Sonos is a strong fast growing leader in the wireless speaker market. They started in 2002 and quickly have built a best selling line of products.
They are extremely reliable and are competing with and winning over customers from brands like Bose, Sony, Klipsch and others.
As far as price points, Sonos is in line with competing brands,and this new product is now the smallest speaker in their line, it is now also their lowest priced speaker,
which might be low enough to get some folks to take a second look.The features of the Sonos line are numerous, and the powerful sound from this small speaker is
sure to get your attention. With Sonos you get a wireless system, (no wiring project here) that can easily cover your entire home with music. Sure there is ample competition out in the marketplace, but read our Sonos PLAY:1 wireless speaker review and see why this product is leading the way.
Portable or Bookshelf:
Table of Contents
You the buyer can choose, do you want your PLAY:1 to be a bookshelf speaker and stay put, or you have the option to move it from room to room, or perhaps
the deck or patio, but to be able to move it, you need to be able to plug the speaker into a power outlet.
The Play:1 wireless speakers are designed to be used anywhere, but they sound best in smaller rooms, like a small bedroom, or bathroom. They also work
great in the kitchen where counter space can be limited and these are small and can fit right in.
They can be paired up to be your right and left speakers for your home stereo, or they can be used as surround speakers for your Sonos home theater system.
Remember this is a wireless system so you can play your music from your mobile devices to these speakers.
Power Source/Battery:
You need to plug the speaker into an outlet – no internal battery power here. The power cord is six and a half feet long, and is a two pronged plug. The wire is
the same color as the speaker, black or white and the plugin on the speaker is underneath with a specially designed, angled plug.
Wireless Standard:
Sonos operates on a powerful proprietary Hi Fi Standard. Where some systems use Bluetooth or Airplay. These standards are simply the technology the wirelessspeaker manufacturer uses to deliver the music source to your wireless speaker. This Hi Fi standard has some wonderful features that makes Sonos stand above the competition. (These are explained below)
The music sources for these speakers is endless, that pretty much sums up the Sonos line “All The Music On Earth”
To use your Sonos PLAY:1 wireless speakers, you simply download the app to one of many devices you might use to control your system. The app download
address is in your manual, or you can find it online. You can use your smart phone, desktop, laptop, even your ipod or ipad. For Apple devices simply go to the
app store, it is free to download.
Being able to control your music through your smartphone is an easy convenience, and you therefore can control the music in your home, any room that is in
your Sonos network. The bottom line is that with Sonos you can play music from any digital source….easily. Simply click to open the Sonos app and tell it what
room or rooms, and what song or playlist to play….so simple!
So yes for those of you that are in households with different musical tastes, the teens can listen to what they want in their rooms, the cook can listen to what they
want in the kitchen, or in the event of a holiday season perhaps everyone can enjoy the same holiday music in all of the different rooms at the same time.
Simply press a button to play any song in your digital library in any room, it is really that easy. This ease of control has been so strongly received, that the person
or spouse who is usually totally uninterested in any music technology…..usually loves Sonos.
Note: With the right Sonos Components you can also listen to your CD’s or vinyl.
Controls:
There are physical controls on the speaker, simple clean design that consists of three push buttons and a status light on top, for play/pause, and for volume up/down.
They are also easy to use.
You can also use the same controls with the Sonos App. The App also allows you to control the treble, bass and balance for pairs of speakers. It is also known as
the PLAY:1 equalizer settings.
Ease of Setup:
This is another huge selling factor for wireless Speakers in the Sonos line. Extremely simple, anyone can do it in just minutes.
Here are the simple steps:
1)Connect your Play:1 speaker to your home wireless network, directly to your router, or use the Sonos bridge
2)plug in your speaker to the nearest power outlet
3)Get The Sonos Controller App, it lets you connect and configure, the app is available for Android, Iphone, Ipad, Mac or PC, and it is FREE
To see how simple this setup is refer to the Sonos PLAY:1 pdf of the manual right here.
Note: You can get a wireless Router here
Stereo Separation:
With one speaker you get a rich ambient Sound.
With Two Play:1’s you can turn them into separate left and right channel speakers for a wide stereo sound.
These can also be used as a pair of surround sound speakers for your Sonos home theater setup. The centerpiece of your home theater would be your
Sonos TV PLAYBAR, as your PLAY:1 wireless speakers will only work with other Sonos speakers.
note: You can only use like wireless speakers in the Sonos line to match them up for stereo sound. A pair of 1’s, 3’s or 5’s matched only, you cannot mix
say a 1 and a 3 or a 3 and a 5, it will not work.
Wireless Range:
Sonos dominates the market on this one, a full 100′ without your music experiencing the dreaded drop off. So if your PLAY:1’s are hooked directly to the router, then
you get 100′ out from the speaker, so when you place another speaker and it is within the 100′ you are covered. So your coverage is router to speaker to speaker….
