They say big things come in small packages, and if that’s true, then the Sonos Play:1 speaker is a monster. The smallest member of the Sonos family, the Play:1 holds its own alongside big brothers the Play:3 and Play:5, delivering exceptional sound in a stylish package.
Unlike similarly sized speakers that have to sacrifice sound, Play:1 manages to bring the heat with rich bass levels, a midrange woofer, tweeter, two Class-D digital amps, high quality streaming and crisp sound normally found in speakers at least twice its size. Set up is super easy with the only real requirements being an outlet, wifi and the Sonos app. The main draw to the Play:1, and Sonos speakers in general, are the wireless capabilities and access to popular streaming services like Apple Music, Pandora and Spotify. It connects directly to the Internet instead of relying on your phone or computer. Just select the music you want to play and the Play:1 will do the rest with no notification sounds or ringtones to interrupt playback.
One feature audiophile techies will love is Sonos’ Trueplay feature. Trueplay measures the acoustics in any room – analyzing things like size, layout and furnishings. Then fine-tunes your PLAY:1 to make the music sound great, no matter where you place your speaker.
If you’re a city dweller or a college student confined to a small room, the Play:1 is perfect because the sleek design (available in black or white) blends seamlessly into your home decor, fitting in everything from bookcases to nooks in your kitchen.
Should you ever find yourself in need of more sound, you can layer speakers by adding an additional Play:1 or bringing in a Play:3 or Play:5. You can play different music in different rooms on each speaker or group them together, all while maintaining independent volume control on each unit. Need an even bigger sound for watching sports or feeling the realness of the Star Wars intro? Add on Sonos’ Playbar and Sub for theater-like surround sound.
The one drawback would be portability. Though it’s small, the Play:1 is not as portable as a Jawbone JAMBOX, for example, which is a shame because that’s the one thing that will keep you from truly incorporating SONOS and their “Listen out loud” motto into every aspect of your life.
Overall, the Play:1 from Sonos is a great speaker for the size and at just $199, its the most budget friendly way to jump into the Sonos wireless music system.
Danielle T. Pointdujour is a Senior Editor for EBONY and JET. You can follow her writing, musings and global adventures on her blog Hotel Whisperer and on Twitter and Instagram.
