Best Sonos Speakers (2026): Soundbars, Headphones, Dolby Atmos, and More
I’ve tested every major Sonos product, from the old Play:1 and Play:5 to the latest Era 100, Era 300 speakers and the flagship Arc Ultra soundbar. Aside from their recent application issues, my experience over the years has always been extremely positive. Here are my favorite aspects of Sonos:
Simple configuration, many options: The Sonos app guides you through setting up a new system or adding speakers to an existing system. Some Google Assistant speakers offer similar setup and features, but it’s not as easy to group them together. My favorite Sonos competitor is Wiim, which offers equally intuitive products, but only two standalone speakers (tests coming soon). Wiim focuses more on streaming amplifiers like the Wiim Amp Pro for connecting traditional speakers. Sonos offers many other product models for different use cases, from soundbars to headphones.
Easy diffusion: The Sonos app supports almost all major streaming services, and Sonos equipment supports in-app services like Spotify Connect and Tidal Connect for direct streaming. Sonos soundbars like the Arc Ultra offer impressive home theater support, while also allowing you to stream audio from the TV to other speakers throughout the house or as part of a surround sound system.
Internal voice control: Sonos once provided support for Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa, but the brand has dropped Google support in newer speakers like the Era 100, Era 300, and Sonos Arc Ultra. Instead, Sonos added its own in-house voice assistant, Sonos Voice Control (SVC), voiced by actor Ginacarlo Esposito. In addition to strong performance, SVC offers better privacy protection. SVC touts several measures to protect your privacy, including using AI data instead of customer data and local processing that doesn’t reach the cloud.
Top-notch sound and build quality: Every Sonos speaker I’ve tested is above average, and most sound really excellent. This is no coincidence, as the brand has always been deeply focused on sound quality, and things have only improved with the latest Era speakers. I visited Sonos’ Santa Barbara, Calif., facility before Eras’ release, and was struck by the company’s commitment to improving audio architecture, as well as using more replaceable parts (like screws instead of glue), so that its speakers are more repairable than most competitors. Sonos speakers are built to last and deliver good sound.
