Sonos Playbar

3163 reviews

Dec, 2024

Positive
usability (1511)
sound (535)
design (294)
size (152)
reliability (94)

Negative
price (621)

General overview
Price comparison

alaTest has collected and analyzed 3163 reviews of Sonos Playbar. The average rating for this product is 4.5/5, compared to an average rating of 4.3/5 for other products in the same category for all reviews. Reviews about the reliability and size are on the whole positive. The design and sound also get good comments. There are some mixed views about the connectivity, and many are critical about the price.

usability, sound, design, size, reliability

price

We analyzed user and expert ratings, product age and more factors. Compared to other products in the same category the Sonos Playbar is awarded an overall alaScore™ of 93/100 = Excellent quality.

Review analysis

(Based on 3163 reviews)

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Review Ratings

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Showing 1 - 853 of 2086 Show Reviews: in English | in other languages (1057)

Consumer review (amazon.co.uk)

Amazon.co.uk review summary for Sonos Playbar

alaTest has collected and analyzed 186 user reviews of Sonos Playbar from Amazon.co.uk. The average user rating for this product is 4.4/5, compared to an average user rating of 4.4/5 for other products in the same category on Amazon.co.uk. Reviews about the reliability and size are overall positive. The design and sound also get good feedback. Many are negative about the price.

usability, sound, design, size, reliability

price

91% of the reviews on Amazon.co.uk give this product a positive rating.

Dec, 2024

Consumer review (amazon.com)

Amazon.com review summary for Sonos Playbar

alaTest has collected and analyzed 642 user reviews of Sonos Playbar from Amazon.com. The average user rating for this product is 4.4/5, compared to an average user rating of 4.2/5 for other products in the same category on Amazon.com. Reviews about the reliability and size are on the whole positive. The design and sound also get good reviews, but views are divided on the price.

usability, sound, design, size, reliability

89% of the reviews on Amazon.com give this product a positive rating.

Dec, 2024

Consumer review (amazon.ca)

Amazon.ca review summary for Sonos Playbar

alaTest has collected and analyzed 15 user reviews of Sonos Playbar from Amazon.ca. The average user rating for this product is 4.5/5, compared to an average user rating of 4.4/5 for other products in the same category on Amazon.ca. Reviewers are impressed by the reliability. The usability also gets good feedback. Many are critical about the price.

usability, reliability

price

93% of the reviews on Amazon.ca give this product a positive rating.

Dec, 2024

Expert review by (engadget.com)

Sonos Playbar review: an excellent (and expensive) home theater addition

Sonos' Playbar makes an excellent addition to your living room, but only well-heeled music lovers can afford one.

Simple set up ; Great, room-filling sound for a soundbar ; Top-notch build quality

Expensive ; Mobile app needs a better UI

Sonos' Playbar is an expertly constructed, excellent-sounding soundbar, but at $700 it poses a significant challenge; it's hardly an impulse buy. Pair it with a Sub for a truly great home theater audio experience, and that tally rises to $1,300 or...

Mar, 2013

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Expert review by : Matthew Moskovciak Steve Guttenberg (cnet.com)

Sonos Playbar review: A sound bar for Sonos disciples

The Sonos Playbar is cleverly designed and does great fake surround, but it's better-suited to current Sonos customers than newcomers.

The ; integrates the company's best-in-class digital music software into a thoughtfully designed sound bar. It's dead simple to set up and works seamlessly with other Sonos products, and can even be expanded to a true wireless 5.1 system by adding the...

The Playbar's heavily processed sound won't please purists. It's also expensive and there are considerably better-sounding alternatives in its price range. Many buyers would be fine with cheaper AirPlay or Bluetooth alternatives.

The Sonos Playbar is cleverly designed and does great fake surround, but it's better suited to current Sonos customers than newcomers.

Feb, 2014

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Expert review by : Jamie Lendino (pcmag.com)

Sonos Playbar

The Sonos Playbar delivers impressive volume levels and its companion mobile app is very well designed, but this slick soundbar comes with some compromises.

Smooth overall sound quality. Surprisingly effective low-end response given the lack of a subwoofer. Flexible wireless streaming. Doesn't distort on deep bass at high volumes.

Requires wired Ethernet unless you already have a Sonos Bridge. No hardware remote control. Highly processed sound isn't for purists.

