Sonos Playbar (2013) - Black

I wrote a review for the new HEOS sound bar and realized that I had not yet written one for the Sonos. I thought the HEOS review explained enough of both to be included here. This review will be in the form of a Head to Head comparison of the HEOS Soundbar and Sub vs. the Sonos Playbar and optional Sub as Denon is entering the growing Wireless Speaker Category that Sonos has led the evolution in for the past several years. Clearly the entire product range is matching the Sonos lineup. Play:1 - HEOS 1, Play:3 - HEOS 3, Play:5 - HEOS 5, Connect - HEOS Link, Playbar - HEOS Soundbar. Denon is also taking it up a notch by adding a few more products like the HEOS 7 and HEOS 1 GO Pack that are not in the Sonos lineup. I have been using Denon since my time in the professional music industry in the early 2000's where we sold a lot of Denon Pro Audio Equipment to Recording Studios. I have been using and installing a lot of Sonos gear for over 3 years now during remodeling of a lot of my clients homes. Here's my take from a Professional point of view.... Sound Quality: Denon equipment sounds great. They have a long pedigree and know this area well. They have made their name based on this. You can tell right out of the box that this soundbar and sub combo have been matched and tuned to work together seamlessly. The factory settings are very good. You will probably keep the EQ settings for Treble and Bass center line. You may want to change the sub's level depending on how much Bass you prefer and where you place the sub. Every surface plane that you place the sub against will increase its perceived volume level. Floor = 1, Against a Wall = 2, In a Corner = 3. So placing your sub in a corner will make your bass sound the strongest. I was surprised by how well the system sounds compared to the Sonos because the weight of the soundbar and sub are lighter and smaller than the Sonos Playbar and Sub. Sonos gear sounds great also. They splashed onto the scene with great sound meets easy tech interface and app all wireless done. They also paired up amps and speakers 1:1 so everything is crisp and clean sounding and runs as efficiently as possible. Sonos speakers have a deep and rich sound with plenty of presence. The Playbar sounds wonderful and full range on its own. If you add the Sub then it really shines with a large sonic range. I usually adjust the EQ a little out of the box dialing the Treble and Bass up or down a notch as well as the Sub level if one is going to be in the room. The Sub is a separate purchase and doubles the price of the system compared to the HEOS. I often install Playbars without the sub in bedrooms for example or condo and townhouse units where neighbors are close. I do install Subs in main entertainment rooms that are medium to large in size and especially if a 5.1 system is desired. During initial setup of the system the HEOS app doesn’t ask for any level settings and goes straight to factory defaults. The Sonos has a 2 part calibration section that first asks you if A or B is louder, then a second that asks you if the sub level needs to go up or down. The first part I believe is setting the phase of the sub, the second is setting the level. It plays a really cool sounding repeating test pattern as you perform these steps, and my clients are always impressed by this and often walk into the room to see what that sound is. Overall the Sonos system has great Sound Pressure Levels and packs a greater punch. The Denon is like a 250 HP sports car and the Sonos a 400 HP production muscle car. I will leave the Exotic cars reference to the Audiophile gear that is in a league of its own. Speaker Design: The HEOS soundbar and sub are lighter in weight and smaller than the Sonos. Of course price must be considered. To be fair the HEOS is $799 and the Sonos are $699 each ($1398 for playbar and sub). That is a huge difference and I believe Denon feels they can attract a larger market segment by offering a different pricing strategy on these components. The rest of the HEOS lineup matches the Sonos lineup in price. (HEOS 1 $199 - Play:1 $199, etc…) I am not sure if making the HEOS Soundbar and Sub a lesser priced component was the best idea as it quality wise puts it at a disadvantage, but in affordability it makes it reachable to a larger purchasing base. They must be hoping that they can pull it off with good enough sound quality. Which they may have. However when handling the Soundbar and Sub and Handling the Playbar and Sub, you can tell immediately the difference in design quality that the extra money goes into. The Sonos Sub is a work of art. The Denon Sub is nicely designed but I wouldn’t want to display it. The HEOS has many more connectors in the back. Power, Ethernet, Optical, Coax are the same, but it also has 1/8” mini jack, HDMI ARC in and out, USB and an IR emitter as well. The instruction booklet is minimal and doesn’t fully explain the functions of everything. Perhaps Denon is planning on being able to control TV’s via the IR Emitter thru the App, but currently their is no reference to its function. The USB can be used to play preloaded sound files and maybe more?, the line in jack allows hookup of a device, but being on the back of a soundbar is not an ideal location, but it is there none the less. All of their speakers have the line in which is great. Only the Play:5 has one. This allows you to say for example hook your laptop to the system and let it play Youtube video music thru out your new wireless home audio system. Great usable feature. The HDMI inputs are a big deal to me. The Sonos limits you to Optical cable to hookup to TV. Not all TV’s will transfer HDMI 5.1 coding to Optical coding, so some of your connected to TV via HDMI devices will not be in 5.1 surround when it reaches the Sonos Playbar. This is not true for all TV’s but for the majority it is. The Indicator light on the front of the Soundbar is a bit old school, too big and not that cool really. You can dim it to off for the bedroom or dim it almost to off, which I have done. It changes colors to indicate situations and Blue is the working normal color that it will be most of the time. Installation: Sonos sells an optional wall mount ($49, and they may want to start including it free with the playbar). It is very well made, has a built-in level vial, and makes wall mounting the Playbar a breeze. It leaves room for cables to run behind the Playbar. The HEOS Soundbar has two large keyhole slots on the back and includes a cardboard template to help you place the screws. (level and screws not included). Running the app to setup the Soundbar and Playbar is required. The Sonos creates a temporary wireless network that you join during the setup process, the HEOS requires you to hookup an included 1/8” mini cable between your device and the AUX 1/8” mini input on the back of the Soundbar. (take the soudbar off the wall 1st time). The Sonos enters setup mode as soon as you join its wifi network. The HEOS requires you to press the Connect button on the back when the front panel light turns a certain color (take if off wall 2nd time, try to look at front light while pressing back button with power, HDMI and ethernet cords dangling). After setup is