Sonos has announced PLAYBASE, the latest addition to its wireless home sound system and the newest speaker in their home theater lineup.
Inspired by the simple insight that up to 70% of all TVs stand on furniture and are not mounted to the wall, PLAYBASE is a thin, yet powerful speaker that sits discreetly under the TV. Priced at $699 US and available in both black and white, PLAYBASE will be available globally starting on April 4, 2017.
At just 58 mm in height and packing 10 drivers, PLAYBASE offers everything you’d expect from a Sonos speaker – great sound when the TV is on and music all the time when it’s off. It was designed to disappear into the home. Appearing as if it was cut from a single piece of granite, it challenges conventional expectations of sound from a thin speaker. The construction comes together with no visible seams resulting in incredibly clean lines, an ultra-flat top surface, and more than 43,000 holes that make up an acoustically transparent grill.
PLAYBASE was built from the ground-up by Sonos with unique manufacturing processes and materials to meet the level of quality Sonos stands by, including a complex insert molding process and a custom-designed glass-filled polycarbonate exterior to keep vibration to a minimum and withstand the weight of a TV for years to come.
Designed for TVs that aren’t wall-mounted, PLAYBASE is easy to control and set-up using just two cords (optical and power). It expands to other rooms when wirelessly connected to your Sonos home sound system, and is equal parts TV speaker and music speaker, with access to more than 80 music services. Later this year, like every other Sonos speaker, you’ll soon be able to control PLAYBASE using your voice and any Amazon Alexa enabled device. PLAYBASE and PLAYBAR are Sonos for your TV space, allowing listeners to choose the best set-up to fit any room.
Through a unique balance of hardware and software, all of PLAYBASE’s 10 custom-designed drivers with dedicated amplifiers – six mid-range, three tweeters, and one woofer – are powered by software to precisely control the sound coming from each transducer. The result is a sound stage much wider than the speaker itself.
With software, Sonos is able to deliver flexible control experiences – whether with your TV remote, Sonos app, or select partner apps—and add new features over time. This includes Trueplay, recently available for Sonos’ home theater products, which adjusts the sound of PLAYBASE to the specifics of any particular room. In addition, Dialogue Enhancement and Night Mode, both options within the Sonos App, allow for enhanced vocal clarity or toned down bass for loud action scenes.
Features:
– Two-in-one. Full-theater sound for your TV. Streams music, too.
– Low profile design that practically disappears. Sound you just can’t miss.
– Securely supports TVs up to 77 lbs (35 kg).
– Simple two-cord setup. One for power, one for your TV.
– Add SUB and two PLAY:1 rears for wireless 5.1 surround sound.
Current Sonos owners have access to an exclusive pre-order of PLAYBASE on sonos.com.
Available Apr 4, 2017.