I think I'm actually disappointed with the new Play One

  • 24 October 2017
  • 6 replies
  • 704 views

I should have done my homework better - I assumed I could just replace one of my Play:1 surround speakers with a Play One. I was wrong on several counts
1) You can't pair a Play:1 and a Play One - Setup up won't allow you to do it.
2) There's no screw fixing point on the Play One - there is a button on the rear instead. Had to use double-sided foam tape to mount the speaker on my floor stand (obv. before I discovered point 1 above)
3) They don't match - the :1 is grey, and the One is black. They looked weird either side of the sofa.
4) I can't use the 'Echo' wake word - both of my other Echos use 'Echo' and the family is very used to this now. Also the Play One isn't that far from the kitchen Echo, so I would like to just have one word to shout out, and let the Echos sort out which one responds.
5) They sound different - I think the One sounded a bit richer, and this maybe something that could be resolved by clever tuning, but given pint (1), it doesn't seem likely this is something Sonos feel the need to work on.

This turned out to be a rather impulsive purchase, and doesn't really fit my needs. I think I'll return the One, and just buy another Echo Dot instead.

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6 replies

But is that not the point? There is always the option of using a dot with the existing speakers. Everybody's needs can be met and the best option will vary for different people.
Want to double down on being disappointed. As an extra point

6) the local library not being available. And buggy when switching between playing music through the app, and switching to linked music services.

Kind of defeats the point of having the voice control on a sonos. Hope this feature will be announced before end of the try-out period, otherwise I need to return the product and wait for a speaker where this will be made available.
Userlevel 7
Badge +26
Thanks for sharing, Steve_230. The Sonos One isn't a new version of the PLAY:1, it's a new product entirely, based on roughly the same design. For just the reasons you've listed, that's a lot of why they aren't designed to bond together with PLAY:1s. They just aren't the same device and really, there aren't more than a couple components that are the same between them.

Sorry for the confusion, we've tried to make it clear that it's not a revamped PLAY:1, but I'll make sure to pass your experience on up to the team.
Userlevel 7
Badge +20
Thanks for sharing, Steve_230. The Sonos One isn't a new version of the PLAY:1, it's a new product entirely, based on roughly the same design. For just the reasons you've listed, that's a lot of why they aren't designed to bond together with PLAY:1s. They just aren't the same device and really, there aren't more than a couple components that are the same between them.

Sorry for the confusion, we've tried to make it clear that it's not a revamped PLAY:1, but I'll make sure to pass your experience on up to the team.


If you guys had made it an inch or two taller or shorter, no-one would be complaining 🙂

If you guys had made it an inch or two taller or shorter, no-one would be complaining :)

This is one area that Sonos mismanages. With the 5, they made it look different enough, but kept the exact same name. This time, it looks the same, but the name appears to be not different enough.
Could have fit the threaded mounting hole in the extra inch or two. 🆒