Direct Competition Between The Sonos Amp And The Bose Music Amplifier

In October 2022, Bose debuted the Bose Music Amplifier without any type of publicity—not even a news release. We only recently learned about this product. It's difficult to speculate as to why the business chose to operate in such secrecy unless perhaps it wanted to focus all of the attention on its concurrently released Smart Soundbar 600. The glaring similarities between the Music Amplifier and the $699 Sonos Amp make it clear that the Music Amplifier was created as a direct rival to that product. The Bose Music Amplifier is an all-in-one wireless audio component for people who already own (or want to purchase) a set of wired speakers, much like the Sonos Amp. In fact, you may use the Music Amplifier to power two pairs of wired speakers, such as a set of ceiling speakers and a set of bookshelf units, as long as you don't mind listening to the same item twice. As long as you pay attention to the impedance changes, there should be enough power for two sets with 125 watts per channel (the same as the Sonos Amp). With a single set, no less than 4 ohms will work, but if you add that other set, all four speakers should be no less than 8 ohms. Photo Credit: eBay The Bose Music Amplifier can do that too, but it's a little simpler because it provides discrete speaker wire modules for each set of wires, as opposed to the Sonos Amp, which requires you to twist together the negative and positive wires of each stereo pair before wiring them into its single set of terminals. Curiously, the Music Amplifier comes with unique EQ presets for two specific Bose products: the Bose 251 outdoor speakers and the Bose 791 in-ceiling speakers II, which Bose claims will give these speakers clearer, more balanced sound. The amp will work with all passive speakers, including Bose's own slowly diminishing collection. Stranger still, the unit's back panel contains a number of DIP switches that are used to control these EQ settings. Although you can attach a subwoofer, Bose is very constrained. Only the Bass Module subwoofers made by the firm may be used. There is a limit of one, and all connections to the Music Amplifier must be connected; wireless connections are not supported. Photo Credit: Musician Wave The Bose Music app, which controls the entire system and offers you access to streaming music services like Spotify, Amazon Music, Pandora, and Deezer, allows you to use the Music Amplifier independently or as part of a multiroom arrangement. It is mostly a Wi-Fi-based system (with Ethernet jacks for wired use). In addition to supporting AirPlay 2 and Chromecast Built-in, the Music Amplifier also has a Bluetooth connection, offering it more options than the Sonos Amp, which only supports Wi-Fi and AirPlay 2. The Bluetooth connection is two-way, and you can use Bose's SimplySync to utilize any of the brand's wireless headphones, including the QC45, to listen wirelessly. The digital connections between the Sonos and Bose amplifiers are another significant distinction. The Sonos Amp is a TV-friendly device for people who don't want or require a soundbar or full AV receiver-based system because it can pipe in digital music through HDMI ARC. The only digital input on the amplifier is that, so if you want to connect a CD player or a TV that doesn't support HDMI ARC, you'll need to buy an adaptor. The optical input on the Bose music amplifier, however, is more adaptable. Photo Credit: Smart Home Sounds Both units support analog input via RCA connectors (a phone preamp is probably required if you wish to connect a turntable), and these signals can be sent to any other wireless speakers in your multiroom setup. But there are also a number of analog outputs on the Bose music amplifier. These can be used to daisy-chain several Music Amplifiers if necessary, but they can also be used to transfer the audio that is now playing to whatever device you desire. The Music Amplifier's 2.9 x 8.3 x 8.3-inch dimensions and integrated rack-mount hardware make it rack-mount suitable, like the Sonos Amp.