SONOS PLAY:1 Smart Wireless Speaker, Black

Product Information

Much of that is a result of the driver set-up, with six matching Class D amplifiers and almost three times the acoustic horsepower of its predecessor. Despite the multi-room system, of which the Play:5 is an integral part, remaining our favourite, the result is a lost star for Sonos’s flagship speaker. The Beam Gen 2 not only lives up to the high bar set by its predecessor (below) but exceeds it by a margin that more than justifies its new feature set and higher cost. It is on the expensive side, too, putting it up against some stronger sonic competition from rivals like Dali Katch G2 and even the Era 300.

You might also want to remove the phone case from your handset if you’re worried about it getting in the way of your microphone and having an effect on the results.

There’s no doubt it creates a wonderfully rich sound, but there may be a touch too much bass for neutral ears. There’s just one traditional button on the whole thing - a round, recessed little number on the left-hand side you use for linking the Playbase to your network and any other Sonos speakers you might already have. The Sonos Five delivers sound that is more thrilling, agile and boot-shaking than anything else at this level –from Sonos or its competitors. 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. It tightens up any boomy bass, adds clarity to the midrange and really cleans up the sound from top to bottom.

The front grille is made out of plastic rather than metal – a process that extended the production by a year. Sonos’s solution is TuneIn Radio, the most popular internet radio app and also a good way to listen to podcasts. It replaces the Sonos One, and brings some big improvements – it outputs in stereo, whereas the One only played in mono. Make the move to stereo (with a second unit) and the sound is even bigger, with a solid stereo image. It's designed to be used purely as part of the Sonos system, so the Play:1 still lacks any physical connections for hard-wiring external devices.

Only too keen to show that rhythmic fidelity isn’t left trailing, its agile, athletic posture keeps up with the sprightly keyboard cadence in Manfred Mann’s Earth Band’s cover of Blinded by the Light, the cymbal-tapping galloping precisely and punctually alongside. Sonos also has a range of in-wall, in-ceiling and waterproof outdoor speakers with architectural speaker specialist Sonance. 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 minimalist design of PLAY:1 features a new button on top of the cabinet that allows you to play and pause your music with a single push of a button.

Connectivity is via a low-latency 5 GHz WiFi connection, which means the Sub Mini only requires a cable for power. Before you know it, you're streaming music, radio, audiobooks, and more from all your favourite services. The top end is rolled off just slightly, but this helps with its forgiving sound, ensuring nothing sounds hard or harsh.The method to add a new MAC address can differ depending on your router so you may need to check with your internet provider for instructions on how to add an IP address to your list. The Riva Arena starts to sound strained before the Play:1, and doesn’t have the same sense of scale.