Design and build:

Bose Solo 5 and Bose 300 soundbar are compact soundbars that will fit well with medium sized TVs of 55 or 65” sizes. The Bose 300 is slightly longer in width. Since the Bose Solo5 TV speaker has a low-profile design, it is suitable for small sized TVs. They can easily be placed on walls with mounting brackets. The soundbars are made of solid plastic and covered with metal grilles. Overall, the build quality is very good at such a low price.                                                          

Performance:

Comparing Bose Solo 5 vs Bose 300, the Solo 5 is a stereo soundbar whereas the Bose 300 is a 3.0 channel bar. The 300 bar gets louder than the Solo 5 with an SPL of more than 90 dB. In terms of differences, the Smart 300 bar has a better soundstage and sounds bigger. None of the bars support Dolby Atmos and cannot produce any illusion of height.

Bose Smart Soundbar 300 has 4 drivers for left and right channels and a tweeter for the center channel. It works with Dolby Digital that adds depth to the sound making it more natural and realistic. It has a broader sound field but with average accuracy. With an independent center channel, you will hear crisp and clear dialogues. It is great for parties, but we recommend placing them in small to medium-sized places.

Similar to Solo 5 soundbar, it has average surrounds. The bar will convert contents to stereo mode, and you will not experience immersive sound. This is expected from 3.0 soundbars. Sound emission from the bar seems broad and open. Out of the box, the bar has a neutral tone in its sound. It is great with music, TV shows and movies.  

Bose Solo 5 has left and right channels. Even without a center channel, the bar has clear voices. There is a voice mode that you can use to improve it. It has an accurate and well-defined mids. Low ends are average and has its lacking. Since there is no subwoofer option, you can only rely on the Bass boost feature. It has a good soundfield compared to TV speakers that is not very wide and accurate.

With angled drivers, the bar has a decent stereo soundstage that is as wide as the bar. It can get loud and remain undistorted at high volumes. In compact spaces, the bar can deliver room-filling sound. Play music through the bar and receive an enjoyable performance. It has good dynamics and this soundbar is a perfect solution for users who do not want to annoy their neighbors.

Features: 

The Bose Smart Soundbar 300 vs Bose Solo 5 comparison shows the Solo 5 is a simple bar that is not expandable. Bose 300 is upgradable with wireless Bose Bass Module 500 or 700, and Bose 700 Surround speaker or Bose Surround Speaker. These wireless modules need to be within 30’ range.

Between the two, the Bose Smart Soundbar 300 is more versatile. With Wi-Fi, it can stream contents from online streaming services (TuneIn, Pandora, Spotify Connect, Deezer, etc) and internet radio. Bose 300 has both Airplay 2 and Chromecast. These are not available in Bose Solo 5. With Chromecast, the Bose 300 bar can Cast contents from Chromecast supported apps. It can also create multiroom audio with Chromecast compatible speakers.

These Bose soundbars have the SimpleSync feature where users can connect to another device from the Bose Home Speaker family. Like Bose Bluetooth speaker or headphone. Unlike the Bose Solo 5, the 300 soundbar can be a part of multiroom setup. It can create up to 4 zones and connect with another speaker from Bose Smart Home Speaker list.

Connectivity:

Comparing Bose Solo 5 vs Bose 300, the Bose 300 bar supports both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth wireless streaming. It has both optical and HDMI port along with 3.5mm port. With Solo 5, you can only use Bluetooth. The HDMI port is also missing here. This means this model will work with older TVs that have optical port.

Control options:

Bose Solo 5 has a large remote with several buttons that might be confusing to some. Compared to that, the Bose 300 has a small remote with simple and basic functions. It also works Bose Music app with which you can adjust settings, control speakers in the multiroom setup or set multiple users. Unlike the Bose 300, the Solo 5 does not have any physical buttons.

On the top of Bose 300, there are Action and mute controls. For voice support, you again must rely on Bose 300 that has built-in Alexa and Google Assistant. It also has Voice4Video with which the bar uses Alexa to control TV, bar, satellite box. Bose Solo 5 works with Bose Connect app. For the Smart bar 300, there is Bose Music app. This app allows users to control devices in the multiroom setup, perform setup, multiple user setup, audio settings, etc.

Settings:

These soundbars stick to the basic tweaking options. They have voice mode and bass adjustment option. Bose 300 works includes a treble option as well.

Cost:

The Bose Solo 5 vs Bose 300 price comparison shows the Solo 5 is cheaper and available at half the price of Bose 300. The Bose Smart Soundbar 300 is on the market at around $300.

FAQ:

Bose Solo 5 vs Bose 300, which is better?

The Bose 300 is better because you have the option to improve the sound with sub and rear speakers. However, there are other better alternatives like Bose Smart Soundbar 900 which is a 5.1.2 channel bar.