Looking for the best deals on Sonos speakers? This is what’s available in the UK right now… (Image: SONOS)
Looking for the best Sonos speaker deals in the UK? Discounts on these immensely popular smart speakers can be few and far between (last year, the US firm only slashed £20 from the Sonos Roam as its only Black Friday discount, for example), but Express.co.uk has rounded up the ultimate way to secure a deal on Sonos speakers all year round.
The best Sonos speaker deals available right now can be found in Sonos’ official refurbished store.
This store – which enjoys discounts all year long – is relatively hidden on Sonos’ website. But once you know about it, you’ll likely never buy a brand-new Sonos speaker again. That’s because the Certified Refurbished speakers have been revived by Sonos technicians and arrive in the same packaging, with the same cables and documentation, as a brand-new speaker. From the outside, you cannot tell the difference between the refurbished models and those bought from a store. According to Sonos, its certified refurbished products “are thoroughly tested to ensure standard Sonos quality”. Even better, these speakers ship with an identical one year warranty as brand-new models from Sonos, Currys, Amazon, John Lewis, and other popular high street and online stores that stock the popular audio kit.
If you’re looking to save money, there really is no better option. Find the best Sonos speaker deals from the certified refurbished store below.
Of course, if you’d rather buy a new model, Express.co.uk has rounded up the latest Sonos speaker deals from popular online and high street stores, including Amazon, John Lewis, Currys and more. Scroll down to find the latest prices on Sonos speakers. Also in this guide, you’ll find answers to some of the most commonly-asked questions about Sonos speakers, including how Sonos compares to Bose, the cheapest Sonos speaker you can buy, and more.
Best Sonos Speaker Deals in June 2022
If you’d rather not buy from Sonos’ official refurbished store, there are some brilliant deals to be found from popular high street stores and online retailers, including Amazon, Currys, Very, and John Lewis, on brand-new Sonos speakers. A number of these retailers offer next-day delivery options for those who want their brand-new Sonos kit delivered as soon as possible. There are also payment plans available, so you can spread out the cost of your new Sonos speaker – without racking up interest on the total. Below you’ll find the latest Sonos deals and discounts available in the UK…
What Is Sonos?
Sonos was founded in the United States back in 2002 with a simple mission – to untether your audio from a single room and endless pesky cables. Long before the arrival of music streaming services and technology like Apple’s AirPlay, Sonos required its own dedicated wireless network to link up to 32 speakers around your home.
With the latest generation of Sonos speakers, that’s all changed. The speakers available to buy from Sonos today connect to your Wi-Fi system and allow anyone connected to the same wireless network to queue up songs from their personal library, switch between radio stations, adjust the volume, or add an extra room into the mix using the Sonos app on iPhone, iPad, Mac, Windows, and Android.
By relying on Wi-Fi instead of Bluetooth, Sonos speakers do not need to worry about the signal deteriorating as you walk away from the speaker, step outside into the garden. It also means your favourite album or podcast won’t be interrupted with a ping or a bleep each time you receive a notification on your phone …something that plagues all Bluetooth speakers. Streaming music over Wi-Fi is also lossless, so you’ll be able to beam CD-quality audio to every room in your house without a cable in sight. That’s something that’s not possible with Bluetooth and other older wireless technologies.
In the years following its launch, Sonos has become one of the most popular smart audio brands on the market.
Using your existing Wi-Fi network, Sonos speakers allow you to beam lossless audio around your home from a dizzying array of streaming services, including Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music HD, TiDAL, YouTube Music and more, as well as radio stations, playlists curated by the experts at Sonos, vinyl, or music from a local hard-drive.
While Sonos no longer requires its own wireless signal, it’s still limited to a maximum of 32 Sonos speakers on a single Wi-Fi network, each playing different albums or sources, or synchronised to play the same song throughout the house. You can also adjust the volume of each of the speakers individually or at the same time …something that’s no longer possible on Google Home speakers, following a successful lawsuit brought by Sonos.
