LifeStyle 650, home theater system to dream

Bose LifeStyle 650 complete in white

Bose LifeStyle 650, high-end wireless 'home theater' sound system

Your Expert RecommendedA sound system , a "home theater", of a good standard is what everyone seeks to install in their home: flat large diagonal televisions are here to stay, in many homes they are already in the second or third generation after maybe go through several of those HD Ready , Full HD and now 4K , and the next thing is to install a sound system capable of living up to that cinema image .

Sound systems "home theater" are finding increasing acceptance and new technologies help to do so, and among all the companies dedicated to it stands out one for having always been at the forefront: Bose . Founded more than 50 years ago , Bose has always offered highly efficient and alternative systems to make our living room, bedroom, or dedicated room become a concert hall or the best movie theater .

Bose launches 2017 with a new high-end fully wireless sound system (recommended price is 4,499 euros ), the Lifestyle 650 , which consists of the central control and connections console , a powerful subwoofer , a sound bar for the channel central , and four satellites of new design and omni-directional technology . The premises of the North American manufacturer in the conception of its new sound system have been: acoustics , aesthetics , finish and simplicity . Boseclaims that this system is the best and most effective they have ever made, so let's take a look at what it is, piece by piece.

The console , with an elegant curved glass cover , centralizes all connections, and also allows access to network music services, be it the Internet or our home network (music files shared from computers or on a NAS- type server ) . This same central console or base is common to the LifeStyle 600 system , which for a slightly lower price offers other less sophisticated and discreet speakers (satellite and central). We will have access to Spotify , Amazon Music and Internet radios , all manageable with the SoundTouch application itselfwhich also allows you to send sound to the rest of the house (if we have Bose SoundTouch speakers installed). You can also send sound from your mobile or tablet via Bluetooth directly.

Bose LifeStyle 650: black console, remote control and rear connections

The connectivity is very complete: the console has a pair of easily accessible front inputs ( HDMI and 3.5mm jack ), and a very complete set of rear inputs . Thus we can count up to 5 other HDMI inputs (and one output with ARC to make it the only necessary connection to the TV, all 4K compatible of course), two optical digital inputs , two coaxial digital inputs , two RCA analog inputs , a 3 connection '5mm for an Acoustimass module , Ethernet connection (has WiFiinternal) and a USB (for updates). This Bose is capable of decoding practically any sound format : Dolby Digital , Dolby Digital Plus , Dolby TrueHD , DTS and multichannel PCM , in addition to all those corresponding to lossy or lossless compressed formats for network music playback.

The four " satellite " type speakers offer 360-degree sound dispersion and are called OmniJewel : as you will see the name is accurate because they are like a little gem each. Each one of these loudspeakers has a solid machined aluminum chassis in which two speakers are mounted , in direct opposition, and with a space between them equipped with a diffuser for each one and perforated walls to allow the sound to escape outside. . This is how you get omnidirectional dispersion(360 degrees) that expands the sense of space to listeners: the room will appear larger and the sound will seem to come from further away. The development of these satellites has required a team of 30 dedicated people to achieve the optimal result. The very compact size of these new satellites stands out, surely the smallest we have seen from Bose : they have a prismatic shape with a square base of 4.7 cm and only 14 cm high , and weigh about 400 grams each. In the hand, with their aluminum finish, they look like little gems of technology.

Bose LifeStyle 650 - Open OmniJewel Satellite

The center channel is the best that Bose has made to date, it includes five speakers on the front, and it is also made of aluminum ; It measures 21 inches wide ( 53 cm ). Remember that the function of this channel in the home theater system is essential , since it will be the main protagonist of most of the sound that we hear. In particular, it is necessary to achieve the greatest possible clarity in dialogue, something that is always important, but even more so when we watch movies in their original versions (in languages ​​such as English or French), a custom that - fortunately - is gaining adherents.

We come to the subwoofer , or active bass speaker, a key part in any system of this type because it has a double function : on the one hand, it must ensure the transmission of special sound effects (explosions, footsteps, earthquakes, etc.), but on the other Part of it is in charge of reproducing low-frequency sounds , which are not perceived as directional by the ear , and therefore can come from a single source, as we will continue to locate each sound by its origin from the corresponding satellite (medium and high frequencies ). Bose made the Acoustimass moduleof the 650 system , also wireless, with an impeccable finish ( glass top ) and with a powerful dedicated speaker, whose sound is enhanced by the QuietPort conduit , to reach low frequencies in a clean and impactful way, but keeping a discreet size: It measures about 30 x 30 x 38 cm (width, depth and height) although it weighs a remarkable  14 kg .

Bose LifeStyle 650 - Open Subwoofer

So far the “ hardware ”, that is, what each module of the Bose LifeStyle 650 system consists of . But when it comes to installing and tuning it, there is a second, no less important part: the " software ". In reality, it is not one but there are two programs: the first, Unify , explains through the connected television how to install , and connect (with or without cable), each of the components (satellite speakers and subwoofer) as well as some initial adjustments. It will even help us program the remote control that comes with the equipment so that it is able to control the other components of our system (great).

But the most interesting comes later: once the equipment is installed, it's time to get it ready to get the most out of it. For this Bose has its own “calibration” system, ADAPTIQ , which actually makes acoustic measurements of the room. To do this we will put on headphones that have a small microphone in the position of each ear, and are plugged into the front socket of the main console. Thanks to the sounds emitted by each speaker, the system will measure distances , adjust levels , and detect the acoustic signature of the room.to achieve optimal equipment performance. For this, it allows up to five different positions , and in just over ten minutes we will have a professional-level adjusted team.

BOSE LIFESTYLE 650

Brand Bose
Model LifeStyle 650

Design

Dimensions 40'6 x 25'5 x 6'2 centimeters (main console)
Weight 4 kilos
Colors Black White
Waterproof Not

Multimedia

Formats MP3, AAC, AMR, WAV, JPEG, GIF, PNG, BMP, 3GP, MP4, 3GPP, FLAC
Radio Internet
Sound Dolby Digital and DTS (normal and HD)
Features HDMI and 4K video

software

Operating system SoundTouch app, Unify (installation), ADAPTIQ (sound adjustment)
Extra applications Multiroom

Connections

HDMI 6 inputs (1 front) and 1 ARC output
Wifi WiFi 802.11 b / g / n
SPDIF digital 2 optical, 2 coaxial
Analog RCA 2 rear
DLNA Yes
Bluetooth Yes
Ethernet Yes
Audio 3.5 mm minijack
ADAPTIQ 3.5 mm minijack
Others Wireless connectivity with surround back speakers and subwoofer.

BOSE ACOUSTIMASS 300

Brand Bose
Model Acoustimass 300 (wireless active subwoofer)

Design

Dimensions 30.5 x 38.1 x 30.5 mm
Weight 13.6 kilos
Colors Black
Waterproof Not

BOSE OMNIJEWEL

Brand Bose
Model OmniJewel

Design

Dimensions 4'7 x 4'7 x 14 centimeters
Weight 400 grams each
Colors Black / silver
Wireless Yes (surround back)

+ info

Release date January 2017
Manufacturer's website Bose

Price (console, subwoofer, center and satellites) 4,499 euros