Whether you’re looking for a portable speaker or a soundbar to improve your TV sound, these are the best Sonos speakers.
Updated Feb. 23, 2024 7:00 p.m. PT
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Ty Pendlebury
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Ty Pendlebury is a journalism graduate of RMIT Melbourne, and has worked at CNET since 2006. He lives in New York City where he writes about streaming and home audio.
Expertise Ty has worked for radio, print, and online publications, and has been writing about home entertainment since 2004. He majored in Cinema Studies when studying at RMIT. He is an avid record collector and streaming music enthusiast. Credentials
- Ty was nominated for Best New Journalist at the Australian IT Journalism awards, but he has only ever won one thing. As a youth, he was awarded a free session for the photography studio at a local supermarket.
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When it comes to music-streaming hardware, Sonos makes some of the best speakers on the market. Sonos has something for every style and budget with its wide range of speaker options. With Sonos, you can expect excellent sound quality and refined aesthetics. There’s also support for almost every popular music streaming service, including Spotify and Apple Music. Many of the Sonos speakers on the market also offer built-in voice assistance via Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa or Sonos Voice Control, though some don’t. We’re going to take a look at some of the best Sonos speakers out there to help you choose the best one.
With the release of the Sonos Era 300 and the Beam Gen 2, the lineup also includes Dolby Atmos playback, which brings amazing sound quality. When you add the budget-friendly Ikea Symfonisk range, Sub Mini and Ray soundbars, the number of Sonos-compatible speakers makes the multiroom system more attractive than ever.
Yet as the number of Sonos products keeps growing, it’s also become trickier to decide which device or devices in the Sonos ecosystem to buy. With that in mind, we’ve put together a quick guide to Sonos and which products offer the best performance for your money. We’ll keep this list updated as the company releases new products.
Watch this: Top 5 Sonos Speakers for the Home
Which Sonos is right for you?
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Sonos began as a way to play iTunes playlists on your existing speakers, and it’s grown to support streaming music services on a range of tabletop speakers, amplifiers, soundbars and subwoofers. Controlling the system began with a desktop app and the
Here are some things about the product line that you need to know:
- Works without a hub over a standard Wi-Fi network (no Bluetooth except for the Roam and the
- Supports over 100 streaming services.
- Works with Alexa, Google Assistant and Siri, though the Era speakers don’t have Google Assistant.
- Compatible with Apple AirPlay 2 and
- The new S2 system supports hi-res (i.e., Dolby TrueHD and Atmos) while
- Stream your analog-connected music around the house (with Amp, Five or Port).
- Beam Gen 2, Era 300 and Arc include
The currently available Sonos lineup is as follows:
- Sonos Roam: $179 — Bluetooth and Wi-Fi outdoor speaker.
- Sonos One SL: $199 — small tabletop audio speaker without microphones (discontinued).
- Sonos One (Gen 2): $219 — smart table audio speaker with onboard voice assistant (discontinued).
- Sonos Era 100: $249 — smart speaker with Bluetooth and stereo sound.
- Sonos Ray: $279 — soundbar with optical connection.
- Sonos Beam Gen 2: $450 — soundbar with voice assistant and HDMI.
- Sonos Move $399: — portable smart speaker with water resistance.
- Sonos Sub Mini: $429 — compact wireless subwoofer.
- Sonos Era 300: $449 — tabletop speaker with Dolby Atmos spatial audio and Bluetooth.
- Sonos Sub: $749 — wireless subwoofer.
- Sonos Arc: $899 — Dolby Atmos soundbar.
There are also three speakers from Ikea that work with the Sonos system: the
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Sonos is one of the oldest multiroom audio systems on the market and also one of the most successful. Since the way we consume digital music has changed from playing MP3s to streaming services and beyond, the audio system has also adapted and grown.
Sonos began as a way to play iTunes playlists on your existing speakers, and it’s grown to support streaming music services on a range of tabletop speakers, amplifiers, soundbars and subwoofers. Controlling the system began with a desktop app and the CR100 handheld controller, then it grew to mobile apps and voice assistants. Sonos now offers a range of speakers, which include a choice of either Google Assistant, Alexa or Sonos Voice onboard (One, Beam and Arc).
Here are some things about the product line that you need to know:
- Works without a hub over a standard Wi-Fi network (no Bluetooth except for the Roam and the Era series).
- Supports over 100 streaming services.
- Works with Alexa, Google Assistant and Siri, though the Era speakers don’t have Google Assistant.
- Compatible with Apple AirPlay 2 and Spotify Connect.
- The new S2 system supports hi-res (i.e., Dolby TrueHD and Atmos) while legacy Sonos systems only carry 16-bit/44.1kHz.
- Stream your analog-connected music around the house (with Amp, Five or Port).
- Beam Gen 2, Era 300 and Arc include Dolby Atmos.
The One is our favorite Sonos speaker.
Sarah Tew/CNETWith the arrival of its S2 operating system, the company has replaced many of its legacy products while also introducing new ones. In 2022 alone, the company announced the Sonos Ray soundbar and the Sonos Sub Mini. If you own older components, especially ones with “Zone” in the title, they aren’t interoperable with the new system.
The currently available Sonos lineup is as follows:
- Sonos Roam: $179 — Bluetooth and Wi-Fi outdoor speaker.
- Sonos One SL: $199 — small tabletop audio speaker without microphones (discontinued).
- Sonos One (Gen 2): $219 — smart table audio speaker with onboard voice assistant (discontinued).
- Sonos Era 100: $249 — smart speaker with Bluetooth and stereo sound.
- Sonos Ray: $279 — soundbar with optical connection.
- Sonos Beam Gen 2: $450 — soundbar with voice assistant and HDMI.
- Sonos Move $399: — portable smart speaker with water resistance.
- Sonos Sub Mini: $429 — compact wireless subwoofer.
- Sonos Port: $449 — streaming add-on box for existing systems, analog input/output.
- Sonos Era 300: $449 — tabletop speaker with Dolby Atmos spatial audio and Bluetooth.
- Sonos Five: $549 — large tabletop audio speaker.
- Sonos Amp: $699 — amplifier with analog input.
- Sonos Sub: $749 — wireless subwoofer.
- Sonos Arc: $899 — Dolby Atmos soundbar.
There are also three speakers from Ikea that work with the Sonos system: the Ikea Symfonisk Bookshelf Wi-Fi Speaker, the $181 Symfonisk Speaker lamp base (which replaces the Table Lamp) and the Ikea Symfonisk Picture Frame.
As well as the Sonos app, you’ll also be able to stream to the audio speakers directly from your favorite apps using Play To Sonos. These include: Spotify, Pandora, YouTube Music and Tidal’s streaming music service. The system also supports streaming from iOS and compatible software using
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Until voice control completely replaces it, the Sonos app is where you control most of your audio’s setup and playback. The app’s focus has changed over the years as it’s moved away from services to concentrate on the speakers themselves. The app still has one of the best universal searches, and it’s easy to set up your speakers.
The Sonos app
Sarah Tew/CNETThe app is available for the following devices:
- Apple iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch.
- Android phones and tablets.
- Apple laptops and desktops.
- Windows laptops and desktops.
- Amazon Fire tablets.
As well as the Sonos app, you’ll also be able to stream to the audio speakers directly from your favorite apps using Play To Sonos. These include: Spotify, Pandora, YouTube Music and Tidal’s streaming music service. The system also supports streaming from iOS and compatible software using Apple AirPlay 2.
