The first thing I noticed was how well I could hear quiet conversations and how balanced they were with other loud noises during movies and TV shows. I didn’t once run into any audio issues that forced me to turn the volume up or down during an episode of Newsroom or while watching parts of Star Wars: Rogue One.
The audio sounded powerful and clean, especially during action scenes, and I was able to clearly hear a spaceship whiz from my right ear to my left as it blew across the screen. There’s no distortion in the audio, at least that I could hear, and I felt like I was sitting in a movie theater.
I’ve tested plenty of speakers over the years, but I don’t think I’ve ever been as impressed as I was the second I started playing music through the Sonos Playbase. The speaker was particularly impressive while I was watching Jason Aldean perform his song “Any Old Barstool” live during the Country Music Awards. I almost felt like I was in a private showing, at least if I closed my eyes, and could easily make out all of the instruments in the song and feel the natural-sounding base as I leaned back on my couch.
It was clear my home audio system had been upgraded at this point, especially in terms of clarity, volume and balance. Still, I missed the surround sound experience from my own soundbar, and unfortunately things get very expensive if you want a surround sound Sonos experience.
To do so, you’ll need to buy a pair of Sonos Play:1 speakers and a Sonos Sub to add to the Playbase, which means you’re looking at about another $400 (or $300 if you can find a bundle deal) for the Play:1 speakers and another $699 for the Sub. I was still pleasantly surprised with the Playbase, though, even without all of those add-ons.