Best Sonos speakers 2023: which Sonos should you buy?

Want sweet beats throughout your house? Sonos is the original multi-room music maestro – and its wireless speaker and soundbar lineup has never looked more comprehensive. Here’s our guide to picking the best Sonos gear for you.

From soundbars to subwoofers to portable speakers, there’s now a Sonos for every space, indoors and out. Whether you sync a stereo pair or hook up a bunch via Wi-Fi, the Sonos system makes it a cinch to bring tunes to every room.

Not sure where to start? Bedroom, living room, garden: we’ve tested the best Sonos speakers in every position – and recommended our favourites in the list below. So whether you want better audio for your TV, a smart wireless speaker to usurp your Hi-Fi or a high-end portable Bluetooth speaker you’ll find your ideal Sonos here.

What’s the best Sonos speaker to buy in 2023?

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Sonos Era 300

The Era 300 joins its smaller Era 100 sibling as one of Sonos’ newest speakers. Its big draw (beyond its unusual form factor), is its ability to offer immersive, room-filling sound, thanks to support for spatial audio in the form of Dolby Atmos Music. The result is rich sound, a wide soundstage, and punchy bass, all presented in tight, crisp clarity. Non-Dolby Atmos Music is a treat to listen to as well, making it a superb all-rounder.

Android fans can join their iPhone-toting counterparts with some Sonos room-tuning action, while voice assistance is taken care of either with Sonos Voice Control, or Alexa. If your pockets are deep enough, you can use a pair of Era 300s as supplemental rear speakers for compatible Sonos soundbars like the Sonos Arc or Beam Gen 2 as well.

With plenty of power, Sonos quality, and an eye-catching design, the Era 300 is an ideal choice for those looking to enter (or expand) the Sonos ecosystem.

• Read our full Sonos Era 300 review

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Sonos Era 300

The new Sonos Era 100 replaces the now-discontinued Sonos One. New to its bag of tricks is Bluetooth support, which means you’re no longer restricted to Wi-Fi streaming services like Spotify or Amazon Music. Apple AirPlay 2 also remains, if that’s your preferred option.

Unlike the more expensive Sonos Era 300 above, the Era 100 lacks support for Dolby Atmos Music. It still packs a punch though, thanks to a 25% larger mid-woofer, two angled tweeters for stereo performance, and three class-D amps.

Sonos Voice Control and Amazon Alexa are also included, as is the ability to pair up two Era 100 speakers for true stereo sound. Overall, it’s a worthy successor to the Sonos One.

Read more: Sonos Era 100 is a next-gen replacement for the venerable Sonos One

Sonos One (Gen 2)

The Sonos One has been replaced by the Era 100, but will still be in stock until supply runs out. Styled like the Play:1, the Sonos One (Gen 2) benefits from a key additional skill: voice assistant support, which means you can ask Alexa or Google Assistant to fire up your favourite playlist. And because Sonos now works with more streaming services, you can source your tunes from pretty much any platform – including Spotify and Apple Music.

There’s good news for audiophiles, too: its sound quality is basically identical to the Play:1’s. Despite relatively dinky dimensions, the One delivers plenty of rich bass, without drowning out the detailed mid-range. Vocals are clear and well-projected, while treble is clean and controlled. All from a compact package that’s simple to control and easy to position.

What’s new with Gen 2? More memory, more processing power and Bluetooth Low Energy on-board. That’s pretty much it. Otherwise, it’s the same superb smart speaker as it was before. You can still combine two Ones to create a stereo pair, and you can still ask your digital helper for assistance as you need.

• Read our full Sonos One review

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Sonos Roam

The Move (below) might have been the first fully wireless Sonos, but it was a speaker to stick in your backpack for a weekend away. That honour goes to the Roam: light at 430g and compact at 17cm tall, it’s a properly portable speaker that goes toe-to-toe with rivals like JBL.

Classically understated, the Move’s robust build means it won’t conk out at the beach. Positioned vertically or horizontally, Auto TruePlay smarts adjust the sonic output based on where you place it. For a speaker of this size, sound quality is seriously impressive, easily matching its best competitors for bass impact and balance.

