Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

New Products

Sonos One Wireless Speaker Combines Alexa or Google Assistant

Sonos One

Sonos just announced their first wireless speaker with a built-in microphone that accepts voice commands called Sonos One for $199. The multi-room ready speaker will initially work just like an Amazon Echo, but will add Google Assistant compatibility in 2018. That will make it the first and only smart speaker to support multiple major voice services.

At launch, users can ask Amazon Alexa to control Sonos One out of the box, with full voice support for Amazon Music, iHeartRadio, Pandora, SiriusXM, and TuneIn.  Alexa voice control for Spotify on Sonos One will be coming soon after launch. Voice transport controls like pause, skip, volume up and down, and even asking what’s playing will be available for all other music services Sonos supports.

What’s unique about Sonos is all of their speakers all multi-room ready, so you can add additional Sonos speakers to other rooms and control your entire home from a single app. Sonos One owners get the added ability to use voice to control their entire Sonos sound system. Sonos One works as a standalone speaker, or two can be wirelessly paired for stereo sound. For home theater aficionados they can be used as wireless rear surround speakers with PLAYBASE or PLAYBAR.

Features

  • Designed from the ground up to deliver surprisingly rich sound from a speaker of its size.
  • Driven by two Class-D digital amplifiers, one tweeter, and one mid-woofer.
  • Includes a six-mic array and an adaptive noise suppression algorithm to focus on the right person and ensure the voice service understands everything clearly.
  • Voice capture technology with echo cancelation allows the speaker to still hear you over the music. The volume also intelligently lowers, or “ducks,” when you speak to it so you don’t have to shout over the music.
  • The light on the speaker will be illuminated if the microphones are active.  The light is hardwired to the same circuit that powers the microphone array, so if the light is off, it means the microphone is off.
  • Owners can use Trueplay to easily tune Sonos One to sound great no matter where it’s placed in the home.

Comparison

Amazon’s forthcoming $149 Echo Plus will include whole-home connectivity too, although Sonos offers more music features with access to 49 streaming services. Google Home or the pricier Google Home Max are other options, along with Apple’s HomePod that works only with Siri. The real question becomes which speaker sounds the best for the price. After that, will Google or Amazon do a better job answering voice commands. It’s too early to tell the eventual winner, but right now Amazon has the early lead.

Price and Availability

Sonos One will be available globally on October 24, 2017 for $199 in all-white and all-black matte finishes. At launch, Alexa will only work in the US, UK, and Germany. Pre-orders are now being accepted.

Google Assistant functionality will be available via software update in 2018.

Advertisement. Scroll to continue reading.

 

Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Advertisement

Latest Products

Rhino Quadio #7 Albums

Music

These Quadraphonic albums have been digitized from analog four-track Quad mixes and are now available on Blu-ray discs.

Audio Technica ATH-R70xa In Studio Audio Technica ATH-R70xa In Studio

New Products

Designed for studio applications the ATH-R70xa and R50x provide audio clarity while providing all-day wearing comfort for less than $400.

Chord Company PhonoARAY Chord Company PhonoARAY

Audio Cables

At £1,000, Chord Company's PhonoARAY can minimize external interference and ground issues that may affect turntable performance.

Advance Paris A12 Classic Integrated Amplifier Front Lifestyle Advance Paris A12 Classic Integrated Amplifier Front Lifestyle

Integrated Amps & Stereo Receivers

Advance Paris brings its range of affordable hifi components to the U.S. market, which feature blue VU meters and tube amplification.

Optoma UHZ68LV Projector Front Angle Optoma UHZ68LV Projector Front Angle

New Products

With a 5,000-lumen light output the Optoma UHZ68LV home theater projector can work with screens up to 300-inches.

DALI PHANTOM M-80 A in-ceiling speaker and PHANTOM CI AMP-4750 Amplifier DALI PHANTOM M-80 A in-ceiling speaker and PHANTOM CI AMP-4750 Amplifier

In-Wall Speakers

DALI expands its architectural product line with the Phantom M80 A In-Ceiling Speaker and CI AMP-4750 4-Channel DSP Amplifier.

Gift Ideas?

Super Bowl LIX Gift Guide

Gift Guides

Experience the full impact of Super Bowl LIX in your living room with both a big picture and big sound.

You May Also Like

Home Video

Can a new video streamer save Sonos from a year of horrible missteps? Project Pinewood does not have us convinced.

New Products

Sonos ventures deeper into the business and commercial landscape with a variation of its ERA 100 wireless speakers with features specifically designed for that...

New Products

Eleven years after the first Sonos soundbar hit the market, Sonos just introduced a new flagship: the Sonos Arc Ultra.

Reviews

While the Sonos Ace may not be the headphones Sonos users were expecting, that isn't necessarily a bad thing.

News

Months after unleashing a catastrophic app update to the Sonos mobile app, the CEO just made seven commitments to his customers. Will it be...

New Products

The limited edition Sonos Ace wireless noise cancelling headphones emblazoned with Sporty & Rich logo are $449 while supplies last.

Gift Guides

Gift ideas guaranteed to bring the thrill of the Olympics into your home for a more enjoyable and memorable experience with family and friends.

New Products

While we were all distracted by the company's first headphones, Sonos quietly slipped in an update to their popular Bluetooth portable speaker.

Advertisement

ecoustics is a hi-fi and music magazine offering product reviews, podcasts, news and advice for aspiring audiophiles, home theater enthusiasts and headphone hipsters. Read more

Copyright © 1999-2024 ecoustics | Disclaimer: We may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site.



SVS Bluesound PSB Speakers NAD Cambridge Audio Q Acoustics Denon Marantz Focal Naim Audio RSL Speakers