Trueplay is rather like the mic-based setup that you’d use to automatically fine-tune a home cinema amplifier, but here it uses the iPhone’s own microphone (Android phones aren’t supported because there’s apparently too much variance in the microphones) and tunes the sound not just for your TV-watching position but also for the room as a whole. If you thought time would have aged the Play:1, think again. It remains a great-sounding wireless speaker, and a decent passage into multi-room for those on a tight budget.

PLAY:1 lets you stream all the music on earth and access it all using a single, easy to use app. Play millions of songs and playlists from the most popular music services like Pandora, Spotify, Hype Machine and Rdio; listen to your personal music library, whether it’s stored on your computer, in the cloud, on your smartphone or on your tablet; or tune in to more than 100,000 free Internet radio stations, podcasts, and shows from around the world. The ability to go loud (and we mean loud) helps, but there’s so much space to the presentation that even at lower volumes this sounds like a much bigger speaker than it is. Control your favorite music sources and listening experience with the free, intuitive Sonos Controller apps for iPad® iPhone®, Android™, Mac and PC.While arguably looking a little outdated stood next to the more recently redesigned Play:5, the Play:1's solid, sleek design stands the test of time. One more consideration and we'll move on, we promise. It's just that if you were looking to buy a second Sonos Five to create a stereo pair, the KEF LSX stereo speaker system (and brand new LSX II) is closely priced and boasts a more comprehensive connectivity spec-sheet and hi-res capabilities out the box. Only too keen to show that rhythmic fidelity isn’t left trailing, its agile, athletic posture keeps up with the sprightly keyboard cadence in Manfred Mann’s Earth Band’s cover of Blinded by the Light, the cymbal-tapping galloping precisely and punctually alongside. Tap Add on the popup showing your Sonos product. If using the Sonos S1 Controller, tap Continue> Set up products. The treble is the biggest issue here. It’s just too sharp and sibilant, which means big special effects are often ruined by a harsh and domineering top-end that annoys the ear, and that the sibilants in vocals are overdone and incessant.

With the introduction of the current Play:5 came Trueplay, Sonos’s audio optimisation software. Trueplay uses the microphone in your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch (Android devices aren’t currently supported) to measure the response of the speaker in your room and tweak its sound to suit. It takes only a minute or so to do and is quite effective. On its own the Sonos Play:1 is an excellent small speaker, offering pretty much class-leading sound quality for a wireless speaker of this price and size. Which is why it’s such a great shame that that harsh treble prevents the Playbase from achieving what would otherwise almost certainly be a five-star rating.As with the Sonos Playbar, the Playbase has just one audio input - optical. The idea is all your video sources run into your TV, and just the one optical cable (which is included) takes the sound from your TV and into the Playbase. If you want a Sonos speaker with an HDMI input, you need to look at the Beam. PLAY:1 is a smart speaker that features hardware and software designed by Sonos to ensure the best possible performance for the size. A custom-designed mid-woofer and tweeter deliver deep, rich and surprisingly big sound. With a powerful low-end and crisp mids and highs, new smart processing technology pushes Sonos’ drivers further than ever before, minimizing distortion even at full volume. Plus, PLAY:1 projects a wide field of sound, delivering a great listening experience no matter where you are sitting in the room. And since the Sonos wireless network is devoted to streaming music in HiFi sound, you’ll enjoy smooth music wirelessly without dropouts anywhere in your home. At least everything else about the setup process is simple, with the Sonos app having a step-by-step guide complete with simple instructions, diagrams and even videos. During the process you’ll assign the Playbase to a room of your house, program it so the volume can be controlled via your TV’s standard remote and, if you’re an iPhone user, tune the sound to your room using Sonos Trueplay.

Do bear in mind, though, this width can be helped or hindered by the size, shape and furnishings of your room, because this is a system that relies upon bouncing sound off walls. 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. See those little feet –on the side?! It can be positioned upright too, you see, to create a stereo pair comprising two Fives or as part of a home theater system with a Sonos Arc, say. (Image credit: TechRadar) Sonos Five review: Sound quality The Sonos Play:1 is a great little speaker. We have no hesitation in recommending the Play:1 if you find the Play:5 too pricey. It works just like any other Sonos Play-series speaker, and offers excellent sound for both the size and price. Position them roughly eight to 10 feet apart from each other and yourself between eight and 12 feet away from both devicesHowever, it is as well-made as its bigger brothers. The sides of the Play:1 are covered by a single-piece metal grille that curves smoothly around its edges. Its top and bottom are plastic, but still look and feel great. Before the Roam, the Sonos Move was the first portable Bluetooth Sonos speaker, albeit a large and heavy one. The updated Move 2 retains its chunky dimensions and ability to go loud, but boosts the sound quality to stereo, and is much clearer, snappier and more spacious than before. It has a longer battery life (24 hours) and is still equipped with all the streaming and multi-room features you get with being part of the Sonos ecosystem. This is an attractive and well-made app, but many find the restrictive Sonos approach annoying. It also has worse music discovery than the average streaming app. Spotify users can now stream directly from the Spotify app, though, as you would with a Bluetooth speaker. Use the capacitive touch controls on the product to play, pause, skip, replay, adjust the volume, and more. The result is unquestionable – this is a speaker that could fill even the biggest room of the house, and yet for a single box it sounds huge.

Sonos is behind some of the best multi-room speakers on the market, but that doesn’t mean you won’t encounter any problems using them. Here’s a guide to some of the most common Sonos problems and how to fix them. How do I set my Sonos up with a new router? In the early days of the Sonos system you had to buy a bridge to connect your speakers to your home Wi-Fi. But now it’s much more like a standard wireless speaker. Head into the drop down menu at the top of the screen labelled ‘Room Settings for’ and choose the speakers you’d like to pair Head into the dropdown menu at the top of the screen labelled ‘Room Settings for’ and choose the speakers you’d like to pair

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You can also set alarms using the app, although as there’s no snooze function you’d better be good at getting out of bed.