New Playbar Release Any Indication ?

Hi. I'm sorry but Sonos have never said that there will ever be a new Playbar and always refuse to give a roadmap for developments. You had better buy Bose - shame about the sound, though. Or use a switch, as many of us do, to get round the connectivity issues with the Playbar.

You are aware that gen 1 Play:5 speakers cannot be used as surrounds with the Playbar?

Hi John, bit disappointed to hear that. What switch do you use to make gen 1 Play 5 to work with Playbar ? The only reason why I waited so far was to build on my investment on Sonos. If I can't build then my decision going forward would be a no brainer. Its hard believe that Sonos is not providing integration with with older products.

PLAY:5 Gen1 lacks a 5GHz radio, which rules it out for use as surrounds with the PLAYBAR. The point-to-point 5GHz wireless links are key to PLAYBAR maintaining low latency comms with its surrounds/SUB.

I guess that in theory Sonos could make a firmware build for PLAY:5 Gen1 which allowed it to operate in wired-only mode as surrounds. They did so for CONNECT:AMP, but that was to address the market of users wanting to use in-ceiling passive speakers as surrounds. The demand to do something similar with PLAY:5 Gen1 must be virtually non-existent; a PLAY:5 is generally regarded as overkill for surround duties.

Its hard believe that Sonos is not providing integration with older products.

This really isn't the case at all. The Play:5 gen 1 can still be used in any Sonos system. It cannot be used as a surround speaker with the Playbar in a 5.1 or 5.0 setup for the reasons given by @ratty. The Sonos website was always clear, in the Play:5 gen 1 days, that P:1s and P:3s could be used as surround speakers, but not P:5s.

The switch I referred to was to allow multiple devices to use the Playbar and produce 5.1 sound, for TVs that don't passthrough 5.1 sound. That may not even be an issue for you, depending on the make and model of your TV.

Given that Sonos' product cycle on the Play:5 was about 6 years before the second generation model appeared, there are a little less than two and a half more years before we expect that they come out with a new version of the Playbar. That will give them time to see what's going on with the audio formats used in new 4K media, and hopefully support such formats in the new version.

Appreciate all of you for assisting and answering my questions.I think it provides me with all the information I was looking for.

I have never used BOSE systems before. DO you guys reckon a big difference after listening to Play 5 for over 2 years now ?

I have been deeply unimpressed with every Bose speaker I have heard.

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Bose

I am still unclear what it is you want the Playbar to do that you believe it cannot do??

found this on the web
"I don't have an exact date, I'm a dealer and our rep said existing playbar is scheduled to reach EOL in 16 with a replacement coming in 17. "

found this on the web
"I don't have an exact date, I'm a dealer and our rep said existing playbar is scheduled to reach EOL in 16 with a replacement coming in 17. "
The world is awash with rumours and misinformation. Sonos just don't release this sort of information to dealers, and probably not to their own reps. I speak as an ex Sonos dealer. If this is correct it will be purely by accident.

In fact, if a rep did know this and revealed something that Sonos have always refused to comment on, he/she would probably be dismissed. But then given Sonos' public stance they wouldn't tell the reps in the first place, because Sonos might as well shout it from the rooftops.