No new Playbar? Really Sonos?
I have a pretty good insight in what BOSE is doing in certain categories! It seems they‘re launching new Atmos models next Year.
Okay, i don‘t want to compare the more muffled but spectacular „Bose sound“ with our beloved SONOS sounding. But to be honest what SONOS did to it‘s lignup in the past few years is akward!
• no HDMI on Playbase
• no update to Playbar
• nether Atmos nor HD Sound nor DTS !...
• no dedicated remote for ~50 bugs
• no ( complete wireless) home theater receiver wehre you could find your own combination of SONOS gear to set up your livingroom with a full growen 5.1 to 13.4 soundsystem !
WHY NOT SONOS , WHY ?
I’ve been a fan of Sonos for years. Bought the Playbar on the release date in 2012. Soon upgraded with the sub and two Play:3’s just to learn that I had to jump through hoops to get surround from my Blu-rays as the Playbar did not support DTS. I fixed that with a new Blu-ray player and a switch.
I expected that Sonos would bring DTS at some point and lived with that.
I later bought a Playbase for my bedroom and even got a Playbeam when that was released.
However, 7(!) years down the road there is still only one single surround format supported by the entire Sonos lineup: Dolby Digital 5.1. Even the new and super advanced Playbeam only does the same format as was used on non-HD DVDs so many years back.
Also the lack of HDMI on the bigger systems is annoying as I can't turn volume up or down with the IOS Apple remote as these are limited to infrared controls.
I recently moved temporarily to a smaller flat as we are building a new house. I took the opportunity to sell my oldest Sonos gear: the Playbar, three Play 3s and a 1st Gen Play 5.
This has given me the opportunity to consider switching from Sonos entirely and upgrade to something that supports more modern formats as Atmos and Dolby Digital Plus.
As my remaining lineup of Sonos-gear all support Airplay 2, I guess they could still have some use in a new setup. I have always preferred Sonos’ solution rather than streaming from my phone or another local device with Airplay, but the limitted support for file formats and lack of HDMI on the bigger systems have become deal breakers for me.
Being the fan that I am, I am still hoping for something new from Sonos before our house is completed in about a year. If not, I will likely be looking at dedicated receivers with Airplay 2 and build-in speakers or perhaps the new B&O Stage
Sonos have the sales figures and the research. If the Playbar is under featured and overpriced the market will soon let Sonos know. How can this be an insult to customers? The only reason a company should reduce a price is because it will increase profit to do so.
I have no view on whether Sonos has got its product strategy right or wrong. I simply don't have the info. But I don't take it as a personal affront.
If I had to put money on Sonos' next product it would be a Playbar gen 2. But what do I know?
totally agree. I have 2 playbars and I want to buy another, but I’m waiting for a new one. God knows how long I will have to wait. Sonos once a leader now lagging behind. Please update this soon please.
+2
Would love to listen to Tidal on Sonos instead of the other guys.🤫
I think the clue is in the phrase “With Sonos Connect...”.
Sonos is dead to me, they acted to slow (and still havent acted), they had a chance to be the new BO since BO started their brand sell out and they blew it.
None so far. Lots of bated breath, hoping for some. Sonos does a pretty good job of keeping those rumors under wraps, and surprising us with their marketing announcement. Mildly frustrating, but what can you do,
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If there was a Playbar 2 with All the features of the Beam, but the speakers and volume of the Playbar. I am sure that would sell well.
The current playbar just looks so dated. I have a few sono speakers but went with another brand for the TV sound bar, cause the beam does not have the volume for me and the current Playbar….looks bad.
I used to be 100% Sonos but I am now slowly changing to another brand cause, Sonos does not appear to be keeping up with other providers anymore.
In a perfect world there’d be some sort of Sonos AVR, with 4 inputs, and 1 or 2 outputs. But that seems to be a little out of Sonos’s wheelhouse.
This isn’t really needed though since most modern TVs already have 4 or so inputs plus their internal smart streaming. And HDMI-ARC (or eARC) allows you to get all the sound out of your TV without having to have a separate switching device. Even if you did have this separate, you would still need HDMI-ARC and do input switching on the TV if you use smart apps at all.
