Hi All,
My wife likes the Sonos Playbar, while I like the Bose 300.
I have owned Bose products in the past.
Listening to the demo at Best Buy, the Bose sounds better. The sales people say the Sonos demo is not very good.
Being a professional nerd, I research everything.
I have been monitoring both user support sites and I am having second thoughts about the Bose.
There sure SEEMS to be a lot of basic issues with software updates on the Bose side. Slow or no responses.
Both are the same price so nothing to go on there.
As we get "older" it is more important to have clear dialog and not knock pictures off the wall when a car explodes.
We mostly watch movies, sports and TV. Some music but not the priority. Harmony remote and Alexa.
My main question is, from the communities perspective, would you buy it again and any comments of why Sonos is better than Bose? How has the support been? Are they listening to you? Do updates break more than they fix?
Another Note: My wife will ONLY be accessing through Harmony remote and maybe Alexa.
She is not a smart phone kind of gal.
Thank you for any guidance!
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I use a Samsung bd-h6500 at the moment but that is not native 4k, will be buying a newer version while there are some still available.
Thank you both for your input.
I currently have a 5.1 surround running through my receiver. Everything goes through that so the receiver is on all the time. Lots of heat. The wife hates the wires and stands for the surround speakers and wants them gone. The compromise is that I get a good sound bar with sub. I can see adding the 1 speakers though. Adding speaker in other rooms is intriguing. My TV is a Sony that is about 5 years old and has an ARC hdmi output. I am looking at running all the hdmi (Cable box, PlayStation 3, receiver) to the TV (has enough ports) and only turning on receiver when we want to listen to local radio.
I am in an analysis paralysis!
I currently have a 5.1 surround running through my receiver. Everything goes through that so the receiver is on all the time. Lots of heat. The wife hates the wires and stands for the surround speakers and wants them gone. The compromise is that I get a good sound bar with sub. I can see adding the 1 speakers though. Adding speaker in other rooms is intriguing. My TV is a Sony that is about 5 years old and has an ARC hdmi output. I am looking at running all the hdmi (Cable box, PlayStation 3, receiver) to the TV (has enough ports) and only turning on receiver when we want to listen to local radio.
I am in an analysis paralysis!
+1
To be fair I started off with just one Sonos device, a Playbar in the living room it sounded great, and was even able to bypass the Youtube issue by accessing it via the TV, life felt good. Then I made the mistake of expanding, the aspriation being to connect all the main rooms in the house, and this is when the dissapointment really started.
Alas, as you're probably already aware, there are some super serious Sonos advocates in this forum, and I confess I am envious they appear to have found their audio utopia, BUT before you make your final decision I seriously recommend first speaking face-to-face with friends, colleagues, anyone who already have Sonos. I say this because I ignored the advice mine gave me, arogantly thinking I'll buy the latest greatest and everything will be fine. My wife mocks me now as I type, sarcastically telling me life is full of lessons, before proceeding to turn on the old Marantz stack system and plugging the jack cable into her iPhone.
NOTE1: only one of four friends appears to have Sonos working reliably (probably because they have just a Playbar located right next the wifi router and only play Spotify or their phone content).
NOTE2: it's all about the customer support, and the large number of customers with unresolved issues on this forum suggests this is not a priority for Sonos.
#KeepItSimple
P.S. I'm now saving up to hardwire the house, thus am willing to sell all of my four month old Sonos equipment at pre-March prices 😉
Alas, as you're probably already aware, there are some super serious Sonos advocates in this forum, and I confess I am envious they appear to have found their audio utopia, BUT before you make your final decision I seriously recommend first speaking face-to-face with friends, colleagues, anyone who already have Sonos. I say this because I ignored the advice mine gave me, arogantly thinking I'll buy the latest greatest and everything will be fine. My wife mocks me now as I type, sarcastically telling me life is full of lessons, before proceeding to turn on the old Marantz stack system and plugging the jack cable into her iPhone.