There’s Bluetooth for easy streaming, but the Move also features Wi-Fi connectivity for easy integration into your Sonos setup. When you’re using the Roam at home, Sound Swap can automatically switch audio to the nearest speaker. It also supports a host of streaming services, plus Alexa and Google Assistant. Battery life isn’t world-beating at 10 hours, but its feature set, sound quality and connectivity options make the Roam a properly versatile option for go-anywhere audio.

• Read our full Sonos Roam review

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Sonos Sub Mini

Like the full-size Sub, the Mini is a wireless woofer which adds extra oomph to your Sonos setup. But as its compact moniker suggests, the Mini is a neater fit for smaller rooms, making it the perfect partner for soundbars such as the Ray and Beam, plus Sonos’ One-series speakers.

A cylinder with a hollowed-out centre, the Sub Mini could be mistaken for a minimalist stool. Its one-colour matte finish is Sonos to the core, while the dimensions – 305mm tall by 230mm across – mean it’s easy to position. Its 6.35kg weight is also a lot easier to shift than the 16kg Sub.

In testing, we found setup as seamless as we’ve come to expect from Sonos kit: simply tap your smartphone on top to share Wi-Fi details via NFC. You can fire up the app for Trueplay tuning, too.

Dual 6in drivers inside deliver serious bass capabilities. There’s both punch and quality to the output, bringing soundtracks alive without drowning out dialogue. It’s nicely balanced, adding weight that doesn’t overwhelm. And we experienced zero rattle.

• Read our full Sonos Sub Mini review here

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Sonos Ray

Sonos isn’t known for affordable audio gear, but the Ray is a convincing soundbar at a more accessible price. And despite the budget status, the Ray bears all the hallmarks of Sonos build quality. At just 56cm long, it’s undeniably compact – and some 10cm shorter than the Beam – meaning it can easily fit beneath smaller TV sets. An optical port lets it connect to cheaper, older sets, but there’s no Bluetooth or HDMI.

Setup is straightforward: you can scan a passcode on the device, or the Ray can emit a tone to be detected by your phone’s microphone. Voice assistant support is only available if you have a separate smart speaker, but Trueplay tech is there for automatic sonic adjustment to suit your room. Touch controls mean you can tap to command it, though the Ray is primarily meant to connect to the Sonos app via Wi-Fi or Ethernet.

For most homes, the forward-projecting array of two tweeters and two mid-woofers will do plenty to fill the space. Sound quality is superb – better than many bigger bars – while modes such as Speech Enhancement can usefully improve certain soundtracks. That said, you might be better off with the beefier Beam if your cinema room is sizeable, or if you demand Dolby Atmos.

• Read our full Sonos Ray review here

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Sonos Move

Sonos took its sweet time to make a battery-powered wireless speaker. But it was worth the wait: movable and built to last, the Move is an attractive package that’s splash-resistant and topped by handy touch controls. It also has the best wireless range of any Sonos speaker, so you shift it to the garden and keep the tunes coming.

And those tunes sound sweet indeed. Equipped with a forward-facing mid/bass driver and downward-facing tweeter, the Move is more than punchy enough to deliver the beats outdoors. But despite how hard it hits, there’s real control and authority to the bass – and plenty of texture too, matched by poise and detail in the mids. In fact, the Move excels in every respect: it’s comfortable with big dynamic variation and offers a sizeable soundstage.

Auto Trueplay smarts mean the Move can detect when it’s been moved and adjust its audio output to suit the new surroundings. You can also tweak the EQ in the excellent partner app. It’s super easy to integrate into your Sonos setup – and when you add countless streaming services and voice assistant support into the mix, it shapes up as a no-brainer.

• Read our full Sonos Move review here

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Sonos Beam (Gen 2)

Not the biggest nor most advanced Sonos soundbar, the Beam is still a winning package. Sonos has managed to squeeze some serious tech into a streamlined slab that’s small enough to sit beneath screens of pretty much any size.

With identical proportions to its predecessor, the second-gen Beam is only set apart by its polycarbonate grille, replacing the fabric finish which fronted the first edition. Flip it around and you’ll find a minimal array of inputs and outputs, including a single HDMI port – now an eARC number.

Why’s that significant? Because it has the bandwidth to carry higher quality streams, including Dolby Atmos. The second-gen Beam features the same acoustic architecture as the first, but Sonos now employs psychoacoustic techniques across five speaker arrays (versus three on the original Beam) to trick your ears into believing sound is around and above you.

