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No discussion of a new midrange soundbar would be complete without a mention of its biggest competition, so even though this is a review of a Bose product, let’s address that from the start. Sonos has consistently been our top pick for best midrange soundbar for years. The company’s Beam has been a great option for smaller rooms or limited space since it debuted in 2018. The 2021 revamp added Dolby Atmos to the mix, but the price, the lack of upfiring drivers and the subdued bass remained key considerations that may deter shoppers. Three years after the 2nd-gen Beam, Bose is looking to take on Sonos and the Beam with the compact, Atmos-friendly Smart Soundbar ($499).

Bose may be best known for its noise-canceling headphones and earbuds, but the company has a solid track record with speakers and soundbars too. These devices typically exhibit the same fondness for clear, warm sound, which means that finer details are never a problem. Bose also likes to throw in handy features to expand a speaker’s utility, with things like dialog boost, room tuning and more. For the Smart Soundbar though, the company allows you to use a set of its wireless earbuds as rear surround speakers, taking a slightly different approach than Sonos on bringing headphones to the living room.

What’s good about the Bose Smart Soundbar?

Bose succeeded in building a compact soundbar with a simple design that won’t be much of a distraction on your mantle or TV stand. Five drivers provide ample clarity, so even finer details and sound effects come through clearly, and the speaker arrangement offers pleasant directional audio from the soundbar alone. This is partially due to the fact that Bose employs two upfiring drivers in the center of the speaker. For the times you don’t have access to Dolby Atmos content, Bose’s TrueSpace tech will upmix the sound for a spatial experience.

The company provides an AI-powered Dialog Mode that re-balances voices against all of the other sounds so that spoken words can be heard clearly at all times. It does so without sacrificing the immersive aspects of the soundstage, so it’s not just a volume boost on the talking. I found Bose’s take on dialog to be among the best I’ve tested, right up there with Sonos, so I left it active during almost all of my testing, which isn’t the case for most soundbars I’ve reviewed.

The main appeal of the Smart Soundbar will be how Bose chose to integrate a set of its earbuds with the speaker. A feature called Personal Surround Sound puts rear channels inside the Ultra Open Earbuds, leaving the main audio coming from the soundbar. Since these earbuds have an open-ear design, you can clearly hear everything, leaving your brain to mash them together in your head. I think Bose wanted to offer something akin to Sonos’ TV Audio Swap without directly copying it, and Personal Surround Sound allows users to add rear speakers with an investment that doesn’t just sit on a shelf when it’s not in use.

Personal Surround works well, and the best part about it is it’s adjustable. There are options for volume, center channel and “height & surround” levels so you can increase or decrease the amplification of each sound source. These three parameters give you the ability to pipe in more than just the would-be rear channels into the earbuds. You can get some dialog via the center channel control, as well as increase the overall volume if the stock effect is too subdued.

What’s more, you can disable Personal Surround altogether and the Ultra Open Earbuds will play the full audio that’s coming through the Smart Soundbar. Also, lowering the volume on the speaker completely turns the Bose earbuds into something closer to Sonos’ TV Audio Swap, which is great for movies and shows when others are sleeping or don’t want to be disturbed. This mode is what Bose calls SimpleSync, and it’s compatible with the company’s recent Bluetooth speakers as well as the QuietComfort Ultra Headphones, QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds and QuietComfort 45 headphones.

Another handy feature is the ability to adjust the center and height channels on the Smart Soundbar itself. Bose also gives you the option to raise or lower the bass and treble, as well as a Wall EQ toggle that adjusts the tone if you’ve mounted the speaker under your TV. This is all nice to have, but I used the center channel adjustment the most as cranking it up increased the effect of directional audio coming from the soundbar. There’s a good amount out of the box, but this tweak takes it up a notch, providing some pleasant sound reflections off of nearby walls. It’s great for movies and shows with lots of zooming vehicles and noise, like race clips in Drive to Survive or battle scenes in Rogue One.

What’s not so good about this soundbar?

Like most soundbars, the Smart Soundbar doesn’t produce enough low-end thump on its own to provide a fully immersive audio experience. Despite the crisp detail and good directional movement, the speaker would benefit from Bose’s wireless subwoofer (starting at $499) for a 5.1 setup. The company also offers two options for rear speakers starting at $399, which would allow everyone in the room to enjoy the added surround channels. Is the Smart Soundbar good enough on its own for smaller spaces? Probably for TV and movies, but if you’re tapping it to pull double duty as a music speaker, you’ll want to add a sub.

Bose’s Personal Surround Sound feature is a nice perk, but only one person can use it at a time, so it’s really for solo watching at this point. Unless, of course, you want to be a jerk and give yourself the expanded sound and leave your partner, family or friends with the stock experience.

Functionally, the Smart Soundbar responded to my commands and all of its modes worked well. One thing that did annoy me was its reluctance to automatically find the correct input when I turned the TV on after listening to music over AirPlay. Every other soundbar I’ve tested will begin playing TV audio when the screen flickers on, although some may take a few seconds longer than others to kick in. With this soundbar, I sometimes had to select the audio source in the app for things to work properly.

I’m not one to harp on soundbar remotes, but I’m compelled to do so here. The accessory Bose includes with the Smart Soundbar feels very cheap. It’s similar to what might come with a fan or lamp, although this one has a more robust plastic frame so it’s slightly sturdier. I understand the desire to include a remote control with a $500 soundbar, but it either needed a little more polish or Bose could’ve just left all of the controls to the app.

