Review: I tried the new Sonos Play speaker, part of the audio companys big comeback
Sonos Play: The Perfect Portable Speaker for Music Lovers?
Sonos has just released a new portable speaker called the Sonos Play. You might think, "Another one? Sonos already has two portable speakers!" And you'd be right. They have the Sonos Move 2 and the Sonos Roam 2. The new Play speaker fits right in the middle when it comes to size.
But for many Sonos fans, this new speaker is exciting news. The Play might be exactly what Sonos needed. Let's look at why.
The Roam 2 is designed to be very portable (Sonos even calls it "ultra-portable," though we're not entirely convinced). However, its sound quality isn't as good as other Sonos speakers. One editor even said it sounded "tinny."
On the other hand, the Move 2 sounds fantastic, but it's quite large and heavy, weighing 3 kilograms (about 6.6 pounds). This makes it difficult to truly call it a "portable" Bluetooth speaker. It's great for moving around your home or backyard, but not so much for throwing in a bag and taking everywhere.
The launch of the Sonos Play is more than just a new product. It's part of a bigger effort for Sonos to regain its standing after a challenging year. The company faced major issues with a problematic app update in 2024. Sonos has been quieter in the audio world while working to fix these software problems. The Play is an important step in their potential comeback story.
After using the new Sonos Play speaker for a week, I found it offers a great balance between being easy to carry and delivering good sound quality.
Not Too Heavy, Not Too Small: Just Right
Sonos sent me a black Sonos Play speaker to review (it's also available in white). As soon as I took it out of the box, I felt that this was the ideal size for a portable Sonos speaker. You can easily hold it with one hand, pass it to someone, or slip it into a bag. It's not super lightweight, but at 1.3 kilograms (about 2.8 pounds), it's very manageable.
On the back, there's a small loop for carrying, which is a nice touch, though I personally didn't find myself using it much.
In terms of looks, it's unmistakably a Sonos speaker. Like most Sonos products, it has a black mesh cover and a subtle, black-on-black Sonos logo on the front. However, the top surface is made of rubber and features actual push-buttons, unlike the touch-sensitive buttons on the Move 2. While less "fancy," these physical buttons likely make the speaker more durable and resistant to outdoor conditions. Sonos confirms the Play is waterproof with an IP67 rating, which is better than the Move 2's IP56 rating.
On the back of the speaker, you'll find a power button, a Bluetooth button, a button to turn off voice commands, and a USB-C port for connecting audio devices with a cable (you'll need a USB-C to 3.5mm adapter for traditional headphones or auxiliary input). You don't need this port for charging, as the Sonos Play comes with a charging base, similar to the Move 2. Conveniently, you can charge the Sonos Play using a standard USB-C cable if you're out and about and don't want to carry the charging base with you.
A Battery That Can Handle Your Adventures
The Sonos Play offers up to 24 hours of battery life, matching the Move 2 (the Roam 2 only gets up to 10 hours). In my experience, the Play's battery lasted through about two long evenings of music playback (for me, that means having friends over for dinner and background music for a few hours). It might not quite make it through a third evening.
When you're at home or nearby, battery life isn't a concern because charging the Play is easy. But I believe its battery is strong enough to last through a short camping trip, which is really all you can ask for from a portable speaker.
The Play also has a clever feature for emergencies: if your phone runs out of battery, you can connect it (or any other USB-C device) to the Play, which then acts as a portable 35Wh power bank to charge your device.
Loud and Clear, But Not the Most Refined
The Sonos Play is loud and sounds good, but it's important to understand that it doesn't offer the same high-level audio quality as the Sonos Move 2.
The sound is strong and clear, often surprising me with how deep the bass can go or how distinct individual instruments sound. A great way to test this is with John Coltrane's "A Love Supreme."
However, when the music becomes more complex, like when a full band plays loudly in Queens of the Stone Age's "Little Sister," the sound can become a bit messy and crowded, especially at high volumes. In contrast, the Move 2 maintains its amazing sound quality regardless of volume or music style.
