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  1. Home
  2. Soundbar
  3. Compare
  1. Table of Contents
  2. Top
  3. Main Differences
  4. Design
    1. Style - Bar
    2. Style - Subwoofer
    3. Style - Satellites
    4. Dimensions - Bar
    5. Dimensions - Subwoofer
    6. Dimensions - Satellites
    7. Back - Bar
    8. Back - Subwoofer
    9. Back - Satellites
    10. Build Quality
    11. In The Box
  5. Sound
    1. Stereo Frequency Response
    2. Stereo Frequency Response With Preliminary Calibration
    3. Stereo Soundstage
    4. Stereo Dynamics
    5. Stereo Total Harmonic Distortion
    6. Center
    7. Surround 5.1
    8. Height (Atmos)
    9. Sound Enhancement Features
  6. Connectivity
    1. Physical Inputs - Bar
    2. Audio Format Support - ARC
    3. Audio Format Support - Full HDMI In
    4. Audio Format Support - Optical
    5. Latency
    6. Wireless Playback
    7. Other Input Specifications
    8. Connectivity - Subwoofer
    9. Connectivity - Satellites
  7. Additional Features
    1. Interface
    2. Bar Controls
    3. Remote
    4. Voice Assistants Support
    5. App
    6. Other Features
  8. Comments

Bose Soundbar 500 vs Sonos Playbar

Side-by-Side Comparison

Products

Bose Soundbar 500
Sonos Playbar

Tested using Methodology v1.0

Updated Mar 15, 2024 07:12 PM

SEE PRICE
Amazon.com

Tested using Methodology v1.0

Updated Apr 09, 2024 02:26 PM

SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Bose Soundbar 500 Picture
Sonos Playbar Picture
Channels
3.0
Channels
3.0

Variants

  • Soundbar 500
  • Playbar

Review

See Bose Soundbar 500 Review
See Sonos Playbar Review
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0 

Our Verdict

Bose Soundbar 500

Sonos Playbar

The Sonos Playbar is slightly better than the Bose Soundbar 500. It can get a bit louder than the Bose, and its stereo soundstage is noticeably wider. It also has more sound enhancement features, which is great. On the other hand, the Bose can play content wirelessly via Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, while the Sonos doesn't support Bluetooth. Also, the Sonos doesn't have any HDMI ports.

0 

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Standard
Soundbar 500
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Playbar
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Soundbar 500
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Playbar
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Soundbar 500
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Playbar
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Soundbar 500
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Playbar
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Soundbar 500
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Playbar
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Main Differences for
Mixed Usage

Threshold 

0.10

Mixed Usage 

6.7
7.2

Audio Format Support - ARC 
 

6.6
0.0

Stereo Frequency Response 
 

7.1
7.4

Auto-Volume/Night Mode 
 

No
Yes

Stereo Soundstage 
 

7.0
8.0

Stereo Dynamics 
 

6.6
7.7

Full Comparison

Design

Style - Bar  

Style photo - bar  

Bose Soundbar 500 Style photo - bar
Sonos Playbar Style photo - bar
Show Text 

Style - Subwoofer  

Style photo - sub  

Bose Soundbar 500 Style photo - sub
Sonos Playbar Style photo - sub
Show Text 

Style - Satellites  

Style photo - satellites  

Bose Soundbar 500 Style photo - satellites
Sonos Playbar Style photo - satellites
Show Text 

Dimensions - Bar  

Dimensions photo - bar  

Bose Soundbar 500 Dimensions photo - bar
Sonos Playbar Dimensions photo - bar

Width  

31.5" (80.0 cm)
35.5" (90.1 cm)

Height  

1.7" (4.3 cm)
3.3" (8.5 cm)

Depth  

4.0" (10.2 cm)
5.4" (13.8 cm)
Show Text 

Dimensions - Subwoofer  

Dimensions photo - sub  

Bose Soundbar 500 Dimensions photo - sub
Sonos Playbar Dimensions photo - sub

Width  

N/A
N/A

Height  

N/A
N/A

Depth  

N/A
N/A
Show Text 

Dimensions - Satellites  

Dimensions photo - satellites  

Bose Soundbar 500 Dimensions photo - satellites
Sonos Playbar Dimensions photo - satellites

Width  

N/A
N/A

Height  

N/A
N/A

Depth  

N/A
N/A
Show Text 

Back - Bar  

Back photo - bar  

Bose Soundbar 500 Back photo - bar
Sonos Playbar Back photo - bar

Bar Mounting 
 

Universal (holes on underside)
Proprietary
Show Text 

Back - Subwoofer  

Back photo - sub  

Bose Soundbar 500 Back photo - sub
Sonos Playbar Back photo - sub

Enclosure 
 

No Subwoofer
No Subwoofer
Show Text 

Back - Satellites  

Back photo - satellites  

Bose Soundbar 500 Back photo - satellites
Sonos Playbar Back photo - satellites

Mounting 
 

No
No
Show Text 

Build Quality 
 

8.0
8.0

Build quality photo  

Bose Soundbar 500 Build quality photo
Sonos Playbar Build quality photo
Show Text 

