Next generation Playbar 2018?

  • 4 November 2017
  • 54 replies
  • 33814 views


Show first post
This topic has been closed for further comments. You can use the search bar to find a similar topic, or create a new one by clicking Create Topic at the top of the page.

54 replies

I'd recommend that further discussion take place in this thread:

https://en.community.sonos.com/home-theater-228993/playbar-and-hdmi-rumor-late-2018-early-2019-6801966/index1.html#post16206281
Userlevel 1
Badge +3
Sonos needs to support the newer audio formats and Atmos. They do that and I'll gladly buy the new playbar (and it appears many other people will do so as well). They don't do that and I'm going to go with a traditional wired system. I love my 5.1 system but I want Atmos at home.

Agreed. Sonos should look interested on the marked today.
Or else the costumers are long gone.
I trully think sonos has underestimated the marked for soundbars. Well they may have made soundbar acceptable i home setups overall. But since then they havent done much to take cuts on the marked.
Many users today just want a simple setup and are willing to take convenience before audio quality. That been Said, i love my Sonos today. A soundbar with atmos compared to my old traditional 5.2.4 atmos setup? Soundbar any day. Its so much easier, takes a lot less space and my kids and wife can use it AND i think the Sonos sound quality is on par with the prices.
But the current setup may properly have atmos etc, If so it would be hard compressed due the bandwith with toslink.
Userlevel 1
Badge +1
Any official news from Sonos on this before i go spend £1500 on a rivels system? Thats a lot of cash to lose for the sake of not confirming a possible 2018 release.
Any official news from Sonos on this before i go spend £1500 on a rivels system? Thats a lot of cash to lose for the sake of not confirming a possible 2018 release.

You will get no official news confirming or not confirming this.
Userlevel 4
Badge +2
Any official news from Sonos on this before i go spend £1500 on a rivels system? Thats a lot of cash to lose for the sake of not confirming a possible 2018 release.

Sonos is not a home theater company and based on comments from the CEO they will not be releasing any products that cater to that demand. Spend your money elsewhere if HT is important to you. Otherwise you will be disappointed.


Sonos is not a home theater company and based on comments from the CEO they will not be releasing any products that cater to that demand. Spend your money elsewhere if HT is important to you. Otherwise you will be disappointed.


This^^^

Sonos makes surround sound soundbars that can be easily connected to an optical out from a TV and are a great sounding replacement for the tiny speakers on a flat display, while also being wireless and part of the Sonos multi-room system. That is their selling point. What they are not is a substitute for a true Home Theater system, given the deficiencies in speaker configuration and codecs supported.
Userlevel 5
Badge +12


Sonos is not a home theater company and based on comments from the CEO they will not be releasing any products that cater to that demand. Spend your money elsewhere if HT is important to you. Otherwise you will be disappointed.


This^^^

Sonos makes surround sound soundbars that can be easily connected to an optical out from a TV and are a great sounding replacement for the tiny speakers on a flat display, while also being wireless and part of the Sonos multi-room system. That is their selling point. What they are not is a substitute for a true Home Theater system, given the deficiencies in speaker configuration and codecs supported.


So they should do full stereo (multichannel stereo) option
Userlevel 4
Badge +2


So they should do full stereo (multichannel stereo) option


No idea what either of those two options are. Full-stereo is stereo. Multi-channel stereo is also stereo and redundant.


So they should do full stereo (multichannel stereo) option


If you mean stereo at full volume out of the Playbar/Playbase and the surrounds, it does for music. Set the surrounds to Full in the Settings for the room, and you will get the equivalent of 5 channel stereo for music sources.
Userlevel 7
Badge +17


So they should do full stereo (multichannel stereo) option


If you mean stereo at full volume out of the Playbar/Playbase and the surrounds, it does for music. Set the surrounds to Full in the Settings for the room, and you will get the equivalent of 5 channel stereo for music sources.