complete your device will drop the Sonos wifi and return to your home’s wifi and now the Sonos will be on your home’s wifi too and/or also using the hardwire ethernet connection too (recommended). After setup is complete your HEOS will be on your home’s wifi and now you can unplug the mini cable (take off wall 3rd time). Sonos installation went so much more smoothly. App Control: The Sonos app has been out longer and is so much more intuitive, pretty, and functional. The HEOS app is clunky, unrefined and still under development by comparison. I’m sure it will become more more than it is over time and probably resemble the Sonos app in many ways. The ease of use and delight is really a big part of the Sonos equation. I know that I can leave an installation and know that the new owners can learn and run the system fine without me. That is a huge part of the benefit for me. The HEOS app is still in its infancy and I would be much more reluctant to recommend and demo it. Overall Impressions: This is a review I wrote for the Denon HEOS Soundbar and Sub and I have posted it here under the Sonos Playbar because I realized that I have not yet written a review for it and this review has a lot of pertinent information. This review will be in the form of a Head to Head comparison of the HEOS Soundbar and Sub vs. the Sonos Playbar and optional Sub as Denon is entering the growing Wireless Speaker Category that Sonos has led the evolution in for the past several years. Clearly the entire product range is matching the Sonos lineup. Play:1 - HEOS 1, Play:3 - HEOS 3, Play:5 - HEOS 5, Connect - HEOS Link, Playbar - HEOS Soundbar. Denon is also taking it up a notch by adding a few more products like the HEOS 7 and HEOS 1 GO Pack that are not in the Sonos lineup. I have been using Denon since my time in the professional music industry in the early 2000's where we sold a lot of Denon Pro Audio Equipment to Recording Studios. I have been using and installing a lot of Sonos gear for over 3 years now during remodeling of a lot of my clients homes. Here's my take from a Professional point of view.... Sound Quality: Denon equipment sounds great. They have a long pedigree and know this area well. They have made their name based on this. You can tell right out of the box that this soundbar and sub combo have been matched and tuned to work together seamlessly. The factory settings are very good. You will probably keep the EQ settings for Treble and Bass center line. You may want to change the sub's level depending on how much Bass you prefer and where you place the sub. Every surface plane that you place the sub against will increase its perceived volume level. Floor = 1, Against a Wall = 2, In a Corner = 3. So placing your sub in a corner will make your bass sound the strongest. I was surprised by how well the system sounds compared to the Sonos because the weight of the soundbar and sub are lighter and smaller than the Sonos Playbar and Sub. Sonos gear sounds great also. They splashed onto the scene with great sound meets easy tech interface and app all wireless done. They also paired up amps and speakers 1:1 so everything is crisp and clean sounding and runs as efficiently as possible. Sonos speakers have a deep and rich sound with plenty of presence. The Playbar sounds wonderful and full range on its own. If you add the Sub then it really shines with a large sonic range. I usually adjust the EQ a little out of the box dialing the Treble and Bass up or down a notch as well as the Sub level if one is going to be in the room. The Sub is a separate purchase and doubles the price of the system compared to the HEOS. I often install Playbars without the sub in bedrooms for example or condo and townhouse units where neighbors are close. I do install Subs in main entertainment rooms that are medium to large in size and especially if a 5.1 system is desired. During initial setup of the system the HEOS app doesn’t ask for any level settings and goes straight to factory defaults. The Sonos has a 2 part calibration section that first asks you if A or B is louder, then a second that asks you if the sub level needs to go up or down. The first part I believe is setting the phase of the sub, the second is setting the level. It plays a really cool sounding repeating test pattern as you perform these steps, and my clients are always impressed by this and often walk into the room to see what that sound is. Overall the Sonos system has great Sound Pressure Levels and packs a greater punch. The Denon is like a 250 HP sports car and the Sonos a 400 HP production muscle car. I will leave the Exotic cars reference to the Audiophile gear that is in a league of its own. Speaker Design: The HEOS soundbar and sub are lighter in weight and smaller than the Sonos. Of course price must be considered. To be fair the HEOS is $799 and the Sonos are $699 each ($1398 for playbar and sub). That is a huge difference and I believe Denon feels they can attract a larger market segment by offering a different pricing strategy on these components. The rest of the HEOS lineup matches the Sonos lineup in price. (HEOS 1 $199 - Play:1 $199, etc…) I am not sure if making the HEOS Soundbar and Sub a lesser priced component was the best idea as it quality wise puts it at a disadvantage, but in affordability it makes it reachable to a larger purchasing base. They must be hoping that they can pull it off with good enough sound quality. Which they may have. However when handling the Soundbar and Sub and Handling the Playbar and Sub, you can tell immediately the difference in design quality that the extra money goes into. The Sonos Sub is a work of art. The Denon Sub is nicely designed but I wouldn’t want to display it. The HEOS has many more connectors in the back. Power, Ethernet, Optical, Coax are the same, but it also has 1/8” mini jack, HDMI ARC in and out, USB and an IR emitter as well. The instruction booklet is minimal and doesn’t fully explain the functions of everything. Perhaps Denon is planning on being able to control TV’s via the IR Emitter thru the App, but currently their is no reference to its function. The USB can be used to play preloaded sound files and maybe more?, the line in jack allows hookup of a device, but being on the back of a soundbar is not an ideal location, but it is there none the less. All of their speakers have the line in which is great. Only the Play:5 has one. This allows you to say for example hook your laptop to the system and let it play Youtube video music thru out your new wireless home audio system. Great usable feature. The HDMI inputs are a big deal to me. The Sonos limits you to Optical cable to hookup to TV. Not all TV’s will transfer HDMI 5.1 coding to Optical coding, so some of your connected to TV via HDMI devices will not be in 5.1 surround when it reaches the Sonos Playbar. This is not true for all TV’s but for the majority it is. The Indicator light on the front of the Soundbar is a bit old school, too big and not that cool really. You can dim it to off for the bedroom or dim it almost to off, which I have done. It changes colors to indicate situations and Blue is the working normal color that it will be most of the time. Installation: Sonos sells an optional wall mount ($49, and