Bose Solo TV sound system
Manufacturer: Bose Corp. Part number: 017817572408
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*Total price for the Bose Solo TV sound system are estimated and may vary slightly based on exact tax, shipping, manufacturer rebate or any sale/promotion on the merchant site.
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Bose Solo TV sound system price range: $399.00 - $399.99
- Reviewed by: Matthew Moskovciak and Steve Guttenberg
- Edited by: David Katzmaier
- Reviewed on: 11/28/2012
The good: The Bose Solo is among the best-looking sound bars available, with a clutter-free pedestal design. The included remote is excellent and dead simple to use. Its sound quality is unambiguously better than a TV's built-in speakers, especially for movies and TV shows. And while it's a little more expensive than some competitors, it's still reasonably priced, especially for Bose.
The bad: The Solo falls short of the sound quality of both other pedestal sound bars and traditional sound bars that include a wireless subwoofer. It lacks a front-panel display, so you won't know if its volume level is maxed out or not. And the Solo's small size only supports smaller TVs up to 40 pounds.
The bottom line: Although its sonic talents are comparatively modest, the Bose Solo is an exceedingly handsome and easy-to-use sound bar.
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6 stars
Good Solo Act that could be better
by absorber on November 9, 2012
Pros: Very good sound that is quick & easy to setup. Sturdy build quality with small convenient footprint.
Cons: Non-Programmable unit & remote. No volume level indicator or auto-power on features. Slightly expensive considering some features lacking.
Summary: The Solo nicely fits a niche form factor not met by most other sound bar offerings. I wanted to improve the basic sound quality of a Toshiba 37" LCD kept ...
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Summary: The Solo nicely fits a niche form factor not met by most other sound bar offerings. I wanted to improve the basic sound quality of a Toshiba 37" LCD kept inside a large oak TV cabinet on an extendable swivel stand. I had been using a Sony sound bar to enhance the nearly nonexistent sound of a LCD TV. When the Sony bar bit the dust I went looking for another. The Solo seemed the perfect solution because I could put the Solo easily inside the cabinet on the swivel stand with the TV on top. Still at twice the price of other quality name sound bars I had reservations. finally decided I'd had good experiences with other Bose products, so I bit the bullet on the Solo.
Out of the box, the Solo is hefty and feels very solid. The top appears to be able to easily handle the 18 KG weight of my 37" LCD. Set up was quick & easy. Just connect the power cord and the included digital audio or analog RCA cable and you are ready to go... Nothing could be simpler. The base of my 37" LCD fits the foot print of the Solo perfectly with nothing hanging over. A very stable set up overall.
The sound quality was very clear and crisp from the first. It is far superior to both my old and most recently returned sound bars. Voices are very clear during dialog and newscasts. Background music or sound effects are more pronounced but not over-powering. I was expecting to hear a slightly booming bass effect like with my Bose Wave radio, but bass seems fairly controlled yet present. The base seems to come more alive with music and action sequences. You really do get the sense that the Solo is dynamically adjusting itself to the sound requirements of what is being watched. My wife noted it too. She raves about the realistic sound clarity. Still the Solo does not give a 5.1 or even a 2.1 surround sound experience. If that is what you are after, look elsewhere. However, to enjoy a HDTV with very good quality sound, the Solo delivers.
Basic operation is fairly straight forward. The Power and volume can only be controlled by remote. There is no on-screen volume level indicator. The TV cannot reflect the volume changes made on the Solo as with other sound bars. This is not a huge problem since I set the level to what is best for my ears. The Solo also powers down automatically after a few minutes of audio inactivity. However, it does not automatically power back up when the TV resumes sending an audio signal. So you have to find the remote to turn it on again. The lack of this feature is inconvenient.
The included remote is OK and works fine, but it's not programmable. It is small and easily misplaced. Programming and using one's regular TV remote is always better, like with the other sound bars I had. The Solo itself is not programmable to use other or learn existing remotes like the previous Sony bar I had. Instead, Bose Support says..."the Solo uses standard Bose IR codes that are offered in lots of cable set-top box remote controls along with other universal controllers." But Bose does not provide IR program codes with the Solo. This makes programming TV or other universal remotes inconvenient. Programming my remote to work with the Solo has been problematic. Both my DirecTV and Toshiba remotes do not list any Bose IR codes. So I had to use the "step-by-step" method of finding the right code. (Have an auto-searching remote would be better.) Once I found the code setting on each remote, only the power on/off worked. Neither remote will adjust the volume level for some reason. Bose tech support had no answer either and even acknowledged the problem with DirecTV remotes.
(Note: Bose does offer to sell you their very nice universal remote for $30. But for the price of the Solo, this should have been the remote that was included instead of the one provided, IMHO. I think Bose will get several returns on the Solo just based on remote control frustrations.)
Overall, I very much like the Solo sound quality and design. It does exactly what I wanted by providing very good sound quality to a HDTV with minimal fuss and clutter. Plus, it fits well in the area under my TV. For these reasons I rated it 3 out of 5 stars and would give a conditional buy recommendation. However, the Solo's not having an auto-sensing power-on feature, and not at least offering a convenient programmable option, drops its rating. Having these 2 additional features would push the rating to 5 stars with a strong buy recommendation that's well worth the $400 price. As it stands, we will see if I keep the Solo since I have another 75 days to decide and maybe other options can be found.
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1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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10 stars
An amazing sound system that blows most systems away.
by casaloca31 on September 17, 2012
Pros: Clear sound quality, fills the room with sounds without constantly adjusting the volume controls. Adjusts itself to loud noises and works great with my big living room. No speaker wires to mess with and sets up very easy with one audio cable.
Cons: Haven't found a con yet.
Summary: The price is under $400 and and Bose.com will let you make monthly payments from your credit card, interest free. The time to buy is now,they are on ...
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Summary: The price is under $400 and and Bose.com will let you make monthly payments from your credit card, interest free. The time to buy is now,they are on a 2 week back order now but well worth the wait unless you go to a bose store (they probably have some in stock, I don't live near one). I own an expensive 3D tv and the internal factory speaker are horrible, this makes my tv much better and now I am 100% happy with my man cave.
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show Specifications
- Manufacturer: Bose Corp.
- Part number: 017817572408
- Description: Marketing description is not available.
General
- Product type Sound bar speaker system
- Speaker type Sound bar
- Dimensions (WxDxH) 20.7 in x 12.2 in x 3 in
- Weight 10.1 lbs
- Color Black
Features
- Speaker Type Active
- Connectivity technology Wired
- Recommended placing Table-top
- Additional features Wide, even sound throughout the room from Bose speaker array technology,
More effects, music and dialogue, clearly and naturally, with proprietary digital signal processing,
Single speaker fits neatly under your HDTV, no additional equipment needed,
One connection to your TV and one plug to the wall Connections
- Connector type 1 x SPDIF input ( TOSLINK ),
1 x SPDIF input ( RCA phono ),
1 x Audio line-in ( RCA phono x 2 )
Compatibility | Accessories
- Included accessories Audio (optical) cable
- Cables included Audio (optical) cable
Power
- Power device Power supply - Internal
- Power AC 120/230 V ( 50/60 Hz )
- Power consumption operational 50 Watt
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