The Sonos One is what I’d call an inevitable product. Sonos has always made speakers that
sound excellent, and if you own more than one, the company’s multi-room wireless audio system can fill your entire home or apartment with that top-notch sound. Sonos’ reputation makes consumers gravitate to its products, and in turn, they get locked in and are likely to become repeat customers when it’s time to put a speaker someplace else.
Recently things have changed, however, and Sonos no longer finds itself in such a cozy position. Over the last couple years, the expensive Sonos lineup has lost the spotlight to affordable, voice-controlled speakers like the Amazon Echo and Google Home. Soon Apple will release its own take with the HomePod. Convenience and ease of use have always been the draw of the Echo and Home. Being able to just tell a speaker to play your favorite Spotify playlist goes a long way in compensating for mediocre sound.
But all of a sudden, Amazon, Google, and Apple are in the midst of releasing speakers with better audio. Right on cue, Sonos is finally answering back with the $200 Sonos One. It’s the company’s first speaker with microphones designed to work with today’s popular voice assistants. Alexa is built in right now, with Google Assistant to follow in 2018. If Sonos can deliver great sound quality while supporting all things voice, why would anyone consider buying something else? https://www.theverge.com/circuitbreaker/2017/10/18/16490866/sonos-one-speaker-review-alexa