they may want to start including it free with the playbar). It is very well made, has a built-in level vial, and makes wall mounting the Playbar a breeze. It leaves room for cables to run behind the Playbar. The HEOS Soundbar has two large keyhole slots on the back and includes a cardboard template to help you place the screws. (level and screws not included). Running the app to setup the Soundbar and Playbar is required. The Sonos creates a temporary wireless network that you join during the setup process, the HEOS requires you to hookup an included 1/8” mini cable between your device and the AUX 1/8” mini input on the back of the Soundbar. (take the soudbar off the wall 1st time). The Sonos enters setup mode as soon as you join its wifi network. The HEOS requires you to press the Connect button on the back when the front panel light turns a certain color (take if off wall 2nd time, try to look at front light while pressing back button with power, HDMI and ethernet cords dangling). After setup is complete your device will drop the Sonos wifi and return to your home’s wifi and now the Sonos will be on your home’s wifi too and/or also using the hardwire ethernet connection too (recommended). After setup is complete your HEOS will be on your home’s wifi and now you can unplug the mini cable (take off wall 3rd time). Sonos installation went so much more smoothly. During first time setup both the HEOS and Sonos will likely need to update their internal firmware. The Sonos update takes about 2 minutes and the HEOS took almost 15! Just keep that in mind if you need to install within a certain amount of time. App Control: The Sonos app has been out longer and is so much more intuitive, pretty, and functional. The HEOS app is clunky, unrefined and still under development by comparison. I’m sure it will become more more than it is over time and probably resemble the Sonos app in many ways. The ease of use and delight is really a big part of the Sonos equation. I know that I can leave an installation and know that the new owners can learn and run the system fine without me. That is a huge part of the benefit for me. The HEOS app is still in its infancy and I would be much more reluctant to recommend and demo it. Overall Impressions: Denon is a little late to the party but hey, at least they are creating competition in the marketplace and that helps keep it in balance, creates innovation and provides more choices. I like that. I like the new components they are adding like the HEOS 1 Mobile Pack which turns a HEOS 1 speaker into a battery powered and bluetooth capable speaker. I have always been frustrated with Sonos for not having Bluetooth capability. I bought a separate bluetooth speaker to take to work with me on jobs to listen to music with streaming from my smartphone. I always thought that I should just be able to take my Play:1 with me. But it requires wifi. I had to purchase a different companies product that their own could have served. Maybe Sonos will counter with their own Play:1 Go Pack. That would be great. I like that all the HEOS speakers have a Line In Input, Sonos makes you get the Play:5 to have that feature. The features and expandability of the HEOS line is large. It does add some complexity to the system which may cause the user interface and ease of the system to be negatively affected, maybe so or maybe not, but that will depend on the evolution of the HEOS app and how well they can integrate everything. I really have to say that the Sonos reminds me of Apple products which take complex amazing hardware functional designs and put them under the hood of a simple, intuitive and beautiful design interface. The HEOS reminds me of Windows and Android which breaks free of Proprietary and Control Limitations to allow more user customized experience. Both are great approaches and needed in my opinion. I look forward to the continued refinements in the HEOS world. I hope this review via comparison has left you with enough information to make an informed decision and not too much so that you can’t. Anyway you choose you are committing to one platform or another. So take your time. Who knows maybe cross platform technology will emerge that will allow you mix the systems and control via one App! Now that would be really great!

First, let's address the elephant in the room: the price tag on this thing is a whopper! I'm still feeling super guilty about spending the money. Add to this, don't even think about getting the Bar without the Sub, which means doubling your cost. Pile on the guilt-factor! So, does that make it worth the price? I'm still not 100% convinced of that, but this thing (with the Sub) is simply fantastic. If you are buying just the bar, it's fine. It has better sound alone than a bar/sub combo I bought (and returned) from Samsung. Audio is crystal clear and it gives the TV the much needed audio boost most flat screens need these days. Set up is super-easy. As soon as I installed the app, it picked up my wifi and started the set up. [A note here: if you are going to add any additional Sonos speakers to your system, at least one should be connected via ethernet. I have a bridge in my TV console, so this was easy for me. It isn't necessary to have the bar hard-wired, however, as you could add another speaker connected to ethernet later on.] The Sonos app is the only way to set up the bar. Once the app is up and running, you play your music via the app. This is different, but works great. I don't like to have anything on the screen when listening to music (like you have to with TV music channels) so this is perfect and WAY better than bluetooth! Gone are the days of switching sources on my sound bar. I can access my iTunes library (Apple Music is in beta now) and Sirius from the app and instantly start playing either. When I'm ready to watch TV, it picks up the TV sound right away. So easy! Like many things should, this just works. Where this bar really shines, though, is with the addition of the sub. Without it, the bass on the bar alone simply falls short. In this facet, I would say it is definitely NOT worth the price. But, if house shaking, chest-thumping, bass isn't what you want/need, the bar is certainly great by itself. Add the sub, however, and you get some of the best bass I've heard in a sound bar set-up. When the volume is down, it provides just enough bass boost to enhance any TV, music, or games. Crank up the volume, though, and hold on! This things thumps! Explosions are huge, music is better, and games are propelled to the next level. The bar is supposed to simulate surround sound, but don't expect much. I've heard a little bit of 'movement' from left to right (or right to left) in the sound, but not much. My understanding is that this improves with the addition of more speakers. However, the slight 'movement' you do get, adds more depth then you would get from your TV alone, or other sound bars I've had/heard. So, the bottom line is this: It's expensive, and even more so with the addition of the Sub, or more speakers. But, it's one of the best sounding bars out there, alone, and simply superb with the Sub. If you are looking for a sound bar set-up, and the price isn't a deterrent, this is definitely the way to go.