Without upward-firing speakers, it’ll never deliver as much immersion as a full Atmos speaker setup. But the Gen 2 does a surprisingly effective job of replicating overhead effects – and the soundstage is impressively expansive for a compact soundbar. It’s a simple, effective solution for superior sound – and you can always add a Sub if you want more oomph.

• Read our full Sonos Beam (Gen 2) review here

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Sonos Five

Basically a re-branded Play:5 with extra processing power, the Sonos Five is the least intelligent speaker in this line-up. It has the same design, the same six drivers inside and still no voice assistant support. So what does it have? Sound quality in spades. Designed to deliver outstanding audio over Wi-Fi, the Sonos Five serves up big, authoritative sound. If you’re replacing a full Hi-Fi system with a Sonos speaker, this is the one to do it with.

Its clean, streamlined chassis can be stood up or laid flat: the Five will cleverly detect how it’s positioned and adjust output to suit. If tinkering is your thing and you’ve got an iOS device, you can also deploy Trueplay tuning tech to tweak the listening experience.

Cash to spare? You can combine two Fives to create an extremely capable stereo system, or use the pair as left-right surround separates to accompany a Sonos soundbar and Sub. The Five also features that rare thing among Sonos speakers: a 3.5mm aux-in – so you can hook up a turntable, tape deck or pretty much any other analogue source.

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Sonos Sub (Gen 3)

In the world of subwoofers, the Sonos Sub is a work of art. Not a rumbling behemoth to hide to the side of the TV, this is a bass box you’ll be proud to display. Despite its 16kg heft, the Sub benefits from comparatively slim dimensions. And because it can be oriented vertically or horizontally, it’s easier to tuck away than most competitors – especially as wireless connectivity means it only needs a power cable.

But what does the Sub actually do? Add great big dollops of extra bass to any Sonos speaker system, that’s what. It makes most sense as a sidekick to the Beam or Arc, giving cinematic soundtracks proper punch – but it can also complement Sonos’ music boxes.

Yes, it’s an expensive upgrade. And no, it’s not exactly subtle. While the Gen 3 benefits from more memory and an upgraded processor inside, it’s sonic delivery is hardly nuanced. But if you’re looking for loud, proud and powerful, this is the accessory your Sonos setup needs. Well-heeled and ready to rumble? The third-gen also supports pairing two Subs in the same room, if you really want to annoy the neighbours.

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Sonos Arc

Adding Dolby Atmos to a soundbar wasn’t a new idea. But Sonos found a way to make it sound groundbreaking. Successor to the Playbar, the Arc is designed to live beneath your TV and add superior audio to your viewing experience – without a full surround setup.

It looks like a soundbar, but also like a Sonos speaker – largely thanks to its matte finish, acoustic grille and impeccable build quality. It’s lengthy at 114cm, but the limited height and depth give it a relatively low profile. Inside are 11 drivers: two firing upwards, one at each end and eight carefully angled along the front of the bar.

It makes a convincing go of delivering that fabled Atmos immersion. Every element of an Atmos soundtrack is given plenty of breathing space, separate from other elements. There’s no shortage of detail or dynamism, plus the Arc does a decent job bringing in surround effects. It can be subtle, too – and while bass is substantial, it’s also nuanced.

Paired with an excellent partner app, alongside all of the smarts and connectivity options we’ve come to expect from a Sonos speaker, the Arc absolutely delivers.

• Read our full Sonos Arc review here

Sonos and IKEA SYMFONISK Bookshelf Speaker

IKEA’s partnership with Sonos dates back to 2019. Together, they’ve released a musical lamps, picture frames and bookshelf speakers. They’ll also soon be releasing a floor lamp together, which IKEA and Sonos says will create an ‘audio-visual’ performance in the living room. Until we can test that in 2023, though, we’ll have to wait and see how they can achieve that.

One of the best speakers in the collection is the SYMFONISK Bookshelf Speaker. It does everything you expect from a Sonos – it can stream music, radio and podcasts, comes with room filling sound, is compatible with Airplay 2 and much more. But where the SYMFONISK Bookshelf Speaker thrives is in its practicality and style. You can place the speaker horizontally, vertically, or mount it on the wall. You can also easily hide it away amongst a bookshelf, and it fits snuggly next to a bedside table. At £84 it’s not exactly one of Sonos’s most high tech speakers, but it doesn’t need to be. It’s great as it is.