Sonos PLAY:1 Design:
These come in white or black, they are sleek, clean lined, and can stand up, lie on their side or be mounted on the wall. They are small but they feel dense and
expensive They come with two Class-D amplifiers. This simply is the power source, usually used in higher end audio. They have a tweeter for crisp and accurate
high frequency response. These are important as they produce high audio frequencies and they capture high pitched sounds.They also come with a 3.5 mid-woofer, a mid-woofer
is a speaker that is capable of playing both mid-range and mid-bass frequencies at the same time, and give a speaker it’s nice bass sound. Sonos PLAY:1 delivers a surprisingly
deep rich base and nice accurate playback of vocals and instruments…..given their small size, the sound generated is very pleasant and most unexpected!
Sound Quality:
Great for small rooms, easy to see why these are a number one bestseller at Amazon…..Huge sound for such a small speaker and Sonos does not disappoint, We think
they far exceed normal expectations for a small speaker. Very surprised at how good the Bass sounds as well.
Dimensions:
(HxWxD)
6.36 x 4.69 x 4.69 (in)
weight 4.08 lb
Features of Sonos Hi Fi: These are The Benefits of Sonos Wireless Speakers
Expandable, can create multiple sounds throughout your home, actually up to 32 Sonos players
Dedicated wireless network, no stutters, stops or drops, The Sonos Hi Fi Standard seems more reliable than other standards.
Combine music from all your sources
Independent Room Control with the Sonos App
Can play different songs in each room
100′ wireless range
Can control from multiple devices, IOS, Android, PC, or MAC
Play itunes Direct from your ios device
Features of Sonos Play:1
Intregated speakers: All Sonos Speakers easily interact with each other.
Wireless connectivity: You simply need an wireless router
pre-loaded with internet radio stations-free
Endless music sources to choose from: Rhapsody, Tunein, Amazon Cloud Player, Sirius XM, Pandora, Songza, Spotify and more. Many require a subscription,
but all are available options.
Rubber feet bottom: To protect your furniture from scratches, anti-slip
humidity resistant for bathrooms/spas: Protect your speaker if you wish to use in the bathroom, or very humid area
stereo pair setting: Great to get a wider, fuller sound
new features and music services delivered on auto pilot and for free: Delivered directly to your App as updates become available
wall mountable: Can mount on the wall
Accessories:
6′ 5″ AC power cord
58″ Ethernet Cable
Warranty Booklet
Quickstart Guide
Ethernet Cable is fairly long at 58″, used to connect your speaker to your wireless router.
note: Currently Sonos does not make a PLAY:1 stand or wall mount, but Flexson makes a stand and a wall mount for the Sonos line and they are highly recommended by Sonos users.
What You Need:
Broadband Internet Connection.
One Sonos component wired to router, directly or with a Bridge .
Sonos Controller App downloaded to your PC, MAC, Android or Iphone
Power Source, AC Current
note: For more info on Sono Components like the Bridge, Connect, or Amp Connect see our Sonos Components Info Article
Pros:
Ease of Setup, Easily Controlled from smartphone, no drop offs or music interruption, Great Sound, Great Value
Cons:
To be able to connect to an external source, such as a portable music player, or to use your PLAY:1’s as speakers for your computer you would need a Line-In or
aux input (basically the same thing) and this feature is not available on the PLAY:1 or PLAY:3, but it is available with the PLAY:5
No battery, some other wireless speakers offer this, so you need to stay connect to a power plug,
no headphone jack at the speaker, but you can certainly plug headphones into your music source
The cons seem to be more a minor irritant in the big scheme of things, as the customer ratings and overall satisfaction is very near perfect.
Sonos PLAY:1 Consumer Reviews:
Have you ever been around a person that just bought their first new car and they just gush over the features, look, and technology. They are happy right? Much the same here.
The Sonos PLAY:1 Customer Reviews are very strongly positive, almost giddy, because there is so much value in this product. As the entry level product in the Sonos line, many
folks are buying, terrifically happy and will continue to upgrade with Sonos. To see the non techies, totally happy with the ease of product setup and use, then to hear them rave
about the quality of the sound of their music…..Just nice, and you can clearly see why Sonos has grown up so fast.
The reviews are on point, accurate, and very much paint a clear detailed picture of what to expect when you purchase your Sonos PLAY:1
Sonos PLAY:1 Price:
Sonos has all the bases covered here and the PLAY:1 is a fantastic value. Many of the Sonos PLAY:1 reviews cite price as a con, but in the next sentence folks
rave about the ease of setup, how they plan to expand with other Sonos products. Of course they also discuss the quality and richness of the sound, so if your expectations are
met and then some….well it seems like a no brainer.
What you have is a product very filled with technology, yet it is so simplistic and user friendly, that we think it is very much worth the price to effortlessly just enjoy your music with great sound.
Folks are buying and brand recognition continues to grow fairly rapidly.
Over the holidays Sonos offered a free Bridge with the purchase of Sonos PLAY:1
So be sure to check and see if they are still offering this.
For Current Pricing Information, Follow this link:
Sonos PLAY:1 Mini but Mighty