NOTE1: only one of four friends appears to have Sonos working reliably (probably because they have just a Playbar located right next the wifi router and only play Spotify or their phone content).
NOTE2: it's all about the customer support, and the large number of customers with unresolved issues on this forum suggests this is not a priority for Sonos.
#KeepItSimple
P.S. I'm now saving up to hardwire the house, thus am willing to sell all of my four month old Sonos equipment at pre-March prices 😉
Thank you ALL for your help! The good and bad.
I have very fast wifi so that is not an issue.
Besides wanting great sound today, i want this system to work with any future equipment.
It seems like the Sonos has some limitations that concern me.
Time to make a decision! Next week, maybe.
I have very fast wifi so that is not an issue.
Besides wanting great sound today, i want this system to work with any future equipment.
It seems like the Sonos has some limitations that concern me.
Time to make a decision! Next week, maybe.
Well, you said it right there - "I want this system to work with any future equipment". No way you can go with Sonos. They've proven with the recent release of the PlayBase that they're sticking with old tech.
Userlevel 7
+22
Yes, tom12 is entitled to feel disappointed that the Playable didn't tick HIS boxes but that is NOT to conflate disappointment with lack of flexibility or expandability.
Currently I have a Sony model KDL55NX810, PS3 that is used for games as well as watching DVD/Blu Ray and streaming.
Charter HD cable box and Yamaha receiver. We do have the Alexa and would be very beneficial to control volume using that.
Everything is connected to the receiver with the TV being connected to the ARC HDMI.
That means the receiver is always on.
At some point the TV, PS3 (Maybe just get PS4) will be upgraded.
I want this soundbar to continue to function as expected.
I am sure the people at Best Buy are getting tired of me stopping buy.
Charter HD cable box and Yamaha receiver. We do have the Alexa and would be very beneficial to control volume using that.
Everything is connected to the receiver with the TV being connected to the ARC HDMI.
That means the receiver is always on.
At some point the TV, PS3 (Maybe just get PS4) will be upgraded.
I want this soundbar to continue to function as expected.
I am sure the people at Best Buy are getting tired of me stopping buy.
I am not a big fan of anything fancier than a 2 channel amp driven speaker pair for TV so I am not affected by all the formats and the churn and the "progress" and its consequences for audio kit for TV. And Sonos may not meet all these expectations.
But for music in the home, I believe that Sonos is adequately future proofed. Voice control too will be an added feature to kit bought even ten years ago. Life is lot simpler for music lovers.
But for music in the home, I believe that Sonos is adequately future proofed. Voice control too will be an added feature to kit bought even ten years ago. Life is lot simpler for music lovers.
Lack of HDMI on Sonos has nothing whatsoever to do with lack of DTS decoding. Optical can pass that through just fine - it was just a decision that Sonos made, for whatever reason.
Userlevel 7
+22
You're right, my bad.
You're technically correct. But I don't think there's a TV on the market that passes DTS out it's optical port. Hence the need for an HDMI input. I think we all accept the fact that the Sonos Playbar/Sub/Play1 would be an inferior DTS or Atmos system. compared to a discreet system. But, we just want the ability for the Playbar to accept these formats so we can enjoy some semblance of surround sound instead of what we get now - either no sound or just stereo.
Userlevel 7
+17
Agree with everything sjw says.
My Lg oled B6 also passes DTS from HDMI to optical, also noticed DTS:X appear from some blu-rays through PS4.
My Lg oled B6 also passes DTS from HDMI to optical, also noticed DTS:X appear from some blu-rays through PS4.
Userlevel 7
+22
"and if the Playbar/Playbase decoded DTS then things would undoubtebly be very, very much simpler for pretty much everybody"
I just don't agree with this statement. And clearly neither do Sonos as they have stated that their research shows that the vast majority of video sources watched via Sonos do NOT have DTS or at least DTS exclusively.
