We’ll look at the details of all these units below, so you can make an informed decision to either go with an alternative or to be more confident in your decision to get into the Sonos system. But first, let’s look at the Sonos One option and what it offers.
Key Features of the Sonos One
Connectivity is dead-simple, with support for Apple Airplay 2 and, of course, the support of the full Sonos ecosystem with its polished app and integration of Spotify, Audible, and dozens of other apps. It’s hard to beat the usability here.Connectivity through ethernet or wifi, but not Bluetooth – you won’t need the Bluetooth connection for your phone, because Sonos expects you to connect both your phone and the speaker to your wi-fi system whether you’re using a Connect or a Port (our comparison article). This ensures better quality audio.Easily expandable to stereo setups and beyond within the Sonos ecosystem, which is optimized for building the right speaker setup for you.Compact, simple design that can blend into any environment.Built-in microphone that supports integration with Siri, Google Assistant, and Alexa
Pros
Additional smart home hub functionality (via built-in Zigbee bridge) can greatly simplify an extensive smart home setup.Some ability to connect more echo speakers for limited surround sound (2.1).Some neat tricks like intercom functionality, and extensive Alexa Skills integration.Can be found for less than half the cost of the Sonos One.
Cons
Doesn’t offer an extensive ecosystem of speakers to support larger surround systems (see our article explaining surround sound channels if you’re not sure why this is important).Not as integrated as Sonos One when it comes to pushing sound to the device, there is native support for most of the first-party apps you’d be interested in using, like Spotify, Audible, etc.
Denon HEOS 1
Pros
Simple-to-use networking of multiple speakers to support surround sound and multi-room speaker setupsBluetooth, along with a robust app ecosystem with streaming service integrations, make the usability of the Denon system closer to the gold standard Sonos has set
Cons
Prices around or above Sonos for some of the speakers in the HEOS systemDesign and app ecosystem are such close copycats to what Sonos has created that the slight lack of polish in the app really stands out.
Bose SoundTouch 10
Pros
Can be found for roughly half the cost of the Sonos OnePlenty of networked speaker options that make for an easily configurable and expandable setup.
Cons
Not so much less expensive that it’s an obviously cheap alternative. The price is less than Sonos, but they’re close enough that it may be worth paying extra for the quality of the ecosystem.There’s a certain lack of style with the Bose SoundTouch series, as if it all exists because a spreadsheet said it should. It’s a speaker ecosystem that’s dressed in business format, with zero cool factor.
Bose Home Speaker 300
Pros
A rich ecosystem of pairable speakers and soundbars and top-notch app support helps you feel like you’re not missing the simplicity or expandability of Sonos.Plenty of connectivity options and some exciting things going on within the series, like great hardware design and unique features like the Home 500’s LCD screen.
Cons
At the same price point of the Sonos One, you have to really be excited about the other Bose Home series speakers to make this a compelling option.May struggle to stand out in the pack, especially with a competing series– SoundTouch– come from the same Brand.
LG PK5W XBOOM
Pros
Unique design with some compelling features that could be crucial for your unique use case.Not playing copycat to Sonos.
Cons
Although there are plenty of options in the XBOOM family, they don’t play nicely with one another in the same way that the other options on the list do.No app or digital ecosystem supporting the speakers in the same way that Sonos has.
Conclusion
As you can see, if you’re in the market for a Sonos One competitor, you do have plenty of great options. The Echo and XBOOM series offer different and unique use cases that Sonos can’t easily emulate, though they each have their own speaker connection limitations. The Bose Home series and the Denon HEOS line come the closest to replacing the Sonos experience full-sail, but they struggle to stand out from the gold standard that Sonos has set. But both options are fantastic speakers. If you’re really only ready to dip your toe in, but not sure how far you want to go with whole-home speaker systems, the SoundTouch series offers a compelling price point and feature set to give you a try-before-you-buy experience of the more expensive options.
