The Bose Home Speaker 300 is a wired speaker for your home. It has both Alexa and Google Assistant built-in, which offers fantastic overall performance. The speaker can understand you even if you're far away or in a noisy environment. There's even a switch to turn off the mic if you don't want it to be constantly listening to you. While it struggles to get loud and it lacks low-bass, it has bass and treble sliders so you can adjust its sound. It also supports Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, with low latency via iOS, Android, and Apple AirPlay.
Update 02/24/2021: We've changed the Speakerphone results from 'Yes' to 'No'. Even though it has a built-in mic, this feature is only accessible when using Alexa, so we don't consider it to have a speakerphone feature. Also, both the speaker and your phone must be set up and connected via Wi-Fi for this feature to work.
Our Verdict
The Bose 300 Speaker is alright for music. Its default sound profile is slightly boomy but it lacks low-bass, so genres like EDM and hip-hop lose out on thump and rumble. The speaker also doesn't get very loud, and it has to downmix stereo content into mono to play it, which doesn't sound very immersive. On the upside, it has bass and treble sliders to help customize its sound profile.
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Bass and treble sliders.
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Has an AUX port.
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Doesn't get very loud.
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Downmixes stereo content into mono.
The Bose Home Speaker 300 is fair for videos and movies. While it has a fairly neutral mid-range and can reproduce vocals and lead instruments clearly, it struggles to reproduce low-bass, so sound effects lack thump and rumble. It also has to downmix stereo content to mono to play it, which doesn't sound as immersive, and it doesn't get very loud. On the upside, it has low latency via iOS and Android.
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Bass and treble sliders.
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Low latency via iOS, Android, and Apple AirPlay.
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Doesn't get very loud.
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Downmixes stereo content into mono.
The Bose Home Speaker 300 is okay for podcasts. It has a fairly neutral mid-range, so vocal-centric content should be clear and accurate. Thanks to its 360-degree design, your audio should also sound clear from all angles. However, it isn't very portable since it has to be plugged into a wall socket to work, and you can't pair it with more than one device at a time.
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Bass and treble sliders.
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Doesn't get very loud.
The Bose Home Speaker 300 is outstanding for voice assistant support. It has both Alexa and Google Assistant built-in. It can easily register your commands, even if you're far away or in a noisy environment. There's even a switch to turn the mic off if you don't want the speaker to be constantly listening to you. However, it doesn't get very loud.
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Bass and treble sliders.
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Fantastic voice assistant performance.
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Doesn't get very loud.
The Bose Home Speaker 300 is a wired speaker and isn't recommended for outdoor use.
- 6.7 Music
- 6.9 Videos/Movies
- 6.6 Podcasts
- 9.0 Voice Assistant
- 5.2 Outdoors
- Updated Jun 14, 2022: Updated review and test results to include Google Chromecast following firmware update.
- Updated Feb 24, 2021: We've updated the Speakerphone and Multi-room test results. The scoring of the App box has changed.
- Updated Feb 18, 2021: Review published.
- Updated Feb 16, 2021: Early access published.
- Updated Feb 03, 2021: Our testers have started testing this product.
- Updated Feb 02, 2021: The product has arrived in our lab, and our testers will start evaluating it soon.
Differences Between Sizes And Variants
The Bose Home Speaker 300 comes in two color variants: 'Triple Black' and 'Luxe Silver'. We tested the Luxe Silver variant, and you can see its label here. We expect the Triple Black variant to perform similarly to our model. If you come across another variant, please let us know in the discussions, and we'll update our review.
Compared To Other Speakers
The Bose 300 Speaker is a wired home speaker. Like the Sonos One Gen 2/One SL, it has both Alexa and Google Assistant built-in, and the speaker can understand you even if you're far away or in a noisy environment. The speaker also supports Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, with low latency via iOS, Android, and Apple AirPlay. However, like most small speakers, it struggles to reproduce low-bass, and it doesn't get very loud.
Check out our recommendations for the best home speakers, the best Bluetooth speakers, and the best Bluetooth speakers for bass.
The Bose Home Speaker 500 is a better speaker than the Bose Home Speaker 300. The 500 is better-built, and it supports stereo content. Its LED screen displays the time and information about the track you're listening to. Also, it gets louder, though both speakers have some compression when you play them at max volume. However, some users may prefer the 300's slightly smaller size.
The Bose Home Speaker 300 is a better speaker than the Bose SoundLink Revolve II. The Home Speaker offers outstanding voice assistant support, with Google Assistant and Alexa built-in. They have no trouble hearing you when you’re far away as well as in noisier environments. Its companion app comes with bass and treble sliders you can use to customize its sound to your liking. It can also get louder with fewer compression artifacts at max volume. That said, the Revolve II is better-built with an IP55 rating for dust and water resistance though we don’t currently test for this. It's also smaller and battery-powered, so you can easily take it outdoors with you.
The Bose Home Speaker 300 and the Amazon Echo Studio have different strengths, and depending on your usage, you may prefer one over the other. The Amazon can get louder and play stereo content. Its companion app also offers more features. However, the Bose supports Apple AirPlay, has a lower Bluetooth latency on iOS and Android, and has an outstanding voice assistant performance.
