Discussion
Posted this in the Computers and Gadgets section, probably better off in here...
Saw an ad for the Sonos Playbar recently, might be just what I'm after. Fancied a Sonos setup for a while now and also thinking about a soundbar for the TV as running cables for 5.1 around our lounge would be a bit of a mission. The Playbar, it would seem, may be the answer to my prayers.
So, anyone got or played with one and if so, is it decent as far as soundbars go?
Also, some general Sonos questions which i guess will apply to most Sonos remote speaker systems. How well does it work with iTunes running on a Windows PC? Will it stream what little DRM-encrypted music I do have? Does iTunes need to be running for it to work? Finally, my wife has her own user account on the PC and her own iTunes library, will these both be available through the Sonos app and speakers?
Anything else I should know about?
Ta in advance
Saw an ad for the Sonos Playbar recently, might be just what I'm after. Fancied a Sonos setup for a while now and also thinking about a soundbar for the TV as running cables for 5.1 around our lounge would be a bit of a mission. The Playbar, it would seem, may be the answer to my prayers.
So, anyone got or played with one and if so, is it decent as far as soundbars go?
Also, some general Sonos questions which i guess will apply to most Sonos remote speaker systems. How well does it work with iTunes running on a Windows PC? Will it stream what little DRM-encrypted music I do have? Does iTunes need to be running for it to work? Finally, my wife has her own user account on the PC and her own iTunes library, will these both be available through the Sonos app and speakers?
Anything else I should know about?
Ta in advance
How deep are your pockets for sonos's idea of a 5.1 system?
£1.5k buys you a bloody good system nowadays.
Add it all up, playbar & sub at £600 each
The 2 x Play:3 for the rears at £250 each
Ooo sorry that's £1700 ! For one input!
ROFLMAO!!!!
And I sell the stuff! it is great at the music and for simplicity, but this is a step to far.
V.
£1.5k buys you a bloody good system nowadays.
Add it all up, playbar & sub at £600 each
The 2 x Play:3 for the rears at £250 each
Ooo sorry that's £1700 ! For one input!
ROFLMAO!!!!
And I sell the stuff! it is great at the music and for simplicity, but this is a step to far.
V.
Edited by VEX on Monday 13th May 17:42
VEX said:
How deep are your pockets for sonos's idea of a 5.1 system?
£1.5k buys you a bloody good system nowadays.
Add it all up, playbar & sub at £600 each
The 2 x Play:3 for the rears at £250 each
Ooo sorry that's £1700 ! For one input!
ROFLMAS!!!!
And I sell the stuff! it is great at the music and for simplicity, but this is a step to far.
V.
I see your point but I was asking about the Playbar in isolation, if I was going for a 5.1 setup I wouldn't be spending that sort of money. The Playbar appeals because it's a soundbar for use with the TV and a Sonos system in one unit. I'm presuming the sub and additional satellite speakers are optional? If so, how does the Playbar sound on its' own, both as a sound bar and a music system?£1.5k buys you a bloody good system nowadays.
Add it all up, playbar & sub at £600 each
The 2 x Play:3 for the rears at £250 each
Ooo sorry that's £1700 ! For one input!
ROFLMAS!!!!
And I sell the stuff! it is great at the music and for simplicity, but this is a step to far.
V.
OP - sorry miss understood the idea when talking about Sonos and 5.1 in the same breath. If you not trying to do 5.1 with Sonos then the Playbar at makes quite a bit more sense. But it is still around the £600 mark.
However given the size of the speakers I would certainly want to add a sub, but that is the same price again!!!
GH - I suppose you could connect the optical input to an amp, but only if the amp had an optical out.
The playbar has an amp and digital decoder to either down mix or strip out the Front Left/Centre/Right signal coming from the optical / Toslink feed.
V.
However given the size of the speakers I would certainly want to add a sub, but that is the same price again!!!
GH - I suppose you could connect the optical input to an amp, but only if the amp had an optical out.
The playbar has an amp and digital decoder to either down mix or strip out the Front Left/Centre/Right signal coming from the optical / Toslink feed.