Performance and Conclusions The Playbar packs nine Class-D amplifiers to power six midrange drivers and three tweeters. Sonos also sells the Sub ($599 direct), which is designed to pair seamlessly with the Playbar, as well as individual Play:3 ($299...

Mar, 2013

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Expert review by : Thomas Houston (theverge.com)

Sonos Playbar review: wireless audio invades your living room

The simple home stereo is struggling in the digital world. Little black boxes and audio sources are proliferating under the TV, remotes litter the coffee table, and docks clutter the bedroom and...

Ease of setup and use ; Offers true wireless 5.1 ; Fantastic sound for movies and TV

No 3.5mm input ; Apps feel clunky ; Over-reliant on optical audio ; Not ideal for music listening

Mar, 2013

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Expert review by : Rick Broida (wired.com)

Review: Sonos Playbar

It's universally acknowledged that TV speakers suck. And it's widely known that Sonos makes awesome wireless speakers. Light bulb!

Elegant, décor-friendly design. Sounds heavenly. Plays music, too, from all your favorite sources. Optional wireless surround-sound courtesy of Sonos Play:3 speakers

Lacks a dedicated remote. Like all Sonos gear, it’s priced to make you cry. Not much bass, unless you add the company’s 0 subwoofer (more tears). Requires an Ethernet connection or Sonos Bridge

Mar, 2013

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Expert review by : Matthew Moskovciak (cnet.com)

Sonos Playbar review

Sonos perfected multiroom digital music for the home. It wasn't the first company to take on the task, but Sonos' system is so easy to use and undeniably superior that it's easy to recommend, even at a premium price.

The Sonos Playbar integrates the company's best-in-class digital music software into a thoughtfully designed sound bar. It's dead simple to set up and works seamlessly with other Sonos products, and can even be expanded to a true wireless 5.1 system by...

The Sonos Playbar is cleverly designed and does great fake surround, but it's better suited to current Sonos customers than newcomers.

Mar, 2013

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Expert review by : Hubert Nguyen (ubergizmo.com)

Sonos PLAYBAR Review

With the prices of large-screen TVs plummeting, there has been a spike in flat TV purchases, and data show that televisions are getting ever bigger....

SONOS BRINGS A BLEND OF QUALITY, DESIGN AND CONVENIENCE THAT IS VERY HIGH, UNIQUE

Dec, 2014

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Expert review by : Chris Davies (slashgear.com)

Sonos PLAYBAR Review

Movie and TV audio for music lovers: that's how Sonos describes its new PLAYBAR, the first product from the whole-home audio company to tackle sound that comes with moving pictures, rather than audio for its own sake. Speaker-bars aren't a new concept,...

Sonos took its time creating the PLAYBAR, and that consideration shows both in how it sounds and how easy it is to setup and use. Certainly, at $699/£599/€699 it’s expensive when compared to a regular speaker-bar. You can find those for a couple of...

Mar, 2013

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Expert review by : Dimitris Katsaounis (rtings.com)

Sonos Playbar Review

The Sonos Playbar is an older 3.0 soundbar alright for mixed use. Although its sound profile is slightly bright, it still sounds fairly neutral and is good for v...

Great center channel performance for dialogue in movies. Solid well-built design. Fairly balanced sound profile. Easily upgradable setup.

Lacks sub-bass. No Full HDMI In ports.

The Sonos Playbar is alright for mixed use. Its sound is suitable for most audio content, like vocal-centric genres like podcasts or TV shows. However, it lacks sub-bass and won't be ideal for bass-heavy music or action movies. It also has poor...

May, 2020

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Expert review by : Michael Brown (techhive.com)

Review: Sonos's Playbar is a great soundbar for its price

The Playbar is one of the best soundbars in its price range, but it can't compete with a midrange AV receiver and a 5.1-channel speaker configuration.

Can be integrated into a Sonos whole-home audio system ; Very good sound with both movies and music ; Versatile setup options ; Just two wires: TOSlink and power

Not a surround-sound system ; Lacks in-your-face bass response ; Doesn't support Dolby TrueHD or DTS-HD Master Audio

If you already have a traditional home theater audio system with an AV receiver, three or more speakers up front, a subwoofer, and two discrete surround channels, there’s no reason to switch to the Playbar; you’ll be disappointed if you do. If you’re...

Mar, 2013