Aspects Sonos Bose
Product Selection ★★★★★ ★★★★★
Availability ★★★★★ ★★★★★
Design/Look ★★★★★ ★★★★★
Price ★★★★★ ★★★★★
Quality/Durability ★★★★★ ★★★★★
Reputation ★★★★★ ★★★★★
Brands Product Selection Availability Design/Look Price Quality/Durability Reputation
Sonos ★★★★★ ★★★★★ ★★★★★ ★★★★★ ★★★★★ ★★★★★
Bose ★★★★★ ★★★★★ ★★★★★ ★★★★★ ★★★★★ ★★★★★

Sonos Soundbars

Sonos is a leading provider of wireless audio products, including soundbars. Its products are known for their high quality audio reproduction, easy setup, and sleek design. Similar brands include Bose and Polk. Sonos' top soundbar product lines include the Playbar and Playbase. These soundbars are designed to provide superior audio quality for movies, TV shows, and music. They are also easy to set up and use, making them a great choice for any home theater enthusiast.

ZVOX Soundbars

ZVOX is a soundbar company that produces some of the best-sounding and most user-friendly soundbars on the market. The company's top product lines include the SoundBase and AccuVoice series, which are designed to provide rich, immersive sound reproduction and clear dialogue, respectively. ZVOX soundbars are a great option for anyone looking for an easy-to-use and great-sounding audio solution for their home theater.

Main Features

Sonos issues smart soundbars, packed with many advanced features. First of all, they have the ability to adjust the sound reproduction according to the content you are watching. Night Sound mode reduces the intensity of loud sounds and increases the volume level of quieter sounds. It’s a great feature when you need to watch a TV at low volumes (late at night, for example). TruePlay tuning technology automatically tunes the sound to the room’s acoustics.

Apple AirPlay 2 support allows you to stream audio from your iOS device’s main screen or using Siri. Sonos soundbars can also be controlled with the help of the Sonos app. It brings together many popular streaming services (SoundCloud, Spotify, etc.), so you can easily browse music, podcasts, audiobooks, etc. This app also provides you with an exclusive Sonos Radio that offers thousands of listening stations for free. You also can use the Sonos app to perform audio calibration. Models from Sono come without a remote, so you can control them only via an app or by voice.

Bose produces smart soundbars as well. They are packed with many unique and interesting features. For example, Voice4Video technology enables you to control the soundbar, TV, and satellite box with one voice command. Bose allows you to stream music from Spotify, Pandora, Deezer, etc. SimpleSync function can be used for pairing with Bose headphones, for example. For a theater-quality watching experience, some models are equipped with special Bass mode. Bose also has an analog of Sonos TrueTuning technology called ADAPTiQ that automatically optimizes soundbar’s performance to the room’s acoustic characteristics.

Bose soundbars work with Apple AirPlay 2, just like bars from Sonos. They come with a remote control but can also be controlled via the Bose Music app. It gives quick access to all the functions of the soundbar and includes an equalizer for an audio adjustment just like the Sonos app.

It’s not easy to determine a winner in this part of the Sonos vs Bose soundbar battle. The models from both brands support Apple AirPlay 2, can be controlled via an app, and automatically adjust the sound to the room’s acoustic. However, if we compare the Sonos Beam and the Bose Soundbar 700, the second model will appear to be slightly better. It comes with remote control, two built-in voice assistants, Voice4Video, and SimpleSync technologies. The model from Sonos comes without remote control and has only one inbuilt voice assistant.

Hence, the Bose Soundbar 700 is our pick here.

Our pick
Bose Soundbar 700
The best features
  • Built-in Alexa and Google Assistant
  • HDMI-ARC connectivity
  • Bass, surround sound
  • Custom 8-mic array
  • Premium glass top
  • TV voice control
  • Bose music app

Design

Both manufacturers issue soundbars of different sizes, so you can choose the one that fits your space and the size of your TV the most. They also can offer wall-mountable options. The models from both brands are available only in white and black colors

While all bars from Bose have an elongated shape, Sonos can offer a model that works as a base for a TV, allowing you to save more space. Sonos soundbars usually have such onboard buttons: play/pause, power on/off, volume up/down, next/previous track, and one status LED light. Their bodies combine metal and plastіc components, as well as fabric mesh.

All Bose soundbars look very similar. They have a slim profile (not taller than 2.5 inches), rectangular shape with slightly rounded corners, and either matte or glossy top panel. Bose uses metal mesh instead of textile. The top panel can be made of durable tempered glass or high-quality plastic. Panels from this manufacturer also have a lightbar that indicates when the voice assistant listens, “thinks”, or speaks. Bose soundbars usually have onboard buttons to control the playback, and two buttons for Alexa (microphone off button and action button).

Bose has a more thorough approach to design. For example, the Sonos Playbar is wall-mountable and thin, but its body is mostly made of plastic. The Bose Soundbar 700 has a tempered-glass top and metal mesh.

So, the Bose Soundbar 700 has the construction of higher quality, ensuring longevity.

Our pick
Bose Soundbar 700
The best design
  • Built-in Alexa and Google Assistant
  • HDMI-ARC connectivity
  • Bass, surround sound
  • Custom 8-mic array
  • Premium glass top
  • TV voice control
  • Bose music app

Sound

Soundbars from Sonos give out rich and detailed sound. This brand offers models that incorporate up to 11 drivers. Together, they provide crisp highs, dynamic midranges, and booming bass. With such an impressive number of drivers, you won’t necessarily need to connect any external audio components to create a full-fledged acoustic system in your home. Only those models from Sonos that are designed for large-sized TVs feature Dolby Atmos support. It simulates the 3D sound and provides a truly cinematic and immersive sound that is indispensable for games and movies.

