Wireless home audio company Sonos is now adding a much more affordable model to its line up of high end wireless speaker options with the Play:1. The latter comes in at $199, well under the $299 asking price of the Play:3, to become the company's most affordable offering.
It features two Class D amps, a 3.5" woofer and a "crisp and accurate" high end tweeter. It's rounded sealed case makes it safe to use in a steamy bathroom, according to Sonos. It features a 1/4" 20 threaded insert in order to easily mount it to the wall and is available in either black or white. Unlike the Play:3 and Play:5, you will need two Play:1 units to playback sound in stereo.
The Play:1 is designed to integrate into Sonos' multi-zone digital music system, for example, serving as rear speakers used in a surround sound set-up with the Sonos wireless Playbar. The device is controlled through a free companion controller app (for iOS and Android) and with the $49 Sonos Bridge, which will be offered free to Play:1 customers until the new year. This means the device needs to be connected to a Sonos Bridge in order to control playback without hard wiring the device to your router. While this does seem like a bit of a drawback compared to other simlilarly priced speakers, it allows for all Sonos devices to be controlled from a single hub.
Early hands-on impressions of the general sound quality have been positive, some even suggest it matches or tops comparatively priced competitors.
For more info and availability on the new Sonos Play:1 head over to Sonos.com
Note: Our original story mistakenly had the Play:1 at $219 (Canadian pricing – oops). We've updated with the correct details.