What has been asked by many people, already for a long time, is to have the the same 'Full' option for TV audio as exists for music.
Yes, its not going to fit all TV viewing but would be good for music sourced via the TV (music/concert DVD/bluray, music TV channels, youtube etc) and also sporting events.
Userlevel 4
Badge +2


So they should do full stereo (multichannel stereo) option


If you mean stereo at full volume out of the Playbar/Playbase and the surrounds, it does for music. Set the surrounds to Full in the Settings for the room, and you will get the equivalent of 5 channel stereo for music sources.


What has been asked by many people, already for a long time, is to have the the same 'Full' option for TV audio as exists for music.
Yes, its not going to fit all TV viewing but would be good for music sourced via the TV (music/concert DVD/bluray, music TV channels, youtube etc) and also sporting events.


So the exact opposite of what anyone into home Theater would want.

Got it.
Userlevel 7
Badge +17


So the exact opposite of what anyone into home Theater would want.

Got it.


many AV receivers have a variety of 'sound modes' - one that many of them feature is "Multi Channel Stereo" which is also what is being asked of Sonos. They have it for Music so why not have it for TV also ? Not sure why you say its "the exact opposite of what anyone into home Theater would want" yet a feature included on almost all AV receivers on the market today !
This is a market sonos are competing in so its not too much to ask for such a feature to be added on Sonos also.
see here https://www.the-home-cinema-guide.com/av-receiver-listening-modes-explained.html for a list of the most common AV receiver brands and their 'sound modes' - all with "Multi Channel Stereo" !
Userlevel 4
Badge +2


So the exact opposite of what anyone into home Theater would want.

Got it.


many AV receivers have a variety of 'sound modes' - one that many of them feature is "Multi Channel Stereo" which is also what is being asked of Sonos. They have it for Music so why not have it for TV also ? Not sure why you say its "the exact opposite of what anyone into home Theater would want" yet a feature included on almost all AV receivers on the market today !
This is a market sonos are competing in so its not too much to ask for such a feature to be added on Sonos also.
see here https://www.the-home-cinema-guide.com/av-receiver-listening-modes-explained.html for a list of the most common AV receiver brands and their 'sound modes' - all with "Multi Channel Stereo" !


Just because receivers can do that. Why would you?

I cannot fathom a use-case for that in a home theater.


Just because receivers can do that. Why would you?

I cannot fathom a use-case for that in a home theater.


Never underestimate the ability of the average user to recognize crappy sound. I have seen more than one "Home Theater" where the owner put their surround speakers on top of the entertainment system housing their TV and say it sounds "amazing".
Userlevel 7
Badge +17

Just because receivers can do that. Why would you?

I cannot fathom a use-case for that in a home theater.


pick one of the 50+ a music channels available through satellite TV - why should it matter whether my music is via a sonos music source or a TV source ? the 'Full' option should be available on both sources.

There are many others asking this. see here https://en.community.sonos.com/wireless-speakers-228992/full-stereo-option-when-watching-tv-audio-please-6341426/index1.html

unfortunately the crappy search on this forum does not lend itself to continuing old threads once they have dropped off the bottom of the page new topics are made asking the same thing over and over.

this thread is about a new Playbar/base for 2018 to address the shortcomings of the current one. Im just asking they also include a feature available in every other AV receiver (which is the alternative option to sonos 5.1) on the market today for "Multi Channel Stereo" from any source - not much to ask I think (like DTS/HDMI !)
Userlevel 5
Badge +12


So they should do full stereo (multichannel stereo) option


If you mean stereo at full volume out of the Playbar/Playbase and the surrounds, it does for music. Set the surrounds to Full in the Settings for the room, and you will get the equivalent of 5 channel stereo for music sources.


What has been asked by many people, already for a long time, is to have the the same 'Full' option for TV audio as exists for music.
Yes, its not going to fit all TV viewing but would be good for music sourced via the TV (music/concert DVD/bluray, music TV channels, youtube etc) and also sporting events.


So the exact opposite of what anyone into home Theater would want.

Got it.


My opinion:

- 80% of people owning an home theater configuration do not listen to 5.1; because of many things: broadcasters not broadcast 5.1, Sonos does not decode 5.1 (just dd), most of the sources are not 5.1, use TV for music listening... And why buy so good and expensivespeakers to let them off most of the time? And developing full stereo is by far more simple than implementing codecs or fake 5.1.

