A:Answer In the past, I had an above average 5.1 system with a large subwoofer. For watching movies, the subwoofer really brings the action to life. In my present home, I needed a system that took up less room so I spent about $400 and purchased a Vizio 5.1 system with a sound bar and subwoofer. While the subwoofer could put out of lot a room vibrating base, I felt that the mid base was lacking and speech, at times, was not clear. It had many features including Bluetooth and HDMI but required another remote to change the inputs. After some research, I recently replaced it with the Sonos Playbase (and currently do not have the subwoofer).
The Playbase has an impressive amount of base. For watching almost any TV show, I think you will find it to be adequate. If your intent is to watch action movies, then you should consider getting the subwoofer. This is also true for music. It is adequate for most music but if your intent is to play music that has a lot of "boom" and you want to feel the base, then you will want the subwoofer. What I really like about a Sonos system is the seamless interface. You turn on the TV, the sound is there. The Sonos app on your cell phone easily selects any number of music sources including your music library on your PC. Even my non-technical wife can operate it. For my needs, it performs well without the subwoofer. You can always add the sub at a later time.
