Thin TVs are a thing now. Everyone likes their compact, modern and fitting design. The bad news is that a thin design leads to having weak speakers that worsen the whole TV and movie experience.
The sole reason why people began to invest in soundbars and soundbases was the desire to enhance their television experience.
So if you’re someone who wants to make their 4K TV sound as good as it looks, you’ll love what Sonos has to offer.
The Sonos Playbar and Playbase are different from all existing soundbars since you get access to all Sonos’s features. You can also use the Playbar and the Playbase as speakers and stream music directly from your smartphone.
The question is, which one should you get? Sonos makes it easy for you to choose, as it depends where you plan to put it:
- If you have a wall-mountable TV, the Playbar is a better option.
- If your TV stands on some kind of table or furniture, the Playbase is the way to go.
It’s as simple as that. While that’s the main difference between these two, there a few more things to consider. A lot of people mention noticing a sound difference, and that’s a crucial aspect.
Table of Contents
Sonos Playbase vs Playbar: Pros & Cons and Verdict
In this Sonos Playbar vs Playbase article, we’ll discuss, compare and rate the most important aspects of both devices. We’ll also present a few detailed charts and, lastly, come up with a reasonable verdict and crown one of these two as the leading product.
1. Setup Process
The first topic we have to discuss is the setup of Sonos Playbar and Playbase. Today, no one fancies reading manuals and watching guides on YouTube for hours to figure out how to complete what should be a simple task.
It’s essential for both of these Sonos devices to have simple installation processes. Otherwise, users will start looking for alternatives since a complicated setup drastically affects the user experience.
Setting up either of these two is dead simple. All you have to do is download the free Sonos mobile application on your Android/iOS device, and as long your Wi-Fi is working OK, you’ll have the Sonos Playbar/Playbase running in 5 minutes.
The app itself will you guide you through the whole setup process, and there’s no chance of messing up. If you still encounter any issues, refer to the user manual. It’s well-written. Reaching out to the Sonos support team is another option. Their customer care is superb.
2. Design
It’s crucial for all modern devices to have an eye-catching, fitting and beautiful design since everyone loves a product that fits with a sleek interior ‘look’. Since the Sonos Playbar and Playbase have the potential to contribute to (or detract from) a room’s aesthetics, it’s critical that they have an elegant design.
Sonos Playbase
A Soundbase is almost identical to a Soundbar. The minor difference is that the Soundbase is flatter, more compact and is designed to bear the weight of your TV. The Playbase is 2.3-inches thick and 14-inches deep, and it can hold a television of up to 74 lbs.
Sonos Playbase perfectly blends with modern TVs but quite often its elegance goes unnoticed. It’s available in two colours — black and white. While the black version looks more stylish, the white one also has a smart look.
The Playbase has six mid-range drivers, three tweeters and one subwoofer. You also get the Ethernet socket and an optical input. Unfortunately, the Playbase doesn’t support HDMI.
The front side of the Playbase has three buttons for play, pause and volume. They work perfectly and instantly respond when pressed.
Sonos Playbar
The Sonos Playbar Measures 85mm x 900mm x 140mm. It’s only available in black and you can either wall-mount it or place it on top of furniture. Compared to Playbase, the Playbar is bulkier in size.
Despite taking up great space, many argue that visually Playbar is a superior device. The Playbar is mostly covered with quality materials such as aluminium and its soft fabric grille. It’s nothing like the devices that are made of cheap plastic materials.
Like the Playbase, the Playbar is limited in terms of connections. We get two Ethernet sockets and an optical input. There are also buttons for play/pause and volume.
Playbar has the traditional Sonos ‘speaker-look’. Control buttons are present on the right-hand side of the device. So it doesn’t matter how you place the bar; and if you don’t have your phone, TV remote or tablet with you, simply use the control buttons to change volume or play/pause music.
3. Features
It’s crucial to know the features of both devices since it’s one of the main reasons why people purchase these gadgets. Hence we’ve created a detailed chart:
| SONOS PLAYBASE | SONOS PLAYBAR | |
|---|---|---|
| Amazon Alexa Integration | Amazon Alexa Integration | |
| Multi-Room Music | Multi-Room Support | |
| 5-Minute Setup | 5-Minute Setup | |
| Wireless Stream | Wireless Stream | |
| Compact Design | Wall Mountable | |
| Wi-Fi Support | Wi-Fi Support | |
| Mobile Application | Mobile Application | |
| Ethernet | Ethernet | |
| Works as a Speaker | Works as a Speaker | |
|
|
Sonos Playbar and Playbase have identical features. As we mentioned above, the only difference between these two is the sound. To find out which one takes the top spot, we’ll review the sound capabilities of both in the next paragraph.