For me, I used to have a Blu-Ray DVD player and now have an Xbox. Even though I do have Blu-rays I have NEVER once either wanted or needed to be able to decode a DTS soundtrack.
If the inability of the Playbar to decode DTS were a significant downward pressure on sales you can bet Sonos would address it.
I just don't agree with this statement. And clearly neither do Sonos as they have stated that their research shows that the vast majority of video sources watched via Sonos do NOT have DTS or at least DTS exclusively.
For me, I used to have a Blu-Ray DVD player and now have an Xbox. Even though I do have Blu-rays I have NEVER once either wanted or needed to be able to decode a DTS soundtrack.
If the inability of the Playbar to decode DTS were a significant downward pressure on sales you can bet Sonos would address it.
Userlevel 7
+17
Yeah, that could be catch 22, people don't buy the playbar if they want DTS, or they take it back when they find out, so asking current customers will distort the answer. These customers could be a large % of future potential sales, especially as UHD discs start to take off.
Userlevel 2
+5
Maybe this :-)
Interesting development here since they partner with LeEco (Wireless, Bluetooth, DTS, ChromeCast, Google Home integration etc..)
https://www.vizio.com/sound-bars
Interesting development here since they partner with LeEco (Wireless, Bluetooth, DTS, ChromeCast, Google Home integration etc..)
https://www.vizio.com/sound-bars
Interesting, but I don't see that they've got other speakers that connect to the rest of my home, just speakers for the TV. Or did I not scroll enough?
Also, based on the picture of the back of the device, it looks like the surround speakers are wired, rather than wireless?
I do agree, it looks like they have HDMI connectivity.
Also, based on the picture of the back of the device, it looks like the surround speakers are wired, rather than wireless?
I do agree, it looks like they have HDMI connectivity.
Userlevel 2
+5
Also, based on the picture of the back of the device, it looks like the surround speakers are wired, rather than wireless?
I do agree, it looks like they have HDMI connectivity.
They got these but look crappy compared to Sonos for now
https://www.vizio.com/multi-room-audio-overview
I have a quick read of the manual, the SUB is wireless the rear are wire but connect to the SUB via a cable so SUB and rear has to be close by
I will keep an eye on it for future development as an alternative solution
You all have helped me, thank you!
Here is where I am at....
I like the Bose. I think it just sounds better. My wife likes the Sonos. But......
What is holding me back honestly is the Bose software.
Just basic things that get reported not working.
The software was rolled out just to immature and they are scrambling to get it working besides adding meaningful new features.
I realize the moderators are doing their best to communicate between the user community and the developers but the feedback to the users is poor. The lack of real progress on the issues is disappointing.
I am a software developer and this would NOT be acceptable to me or any company I have worked for.
The Sonos is a more mature product that is mostly stable and has many more features. Sonos sounds great with True multi room sound.
My issue with them is the lack of bluetooth and HDMI. Seems limited for the future.
For now I am going to see who wants the premium sound bar market the most.
If Bose can dedicate the resources into fixing the software I am all in. Bose it is.
If Sonos comes out with a new model that has HDMI than I will be a Sonos man.
Honestly, I do think I can go wrong with either choice. Both sound fantastic.
Here is where I am at....
I like the Bose. I think it just sounds better. My wife likes the Sonos. But......
What is holding me back honestly is the Bose software.
Just basic things that get reported not working.
The software was rolled out just to immature and they are scrambling to get it working besides adding meaningful new features.
I realize the moderators are doing their best to communicate between the user community and the developers but the feedback to the users is poor. The lack of real progress on the issues is disappointing.
I am a software developer and this would NOT be acceptable to me or any company I have worked for.
The Sonos is a more mature product that is mostly stable and has many more features. Sonos sounds great with True multi room sound.
My issue with them is the lack of bluetooth and HDMI. Seems limited for the future.
For now I am going to see who wants the premium sound bar market the most.
