Sonos recently sent over its latest speaker, the Play, to put it through its paces. The unboxing still feels premium, but the real win is the app experience, which was smooth and had no issues whatsoever. It looks like the previous Sonos app SNAFU is easily in the rearview.
There’s a new feature for a Sonos speaker, and that’s a utility loop is a smart addition. It makes the speaker easy to lug around or clip onto a fence or a bag. The Play is compact, weighs under three pounds, and feels like it was actually designed to leave the house.
The Play sounds great for its size. You get two angled tweeters for clear highs and decent stereo separation, plus a mid-woofer that keeps vocals from sounding muddy. Even a bass guitar comes through cleanly without any strain with some deep lows.
That said, if you are looking for room-shaking and chest-thumping bass, this is not it. You will want the Move 2 for that, but you will also be carrying way more weight. For an office or a dorm, the trade-off for portability makes sense, though I still found myself wishing for just a bit more thump in larger rooms. The automatic Trueplay is a nice touch, though, as it constantly retunes itself as you move from the kitchen to the patio.
I also found that at higher volumes things started to distort, specifically the bass. So the sweet spot for volume is around 50 to 60%. Listing to some top song playlists from Apple Music within the Sonos app all sounded great on the Play. If you want to take your music with you, the Play’s physical footprint makes it easy to do so.
This is where the Play beats the Move 2 for me. The IP67 rating means you can actually submerge this thing in a metre of water for 30 minutes. It is rugged and feels like it can take a beating, which is exactly what you want in a portable speaker.
Battery life is rated at 24 hours. Compared to the Roam 2, which I found was constantly dying on me, this is a big upgrade. The included charging dock is the real hero here. Nothing is worse than hunting for a USB-C cable when you are headed out the door; having a dedicated spot to park the speaker ensures it is always juiced up. Plus, the battery is replaceable, so this won’t just become e-waste in three years.
At $399 CAD, it is a typical Sonos price tag, which is on the premium side. But if you are already in the ecosystem, the Play is a no-brainer, especially if you can catch it on sale. It supports WiFi 6, AirPlay 2, and now lets you group speakers over Bluetooth when you are away from home. It works exactly like it is supposed to, and it is easily the most versatile speaker in their current lineup.
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