Sonos may be a relatively newer company on the market, but they sure are determined to provide their users with the best in audio equipment and services. It is important to have a good quality speaker to enjoy the music to the best standard possible.
These speakers use the home network or WiFi to stream music or podcasts.
All the devices are controlled using the Sonos app, and what makes it different from its competitors is that with this, one can listen to the same audio simultaneously in different rooms. Thus, the audio is synchronized.
Key Takeaways
- The Sonos Arc has more speakers than the Playbar, resulting in a more immersive sound experience.
- The Arc also supports Dolby Atmos, a newer and more advanced surround sound technology, while the Playbar does not.
- While the Playbar is less expensive than the Arc, its additional features and superior sound quality make it a better choice for users who want the best home theatre experience.
Sonos Arc vs. Playbar
The difference between Sonos Arc and Playbar is that the Arc offers more bass than the Playbar, which leads to better sound quality and listening experience. It also has more woofers than the Playbar, which surely helps to give a better sound.ย
Comparison Table
| Parameters of comparison | Sonos Arc | Sonos Playbar |
|---|---|---|
| Sound quality | The sound quality has more bass and suns better at higher volumes. | The sound quality is good but has a lesser value of bass. |
| Woofers | 8 Woofers | 6 mid-range woofers |
| Price | More costly. | Less pricey than its counterpart. |
| Input ports | HDMI eARC is compatible with HDMI ARC and can also use optical input.ย | It has a single optical digital audio input. |
| Color | Comes in both black and white varieties. | Only black variety. |
What is Sonos Playbar?
One of the pioneer models of Sonos, the Playbar, came out in 2013, and it is going 7 years strong. The Playbar connects to the house TV and improves the viewing experience by a mile. It has a single optical digital audio input and can be controlled via the Sonos app.ย
It is also really simple to set up with the television and can be controlled via IR or the app. Not just this, the Playbar gives access to a huge volume of streamed music and can play many other music and podcasts via the internet radio and access to Spotify, Wynk, etc., services.ย
The Playbar goes for more of an atmospheric sound dissipation, and there is a width to the sound produced and a balance in both weight and tone. Thus it elevates the experience of TV watching.
On its own, it is good too; with a solidly built design, balanced sound system, and easy setup, one can enjoy their favorite music or podcasts at a better rate.ย
However, a few drawbacks of the Playbar include a lack of bass and HDMI ports, and it does not sound as good at higher volumes.ย The sound, too, is heavily processed, which may not appeal to a lot of consumers.ย
What is Sonos Arc?
This soundbar takes the audio game to a higher level; its special features include voice control and assistance, the standard remote control, the app, and Apple Airplay 2. It also supports Dolby Atoms, which makes the experience even more enjoyable.ย
Though slimmer and lighter than the Playbar, it is one device packing all the features within a slim profile, including eleven high-performance drivers for crisp highs, 8 woofers,ย 3 tweeters, dynamic midranges, and superb bass.ย
Two exclusive features here are the voice assistant; it has Google Assistant and Alexa built-in so that the user can check the news, music, weather, etc., hands-free.
The other feature is the HDMI eARC, absent in the Playbar.ย The Trueplay software, which is only compatible with the iOS ecosystem, can tune the speaker to the roomโs acoustics, which is unique and dynamic.ย
The speech enhancement system emphasizes the human voice so the listener will never miss a word. It has capacitive touch controls where the user can tap to play, pause and adjust sounds and a LED indicator that sets itself with the roomโs ambient.
Finally, the box has Arc, Cables for power and HDMI, Optical Audio Adapter, a Start guide, and a booklet.ย
Main Differences Between Sonos Arc and Playbar
- The Sonos Arc has 8 woofers and 3 tweeters, paired with Dolby Atoms, while the Sonos Playbar has 6 mid-range woofers and the same 3 tweeters.
- The price of the Sonos Arc is about a hundred dollars more than the Sonos Playbar.
- The most basic difference is in the HDMI eARC, which the Sonos Arc has, and the Playbar lacks. The latter only has a single optical digital audio input.
- The sound quality has more bass in the Arc than in the Playbar.
- The Sonos Arc has voice control and assistant, which is lacking in the older model, which is the Playbar.
- The color variant in the Arc is two, which are black and white, while in the Playbar, it is only black.
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Sandeep Bhandari holds a Bachelor of Engineering in Computers from Thapar University (2006). He has 20 years of experience in the technology field. He has a keen interest in various technical fields, including database systems, computer networks, and programming. You can read more about him on his bio page.
