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  1. Table of Contents
  2. Top
  3. Main Differences
  4. Design
    1. Style - Bar
    2. Style - Subwoofer
    3. Style - Satellites
    4. Dimensions - Bar
    5. Dimensions - Subwoofer
    6. Dimensions - Satellites
    7. Mounting
    8. Build Quality
    9. In The Box
  5. Sound
    1. Stereo Frequency Response
    2. Stereo Frequency Response With Preliminary Calibration
    3. Stereo Soundstage
    4. Stereo Dynamics
    5. Stereo Total Harmonic Distortion
    6. Center
    7. Surround 5.1
    8. Height (Atmos)
    9. Sound Enhancement Features
  6. Connectivity
    1. Inputs/Outputs - Bar
    2. Audio Format Support: ARC/eARC
    3. Audio Format Support: HDMI In
    4. Audio Format Support: Optical
    5. Latency
    6. Video Passthrough To TV
    7. Wireless Playback
  7. Additional Features
    1. Interface
    2. Bar Controls
    3. Remote
    4. Voice Assistants Support
  8. Comments

Bose Solo 5 vs Bose Smart Soundbar 300

Side-by-Side Comparison

Products

Bose Solo 5
Bose Smart Soundbar 300

Tested using Methodology v1.2

Updated Apr 09, 2024 02:19 PM

SEE PRICE
Amazon.com

Tested using Methodology v1.2

Updated Mar 15, 2024 07:11 PM

SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Bose Solo 5 Picture
Bose Smart Soundbar 300 Picture

Variants

  • Solo 5 (Black)
  • Smart Soundbar 300 (Black)

Our Verdict

Bose Solo 5

Bose Smart Soundbar 300

The Bose Smart Soundbar 300 is a better soundbar than the Bose Solo 5. The Smart Soundbar 300 is better-built, and it comes with an ARC port and more wireless playback options. It has better soundstage and surround performances, and it gets louder. Also, it has built-in voice assistant support. That said, some listeners may prefer the Solo 5's more compact design.

0

Check Price

Black
Smart Soundbar 300
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Black
Smart Soundbar 300
SEE PRICE
BestBuy.com
Black
Solo 5
B&H
Black
Smart Soundbar 300
SEE PRICE
Walmart.com
Black
Smart Soundbar 300
B&H
Black
Smart Soundbar 300
Samsung.com

Main Differences for

Threshold 

0.10

Mixed Usage 

6.2
6.8

Stereo Soundstage 
 

6.0
7.5

Audio Format Support: ARC/eARC 
 

0.0
4.8

Center 
 

6.7
8.3

Full Comparison

Design

Style - Bar  

Style photo - bar  

Bose Solo 5 Style photo - bar
Bose Smart Soundbar 300 Style photo - bar

Show text

Style - Subwoofer  

Style photo - sub  

Bose Solo 5 Style photo - sub
Bose Smart Soundbar 300 Style photo - sub

Sub Wireless 
 

No
No

Enclosure 
 

No Subwoofer
No Subwoofer

Show text

Style - Satellites  

Style photo - satellites  

Bose Solo 5 Style photo - satellites
Bose Smart Soundbar 300 Style photo - satellites

Satellite Wireless 
 

No
No

Show text

Dimensions - Bar  

Dimensions photo - bar  

Bose Solo 5 Dimensions photo - bar
Bose Smart Soundbar 300 Dimensions photo - bar

Width  

21.7" (55.0 cm)
27.4" (69.5 cm)

Height  

2.6" (6.7 cm)
2.2" (5.6 cm)

Depth  

3.2" (8.1 cm)
4.1" (10.5 cm)

Show text

Dimensions - Subwoofer  

Dimensions photo - sub  

Bose Solo 5 Dimensions photo - sub
Bose Smart Soundbar 300 Dimensions photo - sub

Width  

N/A
N/A

Height  

N/A
N/A

Depth  

N/A
N/A

Show text

Dimensions - Satellites  

Dimensions photo - satellites  

Bose Solo 5 Dimensions photo - satellites
Bose Smart Soundbar 300 Dimensions photo - satellites

Width  

N/A
N/A

Height  

N/A
N/A

Depth  

N/A
N/A

Show text

Mounting 
 

Bar Mounting Holes  

Bose Solo 5 Bar Mounting Holes
Bose Smart Soundbar 300 Bar Mounting Holes

Satellite Mounting Holes  

Bose Solo 5 Satellite Mounting Holes
Bose Smart Soundbar 300 Satellite Mounting Holes

