Bose combines the strengths of its soundbars and clip-on Ultra Open Earbuds to create a new home theater feature that tricks your ears (and your brain) into thinking you have real surround sound speakers on the back by simply playing sound through the earbuds.
Because the $299 Ultra Open Earbuds don't cover your ears, you'll still hear the sound from the soundbar clearly while the earbuds focus on the surround effects in the rear. The company claims this feature, called Bose Personal Surround Sound, creates “an unparalleled sound experience all around you” without requiring the space or investment of dedicated rear speakers.
In January, during a visit to Bose's headquarters in Framingham, Massachusetts, I got to hear a first-hand demo while the experience was still in development. And I was impressed by how convincing it was. Bose doesn't overdo the trick, but it does add a nice sense of spaciousness to the sound.
“Not everyone wants to invest thousands of dollars in rear speakers, surround speakers, all that stuff,” Raza Haider, Bose's chief product and supply chain officer, told me. “And so the team here found a way to actually provide a home theater-like experience without having any speakers other than a soundbar.” He called it “a simple example of something that we think open-ear audio helps solve.”
Bose Personal Surround Sound will first be available on the all-new Smart Soundbar, which the company is announcing today for $499. The Dolby Atmos soundbar is equipped with five drivers, features an AI dialogue mode, and offers a variety of music playback options, including Wi-Fi, Google Cast, Spotify Connect, and Apple's AirPlay 2. Personal Surround Sound will be available on the company's Smart Ultra Soundbar later this fall.
At least the Ultra Open Earbuds now have a unique selling point within Bose’s product range, as they only Earbuds with Personal Surround Sound feature; you can't use them with the company's over-ear headphones or the QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds, as those have a closed design and would make it harder to hear the sound from the soundbar. The Ultra Open Earbuds are also comfortable enough to wear all day, so they won't cause discomfort or be distracting while watching.
A controlled demo is one thing, but I still need to try this out more thoroughly to learn all the details about exactly how Bose Personal Surround Sound works, what quality of audio is sent to the earbuds, etc. Regardless, it's refreshing to see tech companies thinking outside the box when it comes to our home theater experience.