The Play is a brand new moveable wifi and Bluetooth dwelling speaker that packs the perfect of Sonos right into a jack of all trades that’s meant to be a reset level within the firm’s restoration from its app debacle that misplaced it religion, favour and a chief govt.
It’s the first actually new music speaker since Sonos launched its new app in Could 2024, which junked fan-favourite options whereas inflicting stability and utilization issues for brand new and previous prospects alike. The corporate has spent the perfect a part of two years fixing errors, bringing again core options and guaranteeing the system really works.
Now it might probably get again to doing what it does finest: wonderful, expansive wifi audio system that may play music from nearly any supply in nearly anyplace, and that get higher when linked with others on the Sonos system.
The Play prices £299 (€349/$299/A$499) and definitely isn’t your common moveable speaker. Sitting above the can-sized £179 Roam 2 in value and heft, the newest Sonos is designed to be a speaker for all events, simply as glad to stay as your go-to music field at dwelling on wifi as it’s as a Bluetooth speaker on the highway.
It’s best regarded as an evolution of the a lot bigger Transfer 2, taking its good bits and merging them with model’s normal speaker, the Period 100, whereas shrinking in dimension and weight. The result’s a extra compact bookshelf speaker that may punch far past its dimension whereas being gentle and rugged sufficient to tackle journeys to the backyard, seaside or park.
Regardless of wanting the half within the dwelling, the highest and backside of the oval-shaped speaker are rubberised to soak up impression. The IP67 water resistance – just like many smartphones – means it might probably survive being submerged as much as 1-metre depths with out concern. It’s a comparatively rugged speaker that doesn’t look it.
At 1.3kg, the Play isn’t gentle by any means, however it’s much less half the load of the Transfer 2. The burden means you might be unlikely to need to pack it in a bag for a hike or a flight, so the Play is finest suited to being moved across the dwelling or backyard, or taken to a good friend’s dwelling through automotive.
The Play’s greatest energy is its integration with the remainder of Sonos’s ecosystem. Meaning it connects to your router through wifi 6 to immediately stream music from the web managed through the Sonos app, Spotify Join or Apple AirPlay 2. It may be grouped with different Sonos audio system for multi-room audio, helps virtually all streaming music companies, and two Performs will be linked to create a stereo pair.
But it surely additionally has Bluetooth 5.3 to be used away from dwelling, streaming music out of your cellphone or one other participant. Its get together trick is it might probably hook up with different Play or Transfer 2 audio system to create a gaggle of as much as 4 models all enjoying from the identical Bluetooth supply. The Play can also be suitable with Sonos’s analogue line-in or combo ethernet adaptors.
The Play has a big 35Wh battery, which will be changed simply at dwelling. It lasts as much as 24 hours on Bluetooth, and greater than a day’s listening at dwelling on wifi when cranked as much as 60%. The battery fees through the USB-C port or the included charging base, permitting you to easily pop it again in place to at all times preserve it topped up. Leaving the speaker on the charging base doesn’t have an effect on the battery’s lifespan.
However the Play doesn’t ship with a charger. It requires an 18W or larger USB-C energy adaptor, which must be 45W to help quick charging. Whereas most fashionable cellphone or laptop computer chargers will work, you actually need a devoted one to make correct use of the bottom.
Specs
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Dimensions: 192.3 x 112.5 x 76.7mm
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Weigh: 1.3kg
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Connectivity: wifi 6, Bluetooth 5.3 (SBC/AAC), USB-C, AirPlay 2, Spotify Join
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Battery: 35Wh (24 hours playback), 120 hours standby, three hours to cost
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Charging: included dock or USB-C 18-45W
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Water resistance: IP67 (1 metre for half-hour)
Excellent sound
What the Play lacks in light-weight portability it makes up for in sound. It has one woofer speaker going through straight out and two tweeters set at an angle, which creates a pleasant and large sound that stops somewhat wanting actual stereo separation, except you sit proper within the candy spot within the center. You’ll be able to create a stereo pair utilizing two Performs boosting total quantity and energy, whereas a single Play from a stereo pair can nonetheless be utilized by merely turning off the opposite one, so you possibly can take it some other place in the home.