If there was a Playbar 2 with All the features of the Beam, but the speakers and volume of the Playbar. I am sure that would sell well.
Just my opinion, but I don’t think lack of sales is what’s holding back a playbar 2. I think Sonos is waiting for eARC or some other features to be more readily available. In other words, they don’t want to release a playbar 2 now only to have a need for an playbar 3 a year or two later.
Tired of waiting around for Sonos Playbar 2.0. Decided to go with B&W Formation. It’s more expensive, but has a level of refinement that’s impressive. Airplay 2 and Bluetooth as well. 👍
If a new playbar is released and it doesn’t have eARC I won’t buy it and will switch to Bose or something that does as it will solve so many problems with codecs and lip sync etc.
What percentage of the marketplace has eARC output at this moment? Say, just in the US. And the EU, as a separate number.
I'd hope that there's someone at Sonos tracking that information. I too would like the replacement device to have this, but I also would prefer not to have to pay through the nose for something I won't be able to use until my next TV purchase.
I just purchased the Playbar and Sub today. While they sound good, I will probably be returning. No Airplay is a deal breaker for me. Also - wish there was bluetooth, so would be easier to control sound and also wish there were more up to date connection options.
I don’t understand how Sonos cheapest soundbar has more modern, technological advances than their best Soundbar? That is really backwards. Really too bad. I hear Sonos called the Apple of Soundbars, but even Apple updates their best iPhones and their top of line iPhones to have the newest features first, before the cheaper models.
Too bad, as everything else about Sonos is great! Come on Sonos, you can do it! :)
To everyone here that may not have seen all of the threads on codec support: The simple reason that Sonos has not, and will not add DD+ or Atmos to the existing soundbars is that it simply cannot be done, the hardware will not support it. DTS 5.1 is possible over optical/HDMI-ARC, but given its inherent connection to physical media, which Sonos has always said not to be their focus, I don't expect them to ever change their stance.
Change will have to come from new hardware. And then, we inevitably come to the question of: how far should Sonos venture into Home Theatre? What hardware choices do they make, what codec choices do they make?
On the codec level, I think they should by now have realized that DD5.1 no longer cuts it. In 2013, when the Playbar was introduced, DD5.1 was the format of choice for linear TV and no doubt Sonos expected streaming services to also adopt this. In 2019, we see DD+ as the format of choice, with Atmos/TrueHD as a high-end option. So even for the most basic user to have a product that “just works” out of the box, they will need to make sure their hardware/software supports this. eARC with proper codec support should do the trick, provided you have a TV with eARC.
I own a projector that I’m not replacing anytime soon, it’s in my living room, so I’m not looking for a dedicated HT system. Like most projectors, it doesn’t do ARC, let alone eARC or any audio processing for that matter, so I don't really subscribe to Sonos’ philosophy of letting the TV do all the work. Instead of eARC, I'd rather see multiple HDMI ports on a Playbar 2.0, like on most receivers. However, Sonos may think this overcomplicates the product and might even raise expectations too high, because people will think Sonos will be able to do what other HT receivers can do.
This brings me to adding channels, supporting discrete speakers for front/left/center, supporting full Atmos setups and the like. Firstly, I think people on here wildly underestimate how challenging it would be to do that wirelessly - and then providing the customer support! Secondly, I think for Sonos, this is a niche market that they don't want to enter. 5.1 seems to me the maximum an average living room or significant other will bear. Sonos simply want to provide a HT solution as part of their multiroom system, and not sell a multiroom system as an extra to a complete, dedicated HT system.
So while I’m hopefull that Sonos will, in time, update their HT offering, I have no illusions that the changes they will bring are going to be revolutionary, nor do I expect them to fulfill the hopes and dreams of people on these communities.
