Sonos made waves across the tech world Wednesday (Oct. 5) with the announcement of the Sonos One, a voice speaker with more reach than its competitors.
Targeting music lovers, the Sonos One is designed to pair to over 80 streaming services like Tidal and Pandora. The device features far-field microphones that will allow it to be used through digital voice assistants like Amazon’s Alexa. Owners of the Play:1 speaker can upgrade their device for free to access the Alexa feature.
Android Authority notes the Sonos One’s internal makeup includes Class-D digital amplifiers, one tweeter, and one mid-woofer, and can still read a person’s voice as the music plays. In 2018, support for Echo Dot and Apple’s AirPlay 2 will be welcomed to the Sonos Family. This means owners of iPads and other Apple devices no longer have to use the Sonos App to play music. Instead, they can ask Siri to jam to Kendrick Lamar, or Car Thomas if you’re feeling emotional. Control from Audible, iHeartRadio and KukeMusic will also come in early 2018.
Per the success of its flagship store in New York, Sonos will open a second store in London by the end of the year and welcome another retail space in Berlin next year.
Sonos One will retail for $199 USD. Pre-orders will start today on Sonos.com