Bose Soundbar 700 vs 500 vs SoundTouch 300 Specifications Comparison

In this article, we are comparing the Bose Soundbar 700 vs 500 vs SoundTouch 300 specifications to understand the differences in these products from Bose Corporation objectively.

Also Read: Bose Bass Module 700 vs 500 Home Woofers

In this genre of new age entertainment, the Televisions have undergone massive development in terms of picture quality and other essential details. However, the sound quality has not improved over the years at par with the pictures. That is precisely where you would find the audio systems a powerful companion for your TVs. We will compare a couple of the best options you can check out for the sound systems for accompanying your TV or music systems.

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Bose Soundbar 700 – An Overview

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Bose Soundbar 700 is ideally one of those unique speakers that beat most of the smart speakers. Bose even claims that it matches the quality of most of the intelligent speakers and even surpasses them.

The premium feels that the soundbar offers you is meant for accentuating your home décor. The tempered glass top and metal grille should make it one of the best options for your requirements. The built-in Alexa support should make it one of the best prospects concerning convenience as you would not need any configurations.

The speaker can be controlled in three different manners – you can use the universal remote, opt for the voice commands or even use the Bose Music app.

Bose Soundbar 500 – An Introduction

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Designed and developed for the powerful experience in terms of the best musical experience, the Bose Soundbar 500 offers you an excellent performance. The built-in Alexa support should make it a trouble free option for your audio system.

The sound bar comes equipped with the option for streaming your favorite music from the services like Spotify and Amazon.  There is also support for Amazon Music, Pandora, Deezer, and TuneIn to name a few. You can even listen to your music library from your phone or other devices through Bluetooth and WiFi. The eight microphone array can pick up your voice from across the room no matter which corner of your living room you are calling out to it.

The soundbar comes with ADAPTiQ audio room calibration that helps you out in fine tuning the sound as per the dimensions of your room. The compatible Bose Music App lets you customize the music experience for each of your users.

Bose SoundTouch 300 – The Overview

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If you are looking for a carefully crafted and precision designed soundbar option, the SoundTouch 300 should be the excellent option you can go with. However, you can use it only with a TV that is equipped with an HDMI ARC option.

It comes with a tempered glass top coupled with an Aluminium grille. The Acoustic room calibration system fine tunes the room to the exact needs of your room. The performance is crisp and clear and works perfectly for the dialogues. The vocals tend to come up somewhat crisp and clear.

The soundbar is capable of broader audio performance and detailed audio experience. Of course, there is no scope for the subwoofer out of the box, but you should not find the absence being adversely affected.

You can browse and enjoy music from several streaming services like Spotify and Deezer among others. You can even listen to music through the Internet radio station from TuneIn and other similar services.

Comparison chart between the Competing Bose Soundbars

Instead of discussing the three capable soundbars from Bose in separate headings, we thought of comparing them in a side by side comparison. This can help you understand the salient features of all the three products in a more straightforward and better manner.

Here is a comparison for the best in class soundbars –

Sound Enhancing equipment and Bose has been a constant combination for over a decade now. They have been coming up with a few really smart systems for your home theatre audio enhancements. One of the major trends over the past couple of years has been on the Soundbars that have replaced the traditional speakers by and large. From that perspective, we thought of offering you a sound (well, not strictly a pun intended) comparison between the two capable products from the Bose range of soundbars – Bose Cinemate 1 SR and Bose SoundTouch 300. Let us check out how do they compare with one another.

Bose Cinemate 1 SR – An Overview

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Bose has been a clear leader in the sound and audio technology. The Cinemate 1 SR is incidentally the first product from Bose in the Soundbar genre. So, as the first offering in a particular segment, how does it fare against its other products in terms of quality and functionality?

It is indeed a good value for money product and leaves not much to criticize. Having said that, we should also add that it is simpler in design and may not be equivalent to the advanced devices we have been witnessing over the past few months. It has five speaker drivers and wireless subwoofer and also slim and sleek with its design but lacks the all-important HDMI connectivity.

The design is slim and sleek as we said already and designed primarily for wall mounting. It has a sturdy metal grille hiding the insides and a gloss black design. The remote that comes with the soundbar can take up the duties of up to five other remotes and can work as a universal remote for most of your devices. It does support a wide range of TVs, DVD and Blu-ray players and recorders, and cable & satellite boxes.

