Ever since its release early this fall, the Sonos PLAY:5 has been getting rave reviews – saying the petite speaker packs a punch and delivers great no matter if you’re using the iPhone or a tablet. Such great reviews may be enough to convince you to put it on your post-Christmas list, but going behind the scenes and learning what went into the device may sell on why it’s one of the best portable speakers on the market.
The Sonos company has been making high quality wireless speakers since 2002, with a goal of making music easier to play in every room of the house. For their next generation of speakers, the team decided they still wanted to ensure listeners could get the best audio with the device, but give it a complete makeover. Unlike other companies that will redesign how the device looks with using standard inner workings, Sonos dedicates itself to designing every part of the speaker themselves. Aside from giving them major credibility, this move also allows them to improve things, such as bass performance, hi-frequency, and spatial performance to get the best sound possible.
So, what did they put into the PLAY:5 that makes it better than other speakers? Six custom-designed drivers with dedicated amplifiers, touch responsive play/pause button that works with one swipe of the finger and auto-acoustic adjustment that matches the sound to your room. Surround sound, portability, connectedness, materials; Sonos spent the time to cover all the aspects and think about the future look of their product.
The team understood the importance of making music sound just as good as it does in the studio in the comfort of your own home, which is why they set a goal of creating “massively better sound and wireless performance in a really iconic package.” It’s completely redesigned and all done internally–no off-the-shelf components–all custom designs. They explored and used new manufacturing processes, collaborating around what makes the best customer experience. Best quality, best experience. Many companies make this promise, but for Sonos it seems to be more than making sales.
