Sonos has long been the best modular audio system you could put into your home for unlimited music in every room, but now the company is changing the game. With the introduction of the Sonos PLAYBAR, a sound bar for your television and home theater set up, you’re now able to use Sonos’ existing speakers and subwoofer along with the PLAYBAR to provide wireless, high-definition audio for your movie and TV-watching experience.
The PLAYBAR itself features nine individually amplified speakers angled in different directions to fill your room with sound, and that includes six mid-woofers and three tweeters. Using hardware and software together, Sonos is betting that the company can replicate the left and right speakers, in addition to the center speaker, with amazing reproduction and clarity.
A feature I love is that you can mount the sound bar directly on the entertainment console or on the wall and Sonos will figure out what orientation the unit is in, correctly adjusting its output to either scenario. You can also add in the Sonos SUB and it will work with the PLAYBAR, as well as Sonos PLAY3 units to be used as left and right rear surround speakers for a full 5.1 experience.
The PLAYBAR will go on sale soon and be available for $699.
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – February 12, 2013 – Sonos, Inc., the leading manufacturer of wireless audio systems, today introduced SONOS PLAYBAR™, the soundbar for music lovers. PLAYBAR brings immersive HiFi sound to the TV and, being a full Wireless HiFi System, streams all the music on earth through one easy-to-use player. HiFi meets HiDef globally beginning March 5. To see a preview video of PLAYBAR, visit http://www.sonos.com/playbar.
“Sonos has transformed the way people listen to music throughout the home and now we’re bringing our wireless HiFi approach to home theater,” said John MacFarlane, CEO, Sonos, Inc. “PLAYBAR will change everything about the sound experience in your living room, bringing together amazing HiFi sound for your TV and wireless access to the world’s music in a radically simple way.”
The sophisticated all-in-one design of PLAYBAR combines exposed aluminum with high performance speaker fabric for a look that’s timeless, understated and because it does not require a subwoofer or speaker wire, easily fits into any room and setup. Its built-in sensors help PLAYBAR automatically adjust EQ and channel orientation so it can lie flat on the TV stand or rotate for low profile wall-mounting above or below the TV.
Under the hood, PLAYBAR gets its punch from nine individually amplified speakers: six mid-woofers to deliver deep, rich low-frequency sounds, and three tweeters for crystal clear high-frequency detail. PLAYBAR’s advanced speaker array technology combines hardware and software to create a surprisingly wide soundstage beyond the physical soundbar, while maintaining crisp, centered vocals. Whether you are watching a movie, playing a game or streaming a song from Pandora or Spotify, PLAYBAR will always sound much clearer, not just louder.
Designed for easy setup and use, PLAYBAR connects to the TV with a single optical cable, playing everything that is connected to it, including cable boxes, Blu-ray players and game consoles. It understands common audio formats output by TVs including Dolby® Digital. Customers can control the volume or mute with a regular TV remote or with one of the free Sonos Controller apps for iPhone, iPad, Android, Mac or PC. PLAYBAR works seamlessly within the Sonos wireless audio family: Pair PLAYBAR with the award-winning SONOS SUB for deep waves of spine-curling, jaw-dropping sound and add a pair of PLAY:3s to act as wireless surround speakers for an immersive 5.1 home theater surround sound experience.
PLAYBAR will retail for $699 USD (€699, £599) and will be available for purchase at Sonos.com, Amazon.com, Best Buy / Magnolia Home Theater, P.C. Richard & Son and many other retailers around the world. For more information on SONOS PLAYBAR, including technical specifications and more, please visit Sonos.com/playbar.
Sonos also released a free software update for the Sonos Wireless HiFi System. Sonos System Software 4.0 introduces enhancements that make it faster and easier to play all the music on earth. Sonos Favorites provides one-touch access to your favorite music from any Sonos source (music library, streaming services and radio stations), right from the music menu. The Sonos Controller for Android features a new widget that allows you to control Sonos directly from your Android home screen. Plus, the Sonos Controller for iPhone has been optimized for the larger screen of the iPhone5. The free one-button software update is available now.
