Sonos is the biggest name in hardware for streaming music, and the brand offers a robust range of speakers with a number of useful features. For starters, there is support for dozens of popular ones music streaming services including Spotify and Apple Music, plus many devices offer built-in voice commands via Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa.
With the issue Sonos Arc i Beam Gen 2The company also includes one of your most sought after features: Dolby Atmos, which comes with stunning sound quality. When you add budget-friendly Ikea Symphonic range i Ray soundbarsthe number of Sonos-compatible speakers makes the multiroom system more attractive than ever.
However, as the number of Sonos products continues to grow, it has become more difficult to decide which speaker system or devices in the Sonos ecosystem to buy. With that in mind, we’ve put together a quick guide to Sonos to help you figure out which products are right for you and which offer the best performance for your money. We will update this list as the company launches new products.
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Sonos Ray delivers more sound for less
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Which Sonos is right for you?
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The Ikea Symfonisk line is the result of a collaboration between Scandinavian furniture giant and Sonos. It is fully compatible with other Sonos products, and the bookshelf, table lamp and new picture frame can also be used for stereo sound or as a relatively inexpensive pair of rear frames ($ 200 for two bookshelves versus $ 400 for two One SL- a). If you want a Sonos speaker for the price of a Bluetooth speaker, this is the model to purchase.
Read our review of Ikea Symfonisk Bookshelf WiFi speakers.
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Sure, the Sonos Roam is one of the more expensive portable speakers you can buy, but it’s also one of the best. It is resistant to weather and solid construction, but its secret weapon is its ability to switch between Bluetooth and Wi-Fi when in range.
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While the Sonos One SL is the cheapest internal speaker in the line, for a little more you can upgrade to a model that has better value for money. Sonos One (Gen 2) has great sound and includes Alexa and Google Assistant in one speaker (although you can only choose one at a time). Sonos Voice is also available on this and other smart speakers in the range.
Read our review of Sonos One.
Sonos
Sonos has a new entry-level soundtrack with a great multiroom music system. The dual-channel soundtrack, with Dolby Digital decoding, is roughly two-thirds the size of a Sonos Beam, but delivers a surprisingly wide sound scene using its own waveguides.
Although it doesn’t support Dolby Atmos surround sound or has an HDMI port for connecting to a TV (you connect it to a TV with the included optical cable), the sound quality for music and movies is impressive. You can pair it with several other Sonos speakers, such as the Sonos One, to create a surround sound system.
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Now that Sonos Play: 3 has been canceled, a pair of Sonos Ones is your next best bet. Setting up stereo pairs is easy with the Sonos app, and the system sounds better than equivalent-priced speakers like Google Home Max or Apple HomePod.
Read our review of Sonos One.
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With the addition of Dolby Atmos, the Sonos Beam Gen 2 is a smart soundtrack you can get. You may be missing deep bass without a subwoofer, but the speaker makes your movies sound huge with its virtual surround capabilities.
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Sonos Arc is the best soundbar the company has ever released. It has some great features, including built-in voice assistant, HDMI eARC and Dolby Atmos playback. Unlike the Beam, the system does not need a subwoofer, and unless Sonos offers a cheaper Sub, this is the best money you can spend under one thousand.
Read our review of Sonos Arc.
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At the upper limit of what most people have to pay for a Sonos soundbar surround sound system, this system will offer plenty of surround sound and musical excitement. You can buy the Sonos Beam Gen 2 ($ 449), the Sonos Sub ($ 749) and a pair of One SLs as part of the set, or you can combine them with a pair of Ikea bookshelves ($ 198) separately. Although Sub is quite expensive in itself, it is a great partner for a smaller Beam, while adding an environment completes the effect. The system doesn’t have a real Atmos, and if you want, you can upgrade to Arc or you can mount the speakers on shelves high on the walls behind you.
Read the review of Sonos Sub.
What is Sonos?
Sonos is one of the oldest multiroom audio systems on the market and one of the most successful. Ever since the way we consume digital music has changed since playing MP3 On streaming services and beyond, the audio system has also adapted and grown.
Sonos started as a way to play iTunes playlists on your existing speakers and has grown to support streaming music services on a range of desktop speakers, amplifiers, soundtracks and subwoofers. System control started with the desktop application and CR100 handheld controller, then grew into mobile applications and voice assistants. Sonos now offers a range of speakers that include a choice between Google Assistant, Alexa or Sonos Voice onboard (One, Beam and Arc).
Here are a few things you need to know about the product line:
One is our favorite Sonos speaker.
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With the advent of its S2 operating system, the company has replaced many of its own inherited products with the introduction of new ones. Only in 2020, the company announced the Sonos Arc soundbar, the new Sonos Five and the updated Sonos Sub. If you have older components, especially those with “Zone” in the title, they are not interoperable with the new system.
The current lineup of Sonos is as follows:
- Sonos Roam: $ 179 – Bluetooth and WiFi external speaker
- Sonos One SL: 199 USD – small desktop audio speaker without microphone
- Sonos One (Gen 2): $ 219 – smart desktop audio speaker with built-in voice assistant
- Sonos Ray: $ 279 – soundbar with optical connection
- Sonos Beam Gen 2: 395 USD – soundbar with voice assistant and HDMI
- Sonos Move 399 USD: – portable smart speaker with water resistance
- Sonos Port: $ 449 – streaming add-on box for existing systems, analog input / output
- Sonos Five: $ 549 – large desktop audio speaker
- Sonos Amp: $ 699 – amplifier with analog input
- Sonos Sub: $ 749 – wireless subwoofer
- Sonos Arc: $ 899 – Dolby Atmos soundbar
There are also three Ikea speakers that work with the Sonos system: the Ikea Symphonic Bookshelf Wi-Fi speakera $ 140 Symfonisk speaker base (which replaces the Desk lamp) and the $ 199 Ikea Symphonic Picture frame.
Sonos app
Until voice control completely replaces it, the Sonos app is where you control most of the settings and playback of your sound. The focus of the app has changed over the years as it has moved away from services to concentrate on the speakers themselves. The app still has one of the best universal searches, and the speakers are easy to set up.
Sonos app
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The application is available for the following devices:
- Apple iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch
- Android phones and tablets
- Apple laptops and desktops
- Windows laptop and desktop computer
- Amazon Fire Tablets
In addition to the Sonos app, you will also be able to stream audio speakers directly from your favorite apps using Play To Sonos. These include: Spotify, Pandora, YouTube Music and Tidal’s music streaming service. The system also supports streaming from iOS and the use of compatible software Apple AirPlay 2.
Competition
The Polk Command Bar is a smart soundtrack that supports Amazon’s Multi-Room Music system.
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The main competitive standards available to Sonos are Bose Music, DTS Play-Fi, Built-in Google ChromecastApple AirPlay 2, Yamaha MusicCast i Denon HEOS. Amazon Echo and Polk Command Bar are also supported Amazon MRM system.
Wireless audio speakers start at around $ 100 – most of which include Apple AirPlay, Chromecast or both – and great wireless soundtracks like the Polk Command Bar start at $ 250. Here are some of the best multiroom music systems.