Final verdict on the Bose Smart Soundbar

The Smart Soundbar is the same price as the Sonos Beam, which remains great for smaller spaces, and is just a more compact option in general. There are a lot of similarities between the Beam and Smart Soundbar, and a few small but notable differences. Sonos’ advantage lies in its TV Audio Swap tool and larger ecosystem, though that edge is hampered by the ongoing app rebuild. Sonos also provides dynamic head tracking for even more immersion, which Bose’s soundbar lacks. Bose offers multiroom audio with the Smart Soundbar and you can use the Ultra Open Earbuds for personal listening of TV sound on top of the surround feature. 

It’s clear that Bose is taking aim at Sonos with the Smart Soundbar, so the question then becomes which company’s audio tuning do you prefer. Since they both offer things like Atmos audio, room calibration, dialog enhancement and headphone use, the choice comes down to personal sonic sensibilities. I think Bose does enough with its earbud integration to make this a tough decision, so long as you’re willing to spend the $300 to get the additional device.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/audio/speakers/bose-smart-soundbar-review-using-earbuds-as-surround-sound-speakers-153028639.html?src=rss 

Earlier this year Reddit cracked down on AI companies and some major search engines, saying that companies would not be allowed to scrape its site unless they struck licensing deals with the company. Now, the “front page of the internet” is introducing its own AI-powered search feature.

Called “Reddit Answers,” the feature provides summaries of conversations and posts from across the site in a “conversational interface.” Relying on content from all public, SFW subreddits, the goal is for Reddit to be able to directly provide relevant results for queries that people may otherwise find via Google searches, where it’s become increasingly common to append “Reddit” to queries.

While that sounds a lot like a Reddit-based search engine, VP of product Serkan Piantino says that Reddit Answers isn’t necessarily trying to come up with a singular answer the way you might expect with a Google search. Instead, the tools surfaced a handful of bullet points pulled directly from relevant threads on Reddit. Those conversations are linked directly in the interface, as are relevant subreddits where users can dive deeper into similar topics. “A big theme is that it does sort of guide you towards the content itself, instead of trying to represent an answer on its own,” Piantino tells Engadget.

Reddit gave me early access to the feature and the current version looks a bit like Meta’s AI search suggestions in Instagram, with a few dozen suggested queries and accompanying emoji. The responses, however, are detailed and link directly to highly-upvoted comments from various subreddits where Redditors have previously weighed in on similar topics. That’s helpful because some of the results may not make sense without the broader context from the thread (like in the answer screenshotted adobe that references an image of Price Harry).

I also noticed that many of Reddit’s built-in suggestions centered around product questions, like “best robot vacuum” or “best vitamin C serum.” While that’s not necessarily surprising — many people already turn to Reddit forums for buying advice — it also raises questions about whether the company could potentially monetize the new search feature. “It’s something that we’ve thought about at a high level, but we have no immediate plans for monetization,” Piantino said when I asked him about it.

For now, he said, the feature is still in beta and will be rolling out slowly. As of today, Reddit Answers is making its way to a “limited number” of users in the US on web and iOS, with a broader rollout expected sometime next year.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/reddit-introduces-ai-powered-reddit-answers-search-feature-140028655.html?src=rss 

So, you just bought yourself an NVMe drive to add more storage to your PlayStation 5. Don’t worry. If you’re unsure of how to install the SSD, you have come to the right place. Not only is the process relatively simple, but this guide will take you through every step, including all the tools you need. If you came here looking for a recommendation on what NVMe to buy for your PS5 or PS5 Pro, check out our dedicated guide to the best SSDs for the PS5.

How to install a PS5 SSD

1. Power everything down to remove the stand

Before attempting to add more storage via an NVMe, ensure that you have Sony’s latest software installed. Once you’re up-to-date, installation of a PS5 SSD is fairly straightforward. Sony recommends a #1 Phillips or crosshead screwdriver, but this isn’t rocket science. Any crossed screwdriver of a similar size will do fine. If you don’t own a screwdriver, the DIY heroes from iFixit sell a great set for $20.

Begin by powering down your PS5 or PS5 Pro, unplugging everything, removing the stand and flipping it over to its underside. If you have a launch PS5, that’s the side with the disc drive; if you have a launch Digital Edition, it’s the side without the PlayStation logo cutout. As for the PS5 Slim and PS5 Pro, the expansion slot is in the same place: behind the smaller of the two panels.

Sony has a video guide to popping off the outside cover here, but the gist is you gently lift up the opposing corners and slide the panel toward the flat end of the console. There’s a knack to this, and it requires very little effort or strength. If you’re not getting it, rather than force things, readjust your grip and try again.

2. Access the drive bay

Once you’ve got everything open, you’ll see a rectangular piece of metal with a screw holding it in place. Remove that screw, and you’ll be able to access the drive bay.

You’ll see five holes inside, each number corresponding to standard SSD drive lengths. The one numbered 110 will have a metal insert and screw inside. You need to remove the screw with a screwdriver, and then unscrew the insert with your fingers and move it to the relevant hole. For most drives, it’s going to be 80.

3. Slot in the SSD

Then take your SSD and slot it in. The slot is at the edge closest to the number “30,” and SSDs are keyed to only fit in one way, so no force is required. If it’s not sliding in, don’t force it. You’ll notice the SSD doesn’t sit flat. That’s fine and is as intended.

4. Screw the drive bay back in

Once the SSD is seated, take the screw you removed from the insert, line it up with the little notch at the end of your SSD, and push down so it meets the insert. Give the screw a few turns — it doesn’t need to be very tight — and you’re done.

Replace the metal cover and screw it down, and then slide the plastic outer shell back on.

When you first turn on the PS5, it’ll prompt you to format the drive. Do that! You have now successfully expanded your console’s storage, and can go about downloading and moving games to it.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/playstation/how-to-install-a-ps5-ssd-130010846.html?src=rss