If Bose can dedicate the resources into fixing the software I am all in. Bose it is.
If Sonos comes out with a new model that has HDMI than I will be a Sonos man.
Honestly, I do think I can go wrong with either choice. Both sound fantastic.
As we get "older" it is more important to have clear dialog and not knock pictures off the wall when a car explodes.
We mostly watch movies, sports and TV. Some music but not the priority. Harmony remote and Alexa.
After a week or two with the Playbase, I am happy. I had to go through some hoops to get 5.1 via my TV (using an HDMI switch) and add a Harmony Remote, but things are working well. Sound wise it fits the bill - I needed something that would deliver clear dialog, reasonably deep bass and integrate in my current Sonos environment. After two Trueplay tunings, the Playbase sounds full and clear. I have separate HT setup with projector for bog screen movie viewing, but for most viewing, the Playbase on my 50" plasma is prefect for someone who wants a single box solution that delivers a clear, full representation of all forms of TV content.
As an aside, the support for Sonos is a factor - forums like this help facilitate a better listening experience.
I'm thinking about using the Playbase with my Pioneer Pro-111FD. I was a little concerned about it's weight (77 lbs without the speakers) and the Playbase being able to support it since that's it's max. Is your plasma about the same weight?
@AudioGuru
Coming from a professional in the business, get Sonos. DISAGREE
P.S. For anyone claiming Sonos doesn't work well, get better than a $30 router. I've installed Sonos wirelessly on even the cheaper side of WiFi routers, and it works just fine. If you want great wireless, you need good hardware in the first place. That's not Sonos' fault, it's your router providing the signal that Sonos needs. Or, get a Sonos Boost, problems solved.[/quote]
I have one of the best routers in the game and am an IT professional.
The issue is not the routers or the strength of the signal, it is the poor coding that reacts badly to any and all changes and appears to randomly stop working
Coming from a professional in the business, get Sonos. DISAGREE
P.S. For anyone claiming Sonos doesn't work well, get better than a $30 router. I've installed Sonos wirelessly on even the cheaper side of WiFi routers, and it works just fine. If you want great wireless, you need good hardware in the first place. That's not Sonos' fault, it's your router providing the signal that Sonos needs. Or, get a Sonos Boost, problems solved.[/quote]
I have one of the best routers in the game and am an IT professional.
The issue is not the routers or the strength of the signal, it is the poor coding that reacts badly to any and all changes and appears to randomly stop working
Userlevel 1
Sonos just appears to stop working randomly.
Surf the net. Check other peoples forums.
But Sonos has epic software issues despite a great sound if (and it is a big IF) you can ever get it to work AND to stay working consistently.
Are you living in a high-rise/apt complex? Because it sounds like you're having network issues, not Sonos issues. Sonos not working is a rarity, and I install them often.
Router speedtested at 480mbs and 2ms latency.
Sonos is the problem, not my router
The real point is that it was working OK, I have changed NOTHING and now it isn't.
I cannot, however, check the guts of Sonos programming to see what "tweaks" they have mad to "improve" performance
Sonos is the problem, not my router
The real point is that it was working OK, I have changed NOTHING and now it isn't.
I cannot, however, check the guts of Sonos programming to see what "tweaks" they have mad to "improve" performance
Userlevel 2
As a software engineer most Issues are with other people's software. Sonosnet just works faultlessly. If you can I would recommend hardwiring the first Sonos and going on from there. Powerline or other tech could be used here and feed the tv with a solid feed too. Stanard wifi issues abound are there any channel overloads, wall construction, range etc. Sonosnet is brilliant at fixing wirless notspots Added a play3 to my setup and my cr100 worked faultlessly in the bath.
I have owned Sonos products for several years now and it is absolutely bulletproof. It always does what you want it to. The idea about using PowerLine where WiFi is sketchy is a great suggestion. I have powerline for my playbar and use that ethernet for the other network connected devices there. VERY happy customer. Zero problems ever.
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