I bought a new TV 2 years ago and was looking for a decent 5.1 home theatre system as well. Sonos was always on my radar but the missing ARC and codecs were a dealbreaker for me. So I went with a SoundTouch 300 + sub and rear speakers from Bose. Got some more Bose ST speakers for the other rooms since I wanted to stay in one eco system. Now 2 years later I could not have been more regretful with that decision. Bose is just the absolute worst! Everything is so buggy and drives me mad every day. They just keep on rushing out new products every year and leave you alone with their buggy dogsh… that sounds okay at best. Anyway, I sold all my expensive Bose bricks for scrap and now I would love to invest in a complete Sonos system for my whole house. I had 6x Play One and 2x Play 3 in my shopping cart during Cyberweek. Then I was shocked when I had to find out that Sonos two years later is still selling the same Playbar as their flagship home theatre speaker that was already long time outdated back then when I bought my TV.
So here I am now sitting on my couch listening to my build in TV speakers. 
Seriously Sonos, just give us a proper Soundbar with 2020 specs. This is horrendous!
New to Sonos and just purchased a Playbar to upgrade my current 5.1 setup. It was advertised as wireless but after reading this thread I’m learning that’s not quite the case and my TV doesn’t have an optical connection. My receiver does has an Optical Audio In only.
Is there any other option (aside from the Beam)? Could I use the Play: 5 as a center speaker?
+20
New to Sonos and just purchased a Playbar to upgrade my current 5.1 setup. It was advertised as wireless but after reading this thread I’m learning that’s not quite the case and my TV doesn’t have an optical connection. My receiver does has an Optical Audio In only.
Is there any other option (aside from the Beam)? Could I use the Play: 5 as a center speaker?
Hi there,
If your TV has a digital coaxial output, you can use an adapter to turn that signal into an optical one for the Playbar. I used this setup with my old TV and it worked well. There’s likely an adapter available for an output that your TV supports.
New to Sonos and just purchased a Playbar to upgrade my current 5.1 setup. It was advertised as wireless but after reading this thread I’m learning that’s not quite the case and my TV doesn’t have an optical connection. My receiver does has an Optical Audio In only.
Is there any other option (aside from the Beam)? Could I use the Play: 5 as a center speaker?
How do you intend to use the Playbar with a receiver? The Playbar is designed to replace a receiver.
How do you intend to use the Playbar with a receiver? The Playbar is designed to replace a receiver.
New receiver that claimed to work with Sonos….thought it would be able to connect to all the speaker components. Guess I require a Sonos Connect (which I had never even heard of)…..
‘With Sonos Connect, the awesome home theater you’ve built around your Pioneer receiver can now be part of your existing Sonos Home Sound System, or the start of a new one. Instantly upgrade the music streaming capability of your home theater with Sonos Connect and a free firmware update. After a simple set up, your Pioneer A/V receiver will seamlessly tie into Sonos, instantly waking, changing inputs and playing at the volume you command through the familiar Sonos app.’
New receiver that claimed to work with Sonos….thought it would be able to connect to all the speaker components.
‘With Sonos Connect, the awesome home theater you’ve built around your Pioneer receiver can now be part of your existing Sonos Home Sound System, or the start of a new one. Instantly upgrade the music streaming capability of your home theater with Sonos Connect and a free firmware update. After a simple set up, your Pioneer A/V receiver will seamlessly tie into Sonos, instantly waking, changing inputs and playing at the volume you command through the familiar Sonos app.’
You misunderstand. That receiver was made to interact with the Sonos Connect (and its replacement, the Port), enabling you to play Sonos through the app to the receiver. It has nothing to do with Sonos’ other components. I’m afraid you bought the wrong Sonos device.
I think the clue is in the phrase “With Sonos Connect...”.
I did mention I was new to Sonos (thought it might be an app). I cancelled my Playbar order
+1
I think most people have several HDMI devices and want sound. Not sure how a Playbar with 1 HDMI input would factor into that. You either need to get the sound from the TV with optical (which doesn’t usually have 5.1) or use HDMI-ARC, which the beam has.
In a perfect world there’d be some sort of Sonos AVR, with 4 inputs, and 1 or 2 outputs. But that seems to be a little out of Sonos’s wheelhouse.
Any recent word or rumors on a Soundbar 2.0? AirPlay 2, HDMI Arc, Atmos, DTS?
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