SONOS ONE SL

The cheapest-ever Sonos speaker is a slam-dunk for starting a multi-room system, even with no Alexa

Sonos has removed the smart assistants from the Sonos One to create its cheapest speaker ever – sounds like a winner to us

£159 sonos.com

The pitch here is very, very simple: this is a Sonos One, but without any of the tech that powers Alexa or Google Assistant. Which means that while a regular Sonos One is £199, this comes in at £159 (or often a little cheaper online). That makes it pretty much the cheapest multi-room Wi-Fi speaker actually worth buying, but crucially, it doesn’t sound or feel cheap.

One area Sonos has almost totally nailed is the setup – it’s so easy to follow the instructions in the app and get it on your network (and to add more than one). Why “almost” nailed? Because the one slightly annoying bit is tuning the sound for its exact placement in the room. To do this, you have to wave an iOS device – no Android support – around the room while loud annoying tones erupt from the speaker. The Sonos Move does this automatically, but then it does cost more than twice as much as this.

Once it’s on the network, it’s easy to assign it to a specific room, or even to pair with a Sonos One (or another SL). It also works in a Sonos wireless surround-sound setup.

You can play music either through the Sonos app, which works with music stored on your device, internet radio and a smorgasbord of streaming services. The app is one of the best of its kind, making it pretty easy to access anything you need – though some services’ interfaces work better than others. Apple users get an extra bonus from full AirPlay 2 support, which means you can play any sounds you like to it, ignoring the app. This also works as a multi-room system, which you can mix and match with other brands’ speakers.

The one streaming option that’s missing is Bluetooth, which has long been a Sonos trait. It’s a shame not to have the flexibility, so make sure you’re happy with the services Sonos offers.

Most importantly, it sounds excellent. Treble is precise and natural, the mid-range has plenty of richness without instruments feeling like they overwhelm each other, and there’s a good amount of bass. The low end is the one area where it’s maybe a little lacking, but that’s only compared to much more expensive speakers.

For anyone who already has Alexa or Google Assistant, or doesn’t want them due to privacy concerns, getting a speaker that’s sonically identical to the T3 Award-winning Sonos One for less is a no-brainer. This is easily the best small Wi-Fi speaker.