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Credit: Product image courtesy of Walmart.
Soundbars are categorized by the frequency range they fall in. Mid-range soundbars are meant for dialogue, background music, and sound effects. If those things are high on your priority list, look no further than the Bose Smart Soundbar 550, which is currently $199 (originally $499) at Walmart. This is the lowest price I have seen after checking price-tracking tools.
Bose is well known for their great audio products, but not for their design. This soundbar is a boring 4.09 by 27.34 by 2.21-inch rectangle of nearly seven pounds, but all the magic happens with the audio, not the visuals. This soundbar comes with Dolby Atmos and Bose’s TrueSpace technology, which up-mixes all the audio to an immersive multi-channel experience. This means the dialogue will pop out and you’ll hear the action sound like it’s happening around you.
Bose can do this with its five transducers, two of which are upward-firing ones, which combine to bounce sound off your walls and ceiling to mimic a surround sound (to the extent a single soundbar can).
You can connect it to wifi to use its built-in music and radio services, or you can connect your phone via Bluetooth, Apple AirPlay 2, Chromecast, or Spotify Connect. It also works as a smart speaker with voice control since you have compatibility with Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa.
For $199, you’ll be hard-pressed to find another soundbar of this quality and this many features. This is a budget price for a high-tier soundbar. If you want to hear your TV dialogue better or just want to get a soundbar on a budget, the Bose Smart Soundbar 550 is a solid choice right now.
