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Fantspak
Fantspak
Avid Contributor I
April 6, 2019
Answered

For Playbase owners: sibilant, crispy treble is a problem?

Hi everyone! I am just about to buy a sonos device for a 5.1. Main device will not be wall-mounted so I have decided going for the playbase. I am just little worried about an apparent sibilant, crispy annoying treble. It will be used mainly for Cinema and Videogames. Is there really an annoying issue with the treble in the playbase? Should I go for the Beam or the Playbar, knowing that I will not use it wall-mounted?

Thanks a lot!
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    BeagleAnswer
    Enthusiast I
    April 6, 2019
    There was justified criticism of the playbase when it was launched, and quite rightly too. However there was a software update some time ago that really did change the annoying sibilant audio especially with vocals. I could certainly hear a big difference and am pleased and surprised that Sonos listened to their critics. Now if they’d only add DTS support even as a paid upgrade I’d be even happier! Personally I prefer the playbase sound quality and it fits under my tv much more easily and discreetly than a play bar.
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    5 replies

    BeagleAnswer
    Enthusiast I
    April 6, 2019
    There was justified criticism of the playbase when it was launched, and quite rightly too. However there was a software update some time ago that really did change the annoying sibilant audio especially with vocals. I could certainly hear a big difference and am pleased and surprised that Sonos listened to their critics. Now if they’d only add DTS support even as a paid upgrade I’d be even happier! Personally I prefer the playbase sound quality and it fits under my tv much more easily and discreetly than a play bar.
    nik9669
    Collaborator II
    April 6, 2019
    I’ve only had a (pre-owned) Playbase for about 4 months but I’ve not had any issues with sibilance or over-bright treble. I came from a Linn wired system to (initially) just a Playbase. Deciding I liked the Sonos sound and environment - there are some things to keep in mind when setting it up to ensure they work on your network without IP address conflicts, Wi-fi interference and the like - I’ve added surrounds (One’s) and a Play:5. More will come soon...
    jnak
    Prominent Collaborator I
    April 6, 2019
    The Playbase's treble does tend to the brighter side, but I have not had any problems with sibilance. Sibilance bugs me a lot, so I would have noticed
    Fantspak
    FantspakAuthor
    Avid Contributor I
    April 6, 2019
    Thanks a lot everyone!
    I will go for the playbase.:D
    Mcage2
    Lyricist III
    February 3, 2020

    Well, I don't have playbase but REALLY struggling with sibilance on play 1 and Pkay 5 2nd gen. It's so bad I can't enjoy listening more then 5 min before getting too frustrated about it.

    Harsh trebbles, piercing sibilance with everything that comes close to an S..

    (Yeah yeah, it's with all sources been tidal hires)

     

    When this started don't know.. but with all Sonos mess ups lately let this be the first thing to fix. Already starting to look at Sonos alternatives as for now its waisted money to me

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