In the early days of the smart speaker revolution, finding a speaker that was both smart and had great sound was a challenge. Thankfully, those days are long gone. With products from Sonos, Marshall, Apple, and Amazon, you can now have your cake and eat it too. But before you settle on a new wireless smart speaker from one of those companies, you should consider the $300 Bose Home Speaker 500. With an intriguing mix of sleek design, expansive sound, and a choice of digital assistants, it could be just the smart audio device your home has been missing. But is it right for you? Let’s take a look. Available in your choice of triple black or a sophisticated two-tone of silver and white, the Bose Home Speaker 500 is deceptively sized. With an elliptical shape that is much wider than it is deep, its base is small enough that it should easily find a perch on a counter-top, bookshelf, or mantle. At just 4.75 pounds It’s also surprisingly light for its size. Nothing breaks up the speaker’s smoo...

Expansive stereo sound; Sleek, attractive design; Choice of Alexa or Google Assistant; Easy-to-use controls; Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and line-in options; AirPlay 2;

Expensive; Some music services not supported; Slightly awkward multiroom control; No Chromecast option for Android;

“Rich, expansive sound helps this smart speaker deliver a virtuoso performance.”

Expansive stereo sound; Sleek; attractive design; Choice of Alexa or Google Assistant; Easy-to-use controls; Bluetooth; Wi-Fi; and line-in options; AirPlay 2

Expensive; Some music services not supported; Slightly awkward multiroom control; No Chromecast option for Android

Looked at reviews which said this speaker was difficult to set up. I purchased from John Lewis as I went to listen to the speaker which I felt was the best on offer. To my surprise it was quite easy to set up just download the Bose music app and follow the step by step instructions which also guide...

I am a long time Bose consumer (at least for my lifetime)...the Bose sound/speakers is always impressive, but moving into the digital realm, from experience, they can't seem to get the software portion hammered out.

This thing sounds great and is solidly built, but it's user interface is terrible. I got it for our kitchen to connect with the TV. I have it connected to the AUX port and if I shut down the TV, after about 15 minutes, it shuts itself off too.

Best house warming present from my in laws. It is sure a great little system and the sound it pumps out is amazing

Bought this lovely speaker a few weeks ago and very glad that I did. Compact size and fantastic sound that you come to expect from Bose. I also used Myer's Click & Collect service which was extremely easy and convenient to use. Thanks again Myer :)

This was a mothers day gift. She loves the sound that memics a full and expensive home theater, and the ease of use. I set it up so she can play music and books from audiobooks, Pandora, Deezer, Spotify, Apple and Amazon prime

Amazon has always maintained that it wants other companies to use its Alexa voice assistant in their devices. That's probably why it's left the speakers somewhat weak in terms of audio quality.

The Bose Home Speaker 500 is one of the best sounding smart speakers in the market at the moment....