Sonos One SL (White), The powerful microphone-free speaker for music and more

Product Information

You don't get any built-in voice assistant here, unlike the Sonos Beam or Sonos Arc. No Alexa, no Google Assistant, and no Sonos Voice Control. That is because there's no mic at all, which seems a little bizarre given Sonos' recent focus on its proprietary Sonos Voice rollout, but there we are. Use the capacitive touch controls on the product to play, pause, skip, replay, adjust the volume, turn off the microphones, and more.

The hissing/white noise starts as soon as audio starts playing. It continues when you pause whatever is playing for 15 seconds (every time as I have timed it). This hissing/white noise remains at the same level no matter the level of volume from the speakers. The quieter the audio, the more you notice it when audio is playing. Featuring BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy), increased memory and an updated processor, the Sonos One is more capable than ever. BLE simplifies first-time set-up by temporarily communicating with your smartphone or tablet (note, BLE does not support audio streaming). The new processor and increased memory give the latest version of the Sonos One greater potential for exciting future updates. Sonos One seamlessly syncs voice, app, and touch commands, enabling you to manage music with a single word, tap of the app, or swipe on the speaker touch panel. Combine voice control with the Sonos app to manage all your music in one place. The Five is the biggest and most powerful wireless home speaker in Sonos' range, and it sounds every inch as detailed and musically pleasing as we've come to expect from Sonos. This flagship iteration (released in June 2020) adds increased memory, snappier processing and a new, er, wireless radio feature. Not a huge upgrade then?

The name-plate is positioned so that when you flip it to it's upright orientation, it still reads. (Image credit: TechRadar) Sonos Five review: Design

I also have a separated hi-fi of high end equipment and I get a small amount of hiss/white noise from the speakers but nowhere as bad as Sonos. Hold the Play/Pause button to send sound between Roam and the nearest Sonos product in your system. The Sonos One also features revolutionary TRUEPLAY technology. TRUEPLAY scans your room, analyses the results and then fine-tunes the speaker for the ideal listening experience. Whether your room is large or small and the unit is placed close to a wall or in the centre, the One adapts to give the most natural and realistic sound possible. You can also use two of them (in the upright position) as rear surrounds for a home theater set-up with a Sonos Arc–though, to partner the smaller Sonos Rayor Sonos Beam 2nd Gen, we'd suggest a pair Sonos One SLunits instead. That's not to say it's bass-heavy overall though. Listen to Fontaines D.C.'s Skinty Fia and you'll hear a low-end that, while impactful and unwavering, never bloats or muddies other musical passages such as accordions, drum riffs, angered vocals and keys.Use the capacitive touch controls on the product to play, pause, skip, replay, adjust the volume, and more.

Use the included USB A-C charging cable with any 5V/1.5A (7.5W) or higher USB power adapter. You can also use the Sonos Roam Wireless Charger or any Qi-certified wireless charger. Find the right music for every moment on Spotify. Search any artist or song, create and share playlists, and get personalized recommendations. Listen on Sonos and control the music with your voice, the Spotify app or the Sonos app. (Requires Spotify Premium account for full features).If your hearing is sensitive to these things you may want to consider alternatives. Maybe opt for passive speakers perhaps? Stream Rachmaninov's Piano Concerto No. 2 in C Minor, performed by Andre Previn, the London Symphony Orchestra and Vladimir Ashkenazy, and the flute is never harsh through the sparkling and untethered treble. Piano notes are distinct, three dimensional and lilting with enough space around them to shine in a cohesive mix. I’m not sure how your tinnitus factors into this issue. It might be possible that the tinnitus results in you being more sensitive to this hiss.

My issue of hissing/white noise was first noticed with my Beam. It was replaced under warranty for a different reason but the hissing remained. All of my previous and also current Sonos equipment experience the same issue. I don’t recall the Play:5 being as bad though. Prices valid in stores (all including VAT) until close of business on 1st November 2023. (Some of these web prices are cheaper than in-store, so please mention that you've seen these offers online.) I would have to put my ear right up close to a speaker to hear any such hissing. I was wondering if it maybe one of the symptoms of the tinnitus condition mentioned, perhaps? It’s worth perhaps exploring that too, but that’s not something I know too much about either.

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Enjoy the unmatched Sonos experience on WiFi, and stream audio directly from your smartphone, tablet, or computer using Bluetooth. In traditional Sonos style, the Five is not interested in a shy, retiring sound – it's here to bring the bass and make you feel it, and we're not complaining. However (and we've said this before) it's important to note that we like it more if you can use TruePlay tuning, and not everyone is granted that privilege. The rear of the Sonos Five reveals its power cable, Ethernet and 3.5mm ports –so your turntable is catered for too. (Image credit: TechRadar) Sonos Five review: Features To some extent all electronics will have some level of hiss. From my chair I cannot evaluate if your hiss level is abnormal or not. I tend to be abnormally sensitive to this sort of noise (‘buzz’ -- get it) and I’m not annoyed by the SONOS hiss levels. Hiss is usually masked by normal room noises, but if your rooms are very quiet and you sit very close to a speaker, you are more likely to notice the hiss. Unfortunately, once you are sensitized to the hiss, it never goes away and becomes a “ The Princess and the Pea” drama. The hiss is emitted from the speaker drivers, both woofers and tweeters. There is a potential for another type of noise that is generated by the power supply. I don’t consider this noise as being normal. It is not emitted by the speakers and typically emits from the rear of the unit when there is a problem. Normally this noise is above the frequency range of humans, but if, due to a defect the frequency slips down, it may be audible to some listeners. Since high frequency hearing capability varies from person to person and the high frequency limit of humans diminishes with age, there can be some arguments between listeners over this “obvious” noise. Early ultrasonic alarm systems used in schools operated at a frequency that was easily heard by kids, but not audible to adults. There would be running arguments between the distressed kids and the adults about this noise. (‘What noise!!’) When I was younger you’d observe me take a step into a retail store, then abruptly turn and leave. I was repelled by their “ultrasonic” alarm system that had not been turned OFF during business hours.