Sonos Playbase

Clear, powerful audio regardless of whether you're watching a movie or listening to music ; Music streaming is a unique feature in the home theater speaker market. ; Simple setup ; Excellent industrial design ; Easy to convert to a wireless 5.1...

Expensive, particularly if you're building a 5.1 setup ; The lovely white finish scratches and scuffs easily ; Stereo separation isn't as good as you'll get with a true multi-speaker setup

As I noted earlier, the Playbase is an extremely compelling one-speaker option for the living room, particularly if you're a music fan. It's easy to set up and adds very little complexity to most TV rigs; not having to run lots of cords is a huge win...

High-impact bass ; Wide sound field ; Great stereo effects ; Dead simple to use ; Add Sonos speakers for 5.1 system

Limited inputs/ relies on TV audio output quality

If you need something other than a soundbar or full-on component speaker system to improve your TV and movie-watching experience, the Sonos Playbase is an outstanding option. At $700 it is indeed expensive, but it sounds great, is easy to use, and it...

Easy setup ; Excellent, balanced sound ; Makes a great music speaker, too

Expensive ; Lacks DTS and HDMI connectivity ; No mics for our voice assistant future

Great sound, but a tough sell if you haven't already bought into Sonos

Excellent overall audio performance. Large sound field with very good directional imaging for movies. Lots of streaming media options through the Sonos app. Can be expanded to a true 5.1-channel surround system.

Lacks ultra-low frequency, subwoofer-like presence. Can only use other Sonos speakers for 5.1 setup. No Bluetooth.

The Sonos Playbase is a pricey but powerful one-piece sound system. It stands well on its own, offering better bass response than single soundbars can generally produce, even if it lacks much power in the ultra-low frequencies. It integrates directly...

Big sound in a small package ; Beautiful build quality ; Easy setup ; Sounds just as good with music as TV audio

Expensive, especially for a surround system ; Won't work with non-IR remotes ; No DTS or Dolby Atmos support

Sounds fantastic with music ; Extremely low profile, yet it can support up to a 75-pound TV ; Can be expanded to a bona fide 5.1-channel surround-sound system ; Trueplay can customize the speaker’s sound to your room

You’ll need to add the $699 subwoofer to get chest-thumping bass in movie soundtracks ; Supports Dolby Digital only, not DTS or any of the higher-resolution codecs ; Toslink is the only audio input ; Sonos is unlikely to ever support high-resolution...

Any all-in-one speaker system is a compromise. You’ll trade the excitement of true surround sound for the convenience of easy connectivity and a much simpler footprint. If those tradeoffs are acceptable, the Sonos Playbase is one of the better products...

Really amazing natural sound ; Premium sleek design ; Works nicely with mobile devices ; Integrates with your TV remote

Pricey ; App setup takes some time to get through

No, the PLAYBASE isn’t for everyone. The price tag is going to scare many away and I agree that it’s hard to justify spending this much money. For those who do have the means and are willing to part with that cash, it’s going to be a very worthwhile...

The sound is balanced, and the room correction fixes problems. Increased chassis volume accommodates subwoofers.

It lacks HDMI inputs, and the sound is not as engaging as the best sound bases.

Sonos PlayBase sounds pretty good, with good fullness in the bass compared to a number of soundbars. It is also very user-friendly and supports many streaming services, just like other products by Sonos. Like Sonos PlayBar, it lacks the HDMI input. But...

A surprisingly salient special survey by Sonos says that something like 70 percent of slender-TV owners select to stand their set on a flat surface rather than sticking it on a wall. (Say that silently seven times.) Seriously—OK, that’s enough of...