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lasporty
Trending Lyricist I
January 23, 2018
Question

i've driven myself crazy! playbar or playbase

hello everyone. let me start my saying I LOVE SONOS!! as with most here, my addiction started with small and now it's grown considerably. i'm looking to completely replace a very old Bose 5.1 HT system. my issue is i'm having a heck of a time deciding between the playbar and playbase (my physical setup will accommodate both). i already have the Sonos sub and (2) play:3 for rears. all the salespeople have recommended the playbar, but i'm seeing great reviews for the playbase. i know i can't go wrong with either, but which will give me the best experience if i'll be listening to music 70% of the time and movies 30%? thanks in advance
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    7 replies

    deljaso
    Lyricist III
    January 23, 2018
    I don't know if you have somewhere to listen to them -- but I have listened to them at Best Buy before. To me, hands down the playbar sounded a LOT better. However, I don't know if the demo is set up wrong or something, because the reviews I've read online say that they are almost the same. In the demo system I listened to, the playbar went a lot louder.

    I would probably get the playbar anyways, simply for the form factor. When I upgrade my TV, I don't want to worry if it will fit on the playbase -- and my current tv does not fit on the base, so that makes the choice a lot easier in my case.
      308bushmaster
      Lyricist II
      January 23, 2018
      Playbar
        lasportyAuthor
        Trending Lyricist I
        January 23, 2018
        thank you so much for your reply deljaso! i had not considered whether or not the playbase will fit when i decide to upgrade my television which is something i plan to do in the future. i too listened to them at best buy and like you i found that the playbar does sound better. i'm just concerned that the playbar will be updated in the not too distant future and i will wish i would have waited. Sonos hasn't made any announcements stating such and i don't have a crystal ball so there is no way to be certain.
        lasportyAuthor
        Trending Lyricist I
        January 23, 2018
        thanks 308bushmaster! i'm strongly leaning in the playbar's direction.
        kirkfitz
        Lyricist II
        January 24, 2018
        I drove myself crazy as well, and went to the Sonos store in NYC to compare each in their isolation rooms. TBH, the biggest difference is adding a SUB, regardless of Playbase/Playbar. The added woofer added a little to the range of the Base without a sub, but since you have a Sub, I don't think that's a differentiating factor.

        I ended up with the Playbase and very happy with it! Trueplay tuning helped a lot with the high freq's and vocal range.
        Playbase + SUB + 2 Play:3 + 3 Sonos One + 2 Play:1 + Pre-Ordered Beam
          bockersjv
          bockersjv
          Local Superstar
          January 24, 2018
          I find the Playbase to be excellent with Bass as strong, if not a little stronger than the Play 5. I added my sub, that I normally have in a garden room, for a day and found it too much for general TV listening.
            308bushmaster
            Lyricist II
            January 24, 2018
            You're welcome, and good luck on your next Sonos experience.
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