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High-end soundbar makers are leaning into single‑unit Dolby Atmos solutions that prioritize music fidelity and immersive height effects. Focal’s Mu-so Hekla targets audiophiles with 15 drivers, 660W power and Tidal hi‑res support for thunderous, detailed playback—at a $3,600 premium and limited expandability. Bose’s revived Lifestyle Ultra line counters with more affordable, modular options: a $1,099 Atmos soundbar, $899 subwoofer and $299 compact speakers offering upward‑firing drivers, CleanBass tech, multiroom streaming and modern app tuning. Together these launches show a trend toward simplified, premium all‑in‑one systems that blend theatrical immersion with streaming and room calibration, while tradeoffs remain around size, price and expandability.
Sony’s new Bravia Theater Bar 5 delivers crisp dialog and surprisingly powerful bass for a $350 two-piece soundbar system, but pairs that performance with a stripped-down feature set. The package includes a three-foot matte-black bar, a wireless subwoofer, power cables and a basic remote, but omits HDMI/optical cables, Wi‑Fi, EQ calibration, upfiring drivers for true Dolby Atmos, and extra inputs. Setup is simple via HDMI eARC and the Bravia Connect app, which handles Bluetooth pairing and basic tuning. Virtual surround processing and a dedicated center channel boost cinematic clarity, making the Theater Bar 5 a solid plug-and-play upgrade for TV and music listeners who prioritize sound over smart features or extensive connectivity.
Focal’s Mu-so Hekla is a heavy, single-unit Dolby Atmos soundbar that aims to replace multi-speaker setups with 15 drivers, 660 watts and support for Dolby Atmos Music. Priced at $3,600, it delivers thunderous, detailed music and convincing overhead effects, and pairs easily with TVs via eARC HDMI; Tidal hi-res playback works through Tidal Connect and the Focal app. The reviewer liked simple setup, strong room calibration and sonic performance, but noted drawbacks: limited expandability (only a subwoofer can be added), awkward size and sharp edges, no dedicated remote, and it’s not ideal for gaming. Overall it’s a top stand-alone surround-sound speaker with a premium price.
Bose has revived its Lifestyle sub-brand with three new Lifestyle Ultra audio products priced between $299 and $1,099. The line includes a compact speaker ($299) with three drivers, Direct/Reflecting speakers and TrueSpatial processing for enhanced height and stereo imaging; a flagship soundbar ($1,099) with a new acoustic architecture, six full-range drivers, a center tweeter and two PhaseGuide drivers that supports Dolby Atmos for immersive 3D surround; and a Lifestyle Ultra subwoofer ($899) using CleanBass technology to deliver deep, precise bass that complements the bar and speakers for clearer mid/highs and cinematic impact. All units support Apple AirPlay. The release targets home theater and premium consumer audio markets.
Bose revived its iconic Lifestyle brand with three new Wi‑Fi speakers — the Lifestyle Ultra Speaker ($299+), Ultra Soundbar ($1,099) and Ultra Subwoofer ($899) — available for preorder now and shipping May 15. The lineup emphasizes multiroom connectivity via AirPlay, Google Cast and Spotify Connect, adds US-only Alexa+ integration, Bluetooth and an aux input, and supports stereo pairing and home theater grouping through the Bose and Google/Apple apps. Hardware highlights include upward‑firing drivers for spatial audio, CleanBass with a QuietPort, SpeechClarity AI for dialog, and a new app‑based room tuning workflow that replaces the old ADAPTiQ headset. Backward compatibility is limited (only with Bass Module 700) and the soundbar is wired-only for some setups.