The best Sonos speakers to buy in 2025

After the twelvemonth of self-induced tumult that Sonos has been through, I tin understand why immoderate group are reluctant to walk money connected the company’s products. But newly appointed CEO Tom Conrad has shown that he’s wished to get backmost connected way and revitalize Sonos arsenic the starring whole-home audio brand. The contentious mobile app is successful a overmuch amended spot coming than it was past year, though immoderate customers still brushwood bugs and the vexation of speakers randomly vanishing from their system. It’s not each roses, but the business is moving successful the correct guidance — and I took Sonos’ determination to cancel its video player arsenic a promising motion of renewed focus.

I’m not astir to waste immoderate of my Sonos gear. For one, the company’s whole-home level offers conveniences that competitors don’t lucifer — astatine slightest not without hassle. Most of the time, I’m streaming from Apple Music, Spotify, aliases YouTube Music. But if I’m watching a sports crippled connected my TV, I tin tube the audio from my Sonos soundbar to a speaker successful a different room to travel the action. Playing thing complete Bluetooth? With astir of the company’s caller speakers, it’s imaginable to do the aforesaid point and spread that euphony crossed your full Sonos system.

I wouldn’t responsibility anyone for waiting to spot wherever Sonos and its app spell from here. But support successful mind that Sonos precocious confirmed that it will raise prices connected “certain products” later this twelvemonth arsenic a consequence of President Trump’s tariffs. Putting the package misstep aside, this institution makes immoderate genuinely fantabulous hardware, truthful if you don’t want to consequence paying more, now mightiness beryllium the clip to buy. And if you’re wondering which are the existent standouts, I’ve sewage you covered.

If you’re looking for a decent-sounding, compact speaker to put successful the kitchen, office, aliases really anyplace successful your home, the Era 100 is your champion option. Sonos improved upon this speaker’s predecessors, the Play:1 and Sonos One, by upgrading to stereo drivers for richer, wider audio. Bluetooth playback is now supported, on pinch line-in audio (with a abstracted dongle). And the Era 100 besides has reworked beingness controls, including a measurement barroom you tin descent your digit crossed and, finally, dedicated way controls.

The speaker has an elegant design, and you tin usage hands-free sound controls to summon Amazon Alexa aliases Sonos Voice Control to skip tracks aliases move to a different playlist. Sonos dropped the Era 100’s value to $199 successful April, which is much than adjacent for what you’re getting. I’d bargain now and debar risking the costs going up again, acknowledgment to tariffs.

The Sonos Five isn’t conscionable Sonos’ best-sounding speaker; it’s astatine the apical of the battalion compared to each competitors. From an audio value perspective, it thumps the HomePod, Echo Studio, Nest Audio, and different wide marketplace speakers — some those that are smart and not. Can you find amended hi-fi bookshelf speakers? Absolutely, but those aren’t natively tied into euphony services for illustration Sonos cogwheel is. The Five is simply a hefty portion and takes up a decent magnitude of table space. But erstwhile you propulsion immoderate euphony on, its powerful stereo output is capable to grip immoderate meal statement aliases play get-together.

There’s thing “smart” astir the Five. It lacks microphones and sound adjunct functionality. But that simplicity is appealing successful its ain right: you’re getting a damn bully speaker that ties into the Sonos platform. The Five besides features a 3.5mm aux input, making it a bully turntable companion — particularly if you outpouring for a stereo pair.

When it comes to portable speakers, the Move 2 is successful a full different convention than Sonos’ overmuch smaller Roam 2. It’s bigger and heavier, but a built-in grip makes it easier to lug the Move 2 astir your location aliases retired to the backyard. There’s nary comparison betwixt the 2 erstwhile it comes to audio: the Move 2 smokes the acold much compact Roam 2. Like the Era 100, it has a stereo driver arrangement, whereas the Roam mixes everything down to mono and sounds much muffled.

The Move’s larger size gives it a clear advantage successful position of bass punch, and speech from playing euphony wirelessly, you’ve sewage the action of plugging successful different devices complete USB-C for line-in audio. I besides proceed to admit that the artillery successful the Move 2 is user-replaceable, which can’t beryllium said of galore Bluetooth speakers. You’ll beryllium capable to support enjoying your finance for long, agelong into the future. And pinch a particulate / h2o guidance standing of IP56, it tin grip rainfall and splashes of h2o without problems; conscionable don’t driblet it into a pool.

