The perfect Sonos audio system in 2024, examined and reviewed

We could earn income from the merchandise out there on this web page and take part in affiliate packages. Learn more ›

Brandt Ranj / In style Science

Sonos audio system are recognized worldwide for his or her sound high quality and for pioneering and popularizing whole-home audio programs. The Santa Barbara, Calif.-based firm’s unique audio system have been among the many first to assist Wi-Fi connectivity, the power to play music via a number of wi-fi audio system concurrently, and management through a cell app. Sonos has continued its streak of innovation by introducing single-speaker Dolby Atmos assist, sustainable speaker design, and the power to speak with a number of good dwelling assistants with out compromising on the options that made it profitable within the first place. Alongside the best way, it’s additionally jumped head-first into the house theater world by introducing a line of soundbars that don’t sacrifice readability for psychoacoustics. The perfect Sonos audio system will can help you seamlessly arrange a linked multiroom speaker system or dwelling theater that requires little to no upkeep whereas delivering glorious sound.

• Finest total: Sonos Era 300
• Finest splurge: Sonos Arc
• Finest soundbar: Sonos Beam (Gen. 2)
• Finest moveable: Sonos Move 2
• Finest worth: Sonos Era 100
• Finest finances: Sonos Roam 2

How we selected the very best Sonos audio system

Our Sonos speaker suggestions are based mostly on hands-on (and, on this case, ears-on) testing of each mannequin we suggest. Our methodology included listening to music from totally different genres—in mono, stereo, and Dolby Atmos mixes—in several rooms at a number of quantity ranges. Within the case of our moveable speaker suggestion, we listened to music indoors and outside. When doable, we listened to music utilizing totally different connectivity choices. Sonos audio system are recognized for being pricy, so we additionally thought-about one’s finances when deciding which audio system to suggest.

The perfect Sonos audio system: Critiques & Suggestions

Able to arrange a wireless surround sound system or multiroom music system? Have your Wi-Fi router fired up and browse on to search out the very best Sonos speaker to order and add to the community. In lots of instances, the play is to begin with a single speaker and proceed including to your system over time. The excellent news is that Sonos audio system all sound fairly nice on their very own, so that you received’t find yourself with a sub-par base system regardless of your first decide. Contemplate, nevertheless, the way you need to use the speaker—listening to music vs. watching motion pictures and TV reveals, for instance—when selecting.

Finest total: Sonos Era 300

Specs

• Connectivity: Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, 3.5mm AUX jack (with an adapter)
• Dolby Atmos suitable: Sure
• Value: $449

Professionals

• Single-unit Dolby Atmos assist, plus rear channel efficiency w/ upfiring/facet drivers
• Sustainable design
• Modular connectivity choices

Cons

• Value

The Sonos Period 300 wowed us once we first tested it in 2023, and it continues to impress all these months later. The speaker is likely one of the first to have the ability to decode and natively play again Dolby Atmos mixes from streaming providers like Apple Music, Amazon Music, and TIDAL wirelessly from a single supply (albeit via using the Sonos app). This characteristic comes courtesy of a six-driver array that’s positioned ahead and upward to supply better depth. The upward-firing drivers received’t pull as a lot weight when listening to stereo or mono music (although they received’t harm, both). For even higher stereo and Dolby Atmos efficiency, you must contemplate including a second Period 300 and pairing the 2 collectively.

As we mentioned in our first impressions, “… the Period 300’s directional treble provides expansiveness alongside expressiveness.” The a number of drivers’ purpose-driven placement permits for the Period 300 to take full benefit of spatial audio‘s 360-degree encoding, protecting all of the object-based components in movement with none perceivable channel-hopping disconnection. Generally, Sonos audio system have a midrange saturation, a wealthy home tuning, but it surely isn’t distracting; the middle picture stays centered, by no means shouty, whereas different frequencies are allowed to frolic. Whereas the Period 300 received’t dethrone our high picks for best powered speakers with regards to the last word expression of textural articulation and pure punchiness, it’s a speaker that’s a lot simpler to mesh into any environments than part programs that want precise placement and a number of plugs. Go together with the Period 300 if you wish to spend extra time along with your playlists than enjoying along with your speaker’s angle.

