Purchasing a home theater audio system can be a complicated process. You have to purchase speakers that will work in harmony with each other. If you fail to do so, you’ll be stuck with a system that likely cost you a fortune and doesn’t perform as well as you had expected. Bose changed the audio marketplace with the SoundTouch 300 and the virtually invisible wireless speakers. Finally, you can purchase a modular system that works in perfect harmony. However, there’s one disadvantage to the sleek, compact designs that Bose prefers. While the other 300 series speakers are capable of producing a clear, full bodied sound, they simply don’t have the punch that many users crave.
This is where the Acoustimass 300 Series Bass Module comes in. Designed to be paired with the other 300 series speakers, this subwoofer is capable of extending your lows to a level you never thought possible. But this premium product comes at a premium price. Should you pick up this sub for yourself, or spend your money elsewhere? Let’s take a look.
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First Looks
Considering that virtually every other Bose product on the market is designed to be compact and portable, the Acoustimass 300 certainly stands out a bit. Weighing in at nearly 40 pounds and with the dimensions of a small coffee table, this is significantly larger than anything we’ve seen from Bose before. But even if it’s not shaped like a Bose product, it’s certainly designed to look like one. The velvety smooth exterior just screams luxury, while the glass top gives it a mature look that synergizes with the compatible soundbar. But the looks alone aren’t going to make your movies any more exciting, so let’s take a look and see how it sounds.
Set Up
Before you can get any sound from your speaker, you’re going to have to set it up. Although it’s designed to connect to the soundbar, there are very few buttons or controls on the bar itself. We’ve been down this road before, trying to pair devices together with no visual indication. We were prepared for the worst. But what we found was a pleasant surprise. Set up was as close to effortless as it could be.
Here’s the procedure: First, you put the speaker on the ground. Next, you plug it into the wall. And that’s it! It communicates wirelessly with the soundbar, so simply having it present in the same room is enough to complete the set up procedure. Until they figure out a way to deliver power wirelessly, we can’t think of anyway that Bose could simplify the process.
If you live in a major urban center, Amazon will offer to set up your audio system for you (for a fee). I think it’s safe to say that you can skip this service.
Sound Quality: Movies
The most important measure of any audio product is how well it sounds. Sure, you may be willing to make some quality sacrifices for a portable speaker that is durable or maybe has a long battery life. But the Bose Acoustimass 300 is far from a portable speaker. Given its premium price tag, we were prepared to be highly critical of this subwoofer. In our eyes, the only measure of its value was how it sounded. Turns out, we were wrong.
The real value of this sub is not entirely how it sounds, but how it feels. And in this regard, we were incredibly impressed. Our first test was with an action movie on Blu-ray, and our jaws hit the floor. Every explosion produced an audible blast that you could feel in your chest. Every bullet fired had a tactile pop to it. This adds a whole new level of depth to your movies that you just can’t get with basic speakers.
As for the bass itself, it can only be described as clear and powerful. Every note hits with an almost effortless precision. Just like with the sound bar, the audio feels as if it is coming from all around you instead of from a single point. This is possible thanks to the “quietport” technology. On many subs, you’ve probably noticed a hole in the box. These are called ports, and the serve two purposes. First, they’re designed to vent the box. Most subwoofers move too much air to be contained in one place, so venting the speaker allows air to move in and out of the box without creating vibrations or rattling. When you see circular ports, you’ll notice that they look a little like the front of the trombone. And they behave in a similar manner. These ports amplify the sound, so that manufacturers can get away with using smaller speakers. The disadvantage is that the sound comes from a singular source, so you don’t get the full bodied sound you get with the Acoustimass 300.
You’ll notice that the glass top of the sub is raised off the box but a small margin. This is actually the quiet port itself. Because Bose uses a large and powerful driver, there’s no need for volume enhancing ports. The result is an explosive sound that seems to come from every corner of your room at the same time – an experience we’ve rarely had with basic subwoofers.
Sound Quality: Music
Generally, subwoofers are divided into two categories. You have ones for movies, and ones for music. It’s really challenging to create a subwoofer that is suitable for both. Movies demand punchy, explosive bass that is recreated realistically. Music, on the other hand, demands accuracy and the ability to recreate multiple harmonic tones at once. When we saw that this subwoofer was being promoted for both uses, we were a little worried. However, the Acoustimass 300 manages to handle both roles competently.
After our experience with movies, we really wanted to see what this speaker was made of. So we threw on the most aggressive, upbeat electronic track we could find. And the results were exactly what we expected. Every note hit us in the chest, and we were able to hear a greater level of depth and detail to the bass notes than we had ever heard before.
But what if you aren’t into slamming electronic bass? We decided to try something on the opposite end of the spectrum and play a jazz track, “Seven Days Of Falling” by the Esbjörn Svensson Trio. This track has a gentle, punctuating bassline that is as far from synthetic as you can get. And the Acoustimass was able to perform competently. This track let us see a whole new side of the speaker. This wasn’t the aggressive, punchy bass we had become accustomed to. Instead, we found that the speaker pulled in the reigns a bit and offered an accurate, detailed sound that gave us greater appreciation for the instruments that composed the song.
