- Table of Contents
- Intro
- Updates
- Comparison
- Best Speakers
- Conclusion
- Discussions
We've currently tested five Sonos speakers. Sonos is an American brand that manufactures home audio products, primarily soundbars and speakers. Some of their speakers are compatible with their soundbars to make a surround sound setup. Sonos speakers tend to have many different features, so you can find one that best suits your needs. Many Sonos speakers have a wired design, making them most suitable for home use.
Updates
- 07/28/2021 Sonos Roam updated
- 03/02/2021 Sonos One SL reviewed
- 02/03/2021 Sonos One Gen 2 reviewed
- 12/21/2020 Sonos Five reviewed
- 12/14/2020 Sonos Move reviewed
Best Sonos Speakers
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Best Sonos Speaker
BluetoothYesWi-FiYesSpeakerphoneNoVoice AssistantYesBattery PoweredYesThe best Sonos speaker that we've tested is the Sonos Move. This medium-sized Bluetooth speaker is well-built and impressively portable, with a built-in handle that lets you carry it with one hand. It also has an IP56 rating for dust and water resistance, though we don't currently test for this. It has a balanced sound profile, making it suitable for listening to a variety of audio content. It can produce quite a deep bass, which is nice if you're a fan of bass-heavy genres like EDM or hip-hop. The companion app also has bass and treble adjustments so you can tweak the sound. It can get quite loud on its own, although there's some compression present at max volume. Thankfully, you can use the app to pair multiple speakers to amplify your audio. The app also has a Trueplay room correction feature, which adjusts the sound profile to the room's acoustics. Alexa and Google Assistant come built-in, and the speaker has no trouble understanding you if you're far away, though it may struggle a bit if you're in a noisy room.
Unfortunately, its Bluetooth latency is high with iOS and Android devices, so it may not be well-suited for watching videos. However, some apps compensate for latency differently, so your results may vary. It also has to downmix stereo content into mono. That said, it's versatile and has a solid performance across the board, making it the best Sonos speaker that we've tested.
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Best Sonos Speaker For Music
BluetoothNoWi-FiYesSpeakerphoneNoVoice AssistantNoBattery PoweredNoThe Sonos Five is the best Sonos speaker for music that we've tested. This medium-sized model is designed for home use since it has a wired design. You can place it horizontally or vertically, and it can play stereo content when placed horizontally. Its directivity is good, despite not being a 360-degree speaker. It has a fairly bright sound profile overall, but it can produce a punchy low-bass that may please fans of bass-heavy music. Its mid-range is well-balanced as well, so it reproduces vocals and lead instruments accurately. You can also tweak its sound using the bass and treble sliders in its companion app. The app has a Trueplay room correction feature, which adjusts the sound profile to your room's acoustics. You can also pair multiple speakers to amplify your audio content or play audio across multiple rooms. Although it has a lot of bass compression at max volume, it can get quite loud, so you can use it for playing music in large or crowded rooms.
However, unlike the Sonos Move, it doesn't have voice assistant support, so it may not be suitable as a home speaker if you like to use Alexa or Google Assistant. It also doesn't have Bluetooth capabilities, so you have to connect to it over Wi-Fi to play audio content. That said, if you want something with a punchy low-bass for playing your favorite music, it's worth considering.
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Best Portable Sonos Speaker
BluetoothYesWi-FiYesSpeakerphoneNoVoice AssistantYesBattery PoweredYesThe Sonos Roam is the best portable Sonos speaker that we've tested. This amazingly built and lightweight speaker is small enough to carry in one hand and is rated IP67 for dust and water resistance, though we don't currently test for this. It offers incredible voice assistant support with Alexa and Google Assistant built-in, and it does a great job of understanding your commands from far away, as well as in noisier environments. It has a Trueplay room correction feature, which optimizes the speaker's sound according to your room's unique acoustics. This speaker has a neutral sound profile with this feature enabled, making it suitable for listening to a wide variety of audio content. Its Sonos S2 companion app also features bass and treble adjustments you can use to customize its sound to better suit your preferences. Also, it has good directivity, resulting in a wide and open-sounding soundstage, though it can sound a little uneven at times.
Unfortunately, like many speakers its size, it struggles to reproduce low-bass, so you can't feel the deep thump and rumble in bass-heavy music. It also has a disappointing battery performance, lasting roughly five hours from a single charge. That said, battery life can depend on your usage habits, and your real-world experience may differ. If you're looking for a small Sonos speaker you can take with you when you're on the move, it's a solid choice.
Compared to other brands
- Built-in voice assistants. Some Sonos speakers come with built-in voice assistants, typically Alexa and Google Assistant. They also have no trouble understanding you, even if you're far away or in a noisy room.
- Well-balanced sound profile. The Sonos speakers we've tested tend to have well-balanced sound profiles, making them suitable for listening to most audio content. Many can also produce a thumpy low-bass, which will please fans of bass-heavy genres.
- Sound customization options. The Sonos S2 app is compatible with most of the Sonos speakers we've tested, and it has bass and treble sliders, letting you tweak the speaker's sound to your liking. Although it doesn't include a full graphic EQ, it has a Trueplay room correction feature that automatically adjusts the speaker's sound profile to the room it's in.
- Multiple devices can be linked together. Using the Sonos S2 app, you can pair multiple Sonos speakers to amplify your audio or play it across different rooms in your house. Also, some Sonos speakers, like the Sonos One SL, can be paired with compatible soundbars to create a surround sound system.
- Wired-only design. Many of the Sonos speakers that we've tested need to be plugged into a power source to work, so they're not very suitable for outdoor use. That said, Sonos is expanding its lineup of speakers to include more wireless models.
- Often no Bluetooth compatibility. Most of the Sonos speakers we've tested can't stream audio over Bluetooth. However, there's currently one Sonos speaker that has Bluetooth compatibility, the Sonos Move. Fortunately, Sonos speakers tend to be Wi-Fi compatible, and you can stream audio using Apple AirPlay.
- Downmixes stereo content into mono. In general, the Sonos speakers we've tested have to downmix stereo content into mono, which doesn't sound as immersive.
Overall, Sonos makes speakers with well-balanced sound profiles suitable for home use. Some are even compatible with certain Sonos soundbars, letting you create a surround sound system. Many of their speakers have built-in voice assistants, like Alexa and Google Assistant. They're typically compatible with the Sonos S2 app, which has customization features like Trueplay room correction and bass and treble sliders. However, some Sonos speakers don't support Bluetooth, so you may have to stream audio over Apple AirPlay or an AUX port.
Recent Updates
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Jul 02, 2021: Replaced the Sonos One Gen 2 as the 'Best Sonos Speaker For Voice Assistant' with the Sonos Roam as the 'Best Portable Sonos Speaker' since it's a better speaker overall. The text was updated for consistency.
Conclusion
Sonos offers a variety of speakers that are suitable for different uses. Generally, they have well-balanced sound profiles, and some can even produce a thumpy low-bass. Some Sonos speakers come with built-in voice assistants like Alexa and Google Assistant, making them suitable for home use. However, many have a wired-only design, so they're hard to use outside.