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Best Sonos speakers

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        Best Sonos speaker under $100
        Ikea Symfonisk Bookshelf
        $99 at Ikea

  •     


        Sonos Roam
        Best portable speaker
        $179 at Sonos, Inc.

  •     


        Best under $250
        Sonos One
        $219 at Best Buy

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    Best music under $500
        

    A pair of Sonos Ones
        $199 at Audio Advice

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        Best home theater under $500
        Sonos Beam Gen 2
        $569 at Amazon

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        Best under $1,000
        Sonos Arc
        $1,690 at Amazon

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        Best home theater
        Sonos Beam, Sub and One SL
        $1,636 at Sonos


    


    As a system, Sonos range of speakers has become remarkably robust over the years. We’ve seen the company add features such as voice command via?Google Assistant,?Amazon Alexa?and?Apple AirPlay 2, as well as support for popular?music streaming services?such as?Spotify?and Pandora. With the release of the Sonos Arc?and the Beam Gen 2, the company is able to offer one of our readers’ most requested features: Dolby Atmos. It also helps that this comes with amazing sound quality. When you add in the budget-friendly?Ikea Symfonisk?range, the number of Sonos-compatible speakers available today makes the multiroom system more attractive than ever.?
    Yet as the number of Sonos products keeps growing, it’s also become trickier to decide which speaker system device or devices in the Sonos ecosystem to buy. With that in mind, we’ve put together a quick guide to Sonos to help you figure out which products are right for you and which offer the best performance for your money. We’ll keep this list updated as the company releases new products.
    
Which Sonos is right for you?
    
    Sarah Tew/CNET
    Best Sonos speaker under $100
    Ikea Symfonisk Bookshelf
    
    The Ikea Symfonisk line is a result of a collaboration between the Scandinavian furniture giant and Sonos. It’s fully compatible with other Sonos products, and the Bookshelf, Table Lamp and new Picture Frame can also be used for stereo sound or as a relatively inexpensive pair of rear surrounds ($200 for two Bookshelves versus $400 for two One SLs). If you want a Sonos speaker for the price of a Bluetooth speaker, this is the model to get.
    
    

Read our Ikea Symfonisk Bookshelf WiFi Speaker review.
    


    $99 at Ikea
    
    David Carnoy/CNET
    Sonos Roam
    Best portable speaker
    
    Sure, the Sonos Roam is one of the pricier portable speakers you can buy, but it’s also one of the best. It’s weatherproof and its solidly built, but Its secret weapon is its ability to switch between Bluetooth and WiFi when you’re in range.?
    $179 at Sonos, Inc.
    $179 at Target
    $179 at Crutchfield
    
    Sarah Tew/CNET
    Best under $250
    Sonos One
    
    

    

Oct 2021


    While the Sonos One SL is the cheapest indoor speaker in the line, for a little more you can upgrade to a model that’s better value for money. The Sonos One (Gen 2) has excellent sonics and includes both Alexa and Google Assistant in one speaker (though you can only choose one at a time).?
    
    

Read our Sonos One review.
    


    $219 at Best Buy
    $300 at Amazon
    


    Sarah Tew / CNET
    

Best music under $500


    

A pair of Sonos Ones


    
    

    

Oct 2021


    Now that the Sonos Play:3 has been discontinued, a pair of Sonos Ones is your next best bet. Setting up a stereo pair is easy with the Sonos app, and the system sounds better than equivalently priced speakers like the Google Home Max or Apple HomePod.
    
    

Read our Sonos One review.
    


    $199 at Audio Advice
    
    Ty Pendlebury/CNET
    Best home theater under $500
    Sonos Beam Gen 2
    
    With the addition Dolby Atmos, the Sonos Beam Gen 2 is the smart sound bar to get. You may be missing out on deep bass without a sub, but the speaker makes your movies sound huge with its virtual surround capabilities.
    $569 at Amazon
    
    Ty Pendlebury/CNET
    Best under $1,000
    Sonos Arc
    
    The Sonos Arc is the best soundbar the company has ever released. It has some great features, including an onboard voice assistant, HDMI eARC and Dolby Atmos playback. Unlike the Beam, the system doesn’t need a subwoofer, and unless Sonos comes up with a cheaper Sub, this is the best money you can spend under a grand.
    
    

Read our Sonos Arc review.
    