Sonos makes a range of speakers – for inside and outside of the home – that all work together (Image: SONOS )
Sonos speakers can also be used to upgrade your movie nights, thanks to the popular Sonos Beam 2 and Sonos Arc soundbars. These can be paired with the wireless speakers in your home to create a surround sound system. There’s an optional subwoofer to complete a 5.1 setup. Sonos also works with AirPlay 2, so iPhone and iPad owners will be able to stream audio with a tap (and even group Sonos speakers with other AirPlay 2-enabled speakers from other brands, such as Bose).
A number of Sonos speakers can double-up as smart home gadgets, like the Sonos One and Sonos Beam 2, which can be controlled with popular hands-free assistants like Alexa and Google Assistant. If you already have a number of Amazon Echo or Google Nest speakers at home, the Sonos kit can integrate seamlessly.
There’s also a line of Sonos speakers that can be taken outside of the home away from your Wi-Fi network. The Sonos Roam, Roam SL, and Sonos Move can all be used as another addition to your wireless audio setup when you’re home, but unlike other Sonos speakers, these can also be taken out-and-about and used as a Bluetooth speaker. The built-in battery pack lets you play from the usual array of music streaming services and radio stations when outside.
Better yet, both the Sonos Roam and Move are water-resistant – so you can take them to the beach or pool without a worry!
Get The Latest Sonos Speakers Before Anyone Else
Sonos kickstarted May 2022 with a flurry of announcements, including an all-new soundbar and new colours for its most affordable speaker, the Sonos Roam. First up, the Sonos Ray is a brand-new soundbar that sits below the Sonos Beam (Gen 2) and Sonos Arc in the lineup. At £279, the Sonos Ray is significantly cheaper than Sonos Beam (£449), although picking up a first-generation Beam from Sonos’ Certified Refurbished Store for £269 is still a better deal.
That’s because, unlike the Beam, the Sonos Ray cannot connect to your telly via HDMI, which means you’ll need to manually program your TV remote to adjust the volume and mute the soundbar. Gamers should be warned that soundbars that rely on an optical connection – like the Sonos Ray – can exhibit a slight audio delay.
There’s no far-field microphone array, so you won’t be able to use Alexa or Google Assistant to request tracks, control playback, or start listening to radio stations. The ability to tie-in your soundbar with other Alexa- or Google Assistant-enabled speakers is reserved for the pricier Beam and Arc.
But while it might be missing a few advanced features, there’s still a lot to love about the Sonos Ray.
It supports Apple’s AirPlay 2 standard out-of-the-box, so iPhone, iPad and Mac owners will be able to wirelessly beam lossless sound from their favourite music, podcast or radio apps. Packed with two tweeters for high frequencies and two mid-woofers to provide bass and mid-range sound, the Sonos Ray promises to dramatically elevate the tinny sound from any flatscreen telly. It benefits from Sonos’ clever TruePlay technology, which tunes the sound to the shape and size of your room by using the microphone on your smartphone to map out the perimeter. And Sonos Ray owners will also be able to use Night Mode and speech enhancement features included in all other soundbars from the company.
Read our definitive verdict on this affordable soundbar in our five-star Sonos Ray review.
Like every other speaker in Sonos’ lineup, the Ray can be paired with other speakers – including the collaboration between Sonos and IKEA – to create a home cinema system, or a multi-room setup that synchronises playback of the same playlist across your entire home. Sonos Ray is available in Black and White, with the first pre-orders set to ship to customers from June 7, 2022.
Alongside the new Ray soundbar, the company also unveiled three new colours for the Sonos Roam.
This rugged speaker works like any other Sonos speaker inside the house – connecting to your Wi-Fi network to play lossless audio from dozens of streaming service, synchronised with up to 32 other Sonos devices – but as soon as you step outside, it transforms into a portable Bluetooth speaker. Paired with a smartphone, you can blast tunes and podcasts for up to 10-hours. Roam is certified IP67, which means it can take a splash in a pool or the sea without any issues. It also supports hands-free voice assistants Alexa and Google Assistant too.
Previously only available in Black and White, Roam now ships in Sunset (an orangey red), Wave (a light blue), and Olive (a pastel green). Some of these colours are in stock, while others are backordered and won’t ship to customers until next month.
Why Choose Sonos?