Sonos is legendary for a good reason - because they really produce these components for the discerning consumer as well as for the neophyte looking for new sonic frontiers... It all started when I bought the LG ND8630 (the white washtub Airplay speaker). I loved the Airplay ability, the looks, and the deep sound. Now discontinued, it is a killer speaker for a killer price. Then, I happened to drop into a Bose store (big mistake), and walked out with the Gold Standard of wifi-speakers, the Bose Soundtouch 30. Wow, this has the "Bose Sound", deep with crisp highs and an OK interface (I hated the limiting 6-favorite Bose app) that worked with Airplay, Spotify Connect, and aux inputs. It is the best in a single speaker one can find, in my mind, for $500. The Bose was King of my music experience at home...but something was missing... Comparing the Bose 30 with the Bose QC15 headphones, I noticed what most (if not all) wifi- or wireless speakers were missing - the ambience of stereo separation! Music is produced with a lot consideration about how the track will sound in a stereo environment; the typical wireless speaker mixes or blends the two channels together - by virtue of the fact that any left-right channels are only inches- to two feet apart. Sounds great but is hardly a listening "experience". So, I noticed the Sonos Play:1 world. I had not given Sonos any consideration because i was not into the "music in every room" advertising approach. With caution, I bought a single Play:1 and liked the deep sound from a relatively small coffee-can sized speaker. Wow, then I discovered that by adding a second Play:1, I could easily make these into a left and right stereo pair, over wifi and with zero expertise, they just worked! For only $400, I had a pair of totally wireless speakers that filled the living room with the most amazing sound. I had been missing the true ambience of songs by playing Apple Music and Spotify, Amazon, Google Play, and Pandora over a single speaker. Note that compared to the Bose Soundtouch 30, each individual Sonos Play:1 could not match its presence, but together, the Sonos Play:1 pair just killed the Bose, sad to say! Rich bass (go figure!) and crisp highs, they sound great. Every playlist on every service was a new experience. Thanks for reading to this point. So, I thought...I went from 1-D sound (on the wireless speakers) to a much richer 2-D stereo sound with the Sonos Play:1 pair, why not expand into 3-D sound with the added Sonos Playbar? Yes, it is $699 but I had spent double that much of goofy surround systems, subwoofers, and gadgets. So, Amazon delivered the Playbar (1-Day shipping!) and I plugged it in. The iPhone Sonos app is an example of simplicity and yet flexibility (learn this lesson, Bose!) and within a minute I had a true surround system! It uses your old TV or Cable remote for volume, has an IR-repeater strip across the back, in case the Playbar blocks the TV remote, has only a power cord, an optical connect to the TV, and an ethernet cable for the connectivity to the Play:1 pair. It uses its own wifi band so it offloads any wifi traffic over this completely wireless surroundsound system. Amazing! BTW, did you know that many of the commercials have incredible 5.1 DD sound! Imagine that shock. Yes, most modern TV's do throughput 5.1 Dolby digital over the HDMI-optical pathway. Yes, Comcast and Dish do broadcast most shows and movies in 5.1. And yes, the Playbar-Play:1 combo is incredibly lifelike. You have number of variables, like the surround and ambient effects, the rear speaker adjustments, and a sound calibration with the TV volume (I left my TV speakers disconnected). The Playbar comes on with the TV and shuts off with the TV. I don't even have to think about it...easy! But wait, there's more! Using the iPhone Sonos app (...now I found the perfect solution for an old iphone or ipad laying about...!) I played my Spotify playlists over the Sonos Playbar-Play combo. WHOA. Amazing sounds, not only left- to right but also across the room. The playbar sits in front the TV while the Play:1's sit behind the sofa. The sound is very airy, and each instrument appears in different parts of the room - eery! It's more like an expanded sound field across the room, even for the standard mp3 two-channel streaming files. So, what have I got? A killer surround system that just works ( I decided against getting the SUB woofer from Sonos for now) in addition to a very fascinating room stereo experience. The Sonos combo knows if content is 5.1 and if so, the rear channels play the surround information, otherwise, it fills the room with the Left-Right stereo content. What about my gripes? I thought I would hate the app as much as I had no love for the Bose app. Actually, the Sonos app has a lot to offer; each Sonos playlist can contain content from each or any of the music services you have, all rolled into one playlist. So, until Sonos supports Apple Music, I am stuck to iTunes content that I have downloaded onto my iPhone or iPad. Cmon, Apple and Sonos - fix this! I wish the Playbar would recognize more than 5.1 (I don't think DTS is supported). Before you buy the Playbar, MAKE SURE: your TV has HDMI inputs for each of your devices such as cable, PS3, PS4, etc. Make sure your TV can support 5.1 over the HDMI and then out to the Sonos on the optical SPDIF output. Make sure, you can plug the Playbar into an ethernet router in the room, so that the Sonos combo can operate on its own net. You cannot play the Playbar and both rear Play:1's only on the local wifi network, you have to use a Bridge, Connect, or the Playbar through the router. I think... So, get these components and experience the best in 2-D and 3-D sound. I'll add more as I gain insights.