In The Box 
 

In The Box photo   

Bose Soundbar 500 In The Box photo
Sonos Playbar In The Box photo

HDMI Cable Length 
 

1.5 m (4.9 ft)
N/A

Digital Optical Cable Length 
 

N/A
1.5 m (4.9 ft)
Show Text 
Sound

Stereo Frequency Response 
 

7.1
7.4

Stereo Setup  

Bose Soundbar 500 Stereo Setup
Sonos Playbar Stereo Setup

Raw Frequency Response  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Frequency Response Small  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Tested Preset 
 

No Preset
No Preset

Slope 
 

0.53
0.48

Std. Err. 
 

2.53 dB
2.21 dB

Channels 
 

3.0
3.0

Low-Frequency Extension 
 

55.8 Hz
51.9 Hz

High-Frequency Extension 
 

14.7 kHz
15.6 kHz
Show Text 

Stereo Frequency Response With Preliminary Calibration 
 

7.2
7.5

Frequency Response Calibrated  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Suggested Preset 
 

No Preset
No Preset

Suggested Bass Setting 
 

20
1

Suggested Treble Setting 
 

-30
-3

Slope 
 

0.15
-0.11

Std. Err. 
 

2.14 dB
2.04 dB

Low-Frequency Extension 
 

55.8 Hz
51.1 Hz

High-Frequency Extension 
 

14.7 kHz
19.3 kHz

Stereo Soundstage 
 

7.0
8.0

Crosstalk  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Crosstalk Error 
 

1.89 dB
2.63 dB
Show Text 

Stereo Dynamics 
 

6.6
7.7

Dynamic Range Compression  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

SPL @ Max Volume 
 

90.3 dB SPL
96.0 dB SPL

DRC @ Max Volume 
 

3.29 dB
2.41 dB
Show Text 

Stereo Total Harmonic Distortion 
 

8.0
7.6

THD  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Weighted THD @ 80dB 
 

0.40
0.47

Weighted THD @ Max Volume 
 

0.98
1.96
Show Text 

Center 
 

8.3
8.8

Center Setup  

Bose Soundbar 500 Center Setup
Sonos Playbar Center Setup

Frequency Response  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Localization 
 

Discrete
Discrete

Slope 
 

0.59
0.44

Std. Err. 
 

2.88 dB
1.99 dB

SPL @ Max Volume 
 

89.6 dB SPL
96.1 dB SPL

Weighted THD @ 80dB 
 

0.37
0.67

Weighted THD @ Max Volume 
 

0.97
1.83
Show Text 

Surround 5.1 
 

3.6
4.5

Surround Setup  

Bose Soundbar 500 Surround Setup
Sonos Playbar Surround Setup

Frequency Response  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Localization 
 

Stereo (Downmix)
Stereo (Downmix)

Slope 
 

-0.10
0.12

Std. Err. 
 

4.17 dB
2.51 dB

SPL @ Max Volume 
 

87.7 dB SPL
94.8 dB SPL

Weighted THD @ 80dB 
 

1.09
1.24

Weighted THD @ Max Volume 
 

2.31
2.53

7.1 Rears 
 

No
No
Show Text 

Height (Atmos) 
 

0.0
0.0

Height Setup  

Bose Soundbar 500 Height Setup
Sonos Playbar Height Setup

H Frequency Response  

Bose Soundbar 500 H Frequency Response
Sonos Playbar H Frequency Response

Localization 
 

Not Supported
Not Supported

Slope 
 

N/A
N/A

Std. Err. 
 

N/A
N/A

SPL @ Max Volume 
 

N/A
N/A

Weighted THD @ 80dB 
 

N/A
N/A

Weighted THD @ Max Volume 
 

N/A
N/A
Show Text 

Sound Enhancement Features 
 

4.6
6.2

Room Correction 
 

Yes
Yes

Dialogue Enhancement 
 

Yes
Yes

Auto-Volume/Night Mode 
 

No
Yes

Subwoofer Level Adjustment 
 

No
No

Bass Adjustment 
 

Yes
Yes

Treble Adjustment 
 

Yes
Yes

EQ 
 

No
No

Surround Level Adjustment 
 

No
No

Rear Level Adjustment 
 

No
No

Height Level Adjustment 
 

No
No

Virtual Surround 
 

No
No
Show Text 
Connectivity

Physical Inputs - Bar 
 

Physical inputs bar photo 1  

Bose Soundbar 500 Physical inputs bar photo 1
Sonos Playbar Physical inputs bar photo 1

