SONOS PLAYBASE Wireless Home Cinema Sound Base, Black

Product Information

The treble is the biggest issue here. It’s just too sharp and sibilant, which means big special effects are often ruined by a harsh and domineering top-end that annoys the ear, and that the sibilants in vocals are overdone and incessant. The Playbase is an example of that oddest of AV products – the soundbase. In effect, it’s a soundbar upon which you place your television that acts as a speaker. Sonos Playbase review: What you need to know

None this would matter if the Playbase didn’t sound good but we’re happy to report that it does in fact sound quite good. Even without Trueplay calibration, the Playbase offered punchy bass, crisp vocals and a good sense of soundstage depth and height. The unit filled my living room with sound, and it can get plenty loud for most viewing situations. SetupIn terms of child-friendly software, the PlayBase+ also offers preloaded programs such as SafePlay, YogiPlay and Net Nanny. I want to ask that if I can use this cable for reverse use like taking HDMI ARC input at one end of this “Sonos Optical Audio Adapter” and plugging other end to SONOS play base. But there are also quite big differences. The Playbase’s larger cabinet and clever woofer design make it more naturally bassy, and the delivery is chunkier, weightier and more nuanced at the bottom-end as a result. It’s also crisper, punchier and a little more detailed than the Playbar. Pleasingly the sound doesn’t distort at high volumes and the PlayBase has a good grip on the carnage of the train crash. When the train hoots in the build-up, the kids run on wooden boards with each thud sonically delivered perfectly. You clearly catch the sound of the zip going up on Alice’s dress and the bell ringing as the train approaches. When it crashes into the car and all hell breaks loose, despite the cacophony there is still clearly the sound of the abandoned camera whirring, the shriek of metal flying around, kids shouting and train carriages flying through the air. All in all, the delivery is controlled and enjoyable, with sibilance aside, no real weakness. Read more: Sonos Playbase - the speaker for your TV that will make you want to bin your Playbar

However, optical can also be only stereo because optical can also just carry an SPDIF signal (optical refers to the physical interface, while SPDIF refers to a communication protocol, you need "ADAT" protocol to carry 8 channels over optical)

Sonos refers to the Arc's arrangement as 5.0.2, which might initially seem a little confusing but makes more sense when you think of the soundbar as attempting to replicate the soundfield of a five-channel surround sound system with no subwoofer and two height speakers.That being said, you can add a Sonos Sub if you want.

If the Playbase itself doesn't create an immersive enough experience, you can use Sonos' Play:1 speakers as left and right surrounds. You can also add a Sub, but only the most fanatical bass lovers will need more than what the Playbase outputs. And, of course, you can group together Sonos speakers in other rooms for multiroom sound. Bottom LineThe three speakers are pretty different in terms of build and styling, too. The Playbar has aged the least gracefully, with its mostly metal chassis and fabric speaker cover that looks a little unsubtle. The Playbase, on the other hand, has a matte plastic shell and pattern of precision-drilled holes for a grille, which looks a bit more contemporary and minimalist. The Playbase is meant as a TV audio companion first and a source of music second. That engineering intention played out in our testing, though the Playbase is certainly no slouch when it comes to playing music. Simply put: In terms of sound quality and ease of use, the Sonos Playbase trounces every other soundbase we’ve tested thus far, and sounds better than many of the soundbars we’ve tested, though admittedly few of them run anywhere near the Playbase’s price range.

Its mid-bass has a heavy slam, but it doesn’t leak into the mid-range. But although the bass is relatively tight, I did find it to be a touch uncontrolled. There are a few reasons that might explain this, one of them being the Playbase’s plastic body. I found the top surface of the Playbase vibrated a touch when I cranked up the volume. If you can find them, the Playbar should still be considered by those with very large rooms, and the Playbase remains the right choice in specific set-ups, but for most people and most rooms, the Beam is the best Sonos soundbar solution in terms of value for money.

An all-in-one speaker and a handy TV stand all rolled together

Few TVs pass along the Dolby Digital encoded audio signal the Playbase can decode through their optical audio ports (most of LG and Vizio’s 2017 TVs are an exception to that rule), meaning that the Playbase is going to have to do a lot of processing to make two-channel PCM audio sound like a proper surround sound program. Going forward, we expect to see Dolby support embraced by more manufacturers, but those pairing the Playbase with older TVs won’t be getting the best the Playbase offers.