Pros: easy to set up. Works well with Alexa. Sound is excellent. Integrates well with TV. Looks high end. Cons: Expensive. IR receiver doesn't work well in one orientation. Doesn't integrate with the sound display on the TV. We've been fans of Sonos since we bought our first Play:5, 10 years ago. Sonos is still the best electronic device we have ever purchased. Lately we have appreciated the ease and convenience of using voice commands of Alexa to listen to music. In fact we have sometimes listened to the speaker on the echo dot despite it's obviously inferior sound. Since the update allowing integration with Alexa, we use the speaker for just about everything, except to ask Alexa questions. With this in mind, I purchased this Playbar to use with the TV. I wasn't sure if I'd have to configure it each time I turned the TV on, or how easy it would be to set up with Alexa. Once we set it up to work with the TV, it just comes on automatically. There is only a slight delay of a second or so before the sound comes on with the TV. I don't have the turn the speaker on separately. It also works very well with Alexa. You can listen to music withe the TV either on or off. If you are listening to music and then turn the TV on, the speaker will switch to TV sound. We've tried the night time mode that turns down the loud parts of a movie down, so you don't disrupt the neighborhood. It's easy to set this using the Sonos app. The Palybar has only one physical connection in addition to its wireless one and that is an optical connection. I was a little concerned that my TV didn't have an optical connection, but I think this is fairly standard and that most sound bars of various brands connect via optical connection. My TV has an optical connection. I had no problem setting up the Playbar to the Alexa/echo system, although I can't explain the process. We did find that the IR receiver with the speaker sitting more upright, such as you might have it, if you were connecting it to the TV with a bracket only worked if you were standing within 5 feet or so. The IR receiver oriented in the way you would rest the speaker on a table of fireplace mantle worked well from far away, so that's the way we oriented the speaker and fortunately it turned out to be the way we prefer. The price on this product is high. I think it's worth more than the typical sound bar system for its sound quality and the things it can do. How much more is an individual decision. For someone considering a sound bar and a separate sound system and an echo speaker, the choice is more clear. And echo dot and the Sonos Playbar could give you the capabilities of a whole bunch of different systems and do it more elegantly. Looks are a matter of personal preference, but I think the Playbar looks and feels high end. I can't see a situation where you'd be disappointed with the Sonos Playbar if you are looking for a high-quality sound bar. The new integration of Sonos products with Alexa/echo really takes an already great product and brings the most updated convenience. This Sonos device integrates with other Sonos products, including the Sonos Subwoofer. You could connect a 5.1 system wirelessly. We haven't done this and probably won't, but if you were considering running wires through your walls, the high expense of a lot of Sonos speakers might offset some of the installation time/expense. Keep in mind that each speaker will still have to be plugged into a power outlet.

Update 3/9/2018 I ended up selling Sonos as I found ideal system for me, which is HEOS series. Followings are features I like HEOS over SONOS. - No audio lag option with HEOS 5 speaker when connected via AUX. - Full Alexa support rather limited version on Sonos One via Bluetooth connected echo dot. I can basically make every speaker Alexa compatible. - USB for music NAS for HEOS speakers. Original post below. Summary: Overall decent speaker with good brand name, sound quality, app and potential for piece by piece future expansion. Its unique approach to WIFI multiroom music avoids overloading your WIFI. Even with these pros, SONOS has its own shortcomings. The Sonos has closed ecosystem and no airplay, bluetooth audio. This particular model does not have aux in for allowing lower latency connection. Sonos does not support high res audio, DTS, HDMI Arc etc. So as a buyer, one must be aware for various aspects of limitations/restrictions the system has. SONOS is certainly not the do it all ecosystem. Sound Quality One of the most important feature of speaker is indeed the sound quality. SONOS has been rated highly and favorably across many electronic review sites. Sound Quality is very subjective but with SONOS, I think you get what you pay for i.e. high quality audio. Whether it is better than competitor e.g. Bose, Denon HENOS, Bluesound, and even more recent smart speaker like Homepod are point of debate. One objective, perhaps assessment is Frequency Response where one see how loud sound of certain frequency is output by the system. In an ideal world, flat response across audible range 20Hz-20kHz is apparently the best, but the price range we are talking about, it looks like no system has such capability especially soundbar without subwoofer, you won't have lower frequency coverage; hence, those who wants one need to buy Subwoofer. But not most reviews don't address/test frequency response of the system, which I hope someone does for every system out there whenever they review to give us more objective data to go off. But anyways, when I googled Sonos playbar and some other competitors, SONOS may be a bit weaker on lower frequency coverage than some competitor without Subwoofer, but real experience may not matter for you. Myself far from being audiophile, Playbar has undoubtedly better sound than built in TV speaker. When I compared it side by side with Bose SoundTouch 300 at local store, I noticed Playbar has slightly more muffled sound (at least personally). Even SONOS own Play 5 had more clear sound, but again this is subjective. My guess is for most people, it can be psychological debate when compared to other equivalent class speakers i.e. SONOS is top in class. Multi-room setup One of the main advantage to consider system like SONOS is for potential multi-room setup whether thinking right away or in the future. In another word, if you are purely looking for single system without WIFI connectivity, and wireless is not important, then you can pay cheaper price for better sounds. But since you are looking at SONOS, let’s assume you are like me and seeking potential multi-room setup in the future. It is important to know what the other lines of product you are associating. The newest version of the lower end model in SONOS ecosystem is Sonos Play One speaker. They seem to get particularly high compliment for its price point and even placed above much more expensive device for its sound quality even supposedly more audiophile quality(?) series such as Bluesound equivalent model. Similarly, the upper end model, Play 5 is also praised for its high quality. So for expansion/building multisystem with Sonos, you have a good pieces lining up. High res High res means audio quality