Coming to audio performance, it does not have any audio presets or modes as we call them. When you set it for the first time, it does calibrate itself (which should not take any time beyond five minutes) and ready to blare. Audio quality is nice. It helps you get the best performance even from the broadcast signal on a TV. However, there is no 5.1 as precisely as it should be.

The Pros

• Low profile design should appeal to you on most counts
• Wireless auto connectivity option.
• Easy calibration and installation

The Cons

• The price is a little on the expensive side
• There are no preset modes to choose from depending on your inputs
• No surround sound functions.

Bose SoundTouch 300 – An Introduction

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The SoundTouch 300  has a high-end design and has slim and sleek looks, just like its competitor. Availability of only one HDMI may be a concern though, especially when we have devices that boast of at least three HDMI ports.

The design is quite a high end and in tune with the price. It has a tempered black glass top plate and is surrounded by an Aluminium grille. The top is a real fingerprint magnet, and you may find yourself cleaning it quite often.

No subwoofer comes with the package. However, you can go for a wireless subwoofer at an additional cost. When it comes to the connections, the soundbar offers you plenty of options – HDMI with ARC (Audio Return Channel), plus HDMI loop-through, optical digital audio input, Ethernet, Acoustimas jack, Adaptiq microphone input, and micro USB connection. The remote you get with the SoundTouch 300 is entirely generic and thus has a few buttons that have nothing to do with the soundbar in front of you. This can be a little confusing and may need you to learn a few things for a few days.

The setup is rather easy and can be done quickly through the easier calibration that is handled automatically. It can rightly measure the right listening height and calibrate the soundbar for an optimum result. You also have a SoundTouch app (both for Android and iOS) that can help you manage your SoundTouch 300 from your smartphone. Of course, the primary function of the app is to allow streaming from your smartphone, though it presents you a few other presets and options.

Now, coming to the performance, we must say we liked a lot about it. It does an excellent job for specific vocals. The soundbar does not come with any full surround sound option as it is, but you can go for the invisible Bose 300 Surround speaker that measure just around 10 cm. The 4K HDMI support should be an added advantage.

The Pros

• Wider articulate sound projection
• 4K HDMI support
• HDMI-ARC compatibility

The Cons

• Setup can take a while and can get frustrating
• No subwoofer available out of the box, but can be opted for at an additional cost.

The Complete Comparison: Cinemate 1 SR and SoundTouch 300

Having understood the pluses and minuses of both the soundbar options from Bose, we thought of sharing their features and functions in a side by side comparison chart. This will perhaps be of much use in finding the right kind of options for your needs.

The SoundTouch 300 scores over the Cinemate 1 SR on many counts as can be seen from the above head to head comparison. The sheer number of connections alone should make it a prime option as it will be helpful for you to connect with a wide range of devices. Though subwoofer is missing, the availability as an extra option should be a welcome gesture.

Which one should you Go For?

That was a fair comparison between the Bose SoundTouch 300 and Cinemate 1 SR. Given the fact that the latter was launched as the first product from Bose in the Soundbar genre, we would think you need to give it a fair chance as well when comparing it to the new rage of devices in the category.

Having said that, we would rate the Bose SoundTouch as the prime option among the comparison based on these parameters –

• Lookswise, it is an excellent option and offers you a stunning experience. The fantastic glass design should provide you with spectacular features.
• It offers a high tech sound performance. The PhaseGuide feature provides you with immersive sound experience.
• You can use it for your music streaming as well. Just pair it with your phone via Bluetooth or NFC and stream your music.
• The SoundTouch 300 offers you several options to make use of add-ons. You can go with the Acoustimass 300 wireless bass module or the virtually invisible surround sound speakers.

So, what would you think about that comparison and how would you rate both the soundbar options? If you have used either of them, you may share your views and experiences with us.

The Concluding Thoughts

Well, that was a fair comparison between the three most popular and capable soundbars from Bose. All three soundbars serve their purpose in most aspects. However, if you are looking for outstanding performance with a hands-free kind of environment, the Soundbar 700 and Soundbar 500 should be an ideal option for your needs. It comes with a built-in Amazon Alexa support along with the universal remote features. Of course, all three offer you a smartphone control through the app. The specific app differs for the Soundbar 700/500 combination and the SoundTouch 300.

Have you used any of these three soundbars from Bose? If you have, do share your experiences, thoughts, and opinions with us through the comments here below.