Bose Lifestyle Ultra Speaker Vs. Sonos Era 100: I Compared Both Models, And Here's The Winner

Jada Jones and Maria Diaz/ZDNET

Follow ZDNET: Add america arsenic a preferred source on Google.

Sonos has cemented itself arsenic nan king of multi-room audio, but much and much companies are joining successful connected nan trend, immoderate offering features that Sonos doesn't. 

Also: Forget nan soundbar: How I upgraded my TV audio pinch spare Bluetooth speakers

Bose precocious joined successful connected nan fun, unveiling its Lifestyle Ultra Speaker, which operates successful a measurement that's acquainted to Sonos's smart speakers. Both companies connection separately sold smart speakers that tin guidelines connected their ain astir nan house, group together for left/right audio, aliases brace pinch a compatible soundbar to execute arsenic rear speakers.

Yet, speech from a hard-to-miss $130 value difference, location are different differences to see regarding ecosystem integration, smart features, and sound assistants. Let's break them down.

Specifications

You should bargain nan Bose Lifestyle Ultra Speaker if...

Jada Jones/ZDNET

1. You person Android devices

Bose fitted nan Lifestyle Ultra Speaker pinch autochthonal Google Cast, which is simply a positive for group pinch Android devices aliases a mixed-device ecosystem. I've tested respective caller smart speakers this year, and fewer are equipped pinch Google Cast built-in. 

Review: Bose Lifestyle Ultra Speaker

Google Cast useful for illustration Apple AirPlay, allowing users to watercourse audio from their root instrumentality to nan speaker, arsenic agelong arsenic some are connected to nan aforesaid Wi-Fi network. I usage AirPlay to quickly watercourse a YouTube video to a speaker, and it only takes a fewer seconds to move nan audio backmost to my phone.

Note that while nan Lifestyle Ultra Speaker has Google Cast, it does not support Google Assistant aliases Gemini.

2. You don't for illustration euphony power apps

Many smart speaker companies for illustration to run their speakers connected a proprietary package ecosystem -- deliberation Sonos's S2 platform, Denon's Heos, aliases Apple's closed ecosystem. Bose took a different approach, offering tin hardware that useful good pinch iOS and Android operating systems.

Instead of offering an all-in-one euphony streaming app, Bose's app serves only to alteration nan speaker's audio source, configuration, and EQ settings. To watercourse music, users should watercourse straight from their root instrumentality via Apple AirPlay, Spotify Connect, aliases Google Cast. As a result, users tin group Bose's Lifestyle Ultra Speaker pinch AirPlay aliases Google Cast-enabled speakers from different manufacturers for multi-room playback.

You should bargain nan Sonos Era 100 if...

Maria Diaz/ZDNET

1. You want to build a location theatre 1 time

One of Sonos's strengths is its scope of speakers successful varying sizes, capabilities, and prices, giving you much options to build a location theatre that fits your needs. Sonos's existent catalog consists of 3 soundbars, 2 subwoofers, 2 rear speakers, and a brace of headphones that merge pinch nan soundbars.

Additionally, location are older Sonos products that are nary longer sold but are still supported by nan existent software.

Review: Sonos Play

As a result, you tin commencement pinch a soundbar and a azygous Era 100 for listening successful different room. Once you're fresh to bargain different Era 100, you tin configure nan 2 Era 100s arsenic rear speakers. Though Bose's Lifestyle Ultra lineup operates similarly, only nan 3 products successful nan lineup are compatible pinch 1 another.

Bose's latest location theatre products are not backward compatible pinch its erstwhile ones; for example, you can't usage your existent brace of Bose Surround Speakers pinch nan Lifestyle Ultra Soundbar.

2. You unrecorded successful Apple's ecosystem

Sonos's products favour Apple's ecosystem complete Android's, offering AirPlay and entree to nan Apple Music app done nan Sonos app. Sonos doesn't support Google Cast, and alternatively encourages users to watercourse euphony done its companion app.

However, if you person an Apple Music subscription, playing euphony done Sonos's app unlocks Dolby Atmos. Though Apple announced successful 2024 that iOS 18 would support third-party speakers pinch Dolby Atmos via AirPlay, nan characteristic is still not implemented connected Sonos hardware. At nan clip of penning this article, I cannot watercourse successful Dolby Atmos to an Arc Ultra soundbar.

Writer's choice

Not to sound ambivalent, but location are only 2 reasons to take 1 of these speakers complete nan other: value and ecosystem. Both speakers present a akin V-shaped sound floor plan and support smart features done nan Amazon Alexa sound assistant. However, if paying a little value is your biggest concern, spell pinch nan Sonos Era 100. If an unfastened ecosystem is astatine nan apical of your wishlist, take Bose.

I for illustration nan Era 100 because I unrecorded successful a Sonos household. The Era 100 connected my room antagonistic responds to my Sonos Voice Assistant commands and integrates pinch my different Sonos speakers astir my house.