beyond CD. In order for this to truly work, one needs source file that had been recorded in high resolution quality and then player that supports it. SONOS does NOT support this and currently has no plan for it as they do not believe it has significant enough impact. After doing quite online research again, SONOS claim sounds reasonable. More organized, scientific type quality studies had shown the difference in quality is difficult to tell, and some may be able to tell but only when being very attentive. Even if one consider, it is real, one has to think about associated cost beyond the speaker. Getting high res quality file costs more. If you use streaming service Tidal provides it but more monthly charge. If you are planning to buy the source music online (as you can't buy on store since these are beyond CD quality), they also costs more. Also one has to be careful the high res files are true high res as upsampling of original file that are not high res won't really give you quality benefit, but not all sources had been recorded as high res. But if this is something important for you, SONOS ecosystem is not way to go. I'd consider alternatives such as Bluesound and HEOS. Vs. wired We have to remember that SONOS are praised for its sound quality as multiroom/wireless speaker ecosystem. This means if you are just looking for pure sound quality, there are many other alternatives with cheaper or more expansive price points. If necessary, you can later buy equipment like SONOS Connect to make the equipment joint SONOS network, or not even go with SONOS and use chrome cast audio. One example is consumer report ranks Edifier S1000 ($350) top of its class and placing over SONOS top of the line speaker Play 5, Apple’s Homepod etc. I have recently purchased Edifier S2000pro ($400), and it has lots of functionality lacking in SONOS like aux in with perceivably zero latency, bluetooth connection. Sound quality is still better on Sonos Playbar though. SONOS Ecosystem SONOS have an unique approach but therefore restrictive ecosystem. In short, one of your SONOS device connects to your wifi network and rest of SONOS devices will create their own mesh network so you are essentially only using up one speaker equivalent of your wifi bandwidth. This is a great concept, I think. In comparison, other systems like Bluesound and HEOS, each device has to be connected to WIFI so theoretically restrict your WIFI bandwidth. The reason I say theoretically here is if you have decent rounter/mesh network, most likely your bandwidth for WIFI is higher than internet connection bandwidth so the impact may not be as significant as one thinks as long as good router in place. Whether its related to SONOSNET or simply sheer number of user base, SONOS has third party apps. They are very few but for instance, there is an intercom app on iOS where you can broad cast voice to SONOS speakers. *This by the way is not a true intercomm as one can’t reply and voice must be send from iOS device rather than SONOS device. Alexa Support SONOS has alexa skill support. This is certainly a positive thing in this era. But this is not a defining feature as competitors such as Bose, HEOS, and Bluesound apparently all supports it now. Google assistant, Airplay 2 support There is no airplay or Bluetooth support but AirPlay 2 and google assist are promised features to be implemented on SONOS, but you have to have supporting device in your network i.e. SONOS Play One (or possibly Play 5 second gen, and Playbase). Most likely competitors will have the same support but all comes to when. Limited input This can be one major drawback for some. So SONOS has no bluetooth support i.e. it’s not an optional, simply they don’t support it. No HDMI input, Aux in either. Well technically, you can have Aux in on Play 5 , but even with it, it has some restriction (see below). One has to make sure optical input is indeed enough and what you are looking for when buying Playbar or Playbase. So why I care other input option? In my case, I truly wanted to have Aux in, which I didn’t realize until I purchased playbar. Optical input sound great, but it apparently has intrinsic latency not because of the cable but in the end of cable as digital input need to be converted to analog input for output. Aux input is analog so there is no latency. Does this really matter? Yes. In my case, I wanted to use speaker for Karaoke system, which I use Nintendo Switch. There is significant lag of my voice to music when SONOS playbar is used. Here I have it set up Switch connect to TV via HDMI and TV optical out to SONOS playbar. For this reason I purchased Edifier S2000pro, which has Aux in and therefore directly connected it to Switch. Now zero lag. Initially, I thought I’d go with SONOS Play 5 for start building SONOS multiroom music at my house. But I have found out SONOS intentionally put lag on their Aux in even Play 5, Connect or Connect Amp i.e. any device that has the option in SONOS line. The reason is so all audio will be synced when casted especially in the same room. This is fair except it should be optional way of turning off. There are several SONOS forum post about this which are couple years old, so don’t expect this gets fixed. System like HEOS apparent has this optional and if output is only on single device you won’t have the issue. Conclusion In conclusion, if I could go back in time, I’d have tried others like Bluesound, HEOS and Bose especially with particular attention to audio delay and consider some other use case scenario for my own use. Sound quality is not an issue. Sonos app is not an issue. Limitation of input options, latency of audio may not be an issue to many, but you just have to ensure that applies to you.

Sonos' best feature is also their biggest flaw in regards to delivering a true Dolby Digital 5.1 experience through their home theater setup using a SONOS PLAYBAR , SONOS SUB Wireless Subwoofer (Gloss) , and either SONOS PLAY:1 Compact Wireless Speaker for Streaming Music - (Black) or SONOS - PLAY:3 Wireless Speaker for Streaming Music (Small) - Black as the two surround speakers. Specifically, that feature is Sonos' design and setup simplicity. Sonos deserves a lot of high ratings for their simplicity of use and ease of setup. And with the latest release of their Sonos Controller app which includes universal search, Sonos hits high marks for many users - especially for those who use it exclusively to listen to music. However, the issue that can be found on this Amazon board, along with countless other boards online, is the back and forth dispute that Sonos does (or doesn't) provide a true Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound experience through the Playbar. I am here to tell you definitively that Sonos DOES provide a Dolby Digital 5.1 surround experience, but 9 times out of 10 you will not be able to get it using Sonos' simple setup of connecting your TV directly to your Playbar. My home theater setup consists of the following components: - LG Electronics 50PN6500 50-Inch 1080p 600Hz Plasma HDTV (Black) (2013 Model) - Amazon Fire TV - Comcast Xfinity Cable TV Cable Box - SONOS PLAYBAR TV Soundbar and Wireless Speaker for