4. Sound Quality
The crucial aspect of our comparison article is discussing the sound capabilities of both Playbar and Playbase. After all, if they don’t meet expectations, then there’s no point in making the required investment.
Playbase
If you’re used to depending on your TV’s speakers, installing the Playbase feels like heaven. You immediately appreciate the quality the Playbase offers, and you’ll instantly fall in love with it.
The previous ‘narrow sound’ from your TV is transformed into something resonant and encompassing. And this upgrade becomes even better if you pair the Playbase with Sonos speakers.
Do bear in mind that the sound is heavily linked with room acoustics. If you feel as though something is not right, use the ‘TruePlay’ feature in your mobile app (sadly, it’s only available for iOS) to stabilize the sound.
The low end sometimes feels a bit odd. While the volume and general dialogues are good, sound effects are at times quite loud. We also noticed that mids weren’t as clear as they should be.
Testing the Playbase with Netflix’ TV series ‘Stranger Things’ was a magnificent experience. The Sonos Playbase enhanced the whole experience and took it to another level. It’s so different from your TV’s regular speakers that I can’t put it into words.
Everything becomes 10x more enjoyable.
Besides the perks of TV, you can use the Playbase as a music speaker. Like every other Sonos speaker, the Playbase doesn’t disappoint. If you don’t want to invest in other speakers, it’s okay to use the Playbase as an all-purpose speaker.
If you can/want to go the extra mile, pairing a Playbase with PLAY:1 or PLAY:3, will enhance the sound even more.
Playbar
The driver setup of the Playbar is flawless. It produces a wide, detailed and clean sound. Positioning your soundbar is important, so ensure you follow the suggestions from Sonos. As verified by our tests, Playbar works much better in the upright position rather than sitting on its back.
First of all, you might not notice a huge difference if you pair your TV with a Sonos Play and turn on something like the news. Yes, your response is likely to be along the lines of ‘Oh, that sounds a lot richer’, but you didn’t spend that much money to make Ellen DeGeneres sound a bit better.
As soon as you stream some music or watch an action movie, however, your experience will transform. While the speaker could be a bit better (you can improve the flaws by pairing it with a Sonos Sub), it’s one step ahead of every other soundbar on the market.
The biggest advantage of Sonos Playbar is the fact that it never disappoints. Whenever you’re listening to music or watching a movie like Interstellar, the Playbar flawlessly does its job and you never have a feeling that it’s ‘trying too hard’.
The Playbar easily reproduces the bassline and never ever distorts.
In terms of audio quality, the Playbar is a bit better than the Playbase. A lot of buyers have reported this despite Sonos’ statement that both should sound about the same.
The price of the Playbar could be a bit frightening but it’s well worth it. What I can say here is that it definitely works and will enhance your experience while watching TV.
5. Mobile Application
It’s crucial for every modern device to have a functional mobile application. Since we’ll be using the Sonos app to control our Playbase and Playbar, it’s essential for the app to be easy to use and well-built.
Sonos’ app is very straightforward and intuitive, and I’ve rarely heard anyone complaining about the app malfunctioning.
What I love the most is the ability to stream music from popular sources like Spotify, Tidal, Apple Music, Pandora, Groove and many more. Plus, you can play your private collection using your computer and drive.
The ‘TruePlay’ is my favourite feature of the Sonos mobile application. The only drawback is that it’s uniquely available on iOS devices. If you own an Android smartphone, you’ll have to borrow your friend’s iPhone/iPad to tune the sound.
If you’re interested how the app looks on the inside, I’ve dropped a few pictures that show some parts of the application.
The one thing that would have made the app an out-of-the-box experience is if it could stream music, YouTube clips or video game sounds directly from your smartphone. It can still do it by having a cable and the 3.5mm jack, but it would be great if these were as directly accessible as Apple Music or Spotify.