It’s safe to say that no matter what type of music you enjoy, the Acoustimass 300 will be able to enhance your listening experience.
So, Is the Bose Acoustimass 300 Bass Module Worth It?
If you’ve read our other reviews, you know how impressed we were with the 300 series audio system. But the Bose Acoustimass 300 Bass Module takes everything we love and adds an entirely new layer of depth to it. If you’ve already go the soundbar, then we’d consider this to be an essential purchase.
However, the Acoustimass 300 is a little different than the other two components of the 300 series system. The Soundbar can be used on its own, or with the other components. The surround speakers can also be used independently, even as a portable speaker. But the Bass Module is not independent. It works exclusively with the 300 series soundbar, and is not compatible with any other audio system.
If you are only on the market for the sub and don’t intend to purchase the soundbar, then this is probably not good value. However, if you are looking for an upgrade then the kit would make a fantastic choice. Even the combined price of all three components is significantly less than you would have to pay to find a comparable system. We’ve heard plenty of home theater systems before, and you’d likely have to spend upwards of $2500 to get a comparable quality system.
There is really only one downside to the wireless bass module. Your neighbors will hate you. If you live in a small apartment or condo, you’ll want to write some apology cards in advance while you wait for your shipment to arrive.
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Can you add more than one sub, or are you limited to just one?
Unfortunately you’re limited to just one. However, one should be plenty of bass for most situations.
Great Review. Worth noting to anyone interested in the 300/700 or lifestyles systems, they can now, as of 10/2018, run 2 of these subs.
Bass is not bluetoothing up to the 300 sound bar, ? Pretty simple instructions to follow, flashing white light etc but no blip at end ?and going to 2 orange lights on sound bar and white light on back of bass.? Am I not doing something?
I can hardly hear the bass whilst on TV mode. Not bad whilst playing music through Bluetooth.
How can I increase the bass sound for TV, even when on a music channel.
Press the bass button at the bottom left hand side of the remote. A white light will appear on the soundbar press the volume up button to increase the bass, when you are doing this the light will move to the right. Once desired level is reached press the Bass button again. the same goes for turning the bass down just use the volume down button.
Can you connect it to accoustimass series 15
As noted in the review article, it is not compatible with any other system. Although there is a promising-looking “SUB IN” port on the back of the unit. I have to wonder whether that is a signal unit that could be accessed by a home theater receiver.
Can you play music from YouTube
Which one is better…is it harman kardon sb35 with subwoofer or bose soundtouch playbar with accoustimass bass..
I have a quite a big and wide hall..so m confused as to which will be more suitable..
Thanks
Overpriced borderline / marginal “subwoofer cube”. The driver looks to be an 8″, but the enclosure is too small. There isn’t any real airspace in it, looking at the cutaway photo generously provided on the product page. Not sure why they would advertise that. It doesn’t hit every note; I heard one and it already starts rolling off below 50Hz. Some modern music drops down to 25Hz so it fails to reproduce an entire octave. I paid a single person speaker manufacturer (granted a friend) about half the price of the Acoustimass 300 for an 8″ active subwoofer build. It has a 200w RMS amplifier built in which is probably more than twice the power. The enclosure is bigger, but it needs to be to “breathe” and function as a true subwoofer. It doesn’t start rolling off until below 35Hz (it’s still a “small” subwoofer) and on top of that the output is overall stronger. Most of the enclosure is ACTUAL AIRSPACE, which is opposite to the Bose where most of the enclosure is driver and port.
So if your saying is true that it only works with the soundtouch bar then why does it have a rca input LFE ??
1. You can link 2 Acoustimass 300’s to the Soundtouch 300. That’s what I did, both hook up the same way.
2. The fall off point is more like 15Hz. Yes, it is subsonic.
3. The bass output of just 1, let alone 2 is enough to rattle your senses. And lastly.
4. The entire set up, being the soundbar, surrounds and bass module are above and beyond what can be explained in words.
I have seen many people post that it’s an 8″ sub, no it’s a 10″. And also, even with the bass turned up to max, and the volume too. There is STILL no “flare” from these subwoofers, or the entire set up for that matter.
I have owned the Bose SoundTouch 300 Soundbar for over a year now. I just added the Bose Acoustimass 300 Bass Module and have been playing music and watching movies all day. It makes a HUGE difference in sound. Today was an Alien marathon, all of the movies sound amazing. I was surprised by what a difference this Bass module added to the SoundTouch 300 Soundbar. So very glad I added this piece to my home system.
Hi , I live in Pakistan and there electricity 220v , my cousin bring sound touch 300 soundbar from Canada and its 110v now plz tell me what I do , can I use this 110v into 220v
Can I hardwire a non-Bose receiver to this bass module using the SUB IN 3.5mm port?
How do you increase the volume of the Bose 300 base
Hi,
I am from Lebanon Beirut and am looking for a loud enough system to drown out the war zone outside of my house. There are usually bombs or gunfire on a daily basis and a loud enough system to drown that out would be huge.
Thanks from Beirut
Abbala Hommadadai
Can I connect a Bose woofer to a Yamaha yas 109 via output of the Yamaha soundbar ?