Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

[Please also see updates at the end of this review] First off, I notice this is called the Series II. The two main differences I can see from the Series I are fairly significant. Firstly, there is Bluetooth capability -- this is a very welcome addition. Secondly, there is a "bass" setting on the remote now. From what I've read, Series I required turning a knob at the back of the soundbar itself, and that's not always convenient. There may be other enhancements/improvements I'm not yet aware of. At the time of writing this review (mid August), the Series II does not look like it's publicly available. It's not even mentioned on the Bose website. If somehow you're reading this and are about to pull the trigger on a Series I, perhaps hold off a bit! Now onto the review: As someone who has never bought into the whole Bose marketing machine, I was hugely skeptical about this unit. I already have a decent Sony AV receiver which offers reasonable quality sound with HDMI ARC, plenty of different audio pre-sets, and a number of other options. This Bose is more bare bones. No HDMI, just optical/coaxial connectivity only. But it does come with a pretty nice universal remote, and while at first I considered this inessential, it has actually turned into a decent freebie, and my family approves of just having a single remote controlling all our TV viewing these days instead of many. However, simplicity is good sometimes, as this was a breeze to set up. Optical instead of HDMI isn't as bad as I expected: the Bose still comes on automatically when you switch on the TV (there's a setting to enable/disable this), and the Bose remote paired fine with my TV, cable box, DVD player, and even Roku, while the cable box and TV remotes paired nicely with the Bose so I can control volume from any remote. And here's the thing, despite reading terrible things about Bose and their over-priced components, I'm going to say something that will probably make most audiophiles scoff at me: the Bose Solo 15 Series II is good. It's clear, it's loud enough, it really does a nice job of enhancing my TV viewing. There's enough bass, sufficient middle, and bright highs with a soundscape that fills the room well and sounds wider/fuller than my current system. Even the cheapest soundbar is likely to be a step up from the in-built speakers on most current TVs (except, perhaps, some of the more expensive models), and Bose has created something here that is great at enhancing your general TV viewing, unless you're looking for theater-quality sound. It still lacks a little dynamism and sparkle, but both dialog and music are perfectly serviceable and clear. Sure, I might not be getting the flexibility of the Sony system, nor the multitude of settings and different audio options, but the Bose just works, and I think that's why I like it: I very rarely need to tweak and fiddle like I do with my current Sony receiver. It's not as temperamental either: HDMI ARC, for all its advantages, can sometimes be a bit hit and miss (the Sony receiver occasionally gets turned off when changing sources -- probably a fault with my Samsung TV, but a notable irritation -- and it doesn't always play friendly with the Samsung so-called "Smart Remote"). The Bose doesn't have the same booming bass response or loudness, but it's more consistent, and less `muddy.' For some sources, I found the Sony receiver a little more sibilant, with less warmth, so a lot depends on the quality of the audio track on what you are watching, e.g. it's a bit more picky. The Bose copes with all kinds of music, audio, TV, movies, sports. It may lack a display, HDMI, and other useful stuff, but believe it or not, I'm sticking with it, because for everyday use, it's just ideal -- and I think that's the key. If I had a dedicated theater room, no way, but I'm talking about a TV that we watch kid's TV on in the morning, then a bit of baseball in the evening, perhaps a movie at the weekend, some Netflix via Roku, maybe some music via Chromecast, or even (yes, really) an old-school DVD. The Bose keeps up with the variety better than the Sony receiver, and that's why I like it. And that universal remote -- I'm digging it. It's probably not as feature-happy as the Harmonys and Logitechs out there, but for free, it does exactly what I need. Am I converted to the Bose cause? Perhaps not -- this is a Vine review so I was fortunate enough to get the product for free. I'm doubtful I would have purchased it myself, but I'm glad I got to try it because despite the Bose marketing hype, I can see why their stuff is successful -- it just kinda works, and it reminds me a bit of how Apple do things. It's probably not going to satisfy an audiophile (I can hear the folks on AVForums laughing at me already), and it's a little overpriced (I'm sure there are as-good items out there for less), but the Bose Solo 15 Series II is much better than I expected, especially for everyday use, and the bonus of having Bluetooth makes it a keeper for me. ---------- Update 1: After 2-3 weeks of use, this has mostly been fine, but it has "locked-up" twice. The green light will be glowing as if it's on, but no sound will be audible. Trying to switch it on or off using the remote doesn't work, and the only solution is to unplug it and start again. Reading reviews of the original Solo 15 (Series I, I guess) shows that many had issues with this, and it's disappointing that this wasn't addressed for Series II. I suppose there might be an opportunity for a firmware update prior to release, and that's perhaps why I'm still seeing no actual Amazon product page for it, so I hope I'll be able to apply that once it's public. I have to reduce my rating to 4 stars due to this and if it keeps happening, I'll have to return to my old set-up Update 2: I decided to try live chat online with Bose to discuss this issue, but the rep was not aware of this new Series II version of the Solo 15 but promised to send me a different contact email/number. Fair enough. I was expecting a generic email with an 0800 number or something, but much to my surprise, I got a personal email from the technical support manager who offered to ship me a brand new Series II with the fix for the freezing issue in place that day to arrive the next day (a Saturday), as well as a UPS return label so they could take a look at the original Solo 15 Series II and diagnose it. This gentleman was also courteous enough to call me personally. The next day the new Solo 15 Series II arrived as promised and I set it up as before, so far with no freezing issues. I was pretty much astonished by Bose's customer service here (especially being just a humble Vine reviewer) and my view of the company has gone up tenfold. Good customer service is rare these days, so perhaps this explains the higher prices of Bose items. Rating back up to 5-stars.