This comparison isn't entirely unfair. Both speakers offer stereo sound. The Play features one mid-woofer paired with two angled tweeters and three Class-H digital amplifiers. The Move 2 has similar specifications but uses more efficient Class-D digital amplifiers. Of course, the mid-woofer inside the Move 2 is much larger, and I believe that makes a significant difference in sound performance.
One important point: the Sonos Play has a "Loudness" setting turned on by default. You can disable this in the Sonos app settings (it's located under Sound — EQ). I recommend trying it both ways. When Loudness is on, both the bass and treble are boosted, which can sound appealing for certain music genres and environments. However, I preferred keeping Loudness off because it resulted in a more balanced sound.
Another thing to note: the Play isn't a 360-degree speaker that sounds great from every direction. While it projects sound widely, you'll still get the best audio experience when you're facing it directly.
The App Is Better Than You Might Expect
Sonos received a lot of negative attention when it released a major update to its app in 2024. The new app had so many problems that Sonos spent years trying to fix all the issues, apologizing to users almost every month.
I'm happy to report that the app, in its current state, isn't too bad. Adding new devices is simple, and the home screen, while sometimes a bit confusing, can be customized a little to suit your preferences. Although I haven't encountered any major problems like complete app freezes or speakers mysteriously disappearing from my system, there's still room for improvement.
For instance, finding a specific album often requires an extra step or two than I'd prefer. If I use the search function in the Sonos app and type an artist's name, I'll see results from Apple Music, Spotify, and Sonos Radio (you need to subscribe to Apple Music or Spotify and link them to the Sonos app for their content to appear). But if I tap on the artist, I only get a list of songs, with no clear way to view their actual albums.
I've discovered that the most effective way to find what I'm looking for is to limit my search to just one service, like Apple Music. This usually provides a more complete list of results.
Also, some parts of the app's design can be slow and, frankly, confusing. For example, if you touch the volume slider in the app, another window pops up with the exact same volume slider, but now your finger is in the wrong spot to actually adjust it. Why, Sonos, why?
These aren't huge issues, but small things like this can eventually make you wonder if using the Sonos app is truly better than just using Apple Music, Spotify, or Tidal directly.
However, the Sonos app becomes invaluable if you own more than one Sonos speaker.
With the Sonos app, I can easily see what's currently playing, tap the speaker name at the bottom, and instantly get a list of all the Sonos speakers in my home. From there, I can choose to play music on all speakers simultaneously or select specific ones. I can also adjust the overall volume and individual volumes for each speaker. Given how incredible a Sonos system sounds with multiple speakers in a room, especially with Trueplay enabled (a technology that optimizes sound based on the speakers' placement), this multi-room control is a fantastic feature to have.
While you can use AirPlay for some of these functions, it can get complicated when you're managing several speakers, devices, and headphones. I prefer to keep my entire Sonos system organized within the Sonos app.
Regarding voice assistants, you still only have access to Sonos's own assistant or Amazon Alexa; no other options are available. The Sonos assistant works fine, but in an age of incredibly smart AI, I sometimes wished it offered more advanced capabilities.
Great Size, But the Price Might Be a Bit High
My main complaint about the Sonos Play is that I've been spoiled by the Move 2's incredible sound. The new Sonos portable speaker is good, it's loud enough, and it has all the features you'd expect, along with excellent battery life. But it simply doesn't deliver the same high-quality audio experience that the Move 2 provides.
If the Play were priced around $200, which is generally considered a good price for a decent portable speaker these days, I would wholeheartedly recommend it as an immediate purchase, especially if you already own other Sonos products. However, the Sonos Play costs $299 in the U.S. and a hefty €349 in Europe (which is about $402). That's a significant amount of money for what the Sonos Play offers.
I still recommend the Play if you're looking for a truly portable Sonos speaker. Its larger sibling, the Move 2, while sounding incredible, is just too big to comfortably carry around. Just be aware that you'll be paying a pretty high price, largely for the Sonos brand name.
from Mashable
-via DynaSage
