Today's options for smart speakers are endless, with customers able to find something at any price range for whatever their needs are in their bedrooms, living rooms, and kitchens. Over the past couple of years, Sonos has dominated the home speaker market. Sonos is a leader in home audio, offering customers some of the best sounding speakers available.
The Sonos experience is more than just sound, though, the system offers a multitude of features for those who purchase to explore. Let's take a look at some awesome things your Sonos speaker system can do to make your home that much smarter.
Use Your Sonos Speaker As An Alarm Clock Or Sleep Machine
Seamlessly integrate your Sonos into your morning and nighttime routine so you can start and end your day on the best note. Sonos has a pretty cool alarm feature in the Sonos app. Head to the More tab, scroll to Alarms and hit New Alarm. Here you'll be able to pick your wake-up song, the rooms you want it to play in, and the frequency. You'll even get a notification on your phone when the alarm sounds to switch it off quickly. If you enjoy falling asleep to music, nature sounds, or podcasts, there's a sleep timer that will automatically turn off your music after a specific time.
Control Your Sonos System From Your Apple Watch
Although Sonos hasn't updated its own app to allow you to control your system from your Apple Watch, there is a third-party app out there that has this covered. Zone play was created by a group of developers, providing a chance for Sonos owners to control their system right from their wrists. The Zone play app allows users to manage multiple speakers, or even group everything together and enjoy party mode with a few taps of your watch. Users can also quickly select their Sonos favorites, which is an impressive feature!
Enjoy A Different Sound In Every Room
With Sonos, you can adjust the sound settings for each speaker in the Settings menu, allowing you to customize the sound for each room. iOS device owners can take this one step further with Trueplay. Trueplay is a feature that customizes audio settings based on the layout of the room. Use the microphone on the iOS device to pick up on furniture and wall positions to amplify the speakers to match the acoustics of the room, creating the best sound possible.
All of Sonos' speakers can be Trueplay'd, including the Playbar. Even if you don't have an iOS device, you can borrow one from a friend or family member to temporarily complete the setup and create incredible sound throughout your home.
Control Your Sonos System With Your Voice
Controlling your home speaker system with your voice sounds like something straight out of The Jetsons. Well, the future is already here, as Sonos supports full voice control with your Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant devices. Playing your favorite tunes hands-free is now possible, and you can even ask questions or give Alexa, or Google Assistant commands. To integrate voice control with your Sonos speaker, all you need to do is add the device to the room, then follow Sonos' in-app setup.
Mount Your TV
If you can't mount your TV to the wall, or don't have space for a TV stand, no worries! Sonos offers the Playbase, which can slide directly under your TV and withstand the TV's weight on top of it. The Playbase's 10 speakers pump out a deep, rich sound, comparable to the Playbar. On top of this, you can even use the Playbase to send the TV's sound all around the house. Listen to the game while cooking or outside, or also enjoy your TV's music channels in your bedroom.
Night Sound
Have you ever been watching a movie while the kids are in bed, finding yourself always turning the volume up and down to avoid the loud noises of that film from waking up the house while trying to hear the movie's dialogue? Every parent has done this dance with the remote's volume button at some point. If you own a Sonos Beam, Playbase, or Playbar, you can enjoy Night Sound.
All of these systems come equipped with this feature, that tweaks the dialogue of whatever you're watching to make it sound more evident, while also reducing the loud sounds. To activate Night Sound, click the More tab at the bottom of the app, click on the TV, then hit the moon icon that appears.
Go Completely Wireless
It's possible to completely cut all the wires in your home speaker system with Sonos. While you used to need a Sonos Bridge connected to your router, nowadays everything can connect directly to your Wi-Fi, eliminating the need for any pesky cables. If your home is quite big, or you don't have great Wi-Fi, that's not an issue! Grab a Sonos Boost, which plugs into your router and creates a network dedicated entirely to your Sonos speakers. This will ensure your connection continues to run flawlessly.
Connect Your Existing Speakers
If you already own a Hi-Fi system and don't want to stop using it, you can easily make it a part of your Sonos system. By purchasing a Sonos Port or Amp, you can link it to your existing receiver or even hook up individual speakers.
The Sonos Amp also allows you to connect ceiling speakers, which are fantastic for creating a visually pleasing aesthetic in your home, free from the grabby hands of young children or the fear of getting knocked over by pets. Even better, they can be used with your Amazon Echo and Google Assistant devices for voice-controlled ceiling speakers.
Use Your Turntable
Audiophiles rejoice! You can fill your home with the rich and beautiful sounds of your vinyl directly from your turntable. The Sonos Play:5 has a line in, allowing you to connect the turntable audio directly. If you own more than one Play:5, you can even turn two speakers into a speaker pair, allowing them to act as true left and right stereo speakers. To do this, set them up in the app as a pair and plug-in your turntable's audio cable. Enjoy the beautifully rich Sonos sound as your turntable's monitor speakers for the ultimate DJing experience.
Play Music From Multiple Sources
If you've added new music to your phone or tablet, or you have an old iPod full of music lying around that you want to enjoy on the Sonos system, you can. Scroll to 'This Mobile Device' on the Sonos app, and you'll be able to access your local-stored music. If streaming is more your style, Sonos allows for seamless playback of Spotify, iTunes Music, Tidal, and Google Play Music. You can stream music directly from these sources to any Sonos speaker, as long as you are on the same wireless network. As an added bonus, if you're on Android, you can stream over Wi-Fi what you're listening to on your phone to a Sonos speaker, without even opening the app.