I’ve tested every major Sonos product, from the classic Play:1 and Play:5 to the Era 100, Era 300 speakers and the Mastery. Arc Ultra sound bar. Aside from their recent software problems, my experience over the years has always been positive. Here are my favorite things about Sonos:
Easy setup, many options: The Sonos app guides you through setting up a new system or adding speakers to an existing one. Some Google Assistant The speakers offer similar configurations and features, but it’s not seamless to group them. My favorite Sonos competitor is the Wiim, which offers a similar, but unique, intuitive product two independent speakers (trying to come). Wiim mainly focuses on streaming amplifiers such as Wim Amp Pro by connecting traditional speakers. Sonos has many more product models for different use cases, from soundbars to headphones.
Easy streaming: The Sonos app supports nearly every major streaming service, and Sonos gear supports in-app services like Spotify Connect and Tidal Connect for live streaming. Sonos soundbars like the Arc Ultra provide impressive home theater support, while also letting you stream TV audio to other speakers around the house, or as part of a surround sound system.
Internal Volume Control: Sonos used to offer support for Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa, but the brand dropped Google support in new speakers like the Era 100, Era 300, and Sonos Arc Ultra. In its place, Sonos added its own internal voice assistant, Sonos Voice Control (SVC), presented by actor Ginacarlo Esposito. In addition to robust performance, SVC provides excellent privacy protection. SVC recommends several measures to protect your privacy, including using AI data instead of customer data and internal processing that does not reach the cloud.
High level sound and design quality: Every Sonos speaker I’ve tested rises above average, and most sound really good. This is no coincidence, as the brand has always been very focused on sound quality, and things have only improved with the latest Era speakers. I visited Sonos’ Santa Barbara, CA, facility ahead of the Eras release, and was impressed by the company’s commitment to improving sound design, as well as using replaceable parts (like screws instead of glue) so its speakers are more adjustable than most rivals. Sonos speakers are built to last and sound great doing it.
