Black Friday 2017 is here, and Sonos speakers are on sale, big and small. While Sonos has come under fire recently from the likes of companies like Apple, LG and Samsung, all of whom have developed multi-room audio solutions of their own, it's still Sonos standing at the top of the hill.
Even companies like Amazon, makers of the Amazon Echo smart speaker have taken stock of Sonos' leadership in the connected speaker space: The Washington-based company is rumored to be collaborating with the sound company to create a new type of well-connected multi-room speaker.
But why go for a Sonos? They're simple to use and sound great, plus they enable you to control the music from wherever you are in the house by syncing multiple speakers to the same song. It's one heck of a party trick.
Here’s the problem: Sonos speakers can be darn expensive … unless you find a good deal. That’s where we come in. We’ve put together the ultimate guide to the best cheap Sonos deals so you don’t have to scavenge the internet wasteland looking for them.
Below you’ll find the best deals on the regular speakers – Sonos Play:1, Play:3 and Play:5 – but also the Sonos Playbar, Sub and Connect as well.
Are you here for a deal on the brand-new Sonos Playbase? Don't worry, we didn't forget about the latest addition to the Sonos family. If you're looking for the best Sonos Playbase deals, we've got those as well.
So what’s a good deal?
Good deals are subjective, obviously. But if we were in your shoes, we’d wait for at least a $50/£35/AU$75 off sale. These happen around the holidays, mostly, but can happen randomly throughout the year as well.
If you’re looking for a recommendation, your best bet is to start your Sonos system with a Play:5, the big brother of the bunch, and work your way down. We also have a soft spot in our heart for the Playbar (it’s on our best soundbar list, after all) and a Play:1 is a good pick if you’re looking to move the party outdoors. If you want the latest and greatest from Sonos, check out the brand-new Sonos Playbase – it's a speaker and TV stand all in one package.
OK, without further ado, here are the best Sonos deals we’ve found this month.
The Sonos Play:1 is the alpha in Sonos' alphabet. It's not the most powerful of the bunch, but it definitely knows how to get the job done. It's 6.36 x 4.69 x 4.69 inches (161.45 x 119.7 x 119.7 mm) and 4.08 lbs (1.85 kg) but it can really kick. It comes in two colors – white with light metallic grille and black with graphite grille – and works with standard wall mounts and speaker stands. We love how easy it is to setup and its awesome sound quality, but thought that its low end could use a bit of oomph. Still, if you're looking to start a Sonos system without spending a lot, the Sonos Play:1 is the place to start.
Read our review: Sonos Play:1
The Sonos Play:3 is the middle child of the bunch. It's more powerful than the puny Play:1, but doesn't have the same room-filling audio that you get from the Play:5. For some people, though, it's just right. So how big is it? The Play:3 is 5.2 x 10.6 x 6.3 inches (132 x 268 x 160 mm) and weighs 5.71 lbs. (2.6 kg). It comes in two colors – white with light metallic grille and black with graphite grille – and works with standard wall mounts and speaker stands. It has three Class-D amplifiers, one tweeter, two mid-woofers and a bass radiator. Again, here you'll find great audio quality and a pretty easy setup.
Read our review: Sonos Play: 3
Here it is, the grand kahuna of the Sonos systems. The Sonos Play:5 is everything you can want in a network speaker. It gets loud, but also sounds crystal clear at top volumes. It's obviously a bigger than its brethren, however, so keep that in mind before you try stuffing one into a one-room apartment. So how big is it? It's 8.03 x 14.33 x 6.06 inches (203 x 364 x 154 mm) and weighs 14 lbs. (6.36 kg). It comes in two colors – white or black matte enclosure with graphite grille – and contains two built-in microphones that can tune it for your space. Unlike the Play:3 it has five Class-D amplifiers, three tweeters, three mid-woofers and a phased speaker array that separates sound into its three channels – left, right and center. Good sound doesn't come cheap, but once you hear a Sonos Play:5 speaker you won't want anything else.
Read our review: Sonos Play:5
TVs might look great, but most of them definitely don't sound all that good. That's why Sonos made the Playbar, a soundbar that can produce top-tier audio quality while simultaneously syncing up to your other multi-room speakers. It's definitely expensive, no doubt about it, but there's no other soundbar this well-connected. Here are some specs: First off, it's 3.35 x 35.43 x 5.51 inches (85 x 900 x 140 mm) and weighs 11.9 lbs. (5.4kg). It only comes in one color and requires a separate mounting kit if you want to mount it beneath your screen. Unlike the Play:5, it has nine Class-D amplifiers, three tweeters and six mid-woofers – that can put out a ton of noise.
Read our review: Sonos Playbar
Three years after the company released its first ever soundbar, the Playbar, Sonos has created the Playbase, a unique form factor sound system that combines a stable pedestal for your TV with an audio cabinet.
Why did Sonos create a second home entertainment device? The team did extensive research into how people used their Playbar at home and found that most people didn’t wall mount their televisions or Playbars. To that end, the Playbase was created to allow people to set their televisions right on top of the speaker, allowing for a compact home theater solution.
Overall, the Sonos Playbase is a good-sounding speaker for those who don’t want to fumble with a surround sound system or simply don’t have the room for one. There’s no need for a receiver, making it truly plug-and-play. Sonos’ philosophy of making music enjoyment as frictionless as possible continues with the Playbase – the Sonos app is easy to use and the integrated universal search across music services is something we wished every speaker had.
Read our review: Sonos Playbase
Sonos systems are great. Like seriously great. We want to call them perfect, and yet without some sort of low-end support they just aren't. For that you need the Sonos Sub, the additional audio piece that adds a hefty amount of bass to your favorite music genres. The design here is a bit funky, we'll admit, but hey, if you were looking for a conversation starter (and ender) at your next house party, this is it. That said, it's 15.3 x 15.8 x 6.2 inches (389 x 402 x 158 mm) and weighs 36.3 lbs (16 kg). It's available in two colors – premium white gloss and premium black gloss – that can match either your Playbar or Play:5 speaker. Inside you'll find two Class-D amplifiers, two force-cancelling speaker drivers and dual acoustic ports that help the Sub reach a low frequency of about 25Hz.
Read our hands on review: Sonos Sub
There's nothing wrong with your old audio equipment. You've invested years in setting up and tuning your system, and there's no reason to let any of that go to waste. For anyone interested in keeping the equipment they already own but add on a streaming or mutil-room audio component, Sonos Connect is your solution. While it's not exactly a player in its own right, Sonos Connect allows you to send or receive audio streams. That means you can hook it up to your receiver to send out your favorite CD over the airwaves in your home, or set it up with your old floor speakers to bring them into the 21st century.
- Don't forget, Black Friday 2017 starts on November 24
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