Sonos one
Best: For a bit of everything
Sonos’s classic speaker is “the one”, and it’s the favourite for a reason. It’s one of the cheapest of the home speakers, but offers the perfect introduction to what they have to offer. Small enough to fit onto almost any shelf, but still big enough that it packs a punch, it’s a mono speaker, meaning that it doesn’t go especially loud and can sometimes be lacking in clarity and bass if you strain to listen to it very hard, but it still sounds great in most cases. It becomes even better when combined with another One, to make a stereo pair that vastly widens the sound and allows the speakers to do more of what they’re best at.
The One is the perfect introduction to the Sonos system, if you are just wondering what it is all about and want to dip your toe in. It’s also the perfect extension, if you’re looking to fill up your house with more sound and more speakers. Sonos also sells another version – the One SL (£179, Sonos.com) – for slightly cheaper. It comes without a microphone, making it the perfect choice if the thought of being listened to by Alexa is scary or unnecessary, or if you just want to save a little money.