Either side of the midrange, control isn’t lacking, its bass tight and punchy, the treble detailed and refined. Unlike the Play:3 it has five Class-D amplifiers, three tweeters, three mid-woofers and a phased speaker array that separates sound into its three channels – left, right and center.

Introducing Sonos PLAY:1 | Sonos

Things have changed on the top plate, where the three buttons of the Play:1 have been replaced by a touch-sensitive panel decorated with a circle of tiny, white LEDs and symbols. Although the entire range is audible, the Play:1 on its own doesn’t quite have the presence to really bring the track to life. There’s bass, but not too much, and there’s enough power for high volume, high octane music, but always without distortion. It will then tune your Sonos to match the environment, optimising the sound coming from the speaker.The top of the unit, which is available in either black or white, has a fingerprint-proof soft matte finish that holds some capacitive touch controls. It's easy to get carried away syncing multiple speakers for a full surround sound experience, but such a luxury audio system is well within reach if you play your cards right. PLAY:1 is a smart speaker that features hardware and software designed by Sonos to ensure the best possible performance for the size. It comes in two colors – white with light metallic grille and black withgraphite grille –and works with standard wall mounts and speaker stands. 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.

Sonos | Wireless Speakers and Home Sound Systems Sonos | Wireless Speakers and Home Sound Systems

With music blaring through it, it’s difficult to work out exactly where the speaker is and you can comfortably walk around without losing any detail in tracks. As with a lot of wireless speakers, the One SL can be daisy-chained to the One, with each acting as either left or right channel in a stereo soundstage. While both soft and hard resetting take almost no time at all, one is more permanent than the other. Up top is where you’ll find all of the touch-sensitive controls that allow you to control volume, and turn the microphone off and on—handy if you or someone you know doesn’t want the speaker listening for a hotword for whatever reason.The layout of your room and the positioning of your speaker can have a surprisingly big impact on the way you hear music. The upgraded model comes with a a redesigned base that eschews unnecessary plastics, and comes in packaging that Sonos says is kinder to the planet. Although you can switch Alexa and the Google Assistant off entirely, it’s often worth having them listening, particularly as they're more deeply integrated here than with many rivals.

Sonos One vs Sonos One SL vs Sonos Play:1 differences Sonos One vs Sonos One SL vs Sonos Play:1 differences

If you’re looking to plant Sonos speakers in the furthest reaches of your home but you aren’t sure your Wi-Fi is up to scratch, you’ll probably want to pick up a Sonos Boost. In the rapidly evolving realm of wireless speakers, packing as much into each fabric-jacketed box as possible – drivers, streaming service support, features – has long been the route to success. While the One will be replaced by the Era 100 in time, it is likely to be phased out slowly and therefore will remain on sale for some time yet. They’re not troubled by light switches and are happy using apps to check the weather and, yes, to ‘manually’ send tunes to a wireless speaker. There is also no mounting hole for a stand on the Sonos One or the Sonos One SL, though there are a range of Sonos accessories that can be used to get these devices where you want them.The most common issue is when you say, for example, “play Ladytron”, and she instead starts playing a song with those words in the title. Some may not want voice control, in which case the Sonos One SL is an excellent device that delivers a great sound from its small package, the same refined design as the One, and all the latest features, while also saving you some money too. Having set all EQ presets to neutral, deployed Trueplay and kept Loudness toggled on, we cue up Every Other Freckle by alt-J on Tidal. That means you can hook it up to your receiver to send out your favorite CD over the airwaves in your home, or set it up with your old floor speakers to bring them into the 21st century. Whether you’re already neck-deep in the Sonos ecosystem or are making your first Sonos purchase I don’t think you can go wrong with this little guy.