Soundbars from Bose have custom drivers that ensure clear, lifelike audio playback. Thanks to QuietPort technology, woofers provide distortion-free bass. In order to give out a wider and more spacious sound, Bose uses PhaseGuide technology that guides the sound in multiple directions. Some models feature two angled full-range drivers that provide a more natural sound. It also has some bars with Dolby Digital and DTS support. However, Bose soundbars come with 5 drivers max.

Before determining the winner of this Sonos vs Bose sound quality comparison, I’d like to say that the bars from both manufacturers can handle all types of content: movies, audiobooks, a wide range of music genres, etc. However, considering the fact that the Bose Soundbar 700 has 5 drivers and the Sonos Playbar incorporates 9 drivers, it’s natural that the last one provides more powerful, more volumetric, and fuller sound.

That is why the Sonos Playbar is a better option in terms of sound reproduction quality.

Our pick
Sonos Playbar
The best sound
  • Speech enhancement
  • Optical audio input
  • Wall mountable
  • Easily connect
  • Night mode
  • Software
  • 35.5 x 5.6 x 3.4 inches and 11.9 pounds

Channels

Both manufacturers produce models with a maximum of 3 channels. Let’s compare the Sonos Playbar and the Bose Soundbar 700 that both have 3 channels. Since Sonos bars usually contain many drivers and can work as all-in-one-solution, I consider the Bose Soundbar 700 as a better model for people who want to pair soundbar and speakers.

Our pick
Bose Soundbar 700
Most channels
  • Built-in Alexa and Google Assistant
  • HDMI-ARC connectivity
  • Bass, surround sound
  • Custom 8-mic array
  • Premium glass top
  • TV voice control
  • Bose music app

Voice Enhancement

All Sonos soundbars have a special Speech Enhancement mode that emphasizes the sound of the human voice. Plus, Night Sound mode ensures clear dialogs at low volume levels. The Sonos app also has TV Dialog settings where you can manually adjust the reproduction of dialogs. Almost all soundbars from Bose feature center speaker to provide clearly audible voices. Some models are endowed with Dialog mode that elevates vocals and makes voices clearer.

As you can see, Sonos has more features for voice enhancement. So, while the Bose Soundbar 700 only features a center speaker, the Sonos Beam has two modes for voice enhancement, as well as TV Dialog settings. This way, the Sonos Beam is a better solution in this part of the Sonos soundbar vs Bose soundbar battle.

Our pick
The best voice enhancement
  • HDMI ARC audio Input
  • Speech enhancement
  • High definition sound
  • Apple AirPlay 2
  • Simple setup
  • Alexa built-in
  • Easy control

Connectivity

The Sonos soundbar vs Bose connectivity options comparison shows the most similarities between the brands. Both of them can’t provide a very wide set of wired connectivity possibilities. Both manufacturers offer HDMI-ARC input that transmits audio signals without quality loss. Soundbars from Sono use Wi-Fi instead of Bluetooth for wireless connection. They can be connected to any broadcast-capable router with 802.11b/g, 2.4 GHz. Unlike Sono soundbars, models from Bose are equipped with both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.

Sonos Beam has an Ethernet port, HDMI ARC, and Wi-Fi support. The Bose TV Speaker contains HDMI, optical in and AUX-in, and both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. Thus, the Bose TV Speaker has richer connectivity possibilities.

Our pick
Bose TV Speaker
Most connectivity
  • Wide, natural sound
  • Enhanced dialogue
  • Remote control
  • Wall mountable
  • Simple setup
  • Bluetooth
  • 4 x 23.4 x 2.2 inches and 6.6 pounds

Voice Control

Both of the reviewed brands provide their soundbars with voice control. However, while Sonos offers only Alexa, Bose provides inbuilt Google Assistant as well. In addition, it features a noise-rejecting mic system, so the soundbar will recognize your commands on long distances and in noisy conditions.

The Bose Soundbar 700 has built-in Alexa and Google Assistant while the Sonos Beam has only Alexa. From this perspective, the Bose Soundbar 700 wins since it incorporates two voice assistants.

Our pick
Bose Soundbar 700
The best voice control
  • Built-in Alexa and Google Assistant
  • HDMI-ARC connectivity
  • Bass, surround sound
  • Custom 8-mic array
  • Premium glass top
  • TV voice control
  • Bose music app

Price

None of the compared brands can offer budget-friendly solutions. However, Sonos soundbars are more expensive. You can buy the cheapest model from Bose for around $300 while Sonos asks about $400 for its most budget-friendly soundbar.

The Sonos Beam and the Bose TV Speaker are the cheapest models from both brands, but the second one is more affordable so it wins in the Bose vs Sonos soundbar price comparison.

Our pick
Bose TV Speaker
The best price
  • Wide, natural sound
  • Enhanced dialogue
  • Remote control
  • Wall mountable
  • Simple setup
  • Bluetooth
  • 4 x 23.4 x 2.2 inches and 6.6 pounds

Bose vs Sonos: Conclusion

Even Sonos vs. Bose review can’t give you a clear answer to the question of which brand is undoubtedly better. They both offer models with 3 channels, use Dolby Atmos for surround sound, have many useful features, integrated voice assistants, etc.

Sonos provides better sound quality and has more features for voice enhancement. Bose issues soundbars with more durable build quality, two voice assistants, and offers more budget-friendly models.