Bose Home Speaker 500

The Home Speaker 500 is a connected living-room speaker from Bose, designed to reproduce a stereo signal from a single unit. It connects to the home Wi-Fi network to play online music services, also accepts a Bluetooth source from a phone or tablet, and features the Alexa voice assistant for voice control.

Its distinguishing feature lies in its acoustic layout: two specifically developed speakers are oriented in opposite directions. The sound is therefore not projected frontally towards the listener but reflected off the walls of the room, which contribute to its diffusion. The aim is to achieve a perceptible left-right separation despite the narrow width of the cabinet, and a wider listening area than with a conventional connected speaker with a single diffusion point.

Voice capture relies on eight microphones concealed beneath the surface of the unit, sized to recognise a request even when music is loud or the surroundings are busy. A dedicated button cuts power to all the microphones, with the speaker remaining usable for playback. The top of the unit also houses touch controls for playing, pausing or skipping tracks, as well as six presets giving direct access to playlists, web radio stations or other content. The Bose Music app centralises configuration, presets and switching between services, with the option for several users to have their own profile. The chassis is made of anodised aluminium.

This model is aimed at anyone looking for a standalone music source for a living room, kitchen or office, without a hi-fi system or cabling: you ask for a track out loud, or press a preset. It also suits those wishing to gradually build a multi-room setup, as this speaker belongs to a family of Bose products that are compatible with one another, both speakers and soundbars.

When buying used, a few checks are specific to this type of connected device:

• Check that the speaker can still be linked to an account in the Bose Music app and that it accepts software updates, since its functions depend entirely on this embedded software.
• Test voice recognition from a distance and from the side, in order to identify a faulty microphone among the eight, as well as the proper functioning of the microphone mute button.
• Check the touch controls on the top surface one by one, including the six presets, and the correct recall of stored content.
• Listen at high volume on both channels to detect a damaged transducer or distortion, as the opposed diffusion makes an imbalance less immediately audible.
• Examine the condition of the anodised aluminium casing, as scratches and marks cannot be repaired, and check the integrity of the power connector.

Finally, as with any speaker relying on online services, it is best to try Wi-Fi playback and Bluetooth pairing before finalising the purchase, as the two modes are independent of one another.