Bose Smart Speaker 500 with display in the test: the Sonos alternative sounds so good The Bose Smart Speaker 500 not only listens to Alexa and Google, but also offers a display. We show how good it sounds in the test report. 5:36 p.m. tech stage

Bose is known for acting a little differently than other HiFi suppliers. Technical measurements of loudspeakers are officially rejected, relying solely on listening tests or acoustic perception. And builds devices that do not follow the usual rules and sometimes surprise.

So you never know what to expect from a Bose product, you can’t infer from one to another. It is therefore also interesting how the large, stereo-capable Bose Smart Speaker 500 differs from the smaller Bose Home Speaker 300 and whether it is an alternative to the Sonos Five (test report) and other multi-room speakers. We recommend our Multiroom guide: Music in every room thanks to Sonos, Apple, Musiccast & Co.

The black model measuring 20.3 × 17 × 10.9 cm and weighing 2.15 kg was available for testing; the speaker is also available in silver. It is supplied directly with 230 volt mains voltage, with the plug on the connection cable being angled. He doesn’t have a battery. In addition to six program memory buttons and an action button, the upper side of the Smart Speaker 500 also has a switch-off button for the microphone, the choice of Bluetooth or an analogue source (aux), music start/stop and volume up/down .

With Bose you can choose whether you prefer to talk to Alexa or the Google voice assistant. The microphone sensitivity is similar to the Amazon Echo (test report) and the volume gradation is also suitable for the bedroom, where small speakers on the bedside table are required. The Smart Speaker 500 is well suited for this, even if it is currently the largest model from Bose, as it is only slightly larger than the Home Speaker 300 despite the stereo, display and built-in power supply.

On its upper side there are six program memory buttons for radio stations or streaming titles and an action button, the switch-off button for the microphone, the choice of Bluetooth or an analogue source (aux), music start/stop and volume up/down .

The speaker is set up via the Bose Music app. It’s easier if a Bose speaker is already registered, otherwise it’s not that simple: you first have to create your own account with Bose including a password and select your speaker in it. Then it will also be set up in the WLAN and can be used. After a while, a firmware update takes place that cannot be interrupted and is also offered if the new loudspeaker is up to date and only an update of an older one is still pending. That can get annoying. The faster 5 GHz WLAN can also be used. Airplay is available for Apple users .

The color display shows the time when it is switched off; station logos and names, record covers, artists and music titles appear here depending on the program source. If you don’t like the display, you can also switch it off via the app.

Multi-room operation is not only possible with Bose with other smart speakers such as the Home Speaker 300 and the Bose Portable Smart Speaker (test report) , but also with some Bose Soundlink Bluetooth speakers and certain wireless Bose headphones. The 3.5 mm jack socket for the AUX input can be found on the back of the speaker. There are no other connections or controls – everything else runs via the app.

Playing music from the Internet via streaming is easily possible, although only Tune-In for Internet radio as well as Spotify and Pandora are available via Google Assistant, even if the app offers Amazon Music and Deezer. Qobuz is not on sale. If you have opted for Alexa, the selection is even smaller, but Amazon Music is there.

The signal source – streaming, Bluetooth, analog – can also be changed via the Bose app. It also allows you to adjust bass and treble. The droning in the corners of the room, which is familiar from many smart speakers, is spared here, the basses are clear and the trebles are very intense.

As already mentioned, Bose is known for its broad, non-directional sound, and the speakers here also radiate in stereo from the side. So you don’t have to sit in front of the speaker to get a good sound. Assuming you use streaming or the analog input – Android devices once again lack aptX via Bluetooth, which means that the highs that were previously so good drop suddenly. A problem that the wireless Bose headphones are also familiar with: they only sound really good on Apple hardware that uses the AAC codec.

The Bose Smart Speaker 500 comes at an RRP of 400 euros. The street price has leveled off at around 330.

With a well-functioning language assistant, really good and wide-ranging sound and a color display with a lot of useful information, the Bose Smart Speaker 500 is definitely worth its money. However, the app could be even more user-friendly and Bluetooth aptX would please non-Apple users.

As a slightly more expensive alternative, we recommend the Sonos Five (test report) . Sonos has the edge sonically, and the possibility of pairing it with many more quality Sonos products over time is enticing. If you would like to find out more about multiroom speakers, we recommend our Multiroom guide: Music in every room thanks to Sonos, Apple, Musiccast & Co.