I’ve had the Sonos Playbase since it came out in 2017 and the sound is amazing; the best soundbar I’ve ever heard. The sound was even better after I paired it with two Play 1s. However, as many have noted, an issue with choppy playback started happening about a year ago when playing music through AirPlay. Sonos hasn't come up with a solution to this (I really wish they would) and I haven't had this issue with any other Sonos product, so I assume it's a chip issue and not something that can be solved with a software update. As a result, I decided to test an upgrade:
I bought two Era 100s to replace my two Play 1s, and I got a Beam Gen 2 + Sub Mini to replace my my Playbase. Then I compared. First with music. The Playbase sounded significantly better than the Beam Gen 2 (with and without surrounds). Not a big surprise as the Beam really isn't meant to be match something as powerful as the Playbase, but I thought maybe the Era 100s would outperform the Play 1s. What was surprising is when I attached the Mini Sub to the Beam, the Playbase still sounded better--it was clearer and fuller than the Beam + the two new Era 100s. For movies, I did get more sound separation with the Beam Gen 2 due to the Dolby Atmos. So if you're mainly using it for movies, maybe it's a toss up. But I listen more to music and the Playbase still sounds better. So, now I need to decide if I will return the Beam, Mini Sub, and Era 100s, and keep my Playbase + Play 1s, but deal with the very annoying choppy AirPlay for the at least the first 15 seconds of playing a song. I wish I could connect my Playbase to the new Era 100s, which do sound slightly better than the Play 1s, but they can't be paired. And yes, I realize I could play music through the Sonos app and avoid the AirPlay issue, but 1) I don't love the interface, and 2) I can't access my local files on Apple Music or play my Apple podcasts as easily as through AirPlay.
Beam Gen 2 vs Playbase
+19Hi
Welcome to the Sonos Community!
I am sorry to hear that you are not happy with your new Beam Gen 2 + Era 100 setup as compared to the older Playbase + Play:1 system. I would not have expected to hear that, but I have not actually heard a Beam Gen 2 in person (and it’s been a long time since I heard PlayBase), so my opinion doesn’t count for much in this instance.
Regarding the AirPlay performance, how (and through which controls) are you using AirPlay? Sonos has never supported AirPlay v1, and if you are not initiating AirPlay from within an app - instead using Control Centre - then you are likely using AirPlay v1. AirPlay v2 must be initiated from within an app that plays content.
If you continue to have issues with AirPlay, I recommend you get in touch with our technical support team who have tools at their disposal that will allow them to give you advice specific to your Sonos system and what it reports - there are things we can check for you.
I hope this helps.
+17Hi
Welcome to the Sonos Community!
I am sorry to hear that you are not happy with your new Beam Gen 2 + Era 100 setup as compared to the older Playbase + Play:1 system. I would not have expected to hear that, but I have not actually heard a Beam Gen 2 in person (and it’s been a long time since I heard PlayBase), so my opinion doesn’t count for much in this instance.
Hi Cory. I believe the sound issue is what many users, including myself have experienced when “upgrading” from an older speaker/Amp to a newer model. The older ZP100 and Playbar sounds so much warmer than the new Amp and Arc.
I swapped out my Playbar for the Arc last Christmas and was a little disappointed at first because side by side the Playbar outshines the Arc until you add the Sub and tune the system with Trueplay. The Arc defiantly fills the room more, but the sound is not as good as the Playbar. The sound is a bit harsh.. especially in the upper frequencies. I have to set the treble at -2 on the Arc to compensate for this.
The Amp is basically the same, but the added power for outdoor speakers is very welcomed!
I don’t know if this was intentional by Sonos or if the new hardware has something to do with it. But I believe it could be remedied with a software update approved by an audio engineer who has worked on analog equipment.
This is just my two cents that would hopefully be heard for many who can appreciate a good sounding speaker taking into account the small package of the end product.
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