In short, the Sonos’ app is flexible, straightforward and easy to use. It never bugs, glitches or freezes. It truly is an enjoyable experience.
6. Advantages and Disadvantages
Another topic we have to discuss is the pros and cons of Playbar and Playbase. It’s essential to know the advantages and disadvantages. Most importantly, we need to know if Sonos’ statement – that there’s no sound difference between these two – is true.
SONOS PLAYBASE
| PROS | CONS | |
|---|---|---|
| Wide Soundstage | No High-Res Audio Support | |
| Natural Bass | Not Suitable for Every Room | |
| Compact Design | No High-Res Support | |
| Works with Streaming Services | No HDMI | |
| Amazon Alexa Support | ||
| Straightforward Mobile Application | ||
| TruePlay | ||
| Easy Setup | ||
| Strong Build | ||
| Multi-Room Support | PURCHASE SONOS PLAYBASE |
PLAYBAR
| PROS | CONS | |
|---|---|---|
| Wide Soundstage | No High-Res Audio Support | |
| Natural Bass | Not Suitable for Every Room | |
| Compact Design | No High-Res Support | |
| Works with Streaming Services | No HDMI | |
| Amazon Alexa Support | ||
| Straightforward Mobile Application | ||
| TruePlay | ||
| Easy Setup | ||
| Wall-Mountable | ||
| Multi-Room Support | PURCHASE SONOS PLAYBAR |
While the features of both are identical, these two differ in audio quality. You might hear mixed opinions. Some claim that the Playbase has a better sound and some believe the Playbar is a superior device.
We’ve tested both devices side-by-side and while the Playbar sounded a bit better, we still believe that the preference is a matter of taste.
Note: that these two are not suitable to work in every room. In some cases, the Playbase might be better, and, in other instances, the Playbar could have a higher-ranking sound.
7. Support
If you encounter any issues with your speakers and can’t find answers in the user manual, simply reach out to the Sonos support team.
Sonos’ customer care is outstanding. I’ve reached out a few times and they’re top-notch. The response wait-time is minimal and they’re super-friendly.
So if you’re having difficulties, reach out. I’m sure they’ll help with all the issues you might be facing.
8. Comparison Chart: SONOS PLAYBASE vs PLAYBAR
Lastly, before concluding our comparison article, we’d like to directly compare the Sonos Playbar and Playbase.
| NAME OF DEVICE | PLAYBASE | PLAYBAR |
|---|---|---|
| Device Name | PLAYBASE | PLAYBAR |
| Amazon Alexa Support | Yes | Yes |
| Sound Quality | Good | Good |
| Mobile Application | Yes | Yes |
| Wi-Fi | Yes | Yes |
| Bluetooth | No | No |
| TruePlay | Yes | Yes |
| Wall-Mountable | No | Yes |
| Streaming Support | Good | Good |
| High-Res Support | No | No |
| Easy to Set Up | Yes | Yes |
| Multi-Room Support | Yes | Yes |
| Dimensions Of The Product | 14.96 x 28.35 x 2.28 in | 5.51 x 35.43 x 3.33 in |
| Problems | None | No |
| Unique Feature | TruePlay | TruePlay |
| Warranty | 1-year | 1-year |
| Check Price |
|
|
Both Playbase and Playbar are really good. Compared to other devices on the market, these two are way ahead. In terms of features, they are identical and there’s a minor difference in sound quality.
The Bottom Line
Sonos manufactures high-class, durable and working products. The Playbar and Playbase are the top-notch products that take the leading positions on the market.
Which one is a better choice depends on personal preferences. If you can afford it, we advise purchasing both and returning one after testing them side-by-side (Sonos offers a wonderful 100-day return policy).
If not, TV placement plays a key role. If your TV is wall-mounted, you should get the Sonos Playbar. Otherwise, Playbase should be your top choice.
If you haven’t decided how your TV cabinet will look, get the one that fits your personal taste. Don’t worry about the sound, the difference is so small that you’ll barely notice it.
[wp-review id=”1082″]
All in all, Sonos Playbase and Playbar are top-notch devices. These two offer quality, clean sound and high durability. They’ll surely exceed your expectations.
| Device | SONOS PLAYBASE | SONOS PLAYBAR |
| Amazon Link |
|
|
Leave a Reply