Sonos One (Gen 2) - The powerful Smart Speaker with Amazon Alexa Built-in, Black

Having taken the plunge to install some smart lights and sockets, when I read about this product it appeared that the Alexa voice component was for use with audio features however it also allows us to use voice control of anything that "she" is linked to. Once we had added the Sonos skill to Alexa we did not need the Echo in our kitchen any longer and were able to re-purpose it in another room.The unit itself is very smart, small, satin black plastic in appearance with the metal grill around the middle outer surface. The sound from such a small device is however very clear, crisp and has a surprisingly rich bass to it for the size. At higher volumes it is not as good as the larger Play5 unit but common sense dictates that at the end of the day.Touch controls on the top surface are very easy to use, regardless of how dry, damp or greasy your fingers may be but it would be advisable to only use dry and clean hands to prevent muck being deposited into the ring of very small holes that constitute aperture for the microphone array.When using voice control the speaker can be trained with the Alexa app to better understand a particular user's voice however the generic "out the box" settings work perfectly for all my family as none of us have strong regional dialects. I cannot speak for anyone from Newcastle or Glasgow but when I was reading the reviews on this unit on some hifi websites they did state that for such accents the training would be beneficial so that it does not keep moaning about not understanding voice commands. Just be aware that if you put the unit in a corner and run it at anything about about 6/10 on the volume scale then it is likely it will not respond to voice at all as the system will be making so much noise that it may not accurately hear your commands.

This is not the best sounding speaker for the price, it is not the smartest speaker for the price, yet I think it balances out as the best speaker overall for the price.The sound seems clear and detailed, I would recommend using TruePlay using an iOS device (it doesn't work on Android) which makes the speaker great in most rooms. The bass is deep, yet not overpowering, the treble is crisp and the mids are well done. It certainly isn't a flat sound signature but there is an EQ so you can alter it to taste if the preset doesn't suit you.A headlining feature is voice control. Don't buy it for this alone. I used the Google Assistant and it is very unreliable, where my Google Home requires asking only once, the Sonos One very often requires several attempts. However, this feature oisnt so bad as to be unusable, see it instead as a backup means of control if you don't have your phone on hand.The app works well in normal operation, it's clear, easy to use and handles music playback well. It's great being able to easily start playlists and change settings. This is where Sonos excells. Unfortunately the app occasionally can't find the speaker.My complaints about the device are the lackluster voice control, lack of device audio streaming on Android (as in direct audio output, most streaming services work excellently) and app inconsistencies with connecting to the One. Some people complain about Sonos ending support for products, these comments are mainly fearmongering. Sonos stops updating software on a product after at least five years of direct sales. Even after the updates stop the product will stream music for many years.Overall I enjoy the speaker very much.

I started with just one of these speakers. First thoughts its easy to set up. App is reliable, makes it super easy to play music.I then brought a second to create a stereo pair... that was the WOW factor. It completely changes the listening experience. The audio sounds so much richer. I was shocked on how much it changed the music I was playing and now there's two we havent actually gone above 50% volume 🤭 because its so loud.We was so impressed we brought a third for the bedroom. Now I can play music everywhere while I'm wondering around and doing the house work!My issues with these speakers... all three of them in fact.ALEXA just seems to have bugs on Sonos.1st. If your broadband drops, well Alexa will refuse to reconnect, she just constantly says something along the lines "i'm struggling to connect at the moment, please check your Internet connection". The weird thing is the Sonos side works fine and reconnects fine after a drop. E.g. I can play music via the app. You are forced to restart all the speaker everytime the internet drops to rekick in the Alexa integration.2nd. Some features are limited compared to Amazons own devices. E.g. Alexa cant phone people. You can't connect any multirooms with Amazons own alexa devices.3rd. Alexa just randomly does not play music when you ask her to. "Alexa, play music from Harry's Spotify account" and then she just stops... Check the Alexa app... and she heard me perfectly and understood (you can see your speech against text on how alexa understood what you asked).Although we have now got to a point where we just don't use Alexa, which isn't a big deal for us but might be for others. All said, Generally Sonos is a fantastic eco system and Sonos Ones don't fall short from what you should expect from the brand.