Sonos Play review: A versatile speaker for home and outdoor listening

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The Sonos Play might be the goldilocks of wireless speakers. It's fully capable of handling music for a dinner party. It's great for casual listening outside, too. It has a ton of connectivity options, including Bluetooth streaming. It's not too little to pack a punch, but not too big that it can't go most places. It's simply a brilliant speaker, from top to bottom.

That said, there's a fine line between a do-it-all speaker and one that can be your only speaker. The Play is a perfect entry point into the Sonos ecosystem, but if you're after maximum portability, a fully featured smart speaker, or a high-end listening experience, another Sonos model may still be a better fit.

I've tested more than 100 wireless speakers over the past three years and have spent time with every Sonos speaker, so I have a strong sense of where the $299 Play fits in the lineup. Here's what makes the Sonos Play stand out, and how it compares to other wireless speakers.

The Sono Play is compact and offers great battery life

The Sonos Play features a compact, portable design, while still saving room to pack in a healthy amount of components inside. There are two tweeters, a midrange woofer, and dual-force passive radiators that power the speaker's sound.

On the back is a USB-C port that can charge the Play or connect a phone, letting you use the speaker as a power bank. The port can also be used as an input for an Ethernet or 3.5mm adapter. There's also a switch to mute the speaker's microphone for privacy, but this will, of course, turn off voice commands (via the Sonos assistant or Amazon Alexa) and stop Trueplay from performing automatic tuning. There's a Bluetooth button, a power button, and a rotating carrying hook.

The top of the Sonos Play features its media controls and microphone holes. One of the speaker's best features resides at the bottom, where you'll find induction charging points. The Play comes with a convenient wireless charging pad that makes contact at these points, and it acts as a cradle, making the speaker a staple in whatever room you place it.

The Sonos Play is rated for 24 hours of battery life. Under typical use during my testing, it never fully ran down. I feel confident it could survive a weekend away. The good news is that, like other recent Sonos speakers, the Play is easily repairable, including a user-replaceable battery (available from the company). However, I noticed some seams around the top and bottom aren't completely flush. Most people probably won't see it, but the fit and finish could drive those with a critical eye a little batty.

You can pair multiple Sonos Plays together outside

If you go all-in and purchase multiple Sonos Play speakers, you can take advantage of an off-network grouping feature. This allows you to connect two to four Play (or Move 2) speakers wirelessly to create a unified system, even when you're out and about and away from your home network. This is perfect for outdoor use when you want to position multiple speakers around a specific area.

However, the first couple of times I tried off-network grouping with two Plays, the feature didn't work. Then suddenly, it did. I've been using the speaker pre-launch, so that may have caused some quirkiness. But once it did work, the speakers sounded great in unison. While my issue resolved itself, Sonos told me that a software update is set to launch in the coming weeks to specifically target potential issues with off-network grouping.

Some Bluetooth speakers use Auracast to accomplish a similar grouping feature. However, that's not what Sonos is using here.

"We evaluate a range of wireless technologies and approaches when developing new features. Our goal is to always choose the architecture that best supports the listening experience we want to deliver," Chris Kallai, VP of Product, told me over email. "For off-network grouping, a direct wireless WiFi connection between speakers allowed us to extend grouping beyond the home while maintaining tight synchronization between devices. As wireless standards continue to evolve, we'll keep evaluating new approaches that can further strengthen the Sonos system."

The Sonos Play sounds great, but its bass can't match bigger speakers

Pictures of the Sonos Play held in hand give a fairly accurate representation of its size. Still, it seemed a little smaller in person than I expected. However, any concerns that the speaker's size would hurt its power were quickly squashed.

During testing, I measured a single Play averaging 65-72 decibels while playing The Beatles' "Come Together" at 90% volume from 12 feet away. At 100% volume, the song peaked at around 80 decibels. When using two Sonos Plays grouped in the Sonos app, the sound meter registered an average of 75-81 decibels, peaking at around 87.

