Bose Lifestyle 650 Vs Bose Soundbar 700 Which Is Better?

Bose Lifestyle 650 Vs Bose Soundbar 700 Which Is Better?

Man, I cannot believe that I am taking on refereeing the fight of Bose Lifestyle 650 vs Bose Soundbar 700. These are the most premium of premium (well as of writing) that Bose offers in terms of home audio right now. The Bose Soundbar 700 actually came out on top of our 4 Best Sounding Soundbars Under $1000 that was recently added to the site. However, it is going head-to-head with the ultimate in surround sound entertainment with the Bose Lifestyle 650 so this is going to be one hell of a matchup! It is possibly more epic than Hulk Hogan vs The Ultimate Warrior, Evander Holyfield vs Mike Tyson, or even He-Man vs Skeletor!

The Price: Bose Lifestyle 650 Vs Bose Soundbar 700

Mo Money, Mo Problems is the hit song from Life After Death by Biggie Smalls, but looking at the price of these two things is very tricky. You see there is a massive and I mean massive price difference between the Bose Lifestyle 650 and the Bose Soundbar 700. Both of these are the most expensive of their “categories” when it comes to Bose, but there is still one hell of a difference, we are talking as much as $3200 bucks, depending on where you shop.

Bose Lifestyle 650 Home Entertainment System, works with Alexa - Black

Bose Lifestyle 650: With a price of $3999.99 this thing is coming in at just under four thousand dollars. Look, I know that for the average person this is just completely out of the question. However, I have to say that if you are making a home theatre or just want the best sound possible in your living room, you have to pay for that great sound. So yes, four thousand bucks is a hell of a lot of money, but at the same time, I would not say that this is overpriced.

We have looked at much, much cheaper options in our 4 Best Home Theatre Sound Systems Under $200, and these are great if you are on a budget. However, even if you are not an obsessed audiophile like me, you will be able to tell there is a huge difference between a surround sound system that costs just a couple hundred bucks and this monster. I will say that if you shop around, you can sometimes find this for a few hundred bucks cheaper.

Bose Smart Soundbar 700: Premium Bluetooth Soundbar with Alexa Voice Control Built-in, Black

Bose Soundbar 700: I recently did a thing where we had the Bose Soundbar 700 going up against its little brother the Bose Soundbar 500 and I commented on how there was a big price difference. Well, $799.99 is a lot of money for a soundbar and this is currently the most expensive one that the good folks at Bose offers. However, I also think it is their most powerful and best-sounding soundbar.

Have a quick look at this video unboxing and you can see right away that this is a premium kind of product. I know that when you are in a store and you see a soundbar for under 100 bucks, you may wonder why on Earth would anyone spend this kind of money? Well, this is the best of the best when it comes to a soundbar (in my opinion) so while it is expensive, I still think it is good value for money.

The Verdict: Come on, it is near impossible to compare these two when it comes to the price. With a price difference that is so huge, you would have to say that the Bose Soundbar 700 is the clear winner. However, playing Devil’s Advocate (an awesome movie by the way) I would have to say that neither of these are actually overpriced. I feel you are getting a tremendous amount of quality for your money here.

The Design: Bose Lifestyle 650 Vs Bose Soundbar 700

I think a very important aspect of any kind of audio equipment is the design. This rings especially true if you are spending the kind of money we are looking at today. For me personally, I think that it is very close between Bose and Sony for who make the best looking speakers, soundbars and so on. So right off the bat, I can tell you that both of these look fantastic.

Bose Lifestyle 650: I have looked at a ton of surround sound/home theatre systems over the years. I would have to say that the Bose Lifestyle 650 is one of the best-looking systems that I have ever seen. This is a 5.1 setup and I think that it will blend into any room or home theatre that it takes up home in. The “layout” of this is that you have four wall speakers, a center speaker, a subwoofer, and a receiver/console as well. This has that sleek black look that Bose just loves and I think the way that there is a bit of a curve to everything gives this a ton of personality. The receiver/console looks like some kind of futuristic device and it takes up very little space. It does have a bit of a “gloss” to it though so if your kids are like mine and love to touch stuff while they are standing two feet away from the TV while watching, Alvin & The Chipmunks it can get fingerprints on it very easily.

The four surround sound speakers are what really blew me away with this. These things are tiny, but they pack a punch like you would not believe. These have that same kind of curvy design and I feel that no matter if you were to have these on the wall or sitting on a shelf they would look good. The front speakers including the center one, connect via cables, but the rear ones and the subwoofer are wireless. One thing that I feel Bose does very well is making sure that their products are able to be connected easily. From HDMI Arc to optical to Bluetooth, to Google Assistant and Alexa, this has you covered. Just take a look at this cool video unboxing if you want to get a better idea of what this looks like.

