The Sonos system already had an excellent and easy-to-setup music system for the home, now it is adding your TV into the sound mix with the new Sonos Playbar. Commonly referred to as a soundbar, it’s new for Sonos, but it is not a new product area, but one that has been around since about 2005.
Inside the Sonos Playbar are nine speakers – six mid-woofers, and three tweeters – with circuitry inside to have the array of speakers work to approximate surround sound. Indeed, with the Playbar added to your existing Sonos Play 3 or Sub speakers, you’re able to experience a more ‘truthful’ surround sound system. But it will also work just fine by itself.
The Playbar requires only two cables. One for power, and one optical audio cable that connects to your TV. Other devices connected to your TV, such as Bu-ray players, digital video recorder or games consoles, will also play audio through the Playbar. Plus, connect the Playbar to your home wireless system, it becomes a music player. Play music that’s on your PC or Mac, iPad, iPhone, tablet computer, Android phone, or via streaming music systems such as Rhapsody, Spotify and more, or internet radio, via the free Sonos Controller apps.
The Sonos soundbar can be placed on a table, or wall-mounted with an optional mounting kit. In-built sensors will help adjust the sound output according to the Playbar’s placement. One button press will have the Playbar ‘visible’ on your home wireless network.
“Sonos has transformed the way people listen to music throughout the home and now we’re bringing our wireless HiFi approach to home theater,” said John MacFarlane, CEO, Sonos, Inc. “Playbar will change everything about the sound experience in your living room, bringing together amazing HiFi sound for your TV and wireless access to the world’s music in a radically simple way.”
The Sonos Playbar is available in stores now, at an RRP of $999. At this price point it’s somewhere around the mid-level price point of soundbars.