Streaming Music - SONOS SUB Wireless Subwoofer (Gloss) , - SONOS PLAY:1 Compact Wireless Speaker for Streaming Music - (Black) (2X) - AmazonBasics Digital Optical Audio Toslink Cable, 6 Feet (2X) Many TVs, including newer models, have only one optical audio output slot to connect to the Sonos Playbar by way of a TOSlink cable. And not all TV have the internal hardware that decodes the audio out of that slot to Dolby Digital 5.1. Many, will decode to Stereo, PCM, or another 2 channel architecture like Dolby Pro Logic. However, the Sonos Playbar will take these 2 channel inputs from the TV's optical out slot and convert them to a stereo signal correctly partitioned into a left and right channel and mix the center channel, left surround, right surround, and low frequency effects (LFE) channel into a decent, albeit not distinct, surround sound experience. The Sonos Playbar has a design flaw that could be easily corrected with one (of many possible) fixes. If the Playbar allowed for multiple optical audio inputs instead of one, a user could easily connect their streaming media player, Blueray player, and cable box. The software could be updated to see where an active audio signal is coming from and would switch to the appropriate source automatically or manually if necessary. When connected directly to my TV, the Sonos Controller registers "Audio Input: Stereo" for the Playbar under "Settings" -> "About My Sonos System". This means that the signal coming in from the TV is not decoding the Amazon Fire TV signal properly as Dolby Digital 5.1. However, when I connect the Amazon Fire TV directly to the Playbar, bypassing Sonos' instructions of connecting all of the components to the TV, the Sonos Controller registers "Audio Input: Dolby Digital 5.1" and the quality of the sound coming through all of the speakers is night and day. Playing the opening battle scene of Saving Private Ryan was much clearer and without a doubt pushed through 6 independent audio channels. Even the LFE channel pushing through the Sonos Sub was amazing. I have doubled down on the Sonos ecosystem and fully believe that the products and service warrant the price paid. And the small inconvenience of manually switching the audio cable in to the Playbar input is a small price to pay to have one of the best, truly wireless, home theater setups in the business. So, for those of you reading all of the reviews and wondering if you need a really expensive TV to get true Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound with the Sonos home theater setup, the answer is no. You can get true Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound from Sonos with a small, albeit inconvenient, workaround. If you are willing to manually switch out the TOSlink cables from the single optical input slot on the rear of the Playbar, you will be thoroughly happy with this purchase. The current retail value of building a Sonos home theater system will run you between $1,796 if using Play 1s as surround speakers to $1,996 if using Play 3s as surround speakers. I am using Play 1s as my surround speakers in a room that is approximately 320 square feet with 9 foot ceilings and they sound great. Given that they will be used for the surround channels, I believe you may only need Play 1s and not the upgraded Play 3s for a home theater configuration. I am sold on Sonos and fully recommend the Sonos Playbar to anyone who wants a powerful addition to their home theater setup. But, be prepared to fork down $699 for the SONOS SUB as it is an essential complementary component to the home theater setup.

This is a terrific product from a terrific company delivering the design and build qualities of Apple products. I entered the Sonos ecosystem gradually and with trepidation stemming from a long series of wireless speaker acquisitions that never quite lived up to my expectations for ease of use, comprehensive capability and quality sound. So I asked for a Play:1 for Christmas last year. It filled our living room with music of remarkable quality considering how small the speaker is. The small size is an important feature. These products are practically invisible and consequently acceptable to my wife's decorating scheme. I decided I wanted to pair my gift with another Play:1 and possibly a Playbar down the line after our annual bonuses were paid. So I bought a Sonos Boost. This Apple TV-size device plugs into my Airport Extreme router and creates a separate, Sonos-dedicated wireless network throughout our small home (1,900 square feet). This network is truly rock-solid: There has never been a delay, quiver, pause or any other sound glitch since it came out of the box. Then came another Play:1 for the living room stereo pairing effect I wanted. It was actually, again, better than expected. When our bonuses came in May I launched Amazon to order the Playbar. We have an huge flat screen TV with gorgeous images and horrendous sound. The TV is paper thin (a plus) with no room for respectable speakers. Two years ago I went to Best Buy to listen to soundbars. I had read dozens of reviews and thought the Sony product was probably in my wheelhouse for quality. The sales kid tried to sell me the Sonos Playbar then. It sounded amazing, sure, but it was double the price of the Sony, which sounded fine. So I took home the Sony and was satisfied. But the only thing the Sony soundbar could do was TV. No streaming music from my iPhone or iMac. Sonos takes the soundbar concept to a new dimension by enabling me to stream music from any of our phones, iPads, desktop or laptop computers. In addition to playing music stored on my devices, I also can stream from Beats, Pandora, iHeartRadio, Slacker, Songza, Spotify, Stitcher and a bunch of others I haven't bothered to hook up with. (Full disclosure: I haven't told our teens how to use it because I don't want the competition. They live blissfully unaware in their rooms with the cheapo wireless speakers I got them.) Now we've got the Playbar in front of the TV, paired for surround with the two Play:1 speakers. Music sounds fantastic and movies are incredible. We watch a lot of "talky" movies and really enjoy the clear crisp dialog. (My in-laws got the Sony soundbar and are thrilled with it, by the way.) We also enjoy sci-fi and fantasy films and the surround effect is awesome. The Playbar has three speaker clusters very closely approximating what I used to have years ago with a center speaker and two mains. I have not yet added a Sonos Sub (wireless subwoofer) and may never do so. But I'm tempted occasionally when we watch something like Guardians of the Galaxy. I recently bought another pair of Play:1 speakers, putting one in our bedroom and one in the kitchen, where I spend a lot of time. It's amazingly simple with the Sonos controller app on my iPhone to fire up different music in each room or group them all to play the same source. Setting up the system is similarly simple and very Apple-like in that regard. The packaging is incredible -- well-designed and easy to open. There are very few things in life that don't present some nagging little problem or issue. The Sonos product suite is one of those rarities in my life.