V.
anonymous said:
[redacted]
I presumed it wouldn't play audio from the TV and streamed over Sonos at the same time but when you say "either... or..." do you mean it can't even do that?I don't know what DTS-MA is, but I'd assumed that if I connected it to the TV via an optical cable the TV would just send all audio to the Playbar in some specific format and the Playbar would deal with it from there - I'm definitely no expert in this field though, maybe my assumption wasn't correct.
VEX said:
OP - sorry miss understood the idea when talking about Sonos and 5.1 in the same breath. If you not trying to do 5.1 with Sonos then the Playbar at makes quite a bit more sense. But it is still around the £600 mark.
However given the size of the speakers I would certainly want to add a sub, but that is the same price again!!!
Ah I see, sorry no - I meant using a soundbar as an alternative to a proper 5.1 system. I know it won't be as good but it would be much easier to install and remove if we moved house, for example.However given the size of the speakers I would certainly want to add a sub, but that is the same price again!!!
But, it isn't an alternative to a 5.1 system, not by a long chalk.
It is what is described as a 3.0 system, using 3 speakers for the front left, center and right audio that is usually processed in a 5.1 system. Hence the need to add a Sub, (3.1) and two play:3's as rears to get up to a 5.1 system.
I am not saying don't consider it, I am saying look at it with an understanding of where it fits in the market.
Hope that helps.
V.
It is what is described as a 3.0 system, using 3 speakers for the front left, center and right audio that is usually processed in a 5.1 system. Hence the need to add a Sub, (3.1) and two play:3's as rears to get up to a 5.1 system.
I am not saying don't consider it, I am saying look at it with an understanding of where it fits in the market.
Hope that helps.
V.
VEX said:
But, it isn't an alternative to a 5.1 system, not by a long chalk.
It is what is described as a 3.0 system, using 3 speakers for the front left, center and right audio that is usually processed in a 5.1 system. Hence the need to add a Sub, (3.1) and two play:3's as rears to get up to a 5.1 system.
I am not saying don't consider it, I am saying look at it with an understanding of where it fits in the market.
Hope that helps.
V.
I think what he's saying VEX is that for HIM it's an alternative rather than a 'true' alternative. He's looking at this rather than going the whole hog of 5.1 if you see what I mean. It is what is described as a 3.0 system, using 3 speakers for the front left, center and right audio that is usually processed in a 5.1 system. Hence the need to add a Sub, (3.1) and two play:3's as rears to get up to a 5.1 system.
I am not saying don't consider it, I am saying look at it with an understanding of where it fits in the market.
Hope that helps.
V.
Yes, that's about right. My understanding was that soundbars are pseudo-surround sound, obviously it can't be as good as a 5.1 or 7.1 system (and I'm not expecting it to be) but will give a fuller, more dimensional sound to movies than the internal speakers in a TV. The reason I'm considering the Sonos one is because I'm also after something that can stream music from my iTunes and potentially Spotify account as well and do it in a slick, wife-friendly manner.
8bit said:
Yes, that's about right. My understanding was that soundbars are pseudo-surround sound, obviously it can't be as good as a 5.1 or 7.1 system (and I'm not expecting it to be) but will give a fuller, more dimensional sound to movies than the internal speakers in a TV. The reason I'm considering the Sonos one is because I'm also after something that can stream music from my iTunes and potentially Spotify account as well and do it in a slick, wife-friendly manner.
I've been looking at the playbar and have come to the conclusion that I would be better off spending £300 on a sound bar sub combo from Yamaha or samsung then buying a play 3/5 to go with it the benifit of this is that they play 3/5 can be moved around the house if someone is watching tv Long-time lurker here (12 years), but never really post, but this thread is relevant to me! I need a little bit of help, as I am a complete dinosaur when it comes to tech. Just moved in with my O/H, and my AV stuff is causing "concern" with her! OK, help me out!
I have a 32" LCD Samsung TV (3 years old) which has its audio going through my Denon audio unit into 2 little Mission speakers. Hooked up to the tv is our Humax tv recorder, Apple TV (1st gen)and Sony Blue-Ray player. What I want to do is get rid of the Denon audio system and speakers (the bone of contention being the amount of wires and the speakers), but still have good sound for the tv and my music which is all on iTunes through my Apple TV. Surround sound doesn't really bother me if I'm honest as we live in a flat, however the ability to add extra speakers as and when we move (multi-room) would be an advantage as I don't like replacing kit that works.
