Lifestyle Ultra Speaker: could this be Bose’s multi-room comeback?
12-8-2026
Translation: Jessica Johnson-Ferguson
Pictures: Florian Bodoky
With the launch of the Lifestyle Ultra, Bose’s back in the multi-room with a stylish Wi-Fi speaker. AirPlay 2, Google Cast and Spotify Connect are all included – and overall, its sound quality is impressive.
In recent years, Bose’s main focus has been headphones, Bluetooth speakers and soundbars. Now the US-based company is reviving its multi-room portfolio. The wireless-ready Lifestyle Ultra can be used as a standalone speaker, paired with a second one to create a stereo system or integrated into a larger multi-room setup. It also supports Bluetooth, AirPlay 2 and Google Cast. By adding this product to its range, Bose’s aiming to be at the forefront of the market. But can Bose pull it off?
Classic, low-key design
The Lifestyle Ultra has a very understated design. Essentially it’s an oval piece of plastic with a front covered in acoustic fabric, and the Bose logo discreetly positioned at the bottom edge. The controls are on the top panel. There’s no denying a certain resemblance to the Sonos Era 100, including its size.
This makes it compact enough to be placed on a bookshelf, nightstand or kitchen counter. The speaker blends in with its surroundings without being obtrusive.
Unless you choose the Driftwood Sand version, that is, which is only available from the manufacturer. Its base is made of dark wood, which makes it more of an eye-catcher, but no less elegant. On the contrary, in fact. The look and feel of the standard version is sturdy and stylish. This is also thanks to its touch controls. There are no buttons, knobs or plastic in sight. Play/Pause, skip, volume control, Bluetooth pairing and muting the microphone all work via touch. It takes some getting used to, because the speaker doesn’t give any feedback when you tap on it. Interestingly, the mic is the exception, emitting a soft tone when you mute or unmute it.
Pros and cons
First things first: although the speaker supports Bluetooth 5.3, keep in mind that it’s intended exclusively for home use. It has neither a battery nor an IP certification. In other words, you have to plug it in to use it using a Euro 8 cable. There are no workarounds using e.g. a USB-C connection and a powerbank.
When it comes to smart assistants, the speaker is limited to Alexa by default. The good news is that both AirPlay 2 and Google Cast are included. This means you can use Siri or Google Gemini via external devices. In addition, the speaker supports Spotify Connect, and Qobuz and Tidal are expected to be added soon.
The speaker is a bit of a letdown when it comes to Bluetooth connections – its limited selection of codecs only includes AAC and SBC. In fairness, Bluetooth audio isn’t Bose’s core business either. You can, however, use the speaker as a rear surround speaker by connecting it via Wi-Fi and teaming it up with a Bose soundbar and other speakers. With its upfiring speaker, it also works as a Dolby Atmos height channel in a home cinema setup. You can also easily configure this type of setup in the Bose app. Last but not least, there’s a 3.5-mm aux input to hook up analogue devices. By the way, there are also other reasons to use the app: it includes the EQ settings and lets you configure the shortcut button.
Brilliance, but not much deep bass
The Lifestyle Ultra speaker houses three drivers – two front-firing and one upfiring. The front-firing drivers handle the reproduction of vocals, instruments and the fundamentals. The driver on the top directs sound toward the ceiling and uses the reflection to create a three-dimensional soundstage. Bose calls this TrueSpatial.
Frequency division is handled by the digital signal processor (DSP). Voices and instruments are this speaker’s strong suit. Expect clear, prominent vocals and cleanly separated guitars. Even in denser arrangements, you’ll be able to pick out the individual instruments. The highs are rich in detail without distorting or sounding too clean, unlike the drums, which are occasionally a bit too in-your-face. The hissing can be a bit distracting at times, so it’s best to adjust that using the EQ.
The bass could also do with a bit of a boost. Sure, it does have some punch, but it could do with a bit more depth. You can do some fine-tuning using the EQ in the app, but if you’re looking for rich, deep and powerful bass, you probably won’t be satisfied.
In a nutshell
Successful comeback
Bose launches the Lifestyle Ultra and makes a successful comeback to the multi-room market despite minor flaws. The design and build are top-notch, and I really like the touch controls. Sound-wise, the speaker impresses with clear, well-defined vocals and instruments you can easily pick out in the mix. The lack of true, deep bass weight can somewhat be made up for with a quick EQ boost, but not fully.
Another strength of the speaker is the variety of streaming standards it provides: AirPlay 2, Google Cast and functions including Spotify Connect. Although it’s a pity the speaker has no high-quality codecs such as AptX Lossless, it’s no big deal given its intended use. All in all, this is a great speaker that can be easily integrated into larger audio setups.
Pro
- High-quality finish and fancy design
- Extensive streaming support
- Good sound quality overall
Contra
- Weak bass depth
- Operated via cable only
- No lossless codec
- Only natively supports Alexa
Header image: Florian Bodoky
Florian Bodoky
Senior Editor
Florian.Bodoky@digitecgalaxus.chI've been tinkering with digital networks ever since I found out how to activate both telephone channels on the ISDN card for greater bandwidth. As for the analogue variety, I've been doing that since I learned to talk. Though Winterthur is my adoptive home city, my heart still bleeds red and blue.
These articles might also interest you
Show all
These articles might also interest you
23 comments
later