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BoseHome Speaker 500

Home speaker
Multi-room
Smart speakers

£349View retailers

Test score

Lowest available prices

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Bose is known for its headphones, but is it just as good a choice for speakers for your home? Bose claims the Bose Home Speaker with Amazon Alexa voice control gives you 'wall-to-wall stereo sound' with the 'widest sound of any smart speaker'. Our music industry professionals find out whether it matches the best.

pros

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cons

What's included?

What is it?
What's the sound like?
What's it like to use?
What's it like as a smart hub?
Is there anything I should watch out for?
Is there anything else I should know?
Should I buy it?

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KEY TEST RESULTS
Sound quality
Ease of use
Features, audio sources and connections

May 2022Last checked by Which?
Jul 2019First reviewed by Which?
Oct 2018Released

The overall Which? test score is made up of the following star ratings, all determined by our rigorous lab tests.

How we test speakers main image - Sonos One SL

How we test wireless, smart and Bluetooth speakers

27 Feb 2024

Sound quality

Overall
Classical sound quality
Jazz sound quality
Pop sound quality
Speech sound quality

How we test sound quality

We rate sound quality using a professional panel of five expert listeners with a range of ages and musical tastes. They listen to nine recordings per turntable which cover a wide range of music and radio genres, giving a rating per recording and an overall verdict (not an average).

Voice assistant integration

How we test voice assistant integration

Our experts assess how well the smart speaker or smart display has integrated its voice assistant. We ask each device a series of typical questions and see how well it responds. Different devices with the same voice assistant will often get different ratings. For example, the voice assistant may be poorly integrated into the device's software, or the microphones may be too poor for the voice assistant to pick up what you're saying reliably.

Ease of use

Overall
Initial Set Up
Everyday Use
Ease of connecting up multiple devices (multi-room)
App ease of use

How we test ease of use

The overall ease of use as rated by our lab professionals. Includes how easy it is to set up, the quality of the instruction manual and the labelling of sockets. Everyday use includes how easy it is to connect devices, wirelessly stream music and control playback features. Multi-room use includes how easy it is to set up and connect to a wireless multi-room speaker system. The portability rating only applies to models with a battery.

Features, audio sources and connections

How we test features, audio sources and connections

Our lab professionals assess the number of different ways you can connect an audio source both wirelessly and via a cable. Watch out for models with a lower star rating - some models can be quite restrictive, like only allow you to connect wirelessly or even only with wi-fi. Check the tech specs tab for full details.

Security
Brand update policy	No specific support period given

General
Type of speaker	Home speaker
Height	20.4cm
Width	11.5cm
Depth	16.8cm
Weight	2.1kg
Screen size	2.9-inches
Battery powered	No

Connections
Bluetooth	Yes
Wi-fi	Yes
Smart speakers	Yes
Voice assistant(s) supported	Alexa, Google Assistant
Multi-room	Yes
Chromecast multi-room	No
Ethernet	No
3.5mm line input	Yes
USB charging port	No

Features
Water resistant	No

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BoseHome Speaker 500

Lowest available prices