No change in how you watch or experience your TV. Simple. Simple. Simple. We have a Roku box and an Apple TV connected to our Samsung Plasma. My wife is shocked that we have a system that she didn't have to "learn how to use that sounds amazing." iTunes via Apple TV and Pandora via Roku that now can play in every room in our house. I have the sub and various S3s (connected via a bridge) throughout the rest of my home. The sub is ridiculous!! ***Update 11/21/15*** I had the sound bar for about a month before the sub and adding the sub made an incredible difference. The bass is tight and the design makes the unit very discreet. I added 2 play 1s for surround sound in my living room and love it. My TV placement (corner of the room) made a traditional setup almost impossible but the SONOS playbar, sub, and Play 1s work perfectly. For me, the playbar was the foundation that allowed me to intelligently build out a "whole home, integrated sound system". It is really nice to have people over to watch a game and not have to have the TV blasting so that everyone can hear it. You can have the TV at a reasonable volume in the living room and select various other speakers set to the ideal volume levels based on the space. When I select all speakers (play 3 in my bar, play 1 in my office, 2 play 3s in my kitchen, 2 play 1s setup in stereo mode in my master bedroom, play 1 in the guest room, play 1s in kids bedrooms, play 5 in the garage and 4 outdoor speakers on my patio powered by a connect amp) the sync is perfect and the sub provides a low end that really makes the whole system pop. There is not another system on the market that can touch SONOS. Their hardware is outstanding and their software is absolutely brilliant. You'll see some trolls out there that will poke holes in certain feature functions (or lack thereof) but they are completely missing the point of what the system is intended for. Pure audiophiles should stay away. People who need 1 or 2 speakers have many, less costly alternatives. Engineering types who wish for customizable solutions with 6 million knobs will be disappointed. The SONOS system is brilliantly simple and very cost effective compared to customized audio solutions. I have invested about 5K into all my SONOS components and have perfectly synced music throughout my home or multiple zones playing separate audio. I would be into 5 figures with any other 'integrated" system and it would be comparative nightmare to manage. The SONOS software has no peer. Simple is easy. Simplicity at scale…not so much. SONOS has nailed it. Start small and scale as you'd like or go big out of the gate. Either way, you won't be disappointed and you'll get simple and elegant scale at a price point that doesn't exist anywhere else in the home audio market.

simply amazing...easy set up and the best sound quality ever.

Después de mucho análisis de investigación entre diversas marcas, principalmente Bose para reemplazar mi viejo Onkyo-Harman Kardon 5.1 Home Theater, me decidí por comprar a través de Amazon mi PlayBar, 2 Sonos One y el Sub. Me llegaron en menos de 24 hrs a mi domicilio y me tardé más en desempacarlas que en lo que lo estaba disfrutando. Super sencillo de usar y con una calidad de audio IMPRESIONANTE! Mi esposa está feliz también porque la estética y el evitar cables es un gran PLUS! Es super sencillo el set-up y el usarlo a través de diversas fuentes, todo es automático! Aparte algo que no sabía es que puedes usar tu actual control remoto y ajustarlo para manejar el volumen de Sonos... en mi caso uso el de mi TV Sony. Estoy muy satisfecho!

After owning this and listening to this for a couple of weeks, here are my thoughts: Pros: - Great sound (like everyone else indicates).. Sounds even better when grouped with sub/other speakers. The syncing is virtually perfect - it sounds like one unit. - Powerful enough to fill a small apartment. Can get pretty loud as well. - Easy setup and really convenient to use - controllable with your phone/tablet/computer, so you can really control what's playing anywhere in your home any time - Looks clean - not only aesthetically but also you won't get messy wires as there's a max of 3 wires running to the soundbar (optical, power, and ethernet) - From packaging to the physical feel of the Playbar - it feels like a well-made quality product Cons: - Pricey, but worth the money if it's within your budget. - Bass is not very strong, but acceptable for regular use Overall, the good sound quality is only half of what you're really paying for. It's true that you can get other soundbars that sound just as good if not better for $750, but the other half of the price is really the convenience of what they call "the Sonos system". I think a lot of people really underestimate the convenience factor. You can use virtually everything as a controller (phone/tablet/computer) as long as they're on the same LAN and have the app. As a simple (but surprisingly common) example, this means I can use my phone to select a playlist and then walk around the house; grab my tablet to adjust the volume a bit; and stop the music via my computer later on. You also don't need to keep any of these controllers on while the music is streaming, since it's all streamed by the Playbar itself. Other notes: - You'll need a good wireless network - Works great with popular music streaming services (I use Spotify premium and it's really well integrated) - You won't be able to use this as a wireless AUX speaker (no Bluetooth either)

Para aquellos que buscan un sonido de alta definición, un volumen para llenar espacios grandes, dispuestos a invertir en una solución elegante de barra de sonido. La calidad del audio es sobresaliente, especialmente si usas la opción de calibración "TruePlay" de SONOS en tu celular - sube increíblemente cómo el audio se adecúa al espacio / muebles del área donde la tienes. Excelente para disfrutar de música y épico para películas/series. Con opción de sonido 'nocturno' (atenúa sonidos fuertes para no despertar a otros miembros del hogar). Esta barra es pilar para crecer a un sonido 5.1 si agregas 2 reproductores SONOS y el Subwoofer SONOS (aún no lo he hecho personalmente). Excelente emulador de sonido surround.

The Playbar is on the expensive side but it does deliver excellent sound and is an excellent device for streaming music. I bought the Playbar to replace an existing speaker system because although the speakers were okay for TV sound, I was very dissatisfied with them for music. I did look at other soundbars but decided to spend the money on the Playbar because of its capabilities as a music streaming device. So far I am very happy with it for both TV and music but especially for music. Setting it up as a streaming device was really easy but setting it up with my TV was more of a hassle. My TV is an old Sharp Aquos which does have an optical out port as Sonos requires but unfortunately the older Aquos models don't split the audio signal for HDMI inputs. As a result I had to order a device that could split the audio signal to an optical out port. Once I had that, everything worked. So I would recommend that you make sure your TV has an optical out port that is compatible with the Playbar to avoid disappointment. But even if it isn't, there is a fix.