The Period 300 additionally advantages from Sonos’ newest design rules, which put sustainability and modularity entrance and heart. The speaker has a USB-C port across the again, which may join an adapter that terminates into an ordinary 3.5mm audio jack. This lets you join the Period 300 to a turntable with a built-in preamp and different wired audio sources (or go fully wirelessly with the Works with Sonos Victrola Stream Carbon or Victrola Stream Onyx). This new design can be amongst Sonos’ most sustainable—the speaker was designed to be taken aside by a technician, who can exchange particular parts fairly than scraping the speaker outright. In the event you plan on paying $449 for a single speaker, investing in a single designed to final is wise.

The Sonos Period 300 is the corporate’s newest high-end speaker, and we by no means discovered it missing. This could be our rapid decide if we may solely suggest certainly one of its audio system.

Finest splurge: Sonos Arc

Specs

• Connectivity: Wi-Fi, HDMI
• Dolby Atmos suitable: Sure
• Value: $834.99

Professionals

• Wealthy sound
• Dolby Atmos assist
• Extensive dimension

Cons

• Value

At 45 inches huge and $834.99, Sonos’ Arc is the audio embodiment of the adage “Go large or go dwelling.” Almost 4 years after its launch, it’s nonetheless aggressive with the best Dolby Atmos soundbars, together with JBL’s Bar 700 and Yamaha’s True X Bar 50A. As with the Period 300, the Sonos Arc options each upward and front-firing drivers, and the soundbar’s extraordinarily huge dimension makes it an incredible selection when listening to stereo music or watching older TV reveals and movies. There’s a stunning quantity of Left/Proper channel separation, nowhere close to the soundfield/imaging of discrete stereo speakers however considerably akin to what we’ve skilled when listening to music on Bowers & Wilkins’ football-shaped Zeppelin speaker (albeit with out the surprisingly prodigious bass that smart speaker produces). You’ll want sufficient house in your house theater to suit it, however you’ll rewarded for giving the Arc as a lot room as you’ll be able to spare.

An enormous a part of the Arc’s attraction is that it could convincingly exchange a standard 3.0 dwelling theater system. Dialogue comes via clearly within the heart channel, by no means getting overpowered by sound results coming via the suitable or left channels. It’s a neat trick that the soundbar does this be just right for you fairly than requiring you to allow a dialogue enhancement characteristic individually. One other profit to the Arc is its capability to be linked with the corporate’s different audio system to kind a extra conventional multi-speaker dwelling theater system. For the very best Dolby Atmos expertise, pair the Arc with two Era 300 audio system and its Sonos Sub.

Whereas we favor the Period 300 x2 and full-sized Sub setup, we’ve examined the Arc independently and paired simply with a Sonos Sub Mini. It carried out properly in all instances, however the addition of a wi-fi subwoofer did spherical out its sound fairly a bit. Sonos’ dedication to persevering with to assist older {hardware} by making it suitable with newer parts is refreshing and helps to justify the Arc’s undeniably excessive price. In order for you a true home theater all-in-one, and have the house and finances, don’t hesitate to select up the Sonos Arc.

Finest soundbar: Sonos Beam (Gen. 2)

Specs

• Connectivity: Wi-Fi, HDMI, Optical (through included adapter)
• Dolby Atmos suitable: Sure
• Value: $499

Professionals

• Nice sound, given its compact dimension
• Modular design
• Dolby Atmos assist

Cons

• Value

The second-generation Sonos Beam takes most of what we favored in regards to the Sonos Arc and shrinks it down right into a extra manageable dimension. Dolby Atmos assist is the Beam’s standout characteristic, given its comparatively compact dimension, however its drivers are positioned ahead and angled towards the edges, so the overhead/digital encompass sound impact wasn’t as pronounced throughout our checks. The outward-facing drivers made listening to stereo audio extra convincing, although the Arc beat it out. Evaluating the second-generation Beam to the Sonos Arc isn’t very reasonable, given the $400 value delta between the 2, however Sonos’s smaller soundbar does stand out by itself.

