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Sonos the Company that changed the whole attitude to sound and sound management with their wireless enabled technology has done it again with the launch of a new wireless soundbar that delivers 3 channel sound in standalone mode and 5.1 channel sound when hooked up to other Sonos kit.
During a first look demonstration SmartHouse was blown away by the sheer quality and output of the new Sonos offering which not only looked slick but sounded better than a lot of other sound bars we saw at the 2013 CES.
The $995 Playbar can be paired with two Sonos Play:3 wireless speakers, to create a 5.1-channel wireless home theatre speaker system. Playbar can also be paired with the company’s Sonos Sub wireless subwoofer. Sonos do not recommended pairing with their Play 5 speakers at this stage.
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During the past year Sonos has witnessed 60% growth globally and over 100% domestically in Australia.
Called the Sonos Playbar the new offering can be easily connected using a tablet, iPhone or Android smartphone.
Eliminating the need for a receiver, the new Playbar complements existing Sonos wireless speakers and subwoofer and can be linked to a TV using a new proprietary based cloud service.
The service remembers TV remotes settings for volume and channel control and if a remote is not present and has never before been connected to a Sonos device, the new technology automatically logs the settings for the next user who logs onto the cloud based service.
The slim looking Soundbar consists of exposed aluminium with high performance speaker fabric wrapped around the bar. Under the slick looking cloth are nine individually amplified speakers: six mid-woofers that deliver deep, rich low-frequency sounds and three tweeters for that delivered crystal clear high-frequency sound when either an audio or movie track was played.
The design eliminates the need for a subwoofer or any form of speaker cable.
Built-in sensors automatically adjust EQ and channel orientation so it can lie flat in front of a TV or be rotated for low profile wall-mounting.
Whether you are playing a game like Need for Speed or watching Star Wars, the output sound is impressive especially as the Playbar only costs $995.
The advanced speaker array when combined with the Sonos software creates a surprisingly wide soundstage beyond the physical soundbar, while maintaining crisp, centred vocals. Whether you are watching a movie, playing a game or streaming a song from JB Hi Fi Now, Pandora or Spotify, the new Playbar sounds very clear.
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The new Playbar which will be available from JB Hi Fi and specialty dealers from today is set to hurt several brands that rely on a subwoofer or complicated set up process to deliver a similar sound experience.
Designed for easy setup the Playbar connects to the TV with a single optical cable, playing everything that is connected to it, including set top boxes, Blu-ray players and game consoles.
It automatically detects common audio output from a TVs including Dolby Digital. Customers can control the volume or mute with a regular TV remote or via a Sonos app running on an iPhone, iPad, Android, Mac or PC.
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During our first look we found it difficult to fault the new Sonos offering. The combination of price, audio output, design and the easy set up sets this beast apart. Like all of the other Sonos components, this will be a massive winner that will leave a lot of Hi Fi designers simply scratching their heads as their complicated systems suddenly look very old.
