Thanks for the kind words. This is my first soundbar and im really new to this but let me give you what I experienced so far.
First off is the cost and the sourcing. This cost me 700USD and sourced via amazon then handcarried alll the way here to the Phil. The local distro's price is Php53.5K so the amazon option is the way to go. I checked out a lot of SB's online via lazada and some audio stores but was never excited with the specs and looks.
Now the connection...yes it has only one physical connection and that is the fiber optic cable. It decodes DD5.1 via apple TV gen 3 via this route. No DTS though. Since its a Sonos you can download the Sonos app on any IOS device, Android device, PC or Mac and use those sources to stream music. Its the Sonos app that is the killer here. Very simple to link up, use and you can access your entire library of music on each source. You get room tuning and EQ plus expandability options whic I will talk about later.
Now to the simulated HT sound...well in my opinion it simulates the front 3 channels very well from a single chassis because that is what it is...essentially a front 3.0 crammed in one chassis. The front channel separation may not be like that of a full blown HT rig and I fully expectd that from the get go but for a soundbar its is probably as good as it gets for the price.
Now for music...and that is the reason why i purchased the Sonos...many online reviews say that it delivers in that category. Im not that into HT that much except for the Netflix movies and series these days but I listen a lot to music and this is where it excels....a whole damn lot. It doesnt aspire to beat my Dynaudios and it wont but for a speaker that has 6 - 3.5 inch mids it punches out good bass. The highs are delivered by 3 tweeters oriented to fire straight out and to the sides. I believe they are of the metal dome variety. No eq adjustments made and all controls set to flat, it is enjoyable to listen to casually.
Looks..well its like one of those components that looks subdued but serious. Can be wall mounted or just plopped down on a table. Its built in accelerometer will readjust the bass in either orientation.
Expandability...this is where I am both excited but nervous. The optional Sonos sub is once again $700 and one will need 2 Sonos Play 1's ($300 each) for the rear channels to elevate the system up to full 5.1. So all in all that is $2K. That rig is wireless...only the Soundbar needs a single LAN connection and it will be the master to all the other Sonos components. This is a route that I wont be going for becuase it will defeat the exact purpose of why I got the SB in the first place and that is to simplify but accept the expected compromises. At best I will go for the Sonos sub late this year. Said to deliver extension down to 25hz which i seriously doubt and im sure that it wont be able to topple my REL's in bass delivery but its addition will give the Playbar a better bottom end plus it will make the sound even fuller and less strained even at higher volumes. As it is right now all by itself its sounds superb already and most users will be happy for what it can deliver. Probably im just used to having bass augmentation in my systems thats why there is still an itch to scratch.