In a living room setting, that's uncomfortably loud. Outside, however, that amount of power is necessary to avoid your music getting lost in a wide-open space. I set up two Play speakers grouped off-network and could hear them fine from 100 feet away.

In terms of general listening at home, the Sonos Play sounds good. As you would expect, it sounds much better than the brand's cheaper, smaller Roam 2, but not as good as the bigger, pricier Move 2.

A good example of the Play's sound capabilities can be heard in the song "Freeze Tag" by Terrace Martin's group, Dinner Party. The bass punches right from the moment it starts. It sounds strong and full. The chimes and horns in the song come through sparklingly, adding a nice contrast of instrumentation.

However, if you listen to the same song on Sonos' more advanced Move 2, Five, or Era 300 speakers, the Play's limitations become more apparent. The song's lower-frequency bass at the two or three-second mark just fills a room better on those other models. The song has a deep, low-end sound that radiates, but it requires a speaker that can handle it.

A similar example is Childish Gambino's "Summertime Magic." Its "bass test" moment comes around the 19-second mark. The Play handles it fine, much better than other speakers of its size. But using a Move 2 shows how impressive a portable speaker can be. Meanwhile, the Sonos Play does justice to Daft Punk's "Lose Yourself to Dance" and keeps the groove. In all these songs, the mid and high ranges are clear and present.

With the microphone unmuted and the automatic Trueplay feature turned on, I could hear audible adjustments as some songs played. Trueplay analyzes where the speaker is placed in a room, whether it's next to a wall or other surface, for example. It uses room data to tweak its audio so it sounds its best where it's sitting.

I didn't hear anything I didn't like in the changes Trueplay made while using it. But it does mean that everyone's listening results could be a little subjective and unique based on their rooms and speaker placement.

Play, Roam, or Move?

In theory, picking a portable Sonos speaker should be easy. The three battery-powered models — Roam 2, Play, and Move 2 — are positioned from good to better to best. The three speakers are also priced accordingly. The Roam 2 retails for $179, Play for $299, and Move 2 for $499.

I compared the Move 2 directly next to the Play, and it's by far the better-sounding, more capable product. Still, the Move 2 is heavy to lug around anywhere beyond the backyard and from room to room. It's a great speaker for people who prioritize big, deep sound and are less focused on portability.

More realistically, I think people will be deciding between the Roam 2 and the Play. Between these two, the Play's sound quality wins handily. Even at 30% volume level, the Play is room-filling. The Roam 2 can hold its own, but it just doesn't have the same depth and range as the volume increases.

If I wanted a speaker to use exclusively for travel, I'd get the smaller Roam 2. Otherwise, I'd pick the Sonos Play for everyday portable needs.

The Sonos app consideration

People who have been in the Sonos ecosystem for a while might be worried about the company's mobile app, which was restructured from the ground up a few years ago and initially plagued by glitches. In short, I haven't had any problems with the app while testing the Sonos Play.

I have a couple of minor complaints about the app's layout and interface (I can never remember to tap the bottom player versus pulling up to see all available ones), but I didn't encounter any technical issues while using it.

Over the last 12 months, I think a lot of the bugs and complaints have largely disappeared. That's been my experience, even with my extensive Sonos system that has upwards of 13 (or more) speakers active at any given time. If a Play speaker is your first entry into the Sonos world, I wouldn't worry about relying on the mobile app. But you can still connect to the speaker using Spotify Connect, AirPlay, or Bluetooth if you'd prefer.

Should you buy the Sonos Play?

The Sonos Play might be the best do-it-all wireless speaker for most people right now. Whether you're a homebody or adventurer, the Play can fit into your daily use. Its size straddles the line between more power and volume, and lightweight portability.

However, shoppers with more specialized needs will find better performance from other Sonos models. For example, the Sonos Era 100 (or Era 100 SL) is the better value as a home speaker, the Roam 2 is the better travel speaker, and the Era 300 is in a sound-quality class of its own thanks to its Dolby Atmos Spatial Audio capabilities.

The $299 price may be a bit steep if you aren't going to use all the Play's features, but if you're looking for the most versatility in Sonos' lineup, it's your best bet.