    $1,690 at Amazon
    
    Sarah Tew/CNET
    Best home theater
    Sonos Beam, Sub and One SL
    
    At the upper limit of what most people should pay for a Sonos soundbar surround sound system, this system will offer plenty of surround sound and musical thrills. You can buy the Sonos Beam Gen 2 ($449), Sonos Sub ($749) and a pair of One SLs as part of a set, or you can combine them with a pair of the Ikea Bookshelves ($198) separately. While the Sub on its own is pretty expensive it makes a great partner for the smaller Beam, while adding surrounds completes the effect. The system doesn’t have true Atmos, and if you want that you can upgrade to the Arc or you could mount the bookshelf speakers high up on the walls behind you.
    Read the Sonos Sub review.


    


    $1,636 at Sonos
     What is Sonos?
    Sonos is one of the oldest multiroom audio systems on the market and also one of the most successful. Since the way we consume digital music has changed from playing?MP3s?to streaming services and beyond, the audio system has also adapted and grown.?
    Sonos began as a way to play iTunes playlists on your existing speakers and it’s grown to support streaming music services on a range of tabletop speakers, amplifiers,?sound bars?and subwoofers. Controlling the system began with a desktop app and the?CR100 handheld controller, then it grew to?mobile apps?and voice assistants. Sonos now offers a range of speakers which include a choice of either?Google Assistant?or?Alexa?onboard (One, Beam and Arc).
    Here are some things about the product line that you need to know:

  • Works without a hub over a standard Wi-Fi network (no?Bluetooth?except for the Roam)
  • Supports over 100 streaming services
  • Works with Alexa, Google Assistant and?Siri
  • Compatible with Apple AirPlay 2 and?Spotify Connect
  • The new S2 system supports hi-res (i.e. Dolby TrueHD and Atmos) while legacy Sonos systems only carry 16-bit/44.1kHz
  • Stream your analog-connected music around the house (with Amp, Five or Port)
  • Beam Gen 2 and Arc include?Dolby Atmos?


    The One is our favorite Sonos speaker.
    Sarah Tew/CNET
    With the arrival of its S2 operating system, the company has replaced many of its legacy products while also introducing new ones. In 2020 alone, the company has announced the Sonos Arc soundbar, the new Sonos Five and an updated Sonos Sub. If you own older components, especially ones with “Zone” in the title,?they are not interoperable with the new system.
    The current Sonos lineup is as follows:

  • Sonos Roam: $179 — Bluetooth and WiFi outdoor speaker
  • Sonos One SL: $199 — small tabletop audio speaker without microphones
  • Sonos One (Gen 2): $219 — smart table audio speaker with onboard voice assistant
  • Sonos Beam Gen 2: $395 — soundbar with voice assistant and HDMI
  • Sonos Move $399: — portable smart speaker with water resistance
  • Sonos Port: $449 — streaming add-on box for existing systems, analog input/output
  • Sonos Five: $549 — large tabletop audio speaker
  • Sonos Amp: $699 — amplifier with analog input
  • Sonos Sub: $749 — wireless subwoofer
  • Sonos Arc: $899 — Dolby Atmos soundbar


    There are also three speakers from Ikea that work with the Sonos system: the?Ikea Symfonisk Bookshelf Wi-Fi Speaker, the $140 Symfonisk Speaker lamp base (which replaces the?Table Lamp) and the $199 Ikea Symfonisk?Picture Frame.
     The Sonos app
    Until voice control completely replaces it, the Sonos app is where you control most of your audio’s setup and playback. The app’s focus has changed over the years as it’s moved away from services to concentrate on the speakers themselves. The app still has one of the best universal searches, and it’s easy to set up your speakers.?
    
    The Sonos app
    Sarah Tew/CNET
    The app is available for the following devices:

  • Apple iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch
  • Android?phones?and?tablets
  • Apple?laptops?and desktops
  • Windows laptops and desktops
  • Amazon Fire tablets


    As well as the Sonos app, you’ll also be able to serve to the audio speakers directly from your favorite apps using Play To Sonos. These include: Spotify, Pandora, YouTube Music and Tidal’s streaming music service. The system also supports streaming from iOS and compatible software using Apple AirPlay 2.
     The competition
    The Polk Command Bar is a smart sound bar that supports Amazon’s Multi-Room Music system.
    Sarah Tew/CNET
    The main competitive standards to Sonos are?Bose?Music, DTS Play-Fi, Google Chromecast built-in, Apple AirPlay 2,?Yamaha MusicCast and Denon HEOS. Amazon Echo and the Polk Command Bar also support the?Amazon MRM system.
    Wireless audio speakers start at around $100 — with most featuring Apple AirPlay, Chromecast or both — and great wireless sound bars such as the Polk Command Bar start at $250.?Here are some of the best multiroom music systems.
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