Mountable Bar 
 

Yes
Yes

Bar Brackets Included 
 

No
No

Mountable Satellites 
 

No
No

Satellite Brackets Included 
 

No
No

Show text

Build Quality 
 

7.5
8.0

Build quality photo  

Bose Solo 5 Build quality photo
Bose Smart Soundbar 300 Build quality photo

Show text

In The Box 
 

In The Box photo   

Bose Solo 5 In The Box photo
Bose Smart Soundbar 300 In The Box photo

Show text

Sound

Stereo Frequency Response 
 

7.2
7.1

Stereo Setup  

Bose Solo 5 Stereo Setup
Bose Smart Soundbar 300 Stereo Setup

Raw Frequency Response  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Frequency Response Small  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Tested Preset 
 

No Preset
No Preset

Slope 
 

-0.31
-0.25

Std. Err. 
 

2.57 dB
3.34 dB

Channels 
 

2.0
3.0

Low-Frequency Extension 
 

56.6 Hz
54.2 Hz

High-Frequency Extension 
 

19.9 kHz
19.9 kHz

Show text

Stereo Frequency Response With Preliminary Calibration 
 

7.3
7.4

Frequency Response Calibrated  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Suggested Preset 
 

No Preset
No Preset

Suggested Bass Setting 
 

-2
-30

Suggested Treble Setting 
 

N/A
-20

Slope 
 

-0.25
-0.21

Std. Err. 
 

2.31 dB
2.31 dB

Low-Frequency Extension 
 

57.4 Hz
55.0 Hz

High-Frequency Extension 
 

19.9 kHz
19.6 kHz

Show text

Stereo Soundstage 
 

6.0
7.5

Crosstalk  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Crosstalk Error 
 

3.23 dB
1.95 dB

Show text

Stereo Dynamics 
 

7.0
7.6

Dynamic Range Compression  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

SPL @ Max Volume 
 

87.4 dB SPL
93.1 dB SPL

DRC @ Max Volume 
 

1.86 dB
2.03 dB

Show text

Stereo Total Harmonic Distortion 
 

7.4
8.0

THD  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Weighted THD @ 80dB 
 

0.64
0.36

Weighted THD @ Max Volume 
 

1.06
1.19

Show text

Center 
 

6.7
8.3

Center Setup  

Bose Solo 5 Center Setup
Bose Smart Soundbar 300 Center Setup

Frequency Response  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Localization 
 

Phantom
Discrete

Slope 
 

-0.43
-0.19

Std. Err. 
 

2.59 dB
3.27 dB

SPL @ Max Volume 
 

87.2 dB SPL
93.3 dB SPL

Weighted THD @ 80dB 
 

0.56
0.40

Weighted THD @ Max Volume 
 

1.06
1.15

Show text

Surround 5.1 
 

3.0
3.9

Surround Setup  

Bose Solo 5 Surround Setup
Bose Smart Soundbar 300 Surround Setup

Frequency Response  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Localization 
 

Stereo (Downmix)
Stereo (Downmix)

Slope 
 

-0.59
-0.97

Std. Err. 
 

5.86 dB
3.62 dB

SPL @ Max Volume 
 

86.0 dB SPL
88.9 dB SPL

Weighted THD @ 80dB 
 

0.63
0.70

Weighted THD @ Max Volume 
 

1.00
1.72

7.1 Rears 
 

No
No

Show text

Height (Atmos) 
 

0.0
0.0

Height Setup  

Bose Solo 5 Height Setup
Bose Smart Soundbar 300 Height Setup

H Frequency Response  

Bose Solo 5 H Frequency Response
Bose Smart Soundbar 300 H Frequency Response

Localization 
 

Not Supported
Not Supported

Slope 
 

N/A
N/A

Std. Err. 
 

N/A
N/A

SPL @ Max Volume 
 

N/A
N/A

Weighted THD @ 80dB 
 

N/A
N/A

Weighted THD @ Max Volume 
 

N/A
N/A

Show text

Sound Enhancement Features 
 

2.1
2.7

Room Correction 
 

No
No

Dialogue Enhancement 
 

Yes
Yes

Auto-Volume/Night Mode 
 

No
No

Subwoofer Level Adjustment 
 

No
No

Bass Adjustment 
 

Yes
Yes

Treble Adjustment 
 

No
Yes

EQ 
 

No
No

Surround Level Adjustment 
 

No
No

Rear Level Adjustment 
 

No
No

Height Level Adjustment 
 

No
No

Virtual Surround 
 

No
No

Show text

Connectivity

Inputs/Outputs - Bar 
 

Physical Connections Bar Photo 1  

Bose Solo 5 Physical Connections Bar Photo 1
Bose Smart Soundbar 300 Physical Connections Bar Photo 1

