Hi everyone, I’m Carl with Abt.
Today we’re gonna take a look at a couple products that have gotten to be extremely
popular accessories with all these new TVs, the Bose ST300SB and the Sonos Playbar.
Which are, in my opinion, two of the best options out there for sound at this price
point.
They have a ton of features built in that will both enhance your listening experience,
and give you the ability to create a surround system, all without having to run wires all
over the place.
We’ve had a lot of people ask that we do a side by side rundown on these two specifically,
so here we go.
We’ll start off with the looks.
The Sonos is about 3 and a quarter inches high (3.35”), 35 and a half inches wide
(35.43”) and about 5 and a half inches tall (5.51”).
It has a durable cloth covering over the front drivers and a high quality, perforated metal
grill over the drivers on the sides.
You’ll also see a gray strip along the bottom of the speaker and the same gray finish along
the back.
On the right side, as you’re facing the speaker, are two buttons.
One to control the volume and one to play and pause.
These are also used to establish a connection with your smart devices.
On the back of the playbar you’ll find two ethernet ports, an optical connection, and
a power connection.
Under the speaker is a rubber rim that’s designed to keep the soundbar in place when
sitting on a flat surface but it’ll also prevent it from vibrating if it’s wall mounted.
Just be sure to remember if you’re wall mounting this speaker you’ll need the Playbar
mount accessory.
There’s a little infrared eye at the front right corner that will pick up your TV remote’s
signal and there’s also a repeater on the back in case the Playbar is covering the infrared
input on your TV.
Now let’s move on to the Bose.
The SoundTouch 300 is 2 and a quarter inches high, 38 and a half inches wide and 4 and
a quarter inches deep.
The top of the speaker is a single piece of premium glass and the front and sides are
wrapped in a perforated metal grill.
Towards the top left on the front of the speaker there are some indicator lights to let you
know extra details.
There is a wi-fi indicator, TV indicator that will tell you when dialogue mode is enabled
and indicators for Soundtouch, bluetooth and connectivity to other system components, like
a subwoofer or wireless rear speakers.
On the back of the speaker you’ll find all the connections.
There’s an HDMI output with audio return channel along with and HDMI and Optical input.
You’ll also find an ethernet port and connections for their adapt iQ setup and a hard wire connection
for their bass module.
There’s also a mico usb port for service on the speaker.
Like the Playbar, you’ll need an accessory kit if you’re looking to mount this on the
wall.
Sound good so far?
If you like what you’ve seen and want to pick one of these up, make sure to click on
the links in the description below.
We have free shipping on these two soundbars all year long.
The next category that these both excel in is features.
Here’s where these two really set themselves apart from other soundbars.
They both consolidate a lot of useful functionality into an easy to use app interface.
You’ll have access to all the content saved on your network and smart device along with
several different internet radio stations including Pandora, Spotify and Deezer.
The Bose also gives you bluetooth connectivity.
They both have simple setups for your favorite listening stations as well.
And, you have these different favorite buttons you can click on.
Another great feature these units share is their ability to act as a standalone product
or be integrated into a system of speakers.
These both have the option to act as the center, left and right channel of a surround sound
system when you add their optional rear channels and subwoofers.
The Bose allows you to add their Virtually Invisible surround speakers and Sonos has
two options that can act as surrounds, either the Play 1 or Play 3.
There’s also an optional subwoofer that you can add.
So for someone looking to put together a system over time these soundbars are excellent starting
points.
They can both also be integrated into an entire home audio system by adding compatible speakers
and both also come with ways to calibrate their sound.
The Bose uses adapt iQ to adjust settings and Sonos uses Trueplay tuning to get you
the best sound these speakers are capable of.
Please keep in mind though that Trueplay tuning is only available on the iOS operating system.
Lastly, let’s talk about what makes these both sound so good, the speakers themselves.
The Sonos has 6 midrange speakers and three tweeters producing their sound and I’d love
to tell you about the Bose, but they don’t give us any information on that front.
What I can tell you is that they use Quiet Port technology to improve bass response without
creating distortion and there are tweeters built in, how many though, I’m not sure.
Honestly, you can’t go wrong with either of these speakers.
So if you’re someone who’s looking to add to your entertainment experience you’ll
definitely want to check these out.
You won’t be disappointed.
And don’t forget that you can build a system for these piece by piece so you don’t have
to spend all your hard earned money in one shot.
So, have any of you heard either of these?
What’s your preference?
Let us know in the comment section and as always, thank you for watching our video and
make sure to like and subscribe on youtube to see what we have next.