The Bose Portable Smart Speaker is a slightly better speaker than the Bose Home speaker 300. The Smart Speaker is battery-powered, making it much more portable than the Home Speaker 300. It can get louder, and offers a wider-sounding soundstage, so your audio sounds clearer from most angles. That said, the Home Speaker 300 has less compression present at max volume, resulting in cleaner audio at louder volumes.
The Bose Home Speaker 300 is a better home speaker than the Sonos One Gen 2/One SL. The Bose has a more spacious soundstage, supports Bluetooth, and has fewer compression artifacts at max volume. Its built-in voice assistant performance is better. However, the Sonos is better built and is slightly more neutral-sounding out-of-the-box.
The Bose SoundLink Revolve and the Bose Home Speaker 300 have different strengths and depending on your usage, you may prefer one over the other. The SoundLink is more portable since it's battery-powered, and has a better build quality. It also supports multi-device pairing. However, the Home Speaker 300 is better-suited for home use as it supports Wi-Fi, and has an outstanding built-in voice assistant performance. It can also get louder, and you can tweak its sound profile using its bass and treble sliders.
The Bose Home Speaker 300 is a better speaker for most uses than the Apple HomePod (1st generation). The Bose has better controls, supports Bluetooth, and has bass and treble sliders, meaning you can customize its sound profile to your liking. It also has a better voice assistant performance. However, the Apple speaker has a better Wi-Fi performance, though the speaker has been discontinued and may be harder to find in a new condition.
Test Results
The Bose Home Speaker 300 is a smaller-sized speaker that's meant to sit vertically on your table. It has a small status light in the front to indicate voice assistant or commands. The speaker itself looks fairly sleek, and the aluminum grille which protects the speakers is a nice touch. It comes in two colors: 'Triple Black' and 'Luxe Silver'.
This speaker isn't very portable. While you can carry it with one hand, it has to be plugged into a power source for it to work.
The Bose Home Speaker 300 has acceptable build quality. It's made of thin plastic that looks premium but feels a bit cheap. There's also an aluminum grille to protect the speakers. On its top side is a touch-sensitive surface for controls, but this panel isn't flush to the rest of the speaker's body.
The Bose Home Speaker 300 has very good controls. They're located on the top side. You can adjust the speaker's volume, play or pause audio, or switch to an AUX connection. The six preset buttons let you quickly access media stations, playlists, artists, or albums. You can add presets by holding down the preset number desired while that content is playing or by adding it in the app. Double-tapping the play/pause button skips the track forward while a triple-tap skips the track backward. The buttons are tactile and easy to press, but they aren't textured, so it may be tricky to know what you're pressing if you're not looking. There's also a small interface light that turns on when you make commands or use a voice assistant. It also turns different colors depending on the function.
The Bose Home Speaker 300 has alright frequency response accuracy. Right out-of-the-box, it has a slightly boomy sound profile. It struggles to reproduce a thumpy low-bass, so genres like EDM and hip-hop lack a bit of rumble. That said, it has a balanced mid-range, so vocals and lead instruments sound clear and accurate. If you prefer a different sound, it has bass and treble sliders via its companion app.
The Bose 300 has an alright soundstage. It's a 360-degree speaker, so its directivity is wide. However, it has to downmix stereo content into mono, which doesn't sound as immersive.
The Bose 300 Speaker has an alright dynamics performance. It doesn't get very loud, and there are some compression artifacts at max volume. This speaker may not be the ideal choice if you have a large or crowded room.
This speaker doesn't have a battery and can only be used when plugged into a wall socket.
The Bose Home Speaker 300 has a fantastic voice assistant performance. It has both Alexa and Google Assistant built-in. However, using Alexa only, you can directly make commands to other Bose smart products, Amazon Echo products, as well as to anyone in your contacts list. It can register your voice commands, even if you're far away or in a noisy environment. There's also a mic mute button, which is great if you don't want the speaker to be always listening to you.
Update 20/24/2021: We originally reported that this speaker didn't support multi-room. However, this speaker can be connected to other compatible Bose speakers via the app so that they play different audio content at the same time.
The Bose Music app is good. You can use it on either an iOS or Android device. While it lacks a more comprehensive EQ, it has bass and treble sliders so you can tweak it to your liking. You can also link several units together if you want to cover a large area. However, its multi-room configurations are limited to select Bose speakers and soundbars. You also can't pair with another unit to create a stereo pair.
This speaker has an AUX port so you can wire your smartphone directly to the speaker. There's also a micro USB port, but this is only for servicing the speaker.
The Bose Speaker 300 has excellent Bluetooth connectivity. It has very low latency on both iOS and Android. However, different apps and devices can compensate for latency differently, so your real-life experience may vary. Unfortunately, you won't be able to pair this speaker with more than one device at a time.
The Bose 300 is Wi-Fi compatible and supports Apple AirPlay and Google Chromecast. It has low latency via Apple AirPlay, so the audio and visuals remain synchronized when watching videos and movies. You can also use Chromecast to cast audio from music streaming services without video, like Spotify or YouTube Music Premium. That said, you can't use it to stream videos from video streaming services and video players like YouTube, Amazon Prime Video, and VLC.