I've been considering a Sonos PlayBar for a few months now but after reading reviews people tend to suggest there are better (and cheaper) alternatives on the market. Please could you advise me on ones you think beat the PlayBar?

I don't need the Sonos features form the device as I'm happy to buy a Play 3 or Play 5 for this in the same room.

Thanks.

Good quality soundbar for TV connection (as per the Sonos) then Yamaha YSP1400. It can be had for around £250, but is on offer at £200 in Superfi.

I'm a bit puzzled by your logic though. You want something cheaper than the Playbar because you don't need the Sonos features; yet you're considering buying a £250 or £350 Play speaker for the same room.

True, I see what you mean. I love the idea of the Sonos Playbar but am put off by the options it has for the sound bar. Do you think I should be concerned as like you said, I'd like the Sonos features in the room in question like you say.

What do you think?

Many TVs either downconvert all audio from the inputs to basic stereo PCM, or pass only DD in 5.1 surround. These are both formats that the Sonos Playbar can handle. So if you plan to use the TV as the connection hub then the Playbar fits perfectly for 80%+ of TVs sold today.

Sure, if you want something that handles HDMI and has multiple inputs and does DD, DTS and maybe even HD audio then there's soundbars at £500+ that do all that. But IMO it's a waste. If truly concerned about maximum audio quality then the answer is a proper 5.1 surround system comprising an AV amp and speaker package (e.g. link)

If you need something that handles HDMI ARC because your TV doesn't have optical out then you can do a lot worse than the KEF V720W which is normally £800 with the wireless sub. There's a couple of places that have it for half that. As sound bars go, and for that price, it's a bargain.

In the end though, if all you want is great sound from the TV as a hub then the Sonos is a simple easy choice that you'll enjoy.

Thanks for your help with this Chris. I've gone ahead and bought a playbar and set it up. It sounds really good and am pleased with it. I wish my Smasung TV showed me a volume level though like it used to - I guess there is no way of getting it to show the level on the TV screen is there? Also, I've got it setup out of the TV optical so I'm guessing that all of my devices (sky, DVD etc) that are connected to the TV will all by coming through the bar in the best quality now?
Thanks again for your help.

The volume level relates only to the TV's internal speakers. The output level (via Optical) is fixed, so there's no reason for the TV to display a volume bar on screen for something that will never change. The Playbar is taking the signal and allowing you to change the volume. The TV doesn't 'know' or 'care' what happens to the sound once it leaves the Optical socket. So, no. There's no way to have the TV display the volume bar icon. Use your phone/tablet app. It shows the volume setting on your smartphone/tablet.

If your TV is set to output audio as (at a guess) Auto, then it will/should pass Dolby Digital from Sky (again, you need to set the Sky menu to DD). Is your DVD player hooked up to the TV via HDMI? If so, adjust the menu settings to for audio out to Bitstream. Most DVDs have Dolby Digital audio either as the default choice or selectable from the disc menu. Those films that have DTS sound will often have a DD option too. Again, select this from the DVD disc menu. Occasionally you'll find DVDs with just basic stereo or Pro-Logic surround. That will go through to the sound bar "as is". That's fine.

If you meant 'DVD' as in Blu-ray, then set the player's set-up menu to output Bitstream too. The TV and BD player will talk to each other via the HDMI handshake and should sort out their own settings from there. Come back to us here if that's not the case.