SONOS PLAY:1 Smart Wireless Speaker, Black

Product Information

Before the Roam, the Sonos Move was the first portable Bluetooth Sonos speaker, albeit a large and heavy one. The updated Move 2 retains its chunky dimensions and ability to go loud, but boosts the sound quality to stereo, and is much clearer, snappier and more spacious than before. It has a longer battery life (24 hours) and is still equipped with all the streaming and multi-room features you get with being part of the Sonos ecosystem. While arguably looking a little outdated stood next to the more recently redesigned Play:5, the Play:1's solid, sleek design stands the test of time. The narrow channel of sound that you’re probably used to is transformed by the Playbase into something airy and spacious, with it’s 3.1 array doing a quite remarkable job of convincing your ears you’ve got speakers in the far-left and far-right corners of your room. Certainly you wouldn’t expect an all-in-one unit this slim and compact to manage that.

However, it is as well-made as its bigger brothers. The sides of the Play:1 are covered by a single-piece metal grille that curves smoothly around its edges. Its top and bottom are plastic, but still look and feel great. Sonos still has many advantages over Audio Pro, from the breadth of its range to the flawless app and thorough feature set (hi-res support notwithstanding). Be sure to move around as much of the room as possible during the tuning process to cover the whole space. You’ll need to grant Sonos permission to use the microphone on your device for Trueplay to work so make sure you’ve agreed to that in your settings.All told, this is a punchy, dynamic and fairly detailed performance, particularly when compared to the Playbar. But that isn’t to say it’s perfect.

Sonos was created upon the belief you should never have to choose between quality sound and an easy way to access all your music at home," said John MacFarlane, CEO, Sonos, Inc. "The PLAY:1 makes getting started with Sonos even more accessible to music lovers than ever before." In our dedicated listening room, it does little to the sound, but move the speaker to a less ideal location – a kitchen or a corner for example – and the difference is audible. It tightens up any boomy bass, adds clarity to the midrange and really cleans up the sound from top to bottom.Sonically it's a bargain for the money, but the feature-set means certain serious competition is not far away.

The Sub Mini is designed to mix and match with any of Sonos's full range speakers. Though because of its diminutive size, it's recommended to partner with some of its smaller, more affordable models such as theBeam Gen 2,Ray,One,One SLorSymfoniskspeakers in small to medium-sized rooms. The appeal of soundbars is obvious: transform your TV’s sound with one neat unit. But while a soundbar makes lots of sense when it can be wall-mounted under an also-wall-mounted TV, those who stand their telly on a pedestal or other piece of furniture can’t always find a place for a long, awkward bar of speakers. Having previously focused on devices designed to connect electronics and speakers made by other companies, the Play:5 was the company’s first all-in-one unit.See those little feet –on the side?! It can be positioned upright too, you see, to create a stereo pair comprising two Fives or as part of a home theater system with a Sonos Arc, say. (Image credit: TechRadar) Sonos Five review: Sound quality The treble is the biggest issue here. It’s just too sharp and sibilant, which means big special effects are often ruined by a harsh and domineering top-end that annoys the ear, and that the sibilants in vocals are overdone and incessant.