Sonos Play 1 Review 2019
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Yes, I’m reviewing the Sonos Play 1 in 2019, nearly 6 years after it was launched in 2013. Do you know why? Because the Sonos Play 1 is still awesome 6 years later, if not better than it was 6 years ago.
My wife got me my first Sonos Play 1 back in 2013 for Christmas when we lived in our loft apartment in Chicago and it amazed me that such a small speaker could have such rich sound that filled a room and sounded noticeably better than my hulking stereo I had been holding on too since college. It made the college stereo sound like a worn out aftermarket car stereo even though the Sonos Play 1 was 1/10 the size of my old stereo.
Now in our house that original Sonos Play 1 still has a home, and it has such good sound quality it has literally started arguments. That sounds unbelievable but if you have already have a Sonos you probably understand.
Even though we have a home full of Alexa devices not all speakers are created equal and when I moved the Sonos Play 1 from it’s inconspicuous location on the entertainment center to my office one day because I wanted to pump some better tunes than what was coming out of the Alexa Echo Dot I had on my desk my wife immediately called me asking where it was and if something had happened to it?
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Why? Because even the sound from my original Sonos Play 1 is impressive, relaxing and smooth. For the passionate music listener it elevates music to a new level, you can hear the difference, any song is more enjoyable when played on the Sonos but what makes it better than anything else is how easy it is to use.
Sonos Play 1 Review 2019: Sonos Easy vs The $40,000 Sound System
One day a client called us to up to install a “smart home system” for him, great we agreed and took a nice tour of his beautiful home went through everything and had a great plan for what we were going to do.
Except here’s the thing, we weren’t the first ones there, he already had another company hook up tens of thousands of dollars worth of audio and video equipment. He took me to his “media closet” and showed me a basket of remote controls and an ipad that he and his wife had no idea how to use with their sound system.
There were so many for remotes for their system it literally looked like bouquet of remote controls. The system was reportedly designed and installed by professionals but the problem was there were so many remotes that only a professional could use it. With so many different settings and menus just playing music wasn’t enjoyable it was like conducting a rocket launch sequence countdown just to listen to music. Even though this client had done all this work for their new sound system it was too complicated to be useful.
This client wasn’t just your average guy either, this was a man who ran a multi-billion dollar tech company. If he can’t figure out a sound and home automation system how was the above average person supposed to figure out how to control their audio system? And that’s when I realized what sonos really was.
I realized that Sonos shines in the simplicity of giving you reliable high quality sound with the push of just one button or the swipe of a finger on the app.
The Sonos Play 1 does not have dozens of adjustable knobs, it has 3 buttons. Play/Pause, Volume Up, Volume Down…simple.
The app interface is just as simple, it’s uncluttered and easy to play music, and if you don’t want to use the app you can just ask Alexa to play music on your Sonos Play 1 for you.
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Sonos Play 1 Review: The Sonos Play 1 can connect through wifi or a hardwired ethernet connection. A screw mounting port is also included for mounting sonos on walls or speaker stands.
The simplicity of Sonos puts high end music with in reach of anyone who wants to listen without the need for a degree in audio engineering. It’s so simple that anyone in your family will be able to use it comfortably, and enjoy music with rich tones like it was meant to be enjoyed.
In almost every new home build we do with audio the system is centered around Sonos speakers or built in speakers with the Sonos Connect Amp driving the built in speakers. Why? Because it’s intuitive to use, it doesn’t need a 100 page owners manual to operate and does everything and more than advertised. I haven’t had a single client ever return or ask us to remove a Sonos Speaker, they all call us asking for more.
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As I’m writing this right now, I’m listening to Spotify on my Sonos Play 1 and it’s great just like it is everyday. Because I have my Sonos connected to Alexa if i’m busy typing and want to skip to the next song or change playlists I just say “Alexa, next song” and Alexa will change songs on my Sonos hands free.
Sonos Play 1 Review 2019: Specifications
Sonos Play 1 Review 2019: Best Uses
Over the years Sonos has released a whole lineup of speakers and I’ve tried all of them, and have loved all of them. But it’s hard to beat the value and versatility of the entry level Sonos Play 1. It can be used on it’s own and has plenty of sound for bedrooms, bathrooms, the office, kitchens and even living rooms. The small speaker packs a huge punch. If you have high ceilings in a living room 12+ feet you can always get a second Sonos Play 1 and sync them through the app to provide double the sound in large rooms with high ceilings.
The Sonos Play 1 speakers can also be used on their own or as part of a surround system with Sonos sound bars like the Sonos Beam & Sonos Playbar. Or you can pair the Sonos Play 1 Speakers with a whole house sound system with the Sonos Connect or the Sonos Sub to add even deeper pulsating sound to your Sonos system.
Sonos Play 1 Review 2019: The Sonos Play 1 maintains the simplicity it was designed with 3 buttons. Play/Pause, Volume Up, Volume Down.
Sonos Play 1 Review 2019: Why Sonos
Why do I like Sonos when there are hundreds of smart speaker options? Because Sonos focuses on simplicity and is a company that does only one thing: They make high quality great sounding streaming speakers.
Sonos doesn’t make DVD players, Sonos doesn’t make TV’s, Sonos doesn’t make Phones, Sonos doesn’t make Computers, Sonos doesn’t make Car Stereos, Sonos doesn’t make smart watches, Sonos does only one thing they make high end simple to use streaming speakers with amazing sound quality. Streaming music speakers is their sole focus and livelihood, they dedicate all of their company resources to one type of product and making it the best.
All Sonos speakers have exceptional sound quality and you can hear the full rich sound when you start streaming music through the Sonos Play 1. Sonos optimizes the incoming music streams to play high quality sound through the speakers from the streaming music service you choose.
I said earlier, that that my Sonos Play 1 has gotten better as it’s aged not worse, and it’s true because over time sonos has added more features and streaming services to their app which make the speaker easier and more convenient to use.
Over the years they have added Alexa integration, so you can tell Alexa to play music on your Sonos, turn up or down the volume, play specific playlists or switch streaming services. The Alexa integration works with any Echo device including the Echo Dot & Echo Show.
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Sonos Play 1 Review 2019: In Summary
The Sonos Play 1 speakers are still relevant in 2019 and still one of the best streaming speakers on the market. They are an excellent way to get started with a high quality streaming sound system. The best part with Sonos is that you can keep adding Sonos speakers to your sound system and it will just keep improving the sound system in your house, and allow you more functionality to sync your speakers together to provide whole home streaming audio. With over the air updates the speakers never get obsolete, they just keep getting updated with better software and even more features.
Sonos Play 1: One Hour Smart Home Rating 9.0/10.0