A lot has changed since 2002 and Sonos isn’t the only company trying to revolutionise home audio. Some of the biggest technology companies, including Google and Amazon have added a number of the same features into their popular range of AI assistant-controlled smart speaker, Google Nest and Amazon Echo, respectively. Apple makes its AirPlay 2 standard available to a wide range of manufacturers, including Bose, Bowers & Wilkins, Marshall, and Roku to name a few, which allows iPhone, iPad and Mac owners to send lossless audio with a few taps – no need to dig into the settings menu, no need to pair with a new device and exchange a four-digit code…
But while the competition is fierce, Sonos remains a hugely popular option thanks to its incredible ease-of-use, design and sound quality. Since it’s such a popular brand, there is a thriving ecosystem of third-party stands, accessories, wall-mounts and much more that you simply won’t find with other options.
If you want to take your music away from the home Wi-Fi network, Sonos sells Bluetooth versions too (Image: SONOS )
The breadth of the line-up from Sonos is also another advantage. As you can start with a single speaker – a Sonos One, for example – before deciding to upgrade the speaker system with your telly, or add a portable Sonos Roam ready for BBQs in the garden in the summer, the list goes on. And since Sonos doesn’t have a horse in the race, unlike Apple, Google and Amazon, it supports pretty much all streaming services and voice-activated AI assistants, including Alexa and Google Assistant.
That way, even if you switch from an iPhone to an Android phone, or from Apple Music to TiDAL, in the future – your home audio system will continue to work just as well as it always has. That’s certainly not the case for anyone who has deeply invested in HomePod and HomePod mini speakers at home.
Is Sonos Doing Black Friday?
Sonos hasn’t confirmed whether it’ll be taking part in the Black Friday sales in 2022, however, there’s no reason to believe that it won’t offer discounts during the blockbuster sales event later this year. Sonos has taken part in Black Friday for years, with £20 off its latest speaker – the Sonos Roam – the primary deal available from its online store in 2021. There’s no indication of what the smart audio brand will pick as its flagship deal in 2022, but as soon as we know, we’ll share the details. Black Friday 2022 falls on November 25 this year, so there’s a long wait if you’re holding out for the online sales bonanza to buy your new Sonos speaker.
If you can wait, it’s possible that Sonos will offer a ludicrous discount not seen at any other point in the year. However, that seems unlikely. In past years, while there have been brilliant deals available from Sonos, none have been lower than the refurbished speakers sold all-year on its official store. For those who don’t want to buy a refurbished model, the Black Friday deals come close to the low prices – so can be a great option. But those who aren’t bothered, it might not be worth waiting months and months for Black Friday to come around.
Sonos One is a brilliant allrounder for those looking to start building a Sonos smart audio system (Image: SONOS)
What Is The Least Expensive Sonos Speaker?
If you’re looking for the most affordable Sonos speaker, you should check out the collaboration between the smart audio brand and flatpack furniture maestros IKEA. Sold under the Symfonisk brand name, these speakers include the same smarts found across Sonos’ entire range of speakers but are designed to blend into the background in your home. Symfonisk includes speakers that look like table lamps, slim speakers designed to fit between books on a bookshelf, and picture frames that can be affixed to the wall.
These speakers can be paired with existing Sonos kit in your home, including Sonos One and Sonos Five, for example. You can even use the IKEA Symfonisk picture frames or table lamps to build a 5.0 or 5.1 surround sound system when paired with the likes of the Sonos Beam 2, Sonos Arc, and Sonos Sub. Whether you’re looking for an affordable way to start your Sonos whole-home system, or want to build-out an existing set-up without spending a fortune, it’s well worth checking out the Sonos x IKEA collaboration.
Are Sonos Speakers Better Than Bose?
Well, that’s a matter of opinion. There’s no doubt that, when it comes to connected audio systems, Sonos has the jump on Bose. Sonos has worked hard to develop a wireless audio system since it was founded back in August 2002. In the last 20 years, it has pioneered a number of features that we now take for granted – such as the ability to adjust the volume of multiple speakers playing the same audio with a single volume slider. Following a successful lawsuit filed by Sonos, Google has been forced to remove similar functionality from its rival Google Home speakers – forcing users to adjust the volume of each speaker individually (or recall the name of each speaker to ask hands-free Google Assistant to do it for you).