So, my question (and please remember how technically inept I am!) is would a sound bar suit my purpose, and if so, can you recommend the Sonos one? I don't mind spending a little bit more on something that will last me, but I love my music, and my O/H is more of a tv/film buff.
Thanks for reading the waffle, sorry for the thread hijack, and thanks in advance for helping an OAP!
I have a 32" LCD Samsung TV (3 years old) which has its audio going through my Denon audio unit into 2 little Mission speakers. Hooked up to the tv is our Humax tv recorder, Apple TV (1st gen)and Sony Blue-Ray player. What I want to do is get rid of the Denon audio system and speakers (the bone of contention being the amount of wires and the speakers), but still have good sound for the tv and my music which is all on iTunes through my Apple TV. Surround sound doesn't really bother me if I'm honest as we live in a flat, however the ability to add extra speakers as and when we move (multi-room) would be an advantage as I don't like replacing kit that works.
So, my question (and please remember how technically inept I am!) is would a sound bar suit my purpose, and if so, can you recommend the Sonos one? I don't mind spending a little bit more on something that will last me, but I love my music, and my O/H is more of a tv/film buff.
Thanks for reading the waffle, sorry for the thread hijack, and thanks in advance for helping an OAP!
Well, I took the plunge and picked up my new Playbar on Wednesday. Agreed on teh fact that it looks fantastic, and feels very substantial. So easy to set up, sync my iTunes library and I haven't cranked the volume up too loud as yet, but on first listen to music last night, the quality of sound is absolutely fantastic for my needs. The bass level isn't as good as it was with my little Denon amp and Mission speakers, but I suspect the addition of the Sonos Sub at some point will answer that.
On the whole, expensive, but worth it. Oh, and a big mention to Matthew at Weybridge Audio who took me through teh whole process in a knowledgable and non-pushy manner. Heartily recommend him!
On the whole, expensive, but worth it. Oh, and a big mention to Matthew at Weybridge Audio who took me through teh whole process in a knowledgable and non-pushy manner. Heartily recommend him!
Well that must make me a girl then because I don't like the wiring rat's nest.
Which is why I bought a Samsung HW E551
Perhaps not the ultimate but price was right and it's fine in practice.
At the moment I am posting this on PH on my phone while the phone is simultaneously streaming the cricket from the BBC radio iplayer app and retransmitting it via bluetooth to the Samsung sound bar.
Mrs likes the no wires hates the cricket. Got to keep em on their toes.
Which is why I bought a Samsung HW E551
Perhaps not the ultimate but price was right and it's fine in practice.
At the moment I am posting this on PH on my phone while the phone is simultaneously streaming the cricket from the BBC radio iplayer app and retransmitting it via bluetooth to the Samsung sound bar.
Mrs likes the no wires hates the cricket. Got to keep em on their toes.
FiF said:
Well that must make me a girl then because I don't like the wiring rat's nest.
Which is why I bought a Samsung HW E551
Perhaps not the ultimate but price was right and it's fine in practice.
At the moment I am posting this on PH on my phone while the phone is simultaneously streaming the cricket from the BBC radio iplayer app and retransmitting it via bluetooth to the Samsung sound bar.
Mrs likes the no wires hates the cricket. Got to keep em on their toes.
I was looking at the Samsung HW E551 at lunchtime, since VEX and Toxicnerve put me off the Sonos Playbar.Which is why I bought a Samsung HW E551
Perhaps not the ultimate but price was right and it's fine in practice.
At the moment I am posting this on PH on my phone while the phone is simultaneously streaming the cricket from the BBC radio iplayer app and retransmitting it via bluetooth to the Samsung sound bar.
Mrs likes the no wires hates the cricket. Got to keep em on their toes.
But now I've seen the earlier comments about the Playbar sound quality, and I'm no hifi geek, perhaps I will have one....
I will, however, have Sonos 5 & 3 elsewhere in the house too.
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