Audio high quality for each music and when watching movies was universally glorious in our checks. The front-firing heart channel audio system matched the Arc in dialogue readability, which was no small feat. Additionally, loud seems like explosions by no means distorted the facet audio system, which isn’t at all times true with smaller drivers discovered on extra compact soundbars. You’ll get a comparatively immersive stereo expertise, whereas the power to natively play Dolby Atmos mixes of albums and film soundtracks is a pleasant bonus.

The principle motive the second-generation Sonos beam stands out in a crowded discipline filled with nice choices—Polk’s Signa S4, TCL’s Q6510, and Sony’s HT-S2000 amongst them—is the power to attach it to Sonos’ different audio system. We paired the second-generation Sonos Beam with a Sub Mini and instantly seen its sound crammed out. Connecting it to a pair of Era 300s would’ve accomplished the impact and introduced true Dolby Atmos playback to the soundbar. This flexibility, mixed with the second-generation Beam’s spectacular audio high quality, makes it the soundout selection within the Sonos soundbar lineup.

Finest moveable: Sonos Move 2

Specs

• Connectivity: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth,
• Dolby Atmos suitable: No
• Value:

Professionals

• Distinctive audio high quality
• Moveable-friendly design
• Sustainable design

Cons

• Value

The Transfer 2 is Sonos’ newest moveable speaker, enhancing upon the earlier technology in each conceivable method. Its battery lasts as much as 24 hours (up from 11), its acoustic structure was fully reconsidered (incorporating improvements from the Period 100’s improvement), and its design was tweaked to make it even simpler to seize and go—actually. Our testing revealed a portable party speaker that stood out in an extremely crowded discipline, largely due to Sonos’ sturdy out-of-the-box audio high quality. It’s exhausting to argue with a conveyable speaker that sounds simply nearly as good over Wi-Fi and Bluetooth (although vary provides the previous the sting) with none EQ futzing needed.

A part of that audio high quality comes all the way down to the Transfer 2’s assist for TruePlay, a characteristic that robotically calibrates the speaker based mostly on its surroundings. We discovered this allowed the Transfer 2 to sound nice inside and outdoors, with perceptible variations in its sound when the characteristic was enabled. TruePlay works in real-time, so that you’ll hear the speaker change while you take it from room to room, although your ears will regulate to its present sound shortly. Don’t get us flawed, the variations aren’t evening and day, however they’re noticeable nonetheless.

The Transfer 2 advantages from Sonos’ newest design language, each inside and outside. The multi-driver system contained in the Transfer 2 is just like the one present in our subsequent featured speaker (see the finances decide beneath). This permits it to play music in true stereo by itself—although not Atmos, even when two Transfer 2s are linked—with sufficient oomph to fill out a complete mid-sized room by itself. Audio high quality is constant at any quantity stage, assuming the music you’re listening to was combined and mastered properly.

An enormous a part of the Transfer 2’s attraction in our checks was its portable-friendly design. Sonos scooped out a piece from the speaker’s again to behave like a deal with, and this recessed part allowed us to securely carry the Transfer 2 round single-handedly (and a solidly weighted base means it doesn’t tip over simply). This was a way more elegant design than moveable audio system with conventional handles like JBL’s exceptional-sounding Authentics 300, which additionally impressed us final yr. The Transfer 2 additionally options Sonos’ sustainability-forward design language, which implies it may be disassembled and repaired extra simply than the corporate’s earlier moveable audio system.

All of those options give the Transfer 2 a definite benefit over its competitors and show Sonos’ capability to deliver audiophile high quality outside.