Bose Soundbar 700: Recently I did a full in-depth Bose Soundbar 700 review where I pretty much confess my love for the design of it and I stand by everything that I said there. I will say that at 38.5 inches long, this is a bit of a hog so you will want to make sure your TV unit can handle this as you do not want it sticking over the sides that would look terrible. Anyway, this is the best-looking soundbar that you can get right now. Most soundbars are just all plastic, but this one goes that extra mile, and the front has this very cool-looking grille, but it is the top of the soundbar that gives this thing a real premium look. The top is made of a thick and high-quality glass. This looks amazing and yes, it is a magnet for dust and fingerprints, but it is easy to keep clean.

Bose are not slacking when it comes to the rear of the soundbar either. You have your HDMI Arc and optical ports for connection to your TV. You also have your micro-USB, subwoofer in, and an ethernet port too. It is worth noting that Bose does also makes the Bose Base Module 700 which is what I think they are intending people to use with this thing if they want to add a soundbar. Overall, I have looked at so many 3.0 soundbars over the years and I would not even have to think twice about picking this one as having the best design. Not only does it look great, but it also has all the connections you could need and it has a real quality build to it that just makes you feel like it was well worth each of those 800 dollars.

The Verdict: Both of these look great. I think that Bose truly does make great-looking stuff and in looking at both of these in great detail, I do not think that there is anything I would change with the design of either of these. I think that taking just the receiver/console and the center speaker which for most setups would be under the TV and putting those against the soundbar is the way to go. I would have to say that the Bose Soundbar 700 is the winner here. It is quite possibly the sexiest piece of audio equipment I have ever seen.

The Sound: Bose Lifestyle 650 Vs Bose Soundbar 700

Next up we are talking about the sound and I can tell you right now that both the Bose Lifestyle 650 and the Bose Soundbar 700 are the best sounding devices that Bose currently offers. When you are spending this kind of money, it is not unreasonable to expect the closest to cinema-quality sound possible. I personally feel that in their own way, you are getting that with each of these.

Bose Lifestyle 650: I used the 700 before I had the chance to test this so I went into my testing of the Bose Lifestyle 650 with sky-high expectations and right off the bat, I can tell you I was not disappointed. Bose wants you to feel like you are in the cinema with this and they succeeded. I think that this just nails everything that you would want in a sound system. I got this to test out the same week the awesome 4K Indiana Jones 4-Movie Collection was released and I was blown away by what I was hearing. I remember seeing The Crystal Skull in the cinema and I can hand on heart say that I feel the sound I was getting through this was better than what my theatre offered back in 2008. It is truly amazing stuff and if you have a home theatre, this system would well and truly take it to the next level.

The setup we have here is 5.1. You have your center speaker, the four surround ones, and that bass unit to give you the rumble and that extra bit of kick. I was not sure what to expect from those surround speakers, but they were great. One great example I want to give is the first X-Men movie. There is a bit where Professor X talks and is in Wolverine’s head and it truly hits you from every angle. The surround sound aspect of this is just amazing, no matter if it is a movie that is all about action or something more laid back.  I have to say that stuff like TV shows and video games also sound great through this, but I do get the impression that it is movies Bose had in mind with this.

Bose also makes this very easy to connect your phone or whatever to thanks to the Bluetooth connectivity. You can stream your music through this and it sounds great. In all, I have zero and I mean zero complaints about the sound this produces. I will say that I do feel for a living room, it may actually be a tad overkill, but for a home theatre, you will struggle to beat this.

Bose Soundbar 700: Not too long ago I put Bose Soundbar 700 head to head with the Sonos Arc and I did pick this as the winner. As far as sound goes, I have yet to come across a soundbar that is better than this. As a matter of fact, this is the very soundbar that I have sitting under my TV right now. Bose are giving you a 3.0 system here with the center speaker joined with two side speakers. It is lacking an included subwoofer, but there is still a decent amount of bass here and if you are watching a movie like Pirates of the Caribbean which has a lot of loud sounds, you will be amazed at the power this produces. I have never bought into this whole soundbar that gives you surround sound thing, to me, it simply is not possible. However, I will say that you are getting as close to cinema sound as is possible with a soundbar thanks to this.

What the Bose Soundbar 700 does very well is fill any room that it is in with sound. This is what I think gives the illusion of surround sound. It feels like the sound is hitting you from all angles and it is a fantastic effect. I found this very good Bose Soundbar 700 Sound Test which shows off the sound qualities that this offers you. When I am watching a movie by myself, I love to sit front and center and this just smacks you with the sound. It is awesome and I have never once been disappointed by the sound this has offered me. No matter if I am watching the game, playing on my PS5, or watching a TV show this has served me very well.

Just like the 650, you also can connect a phone, tablet, or whatever to this via Bluetooth so you can listen to your favorite music. As I said, I have this in my living room and this is a feature that my wife actually uses a great deal. If it impresses my wife, you know it has to be good!