Physical Connections Bar Photo 2  

Bose Solo 5 Physical Connections Bar Photo 2
Bose Smart Soundbar 300 Physical Connections Bar Photo 2

Optical Audio In 
 

1
1

HDMI Out 
 

No
ARC

HDMI 2.1 Class Bandwidth 
 

No
No

Full HDMI In 
 

No
No

Analog Audio In 3.5mm (Aux) 
 

1
No

RCA In 
 

No
No

USB for Files 
 

No
No

Ethernet 
 

No
No

Subwoofer Output 
 

No
Yes

Show text

Audio Format Support: ARC/eARC 
 

0.0
4.8

Dolby Atmos 
 

Not Supported
Not Supported

Dolby Digital 
 

Not Supported
Supported

Dolby Digital Plus 
 

Not Supported
Not Supported

Dolby TrueHD 
 

Not Supported
Not Supported

DTS 
 

Not Supported
Not Supported

DTS:X 
 

Not Supported
Not Supported

DTS-HD MA 
 

Not Supported
Not Supported

PCM Channels 
 

Not Supported
2.0

Show text

Audio Format Support: HDMI In 
 

0.0
0.0

Dolby Atmos 
 

Not Supported
Not Supported

Dolby Digital 
 

Not Supported
Not Supported

Dolby Digital Plus 
 

Not Supported
Not Supported

Dolby TrueHD 
 

Not Supported
Not Supported

DTS 
 

Not Supported
Not Supported

DTS:X 
 

Not Supported
Not Supported

DTS-HD MA 
 

Not Supported
Not Supported

PCM Channels 
 

Not Supported
Not Supported

Show text

Audio Format Support: Optical 
 

6.5
6.5

Dolby Digital 
 

Supported
Supported

DTS 
 

Not Supported
Not Supported

PCM Channels 
 

2.0
2.0

Show text

Latency 
 

8.8
8.4

Latency Video  

ARC 
 

N/A
47 ms

Optical 
 

-35 ms
45 ms

Full HDMI In 
 

N/A
N/A

Show text

Video Passthrough To TV 
 

0.0
0.0

1080p Max Refresh Rate 
 

Not Supported
Not Supported

1080p @ 4:4:4 Max Refresh Rate 
 

Not Supported
Not Supported

4k Max Refresh Rate 
 

Not Supported
Not Supported

4k @ 120Hz @ 10-Bit 
 

Not Supported
Not Supported

4k @ 4:4:4 Max Refresh Rate 
 

Not Supported
Not Supported

8k Max Refresh Rate 
 

Not Supported
Not Supported

HDR10 Passthrough 
 

No
No

HDR10+ Passthrough 
 

No
No

Dolby Vision Passthrough 
 

No
No

HDMI Forum VRR Passthrough 
 

No
No

FreeSync Passthrough 
 

No
No

G-SYNC Passthrough 
 

No
No

ALLM Passthrough 
 

No
No

Show text

Wireless Playback 
 

6.0
10

Bluetooth 
 

Yes
Yes

Wi-Fi Playback 
 

No
Yes

Chromecast built-in 
 

No
Yes

Apple AirPlay 
 

No
Yes

Spotify Connect 
 

No
Yes

Show text

Additional Features

Interface 
 

Interface photo  

Bose Solo 5 Interface photo
Bose Smart Soundbar 300 Interface photo

Display 
 

No
No

Show text

Bar Controls 
 

Controls photo  

Bose Solo 5 Controls photo
Bose Smart Soundbar 300 Controls photo

Show text

Remote  

Remote photo  

Bose Solo 5 Remote photo
Bose Smart Soundbar 300 Remote photo

Show text

Voice Assistants Support 
 

Amazon Alexa 
 

No
Yes (Built-in)

Google Assistant 
 

No
Yes (Built-in)

Apple Siri 
 

No
No

Microphone Mute 
 

No
Yes

Show text

Check Price

Black
Smart Soundbar 300
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Black
Smart Soundbar 300
SEE PRICE
BestBuy.com
Black
Solo 5
B&H
Black
Smart Soundbar 300
SEE PRICE
Walmart.com
Black
Smart Soundbar 300
B&H
Black
Smart Soundbar 300
Samsung.com

Bose Solo 5

Bose Smart Soundbar 300

Comments

  1. Comparison

Bose Solo 5 vs Bose Smart Soundbar 300: Main Discussion

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