Finest worth: Sonos Era 100

Specs

• Connectivity: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, AUX (with an adapter)
• Dolby Atmos suitable: No
• Value: $249

Professionals

• Nice total sound
• Sustainable design
• Value

Cons

• No Atmos assist
• Not really moveable regardless of compact dimension (no battery)

The Period 100 is Sonos’ latest entry-level speaker, and we found it’s a big leap forward in audio high quality over the speaker it changed. The multi-driver array within the Period 100 permits it to play music in true stereo, and whereas separation is considerably restricted, it’s a greater illustration of an artist’s imaginative and prescient than truncating music into mono. The stereo separation turns into extra pronounced when listening to music from a distance of 4 or extra toes away.

As a result of that is the little sibling to Sonos’ Era 300 speaker, the 2 share many widespread options: The Period 100 has a sustainable design and a USB-C port that may terminate right into a 3.5mm audio jack with an adapter. Assist for TruePlay 2 helps the speaker sound nice in any surroundings, so that you don’t have to fret about discovering a candy spot. This characteristic, mixed with Sonos’ in-house tuning and the Period 100’s audio processor and amp, add as much as one fine-sounding speaker.

The Period 100 sounded wealthy and detailed when listening to music streamed from Apple Music over Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. Bass was current however managed, highs sounded crisp with out being too sharp, and the midrange was particularly wealthy and luscious. The result’s a speaker notably good at enjoying again dwell and acoustic tracks and might current nuance in vocals particularly properly. Don’t fear; you’ll nonetheless discover quite a bit to like in regards to the Period 100 in the event you favor techno, rap, or pop music layered with results.

Given the worth of Sonos’ audio system, we’re impressed the corporate spent a lot time tweaking the sound of its entry-level speaker. For a lot of, the Period 100 would be the best-sounding speaker of their dwelling, and there received’t be a necessity so as to add a second for extra stereo separation. In a house theater surroundings, a pair of Period 100 audio system can be utilized along with a second-generation Sonos Beam (or Arc, in the event you so select) and Sub for a 5.1 encompass sound setup. The one main characteristic the Period 100 lacks is assist for Dolby Atmos playback. If that doesn’t matter to you, decide up the Sonos Period 100 with no reservations.

Finest finances: Sonos Roam 2

Specs

• Connectivity: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth
• Dolby Atmos suitable: No
• Value: $179

Professionals

• Wonderful sound for its dimension
• Simpler to toggle between Bluetooth and Wi-Fi
• Value

Cons

• Mono speaker

The Roam 2 is Sonos’ most moveable, reasonably priced speaker, and it’s the best-sounding wi-fi speaker at its dimension. The speaker stands simply 6.61 inches tall and weighs below a pound, making it simple to hold round in your hand or in a backpack. Its refined curved triangular form made the speaker snug to grip and maintain onto. The Roam 2 could also be smaller than another Sonos speaker, but it surely has all the corporate’s trademark options. It may be linked to Wi-Fi for wi-fi streaming via the Sonos App or AirPlay 2 on Apple gadgets, and it helps Automated Trueplay, which adjustments the speaker’s sound in real-time based mostly on its surroundings. You can even connect with the Roam 2 over Bluetooth while you’re on the go.

Sonos appears to be encouraging using Bluetooth with the Roam 2 as a result of it added a devoted Bluetooth button on the again of the speaker. The earlier technology of Roam required you to set every part up over Wi-Fi after which maintain down the ability button for Bluetooth pairing, which might get complicated. This time round, holding down the Bluetooth button elicits a chime, and it’s immediately in pairing mode. In our checks, the Sonos Roam 2 labored flawlessly over each Wi-Fi and Bluetooth (model 5.2, for these counting), by no means dropping a connection in both case. The preliminary Wi-Fi setup was easy due to Sonos’ app, which discovered the Roam 2 inside 10 seconds of the speaker being turned on. Equally, a MacBook Professional and iPhone 15 Professional Max may pair with the speaker over Bluetooth with out incident.

