Sonos Playbase is a small new Wi-Fi sound bar for the smart home

Alex Choros - Managing Editor + Group Telco Editor

Last updated 08 March 2017

Connected speaker manufacturer Sonos has unveiled the latest addition to its family of wireless music machines, a sound bar (or sound-plate) dubbed the Playbase. Designed to sit under your TV, the Playbase is a comparatively small oval-shaped speaker that's that just 5.8cm tall and can support a TV up to 35kg in weight.

In terms of tech specs, the Playbase's 72cm wide body has been kitted out with 10 drivers with dedicated amplifiers, six mid-range, three tweeters, and one woofer. The Playbase connects to TVs via an optical connection, and can be connected to other Sonos speakers via Ethernet or Wi-Fi. Support for audio over HDMI is notable omission. The Playbase can also be used to create a 5.1 setup in conjunction with a SUB and two Play:1s.

The Playbase compliments the Playbar in Sonos' family of connected speakers. While the Playbase is designed for TVs to sit atop of, Sonos says the Playbar is more so meant to go with wall-mounted TVs.

Existing Sonos owners can pre-order the $999 Playbase now in a choice of black or white ahead of global availability on April 4.

For those not familiar with the brand, Sonos builds speakers that connect to your home wireless network. This allows you to control multiple speakers from a companion app on either your smartphone or PC. Multiple speakers can be grouped to play the same song, or alternatively, each speaker can play a different track at the same time. They're almost like Bluetooth speakers on steroids.

While there's plenty of manufacturers fighting for a slice of the connected audio pie, Sonos stands out due to tight integration between hardware and software, simple setup, and the extensive list of third party streaming services (over 80 now) it integrates with.

Alex Choros

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Alex Choros is the Managing Editor of WhistleOut Australia and an award-winning journalist. He's been writing about consumer technology for over a decade and is an expert on the Australian telco sector, to the point where he knows far too many phone and internet plans by heart. In addition to leading the WhistleOut editorial team, Alex is responsible for ruining the office Sonos with his troubled taste in music.

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