I am looking at doing a new wireless home sound system. I am interested in the Sonos line of speakers. I would like if people can give me some feedback about their own experiences. I’m trying to decide between the new sound bar(beam) or the playbar. If I did the Beem I would also buy 2 play 1s for about the same cost.
Sonos
- Thread starter BGEgg
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The sound can’t really be beat. It’s quite amazing. Downsides are that you’re limited on what you can play out of it unless you have paid subscriptions to services like Spotify. Mine won’t even play all the songs on my iPhone playlist for some reason. It’s also a bit of a pain to reconnect if you change WiFi and don’t have a router nearby since you have to reconnect it using and Ethernet cable. Not a huge issue but our router is next door so it was a bit inconvenient since I had to disconnect it and carry it next door. You would think there would be an easier way to connect but for mine there isn’t.
I use mine for tunein radio in my apartment and that’s about it. Love the sound of it.
I use mine for tunein radio in my apartment and that’s about it. Love the sound of it.
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Tagging @bwhite220 - I think he has a setup like this or something similar
I’ve got four of the Play 1’s throughout my house and I love them. I stream my amazon music and Apple Music subscriptions to them. I also use TuneIn to play local radio stations. Mine also allows me to play music off my iPhone without issue. I have not ventured into the PlayBar yet, but it’s on my list. Good luck! Cheers
I have the playbar and subwoofer. I walked into Best Buy to listen to them. Playbar sounded amazing... then I made the mistake of turning on the subwoofer. Previously I had a Yamaha surround sound in a box, which sounded pretty good. I do slightly miss the rear speakers, but that's the main reason I got rid of the other system. With a small one, the cords and speaker stands would just be unsafe. The system was expensive, but totally worth it IMHO.
bwhite220
Brandon | BotM Jan 2038
^^^ Agreed ^^^
I have not listened to the Beam yet, but I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that:
- The Playbar sounds AMAZING - especially paired with the Sub
- The Beam will sound incredible because Sonos made it
Go listen to them both in person and let us know what you walk out with. Either way, I promise you'll be happy. ...and you'll be buying more Sonos products because they are freaking awesome.
Ive only got two play 5s and a play 1 but I love them! Playbar and sub are in my future.
FWIW - I worked for Best Buy for 20 years. Of all the soundbar setups the SONOS was by far the best. Yes, there is better sounding but in my opinion there is none at that price, that is that user friendly that just does what you want it to without spending thousands of dollars on a high end set up. Ive been a SONOS fan since I saw the prototype and gen 1 product.
Thanks for all the info. I decided to wait for Amazon Prime day. I got 2 Sonos Ones with $100 back in Amazon gift cards. Going to Best Buy tomorrow to hear the difference between the Beam and Playbar. I’ll let you all know.
i have the sonos and the Riva speakers... I'd say if you're going to use google home go w/ riva or alexa use sonos. if you arent using smart home, riva actually outperforms sonos on the bigger speakers, and has an easy blue tooth and line inaudio features.
We are not a Google home. All the smart products in the house are Apple except for an Amazon tower speaker, which was a gift, and also convinced me to buy the Sonos One. All the Apple products integrate seamlessly into the system. I can use satilite speakers for tv and computer sound. The only draw back I have seen so far was the price point and my Apple fan ass already spent too much on all the other components!
Not a Sonos, but a pair of these made my house sound pretty good.
Here is another vintage beauty that is the big brother to the one I posted above. It's an ElectroVoice Patrician and the one I am standing by is an EV Georgian. Both from the 50's and both extremely HTF. These were from the days of mono, so they sold only as single speakers. Most of them today are in Japan. Pairs of Patricians sell for about 10K today. They didn't use much plastic back then. Solid Walnut was popular.
Edit- it looks like the Patricians have gone up a little, they are now worth about $35K for a pair.
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While @Old Smokey made a good argument for $35k speakers, I went with the Beam and 2 play Ones. The Playbar was louder and had some more bass on its own, I didn’t like that it is older and the technology is a little behind. For what I am wanting currently the Beam works. When they update the Playbar I will buy one and move the Beam to my bedroom. With Amazon Prime Day I was able to do the Beam and 2 Play Ones for the same price as just the Playbar. Seemed like the best deal. Thanks for all the info. I will post some pictures once I get them all in place and mounted.
I've had Sonos for a few years now. It is great, and I believe they have a patent on the synchronized playing technology. If you don't care about having the same music in multiple rooms, there are cheaper options (bluetooth) that will be a little less convenient but waaaay cheaper. But Sonos is the gold standard for me.
I don't think Sonos shines as a home theater system, as it is just really expensive when compared to other 5.1 or 7.1 systems. Sonos is for playing music throughout your home. As such I've never found the soundbars to make a lot of sense unless you already have other Sonos stuff and need a soundbar.
Pro-tip: buying two Play:1s (or Sonos Ones now) and configuring them in a stereo pair is generally better than buying a Play:3 or a Play:5. I might argue it is better than the sound bars too depending on what you are going for. The sound stage that you get from two speakers in stereo on opposite sides of the room makes a huge difference. I have two Play:3s and would replace both with two Sonos Ones if I could.
Second Pro-tip: It wasn't heavily advertised when I researched, but the Play:1 is actually water "resistant", meaning the electronics are sealed, making it great for use in a bathroom or temporary outdoor use. I don't know if the Sonos One is but I suspect so. The 3 and 5 were not last time I checked.
I don't think Sonos shines as a home theater system, as it is just really expensive when compared to other 5.1 or 7.1 systems. Sonos is for playing music throughout your home. As such I've never found the soundbars to make a lot of sense unless you already have other Sonos stuff and need a soundbar.
Pro-tip: buying two Play:1s (or Sonos Ones now) and configuring them in a stereo pair is generally better than buying a Play:3 or a Play:5. I might argue it is better than the sound bars too depending on what you are going for. The sound stage that you get from two speakers in stereo on opposite sides of the room makes a huge difference. I have two Play:3s and would replace both with two Sonos Ones if I could.
Second Pro-tip: It wasn't heavily advertised when I researched, but the Play:1 is actually water "resistant", meaning the electronics are sealed, making it great for use in a bathroom or temporary outdoor use. I don't know if the Sonos One is but I suspect so. The 3 and 5 were not last time I checked.
bwhite220
Brandon | BotM Jan 2038
Did we just become best friends!?
bwhite220
Brandon | BotM Jan 2038
YUP!