Bose Lifestyle Ultra Speaker Review: The Pair Way to Go

Over the years, Bose has made various stabs at multiple wireless audio systems to compete with Sonos’ offerings. What’s new for you Lifestyle Collectionincluding i Lifestyle Ultra Speaker ($299) I review here, i Lifestyle Ultra Soundbar ($1,099) and Ultra Subwoofer Lifestyle ($899), takes a different approach. Instead of being tied to the Bose app for setup and use, the speakers use Google Cast or Apple AirPlay, to pair with other Google Cast-powered wireless speakers you may already have in your home.

Read more: The best wireless Wi-Fi speakers of 2026

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Alas, the new Lifestyle Ultra speakers don’t match the company Front Wi-Fi speakersbut switching to a more open ecosystem is the right move, and the Alexa-enabled Lifestyle Ultra Speaker is an attractive option for those looking for an attractively designed wireless bookshelf speaker that plays big for its small stature. That said, I would highly suggest buying two if you can afford it because it sounds very impressive as a stereo pair (and you get $70 off when you buy a stereo set).

Multiple use cases

I tested the Ultra Speaker as a standalone speaker and as part of a stereo pair, though I don’t have an Ultra Subwoofer or Ultra Soundbar. Measuring 7.3 by 4.8 x 6.6 inches and weighing 3.7 pounds, this is a single-channel speaker with a height driver that uses the company’s “direct projection” technology to add presence, although it’s not an Atmos height channel alone. However, if you use the Ultra Speaker as a rear speaker with an Ultra Soundbar, the height driver will act as an Atmos channel.

Along with Wi-Fi, it also supports Bluetooth, but it has to be connected, so it’s not a portable speaker. It is also equipped with a 3.5mm input so you can connect it to a source component such as a turntable.

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Easy setup

I first set up the Ultra as a standalone speaker on my Wi-Fi network and later added a second Ultra to make a stereo pair. All of this was done through the Bose app (for iOS and Android) and it was straightforward. Initially, you are asked whether the speaker will be used as part of a multi-room audio system, as a stereo pair or as rear channel speakers. The only problem I encountered was the very long wait time for each speaker to be updated with the latest software. It took about 10 minutes for each speaker.

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I set up the speakers in several different rooms, including the media room, the home office and the larger living room. I placed them 1 to 3 feet from the wall; they sound best if you give them a little breathing room (not up on the wall). As a single speaker, the Ultra will easily fill a small room with sound. It can play a lot at its highest volume, but I thought it sounded best at about 60% to 65%. The same was true when I connected two speakers as a stereo pair.

While the speaker has pause/play buttons and a volume and mic mute button on top, I used to control playback with the Spotify app on my phone (the speaker supports Spotify Connect) or issue voice commands using Alexa after enabling that feature.

It seems you can’t use your phone’s volume buttons to control the volume directly. Instead, a volume slider appeared on Spotify on my phone whenever I hit my phone’s volume buttons. Needless to say, I would have preferred to use the volume buttons on my phone.

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The sound quality of the Bose Lifestyle Ultra Speaker

Many reviewers have been comparing the Lifestyle Ultra Speaker to the Sonos Era 100 SL ($189), the standard “non-talking” version. The 100th time ($219), which has a microphone and supports Amazon’s Alexa assistant like this Bose speaker. Personally, the Ultra sounds a little better than the Era 100. The Era 100 is a warm-sounding speaker that offers heavy bass volume in its default setting, while the Bose’s bass is a little tighter, punchier and more defined.

The Bose has a slightly wider and taller soundstage (thanks to the taller driver), although the Era 100 has two angled tweeters, which shoot from side to side to create a “stereo” soundstage. Both speakers have options to adjust the bass, treble and midrange settings using the balance controls in the app.

Like most wireless speakers, you’ll get some variation in sound quality, depending on the song you’re listening to (based on how well the song is recorded). There were times when I thought, “Wow, that sounds really good,” and other times when I found myself turning the volume down or just moving forward from the track. Voices sound clear and natural with a good overall tonal balance (midrange is not too forward and not pushed back).

You won’t get the same level of clarity as you would with a well-wired bookshelf in this price range, and some people may be disappointed that the Ultra doesn’t natively support Hi-Res 24-bit/192kHz audio like Wim Sound speaker (although it streams CD-quality 16-bit/44.1kHz audio). But Bose speakers and headphones are designed to deliver detailed, well-balanced sound that’s great for listening to a variety of music — and the Lifestyle Ultra Speaker does just that.

I also compared the Bose to the more expensive one Sonos Era 300 ($479). As a standalone speaker, the Era 300 is clearly superior, delivering bigger bass, more volume and a more expansive soundstage. While the Era 300 can fill a medium-to-large room with sound, I’d still be tempted to opt for two Lifestyle Ultra Speakers at $529 for true stereo (or two Era 100 speakers), especially if I’m setting up a small living room sound system. It’s hard to beat true stereo separation.

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Bose Lifestyle Ultra Speaker’s final thoughts

The sound quality of a premium compact Wi-Fi smart speaker, whether from Bose, Sonos, Apple, Amazon, Wim and others, continue to develop over time. The Bose Lifestyle Ultra speaker is clearly a step up from previous Bose Wi-Fi speakers, including the Home Speaker 300 and the Home 500 speaker, which offers richer, more refined sound with punchy, well-defined bass. Yes, you can get better sounding powerful bookshelf speakers for the money with Bluetooth connectivity. (I’ve always liked the Edifier, Audioengine and Fluance powered speaker options.) But they’re not “smart” speakers with voice assistants, and they don’t support multi-room audio setups.

Compared to the range of speaker options offered by SonosBose’s new Lifestyle speaker line is limited to begin with. Presumably, that will change over time, but the Lifestyle Ultra Speakers are an attractive alternative to the Sonos Era 100, albeit $70 more expensive. (The price gap narrows when you buy a pair of them on Amazon for $530, and we should see more sales as we head into the holiday shopping season.)

The Bose sounds a little better than the Era 100 and is just as good, if not better. Ultimately, however, its competitive advantage may be that it doesn’t have a proprietary control app and instead lets you use Apple AirPlay, Spotify Connect or Google Cast with a group of non-Bose Google Cast-enabled speakers in a multi-room setup.

The Bose Lifestyle Ultra Speaker is the top model in the compact smart speaker category, but as I’ve said a few times, get a pair if you can afford it.