Physical inputs bar photo 2  

Bose Soundbar 500 Physical inputs bar photo 2
Sonos Playbar Physical inputs bar photo 2

Optical Audio In 
 

1
1

HDMI ARC 
 

1
No

HDMI Out 
 

No
No

Full HDMI In 
 

No
No

Analog Audio In 3.5mm (Aux) 
 

No
No

RCA In 
 

No
No

USB for Files 
 

No
No

Ethernet 
 

1
2
Show Text 

Audio Format Support - ARC 
 

6.6
0.0

eARC 
 

Yes
No

Dolby Atmos 
 

No
No

Dolby Digital 
 

Yes
No

Dolby Digital Plus 
 

No
No

DTS 
 

No
No

DTS:X (eARC only) 
 

No
No

Dolby TrueHD (eARC only) 
 

No
No

DTS-HD MA (eARC only) 
 

No
No

5.1 PCM (eARC only) 
 

Undetermined
No
Show Text 

Audio Format Support - Full HDMI In 
 

0.0
0.0

Dolby Atmos 
 

No
No

DTS:X 
 

No
No

Dolby Digital 
 

No
No

Dolby Digital Plus 
 

No
No

DTS 
 

No
No

Dolby TrueHD 
 

No
No

DTS-HD MA 
 

No
No

5.1 PCM 
 

No
No
Show Text 

Audio Format Support - Optical 
 

6.0
10

Dolby Digital 
 

Yes
Yes

DTS 
 

No
Yes
Show Text 

Latency 
 

8.4
8.8

Latency Video  

ARC 
 

50 ms
N/A

Optical 
 

46 ms
36 ms

Full HDMI In 
 

N/A
N/A

Wireless Playback 
 

10
2.0

Bluetooth 
 

Yes
No

Wi-Fi 
 

Yes
Yes

Chromecast built-in 
 

Yes
No

Apple AirPlay 
 

Yes
No
Show Text 

Other Input Specifications 
 

4k @ 60 Hz Passthrough 
 

No
No

4k @ 60 Hz @ 10 bit Passthrough 
 

No
No

4k @ 60 Hz @ 4:4:4 Passthrough 
 

No
No

HDR10 Passthrough 
 

No
No
Show Text 

Connectivity - Subwoofer 
 

Physical inputs subwoofer photo 1  

Bose Soundbar 500 Physical inputs subwoofer photo 1
Sonos Playbar Physical inputs subwoofer photo 1

Physical controls subwoofer photo 1  

Bose Soundbar 500 Physical controls subwoofer photo 1
Sonos Playbar Physical controls subwoofer photo 1

Sub Wireless 
 

No
No
Show Text 

Connectivity - Satellites 
 

Physical inputs satellites photo 1  

Bose Soundbar 500 Physical inputs satellites photo 1
Sonos Playbar Physical inputs satellites photo 1

Physical controls satellites photo 1  

Bose Soundbar 500 Physical controls satellites photo 1
Sonos Playbar Physical controls satellites photo 1

Sat Wireless 
 

No
No
Show Text 
Additional Features

Interface 
 

Interface photo  

Bose Soundbar 500 Interface photo
Sonos Playbar Interface photo

Display 
 

No
No
Show Text 

Bar Controls 
 

Controls photo  

Bose Soundbar 500 Controls photo
Sonos Playbar Controls photo
Show Text 

Remote 
 

Remote photo  

Bose Soundbar 500 Remote photo
Sonos Playbar Remote photo

Universal Remote 
 

No
No
Show Text 

Voice Assistants Support 
 

Amazon Alexa 
 

Yes (Built-in)
No

Google Assistant 
 

Yes (Built-in)
No

Apple Siri 
 

No
No
Show Text 

App 
 

App image  

Bose Soundbar 500 App image
Sonos Playbar App image

App Name  

Bose Music
Sonos Controller

iOS  

Yes
Yes

Android  

Yes
Yes

Acts As A Remote 
 

Yes
Yes

Controls Soundbar's Settings 
 

All
All

Casts Device Files 
 

Yes
Yes
Show Text 

Other Features 
 

Power Saving 
 

Standby
No

HDMI CEC (TV Remote Control) 
 

Yes
No
Show Text 

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Standard
Soundbar 500
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Standard
Playbar
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Soundbar 500
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Playbar
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Soundbar 500
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Playbar
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Bose Soundbar 500

Sonos Playbar

Comments

  1. Comparison
 • Posted 1 year ago

Bose Soundbar 500 vs Sonos Playbar: Main Discussion

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