General, we completely loved listening to music, podcasts, and audiobooks via the Roam 2. Sonos managed to eke a number of efficiency from a mono speaker, doubtless via its twin custom-designed amplifiers. We may crank the speaker up whereas listening to the uncooked energy pop of Badfinger’s I Can’t Take It or the overly compressed Britpop stylings of Oasis’ Supersonic and nonetheless hear each aspect of the observe. Vocals and acoustic devices sound particularly good coming from the comparatively demure Roam 2. This doesn’t imply the Roam 2 can’t articulate bass. The distinguished bass line in A Tribe Referred to as Quest’s Buggin’ Out and Pink Floyd’s Cash got here via clearly with out overpowering the opposite components of both observe.

The character of mono audio system is that some tracks will inevitably sound higher than others. The Roam 2’s processor does job of separating totally different sounds to keep away from dropping an excessive amount of constancy in a stereo combine, however you could hear a wonky observe right here and there. If you wish to take heed to tracks in true stereo, your choices are to step as much as the Sonos Transfer 2 or decide up a second Roam 2 to pair along with your first as devoted L/R channels. Regardless, in the event you’re involved in moving into the Sonos speaker ecosystem, the Roam 2 is a wonderful place to begin.

There are a lot of components to weigh when deciding which is the very best Sonos speaker for you. These are those we thought-about most necessary when compiling this story:

Connectivity

Sonos audio system assist a variety of wired and wi-fi connectivity choices relying on after they have been launched and the kind of speaker they’re. All of Sonos’ audio system assist wi-fi streaming over Wi-Fi, whereas some additionally work with Bluetooth. The most recent Sonos audio system characteristic a USB-C port on the again, which lets you join them to a turntable through an adapter. Sonos’ soundbars are sometimes outfitted with an HDMI port but in addition include an adapter that permits them to be linked to a TV’s optical audio port. Additionally, if you have already got a pair of passive stereo speakers you like, there are AV receivers (like the Sony STR-AN1000) you should purchase which might be licensed Works with Sonos so as to add linked capabilities into your present system.

Dolby Atmos compatibility

A few of Sonos’ audio system have the native capability to play music and film soundtracks with a Dolby Atmos combine due to an array of upward and front-facing drivers, that are positioned such that sound is broadcast not solely at however above and to the facet of you, with soundwaves bouncing off the ceiling/partitions to virtualize encompass sound. Dolby Atmos audio remains to be in its infancy, but it surely’s gaining floor within the mainstream greater than earlier multichannel codecs similar to quadraphonic LPs, SACDs, and DVD-Audio discs (even multichannel audio Blu-rays) as a result of tracks will be streamed fairly than requiring particular area of interest discs.

Sustainability

The entire audio system Sonos launched in 2023—the Sonos Period 100, Period 300, and Transfer 2—have been designed with sustainability in thoughts from the underside up. These audio system have modular designs that permit Sonos to restore a faltering part fairly than having to switch the whole unit. This can lengthen the lifetime of the speaker for you.

FAQs

Ultimate ideas on the very best Sonos audio system

• Finest total: Sonos Era 300
• Finest splurge: Sonos Arc
• Finest soundbar: Sonos Beam (Gen. 2)
• Finest moveable: Sonos Move 2
• Finest worth: Sonos Era 100
• Finest finances: Sonos Roam 2

Sonos’ linked audio system proceed to be among the many finest you will get, with the corporate persevering with to push the bar with every successive technology. Its continued assist for older audio system and a powerful sustainability push with its newest fashions recommend the corporate understands that its audio gear is an funding. It doesn’t launch audio system merely for the sake of getting a brand new gadget available on the market, and does an incredible job at guaranteeing its {hardware} lasts , very long time. This dedication, mixed with the continued addition of recent applied sciences and options, make its audio system a implausible selection for these simply beginning their elevated audio journey or these trying to see how good a wi-fi speaker can actually sound.