Playbase or single Play:5 for TV

  • 6 October 2017
  • 2 replies
  • 2574 views

I've been contemplating Sonos for quite a while, but having built my house with mostly in-walls and ceiling, I had a hard time justifying. Now with the Alexa integration, I'm taking another look. My whole house system could easily be retrofitted with 6 or so Sonos Connect devices, but before getting there, I'd like to try it out. So I figured my family room TV could use an update, currently using an old 2.1 setup with no integration into my whole house system. So my thought was to get a Playbase, which I would use equally for TV and Music. But I was a little worried about the bass so I thought the Play:5 might be a good option, especially when on sale for $399. Regardless of the 70ms delay when using the P5, thoughts? I don't mind spending 300 more for the Playbase if the bass is on par with the P5. Not sure the optical connection to get dolby digital is all that important either as I never plan to add 5.1, I have a 7.4.2 home theater already. Basically, talk me into the Playbase.

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2 replies

Userlevel 3
Badge +6
While the 5 is a very capable speaker, it was not designed for use with the TV.
Even if you have no issues with the delay its still rather limiting as tv speakers.

Base and bar were specifically designed for tv and has some tv specific functions, speech enhancement, night mode.

I used the 5 myself with a tv for a while and it was good, but not compared to a bar (dont have a base)

In the same vain im not a fan of using the bar for music. Its good but im not a fan of the sound stage it projects.
Userlevel 5
Badge +11
It's rarely a good idea to use a product differently than it is intended. If you want to use Sonos with your television then Playbase/bar are going to be the most reliable route. It isn't worth the potential complications to do otherwise.