Sonos supports a mind-boggling number of music, podcast and radio services. There are over 125 services available in the Sonos app, which is available on iPhone, iPad, Android and more. So whether you subscribe to Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube Music, Amazon Music, TuneIn, Pocket Casts, Deezer, or TiDAL, you’ll be able to listen across all of your Sonos speakers. If you decide to switch to a new streaming service, you can rest assured that you’ll be able to use your new subscription with Sonos products.
In comparison, Bose Music app only supports Spotify, Deezer, Amazon Music, and TuneIn. As such, there’s much less wiggle room if you want to switch to a different streaming service.
But while Sonos might have the advantage when it comes to clever software features and support a broad range of services …Bose, which was established in Massachusetts some 38 years before Sonos, has more experience when it comes to audio performance. Bose also includes Bluetooth support in many of its products as an option for those who want to play audio wirelessly, which is handy for those who don’t have an AirPlay-enabled device or don’t fancy downloading the dedicated Sonos app to play to its speakers.
Like Sonos, Bose offers a number of different options, including soundbars, surround sound systems, and portable speakers that can all be linked together for a seamless whole-home system. Better yet, if you own an Apple-branded device, including iPhone, iPad, or Mac, you can use AirPlay 2 to play songs and podcasts across wireless speakers from different brands, including Bose and Sonos. So, if you already own a Bose-branded soundbar, you don’t need to worry about buying every other wireless speaker from the same brand. If there’s a good deal on a Sonos One, feel free to buy it.
Unsure what model is the best for you? We’ve got a breakdown of the best Sonos speakers below (Image: SONOS)
What Is The Best Sonos Speaker?
Well, it depends entirely on what you’re looking for. Below we’ve included a breakdown of our favourite Sonos speakers and where these models excel.
Sonos One – This is probably the best all-rounder. Despite its diddy size, this smart speaker can fill a room with sound and packs a healthy amount of bass. With a far-field microphone array, Sonos One supports hands-free voice commands via Google Assistant or Alexa. So, no matter whether you’ve decided to invest in Amazon Echo or Google Nest smart home kit, the Sonos One will fit seamlessly into your set-up. And if things change down the line, you’ll be able to tweak the settings too. If you double up, the Sonos One can work as part of a 5.0 surround sound set-up with the Sonos Beam, Sonos Arc, or Sonos Playbar.
Sonos Beam – If you’re looking to boost the audio during your next movie night and have a solid smart speaker to blast playlists during the day, the Beam is a great choice. It produces a phenomenal sound, with all of the usual software tricks you’d need for a soundbar, including an option to boost speaking voices. The built-in Trueplay system uses the microphone in your smartphone and advanced algorithms to tune the sound from the Sonos Beam to match the acoustics of the room. With built-in support for Apple AirPlay, iPhone and iPad owners can collaboratively build a playlist – beaming lossless quality tracks over Wi-Fi.
Sonos Roam SL – The most affordable speaker in Sonos’ lineup, the portable water-resistant Roam SL ditches the microphone array from the original Roam – saving £20 on the price tag. If you’re not bothered about requesting tracks or radio stations with a voice command to Amazon’s chatty AI assistant Alexa or Google Assistant, this is a perfectly acceptable compromise. Inside, connected to Wi-Fi, the Roam SL works exactly like any other Sonos speaker in this list – with playback synchronised across multiple speakers or rooms. But take the Roam SL outside and it becomes a Bluetooth speaker with 10-hour battery life.
Sonos Arc – Looking for the ultimate Sonos system for your television? Sonos Arc is the first speaker from the smart audio firm to support Dolby Atmos. Its clever design includes upward-firing speakers to bounce sound off the ceiling – creating a surround sound-like audio experience with a single soundbar. Sonos Arc supports both optical and HDMI Arc connections. There’s also built-in support for AirPlay, so iPhone owners can beam podcasts, radio stations and tracks to the soundbar with a few quick taps.