ET review of Bose LifeStyle 135

NEW DELHI: Surround sound home theatres often consist of a central control unit/amplifier and multiple speakers. Bose has offered simpler solutions with fewer speakers, but for those that prefer single speakers, a soundbar is the only option.

The LifeStyle 135 is the first soundbar from Bose — the package consists of the soundbar itself, wireless Acoutimass module, iPod dock and control console which accepts all your AV sources. The soundbar is designed to fit unobtrusively under the TV – kept flat when the TV is kept on a table or mounted vertically on the wall if it TV itself is wall mounted.

Setup is simple because of the one centrally-located speaker and wireless Acoustimass module. All three primary pieces (speaker, Acoustimass and console) need to be connected to a power source – plus the control console needs to be connected to the speaker with a single cable (a really long one is provided, in case you want to place your control console elsewhere).

The speciality of Bose’s console (the same unit is also included with several other LifeStyle systems) is that you can connect all sources to it and just output to your display (TV or projector). The universal remote control can be configured to control all your devices — be it a TV, DVD/Blu-Ray player, HD media player or set top box. A set of infrared emitters is also included, so that you can keep all equipment hidden away in a cabinet and still control everything using the Bose remote.



Specifications

Soundbar with wireless Acoustimass module and central console, RF + infrared universal remote control

Central console receives & controls all audio/video sources, has multiple inputs, USB, simple setup

Lacks low-end punch, no storage or disc player, outperformed by cheaper multi-speaker alternatives