I for illustration the Move 2 complete accepted portable speakers since, astatine slightest whenever I’m home, the Sonos lets maine play euphony complete Wi-Fi astatine a higher fidelity than Bluetooth tin offer. Plus, the Move 2 besides supports Apple AirPlay and Spotify Connect, truthful it’s easy to conscionable skip the Sonos app altogether if you wish.

Introduced successful precocious 2024, the Arc Ultra improves connected the original Arc pinch importantly much powerful bass response. That’s mostly acknowledgment to the inclusion of Sonos’ newer SoundMotion technology, which manages to get a amended low-end wallop from a soundbar that’s not overmuch larger than the exemplary it replaces. This intends immoderate buyers tin get distant pinch buying the Arc Ultra connected its ain without adding a subwoofer.

The Arc Ultra delivers Dolby Atmos situation sound that’s much convincing and immersive than immoderate different Sonos soundbar to date, and it’s up location pinch the very champion you tin find from a single-enclosure speaker. Vocal clarity has besides improved substantially acknowledgment to amended halfway transmission performance. Another upgrade complete the first Arc is the summation of Bluetooth audio support.

There are plentifulness of scenarios and TV rooms wherever the Arc Ultra mightiness beryllium too powerful. If you’re successful a smaller abstraction aliases don’t request the absolute champion situation sound, the Beam (Gen 2) starts to make much sense. It still has Atmos, but the effect is virtualized since the Beam lacks the Arc Ultra’s upward-firing speakers. Even so, the location theatre acquisition you’ll get from the Beam will rustle distant immoderate speakers built into a TV.

In the aforesaid vein, unless you’re hellhole bent connected rumbling your walls, the $429 Sub Mini subwoofer is much than capable for layering immoderate other oomph and growl onto Hollywood blockbusters and your favourite TV shows. The $799 Sub 4 is Sonos’ flagship subwoofer, but plentifulness of group person saved hundreds of dollars by pairing the Sub Mini pinch immoderate of the company’s soundbars — and they’ve been ecstatic pinch the results.

As its sanction suggests, the Sub Mini is much compact than the Sub 4, which makes it easier to find an inconspicuous spot to spot it. Even if you’re the type to do a sub crawl and put it location successful plain sight, I’d reason it looks much stylish than the blocky Sub 4.

Sonos and Ikea mightiness beryllium winding down their partnership, but that doesn’t mean you should slumber connected the existing Symfonisk products earlier they’re wholly phased out. The Symfonisk Bookshelf Speaker (Gen 2), successful particular, remains the astir affordable gateway into the Sonos ecosystem, moreover pinch its caller value hike. Sound-wise, it’s not acold disconnected from the aged Sonos One / Play:1 and is simply a very enjoyable speaker. Plus, the little value tag makes it easier to person yourself to scoop up 2 for a stereo pair. These — aliases the Symfonisk Picture Frame Speaker — make fantabulous rear situation speakers if you’re connected a budget.

Boy ohio boy, did Sonos’ wireless headphones travel correct astatine the worst imaginable moment. The company’s app situation wholly sidelined the Ace headphones. Some customers were besides disappointed that the Ace can’t play euphony complete Wi-Fi aliases beryllium grouped pinch the company’s in-home speakers.

But here’s the thing: the Ace headphones are still fantastic. They’re comfortable, person a gorgeous creation (with easy swappable receptor pads), and sound detailed, powerful, and expressive. They support wired audio complete USB-C successful summation to Bluetooth. And the TV Audio Swap characteristic is simply a useful perk that I still often usage precocious astatine nighttime erstwhile my Arc Ultra would disturb others. You tin way immoderate audio that would usually travel done the soundbar — from your TV, gaming console, aliases streaming instrumentality — done 2 pairs of headphones and perceive privately (with spatial audio situation sound). Sonos’ new TrueCinema mode moreover lets you fine-tune the second to amended bespeak the acoustics of your space.

No, the Ace headphones aren’t what I’d see the perfect of a wearable merchandise from Sonos. But they stay a wholly awesome debut that fell unfortunate to the company’s mediocre package decisions.

Photography by Chris Welch / The Verge

Update, August 7th: Adjusted pricing and availability. Brandon Widder besides contributed to this post.