Sonos Play: 1 Review

If you love technology and think a smart home is the only home worth living in, then a good audio installation is something you can’t go without.

The Sonos Play:1 is Sonos’ response to our need for audio that makes music a conscious part of our life again.

With a compact design and great compatibility with several audio stream services, the Sonos Play:1 makes a bid for the status of the best wireless speaker.

If you happen to own several, you can either play the same song flawlessly throughout your home or let different songs play, depending on your mood.

While the compatibility with Amazon Alexa is a good feature, it is disappointing the Sonos Play:1 will only accept voice commands when connected with Alexa.

It would have been a nice feature to expand on the voice command, but this can be resolved in the future with the right updates.

Sonos is dedicated to improving on their products, as showcased by the variety of updates that are made available every so often.

With several pros and only a few cons, this is a wireless audio device that is made to impress. Curious to see if your needs are met by this wireless speaker?

We have the necessary info, so read on and find out if this device will bring you the advantages you need in your smart home.

Sonos Play: 1: The Details

Specs

• Product Dimensions: 4.7 x 4.7 x 6.4 inches.
• Product Weight: 4.08 pounds.
• Drivers: Two.
• Voice control: Yes.
• Product Type: Wireless smart speaker.
• Compatible with Amazon Alexa?: Also compatible with music services like Prime Music Unlimited, Pandora, Apple Music, and Spotify.

How Does it Work

Few smart appliances are as modest as a wireless sound system. This technology has become as easily portable as headsets, so it only makes sense to have your home cinema be wireless too.

Less of a technological noodle soup at the back of your closet makes for a far more enjoyable experience and the Sonos Play:1 is the perfect example of this.

Capable of filling a room with high-quality beats, and either playing this simultaneously throughout the house or switching songs between rooms, is a small task for this wireless speaker.

Just establish the connection with Alexa, or connect to your favorite streaming service, and get the party started.

Unique Serial Number

The moment your Sonos Play:1 is shipped and starts its journey to your home, it receives a unique identity number. This number ensures that your wireless speaker gets delivered safely.

Should it go missing en route, the supplier can find it no matter where it is. No more shipping mishaps where you have to convince customer service you didn’t receive your product.

With this service, you can be confident your order will arrive at your home safely.

Fits Everywhere

There was a time when a big stereo in the living room made a statement. Now we prefer our homes to be more orderly, and this includes less space for elaborate sound systems.

Why waste all that space on a sound system when you can get the same quality for less effort?

Thanks to its small size and subtle design, the Sonos Play:1 fits everywhere, be it tucked away on a shelf or standing proudly on a table.

Size really doesn’t matter when it comes to sound quality. Your guests will wonder where you’re hiding your sound system because there’s no way such a small machine can produce so much music. Well, at least you know better.

Humidity Resistant

Are we the only ones who love singing in the shower? Too bad moisture does not play well together with electricity – or at least, so you thought.

The Sonos Play:1 was designed to do well in moist environments, which includes bathrooms and hot, rainy summer days.

Enjoy those summer rainstorms with a cocktail and appropriate beats, or belt along with your favorite Christmas carols under the shower.

Sonos: The Brand

Sonos is proud to relate their achievements to us, and they should be.

With a presence in over sixty countries, operating in seven languages and aided by thousands of retailers, they are an audio force to be reckoned with.

Their quest to design the best wireless speaker started in 2002, and they haven’t stopped inventing since. With the addition of their own museum, they’ve shown they are proud of their place in audio history.

As they say: once, listening to music was a special experience. In recent years, we’ve become numb to the presence of music, and they want to change that.

By designing a unique experience with each of their speakers, listening becomes an activity to look forward to. They aren’t planning on stopping anytime soon, so keep your ears open for more developments in the future.

Sonos Play: 1 Review

The Positives

Your Music, Always

Compatibility with various music streaming services is nothing to sneeze at.

The Sonos Play:1 saves you the trouble of putting your playlists back together from scratch and lets you stream through your preferred service. This is especially welcome if you’re already paying for the privilege.