- 50% people live in little flat appartments, not in theaters; they have noises around and not complete silence, they want immersive sound to forget about the noise around. And they cannot turn up the volume too much when they are on the sofa because of the neighbors especially in the evening/night I need to have surround sound as well near my ears.

Do you find it reasonable?
Hope so.

Camillo
Every one of my TV stations broadcast in 5.1, HDTV in the US requires it, and I don't watch non-HD channels. For the very few that broadcast in 2.0 because the source material is 2.0, there are other modes like Pro-Logic (Sonos says it's mode is Pro-Logic-like) for those who complain (like below) that not all speakers are not in use (not me).

For music, I listen to stereo sources in stereo, I care not a whit about what speakers are in use or not in use, I want the source as recorded.

Agree to disagree.
Userlevel 7
Badge +17
Every one of my TV stations broadcast in 5.1, HDTV in the US requires it, and I don't watch non-HD channels. For the very few that broadcast in 2.0 because the source material is 2.0, there are other modes like Pro-Logic (Sonos says it's mode is Pro-Logic-like) for those who complain (like below) that not all speakers are not in use (not me).

For music, I listen to stereo sources in stereo, I care not a whit about what speakers are in use or not in use, I want the source as recorded.

Agree to disagree.


here in UK hardly any music channels on TV are in 5.1. Sonos' 'pro-logic like' efforts are woefully bad such that the rear speakers are mostly silent (in TV mode) without a 5.1 source - hence the reason you see so many topics by those with a Playbar and 'Play x' rear speakers saying they dont work !


here in UK hardly any music channels on TV are in 5.1. Sonos' 'pro-logic like' efforts are woefully bad such that the rear speakers are mostly silent (in TV mode) without a 5.1 source - hence the reason you see so many topics by those with a Playbar and 'Play x' rear speakers saying they dont work !


I don't play music channels on my TV. Why would I? I have Sonos. 😃
I honestly rare think about whether the audio is coming across in true 5.1 or not. I don't really want to spend much time thinking about. In truth, it sort of makes me feel old because I can't always tell what speaker is producing which sound. I mostly just don't want it sound bad, and it never really does. I want it to be 5.1 if it can, but if it's not, I'm not going to spend any time messing with the configuration.

That said though, I do really like having the full stereo mode for non-tv sources. I do occasionally listen to amazon music through the fire tv as I like the visual feedback though. It would be nice to have the sonos option to switch full stereo in those scenarios, but I doubt I would bother with it. Ideally, and maybe this isn't possible, I'd rather Amazon have a configurable option on the firetv to output the audio in stereo instead of 5.1 when playing music...since it knows when music is playing while the playbar would not. Probably too much to ask for though.
Userlevel 5
Badge +12
Denon announces new HEOS HomeCinema HS2 soundbar

The HS2 has AirPlay, Bluetooth and support for hi-res music, with Alexa functionality coming later in the year.

Denon's latest foray into the home cinema arena comes in the form of the HEOS HomeCinema HS2 - a 4K-compatible soundbar and subwoofer pairing, packed full of features.

Read more at https://www.whathifi.com/news/denon-announces-new-heos-homecinema-hs2-soundbar#3BFETbi5haHuDeId.99
Funny, I remember Denon promising Alexa functionality as coming early last year. 😉
Wonder what Sonos patents this new device infringes on?
Userlevel 7
Badge +11


here in UK hardly any music channels on TV are in 5.1. Sonos' 'pro-logic like' efforts are woefully bad such that the rear speakers are mostly silent (in TV mode) without a 5.1 source - hence the reason you see so many topics by those with a Playbar and 'Play x' rear speakers saying they dont work !


I don't play music channels on my TV. Why would I? I have Sonos. :D

To watch the music videos whilst listening to the music :?
Userlevel 5
Badge +12
Sonos Faces New Competition As 24 Bit Bluesound Slashes Prices

Source:
https://www.channelnews.com.au/sonos-faces-new-competition-as-24-bit-bluesound-slashes-prices/