The Verdict: Hmm, both of these do what they do very well and I would argue they do it better than pretty much all of the competition that is out there right now. If we ignore the price difference and just focus on the sound, it all depends on what you need. If you want something for your living room, I would say that the Bose Soundbar 700 is the better and most practical option for you. Do not get me wrong, the 700 would be great for a home theatre too. However, if you want that “home cinema” experience the 700 cannot match the surround sound the Bose Lifestyle 650 offers.

The Remote Control: Bose Lifestyle 650 Vs Bose Soundbar 700

Oh boy! As soon as I started writing this article today I knew that the remote control section was going to be a real doozy. I have compared the Bose Soundbar 700 to some of its competitors and I always get giddy talking about the remote… well it may have just met its match!

Bose Lifestyle 650: This thing truly is incredible. I have to admit, I went into this thinking that it would possibly be the same remote as the 700, but that is not the case. This thing has a remote that is one of the most high-end and premium remotes that I have ever seen. It gives you complete and I mean complete control over your system and it even has a handy little screen! I will say that it is a bit more complex than many other remotes so I would recommend that you go to the Bose YouTube Channel where there is a video guide and they will teach you step by step how to set the remote up. This also serves as a media remote so with a little bit of work, this can become the only remote control you need to use for all your devices!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jgwSVX7XfJE

Bose Soundbar 700: I love the remote control that comes with the Bose Soundbar 700. It is the best remote control that I have ever used that comes with a soundbar. The way that it gives you so much control is just amazing. You can just select various presets with it if you want, but you can also roll up your sleeves and tinker with various settings if you would like to be more specific. I love the way it lights up to show you what buttons are used for a certain setting. I have talked about this remote so many times now on this site my wife is starting to get suspicious that I have had some kind of affair with it! So, I will just say that the remote is amazing and they even throw in the batteries with it too!

The Verdict: So far I have put the Bose Soundbar 700 up against many other soundbars and the 700 has destroyed all in its path like it was Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War! However, it may have just came across its very own team of Avengers in the form of the Bose Lifestyle 650. Look the 700 truly is an amazing remote and the best that you can get with any soundbar, but the Lifestyle just offers more and gives you more control than you will probably ever need. 

What Is In The Box? Bose Lifestyle 650 Vs Bose Soundbar 700

It is only natural that when you are spending this kind of money you want to know what exactly you are getting inside the box. Well, that is what we are looking at right here as we see just how much bang for your buck each one of these is giving you!

Bose Lifestyle 650: Bose 100 percent did not hold back with this! The box is massive and inside you of course have your speakers, subwoofer and so on that is obvious. What I more want to look at is the extra stuff you are getting. You get the various cables that you will need, you get 2 wireless receivers, one for the subwoofer and the other for the rear speakers. You get an IR emitter which I was surprised by and you get an HDMI and an optical cable too. They also give you a Bose ADAPTiQ headset so you can calibrate your system just right. The biggest shock is that they have thrown in a set of batteries and a screwdriver too.

Bose Soundbar 700: You know that you are getting the subwoofer, remote and so on in here that is clear. However, Bose has not cheaped out here and gives you all that you need to get started. They give you both an HDMI cable as well as an optical cable inside the box. You may be shocked to hear this, but many soundbars give you no cables, just look at our 8 Best Compact Soundbars Under $200 That Are Great For TV article to see what I mean! They also give you their Bose ADAPTiQ headset, full disclosure here people, I actually sold mine that came with this and made enough money to buy a couple of movies! They also give you a handy little cleaning cloth to wipe of the Oreos fingerprints the kids leave on the glass top!

The Verdict: Look, there is no real winner here. Bose has given you everything you need in both boxes. I have come across many companies (that I will not name and shame here) that cheap out when it comes to things like batteries, cables, and so on, but that is not Bose. Bose makes sure that when you buy one of their premium products, it is ready to go right out of the box. They know people have spent a ton of money on these things and it is great to see them give the customer that little bit of respect by not asking them to spend any more.

What Is Better: Bose Lifestyle 650 Vs Bose Soundbar 700?

Very recently I wrote an article called, Bose Lifestyle 650 vs Sonos Arc, Which Is Better? and much of what I said in my final verdict applies here too. These are two very different products and at the end of the day, it all depends on what you need for your own personal setup. I would say that if you have a proper home theatre and you can afford it then without a doubt you want to get the Bose Lifestyle 650 as it is truly amazing. I legit do not see any other company topping this in the near future.

For a living room or even if you just want a premium product, but the massive price tag is too much, you cannot go wrong with the Bose Soundbar 700. I have said it a few times, but I have this soundbar in my living room and I could not be any happier with it and I have zero plans to get a new one anytime soon.

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