Super speaker to match your TV
Your screen is big but your sound is small? Sonos can fix that...
Television has never been better. And the last few years have also brought innovations in tech that mean those big budget dramas and documentaries look better than we imagined they ever could. The one niggling negative though has been the sound. As you make TVs thinner, sound suffers as speakers just have to get smaller.
Audio company Sonos has looked at how we watch TV and its newly launched Playbase could be the answer for you if your sound has shrunk as your TV has grown.
The Playbase is a big speaker that sits on a stand or piece of furniture under your television. It’s unfair to call it a speaker, in fact it has 10 speakers inside. There are six midrange speakers, three tweeters and a woofer, each with its own dedicated digital amplifier.
The Playbase is beautifully designed. It’s 72cm by 38cm, and should fit comfortably on any TV stand or corner unit. As it’s super slim at just under 6cm, it neatly slid in under my TV screen.
Setting up the Playbase is easy. There are just three ports on the
back, including an Ethernet port and the power lead socket. Also, there is an optical input where you plug the audio cable from your TV. After that you need to download the free Sonos app for iOS or Android.
The app lets you select different room set-ups and if you have existing Sonos speakers the app will manage all of them. One of the most important features is the built-in Trueplay technology. The app listens to the test sounds the Playbase emits and analyses the room shape, furnishings and acoustics and you end up with a speaker that’s customised for your own home.
The app also has access builtin for music services like Spotify and Tidal as well as TuneIn Radio, and they sound great. But this is a first and foremost a TV speaker. And it’s not just aimed at movie watchers. The audio breadth it adds to sports is wonderful and the dialogue on TV shows, or even the news was crystal clear and sharp. The app has a clever night setting mode, so you don’t get those sudden, loud explosions while everyone else is in bed. Quiet sounds will be enhanced for easier late night viewing and there’s also a dialogue enhancement mode to improve clarity of the actors voices. There’s no need to add a subwoofer, unlike most soundbar set-ups, and the experience would be enhanced even further by adding a couple of Sonos 1 small wireless speakers at the back of the room. The Playbase isn’t a cheap option, but with great looks, remarkable functionality and rich, deep sound it could be the only speaker your living room wants.