Sonos is the benchmark in high-quality wireless sound systems. It was the first company to integrate a multitude of services and to facilitate the use of Spotify in home systems spread over loudspeakers in several rooms. Its integration of voice commands capable of performing many tasks, and its open approach to a multitude of services left Sonos set it apart.
Amazon’s offering a big discount on Sonos’ Play 1 and Play 5 speakers from now until October 10th, or as long as supplies last. You can save $50 on the Play 1, and $100 on the Play 5.
Sonos with Alexa integrated devices
Sonos announced yesterday that all its equipment would be able to be updated from this Wednesday to a new version of the software that allows control from other devices that integrate Alexa, the popular Virtual Assistant of Amazon. The feature has been developed in collaboration with Amazon to develop various simple commands that understand the context in which the user is talking.
The application has also been updated to make speaker selection in multi-room systems faster and more intuitive.
All Sonos speakers updated to be controlled by Alexa
Sonos will put its first speaker on sale on October 24 with a microphone that can be controlled by voice for $270. It is called 'Sonos One', and it is an update of its most basic model, the 'Play 1.' It has an array of six microphones and several algorithms to intelligently lower the volume of music to capture the voice of the user when speaking.
When the microphone is operating, an LED on the top of the speaker lights up. It is a physical connection to avoid the user being tricked through a cyber-attack.
The company is clear about its business and its niche of users: music lovers, who do not mind paying extra for good design, ease of connection, compatibility and better sound quality than the competition.
Sonos includes voice controls so that you can compete against the Echo and the Home pods. Although the main rival of the Sonos One is Apple's HomePod, a high-end wireless speaker is also designed with music in mind.
The rival of the new Sonos is the HomePod of Apple that goes on sale in December
The advantage of Sonos is its agnostic approach to platforms and services.
It now includes Alexa, but in 2018 will also integrate Google Assistant. Users will be able to ask Alexa to turn up the volume and Google to switch from cups to grams regarding the quantities they are reading from a recipe. It will also include support for Apple's new AirPlay 2 wireless connection protocol.
The announcement leaves Sonos in a possibly delicate position between Apple, which also focuses on the premium market, and Google and Amazon, which also offer open and cheaper platforms. The difference is very subtle, and it is focused on the simplicity of use of its multi-room systems and, its price vs. Apple's Home Pod.