This means no need to switch providers and go through all the bureaucratic hassle of changing things around; there’s more time to listen to your favorite tunes.

Smooth Streaming

Lag is one of the greatest enemies audio fans encounter on a daily basis. The Sonos Play:1 might be the best wireless speaker on the market in avoiding this problem.

Switching between sound sources happens with less than a second interval and zero loss of sound quality. You can rest assured your speaker won’t be the reason the party comes to a halt.

Easy to Use and Set Up

Those who tend to shy away from technology need not worry about the Sonos Play:1.

It’s super easy to get going with this speaker. You’ll just need your smart device (phone or tablet) and you can set everything up through the app.

The app in itself is intuitive also making it a breeze to use.

During the set-up you’ll be able to sync all your music streaming accounts to the Sonos Play:1 speaker then you’ll be ready to sit back, relax, and enjoy some tunes.

This would also be a great time to utilize the Sonos to Sonos feature that allows you to connect two Sonos speakers for a richer, deeper audio experience.

Accessible App

It’s not unusual for providers of smart systems to deliver an app to group all of their systems together. The Sonos app is easy to use and gives a quick overview of all your Sonos equipment.

Updates are also accessible through the app, so no more guessing when an update has been released.

An extra plus is that you have a quick oversight of all your equipment and whether or not it’s in use. This makes it the perfect friend for the owner of a smart home.

Light and Compact

One of the best things about this speaker besides its quality is how compact yet powerful this device is. Set it up on a bookshelf or tucked aside on a countertop and most people won’t even know it’s there.

This is great for those who are short on space, or for those who prefer a more minimalistic approach to design.

Speaking of minimalistic design, that’s exactly the approach Sonos took with the design of the Play:1. It’s sleek, modern and available in simple yet classic black and white. It won’t take away from your decor.

It’s wall mountable too, saving you even more precious counter and desk space. Basically, the Sonos Play:1 allows the music to shine, and not the device.

It weighs in at under five pounds, so when you’re ready to keep the party going elsewhere there won’t be a fuss.

It’s small enough to tuck inside a medium to large purse, backpack, or tote bag so you can always have your melodies with you.

The Negatives

Limited Voice Control

While the Sonos Play:1 offers voice control, this is only when connected to Alexa.

Those hoping to directly command their wireless speakers are out of luck, but since most tech lovers already have other Amazon compatible equipment around, there’s a good chance this won’t be a huge con for you.

Finicky Updates

Updates are necessary, we get that. Automatic updates that don’t require effort from us? Those are great. Sadly, the latter only happens for Sonos products that are plugged in during update times.

Appliances that weren’t plugged in at the time require a manual update through the app, which some users find to be time-consuming or not worth the trouble.

Here’s a video showing what the Sonos Play:1 looks like out of the box and set-up.

Overall Verdict

Any music lover would be happy to add the Sonos Play:1 to their home. With great sound, good compatibility, and a renowned company backing this speaker, there’s little that can go wrong.

For a wireless speaker, one of the most important aspects is smooth streaming, something which the Sonos Play:1 excels at.

Updates are an important second, and while these can be tricky under bad circumstances, they happen periodically and introduce important new features.

The Sonos Play:1 will most likely not be appreciated by people who want a speaker that can listen to commands without being connected to Alexa specifically.

For any other user, this is a speaker that has many possible uses and could be a good addition to your sound set-up.

Where to Buy the Sonos Play:1

Sonos has definitely made a name for themselves when it comes to producing high-quality audio devices. They’ve had plenty of success with their current and previous products including the Sonos Play:1.

Their devices can now be found with the best of them on the shelves of technology and department stores, and the Play:1 speaker is no different available both in-store and online.

To start your search, check out the following online retailers.

• Best Buy (from $149)
• Apple (from $199)
• Sonos (from $199)

And of course, you can also find the Sonos Play:1 on Amazon.

That’s all for our Sonos Play:1 review. Tempted to give this speaker a try?