By itself, the Play sounds nice with wonderful separation of tones, good element within the highs and properly outlined mids with loads of punch. Vocals sound notably good. It produces bass filled with energy, however struggles to hit actually deep notes, falling wanting the Transfer 2.
It’s a very pleasurable pay attention, and sounds nice out of the field, however the Sonos app has an equaliser for changes. The automated Trueplay tuning system works properly, optimising the sound as you progress the speaker between totally different dimension and kinds of room.
The Play can fill most areas with sound, however the audio high quality begins to say no above 80% quantity, dropping low-end energy. The speaker sounds finest at 60% quantity, which will likely be sufficient for many listening. However a single Play will battle as a conveyable get together speaker because it isn’t fairly loud sufficient.
Improved app
So much went flawed for the Sonos app redesign. Whereas the interface stays just like the app from 2024, it now has the core options that had been missed most, together with the flexibility to set wake-up alarms, native music library playback and playlist enhancing. It is usually now much more responsive and issues plaguing the underlying system, together with pairing audio system, have been tremendously lowered. For essentially the most half, it simply works once more.
As a one-stop store for all of your streaming companies, together with music, podcasts and radio, it really works properly with unified search, the flexibility to save lots of Sonos playlists and repair particular playlists, equivalent to your favorite from Spotify.
Organising audio system, customising the sound, controlling the amount, grouping audio system, and realizing the place you’re about to play music if in case you have a number of audio system is far improved. However the app nonetheless has limitations, equivalent to not having the ability to reorder tracks in playlists by date added, artist or different filters, such as you would possibly in Spotify or different music apps. And numerous options don’t observe fashionable logic utilized by different apps, with easy issues equivalent to deleting playlists buried beneath a number of menus.
Total, it appears like Sonos has principally put its app debacle behind it and is again to a strong base, although regaining person belief will take extra time.
Sustainability
Sonos provides a minimal of 5 years’ software program help after it stops promoting a product however has a observe file of for much longer, together with bug and safety fixes for its legacy gadgets. The battery ought to final for 750 full cost cycles and will be changed at dwelling costing £49.
The speaker accommodates 26% renewable plastic, recycled aluminium and metal. Sonos provides trade-in and product recycling, and breaks down the speaker’s environmental impression in its report.
Value
The Sonos Play prices £299 (€349/$299/A$499)
For comparability, the Roam 2 prices £179, the Transfer 2 prices £449, the Period 100 prices £199 and the Period 300 prices £449. The Bluetooth JBL Cost 6 prices £129.99 and the Final Ears Epicboom prices £329.99.
Verdict
The Play is a return to type for Sonos: a jack of all trades that does as properly at dwelling as a compact bookshelf speaker because it does out within the backyard streaming Bluetooth music out of your cellphone. It may very well be the one speaker you want.
Whereas wanting the half on a shelf on its charging dock, additionally it is rugged sufficient to not fear about on the highway. It lasts a very long time on a cost and the battery will be changed in 5 years or so, guaranteeing the speaker’s helpful life isn’t restricted by battery chemistry.
It stops somewhat wanting being a real grasp of all of it, missing a little bit of low-end energy at larger volumes in contrast with Sonos’s related Period 100 plugged-in speaker, which can also be one-third cheaper. And it’s a bit giant and heavy to go on hikes with, whereas not being fairly loud sufficient for a booming Bluetooth get together speaker. You’ll be able to actually get a greater Bluetooth speaker for the cash.
However for these already invested within the system in search of a top quality, actually adaptable speaker, the Play is the perfect of Sonos working as one.
Execs: wifi 6 and Bluetooth 5.3, nice sound, lengthy battery life, IP67 water resistance, sturdy, design that matches dwelling and away, large help for music companies, lengthy software program help life, will be paired up, good non-obligatory voice management, replaceable battery.
Cons: costly, no spatial audio help/Dolby Atmos, can’t be used as a part of a house cinema setup, heavy for a conveyable speaker, no charger within the field.
