Soundbars are starting to take the place of complete home theater systems. At the high-end of the soundbar spectrum is the new Sonos Playbar. Sonos is trying to gain the attention of the home theater crowd with this device, and it sounds pretty darn good too.

As with most soundbar options, the Playbar is a long and thin device that sits just below your current television. Packed with plenty of sound, the Playbar emulates the sound that a complete surround sound system would project. Everything about the Playbar is great, though some may be put off by the price of this device.

Where All That Sound Comes From

Inside of the Sonos Playbar are three tweeters and six mid-range speakers that add up to nine drivers in total. These nine drivers are nicely tied together by some stellar software that makes the simple bar sound like a complete home theater system setup. In fact, the sound coming from the Playbar is so impressive that it really sounds like a complete speaker system has been set up.

Sonos has also made it simple to put the bar together. To set up the Sonos Playbar, all you have to do is use a digital optical cable to plug the bar directly into your television. Additionally, the Playbar adjusts according to placement, so you can put the bar below your TV or above it or on any shelf, and the sound coming from the Playbar will still be great. It’s really tough to find anything wrong with the Playbar. From the sleek design that Sonos has come up with to the full sound that comes from the Playbar. Again, the only fault here is the price.

Pricing and Availability

Keeping in mind that the Playbar was developed to replace a home surround sound system, the $700 price tag that Sonos has added to the Playbar is high. It is possible to purchase a lower end surround sound system for this price or for less than this price. To be fair, though, the Playbar does sound better than most lower end surround sound options. You can also increase the sound of the Playbar by adding a Sonos subwoofer to the mix. Of course, that would put the total price of this package over $1000.

Even though the price is high, the Sonos Playbar is worth a listen. You can pick up your Playbar March 5th in most retail stores and specialty shops. You can also purchase the Playbar directly from Sonos. The Sonos Playbar does come in at a higher price point that other soundbars, but this one also sounds better than most of the others on the market. Just in case you aren’t sure which one to purchase, though, I’ll be posting a soundbar comparison review today as well. This way, you can really compare all of your soundbar options.

The Sonos Playbar comes with a standard Sonos warranty, is made by one of the top companies in sound, and is already impressing reviewers. In short, put the Sonos bar at the top of your sound list.