Mike Wuerthele
Responding to the imminent sale of the HomePod, Sonos has cut the price of the Sonos One, selling a two-pack of the speaker for $349 — the same price as one HomePod.
Individually, the Sonos One sells for $199. The limited time deal for a pair of them cuts the bundle price by $50, giving users an alternative to the HomePod for the same price.
Sonos has already said that the Sonos One will get AirPlay 2 compatibility at some point in 2018 — but like all the other manufacturers, there is no clear date. Apple has yet to roll out full AirPlay 2 functionality, with it appearing in the iOS 11.2.5 beta as a selectable option for rudimentary testing, and more completely in Wednesday's iOS 11.3 beta in conjunction with tvOS 11.3 devices as streaming targets.
The Sonos One is a a single-channel speaker, which can be paired with a second unit for stereo sound. At present, the device supports Amazon Alexa, with Google Assistant coming soon, and Siri support being added with the aforementioned AirPlay 2 update later in the year.
In AppleInsider's review of the Sonos One, we found it to fill a space with "extremely pleasing sound — in some ways surpassing a mid-range, 2.1-channel Logitech setup."
An hour-long hands-on session published on Thursday found the sound quality in the HomePod to be generally superior to that in the Sonos One.
The offering starts Friday — the same day HomePod preorders begin — in the U.S. and U.K. when purchased direct from Sonos. U.S. pricing is $349 for the pair, with U.K. pricing coming in at 349 pounds.
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77 Comments
They're not worried are they?
somebody’s worried about being fitbitted...
the Sonos One is a single-channel speaker. funny nobody had panic attacks about it being mono...yet now people are upset at the multi-channel HP and its seven drivers!
Certainly looks like Sonos isn't being as dismissive as some of the pundits.
It’d be funnier if Amazon price matched the Echo by offering it for $349 too. The fact that they wouldn’t be able to sell any at that price would prove Apple’s strategy. Make it about Alexa and nobody will pay a premium. Make it about music and sound quality, and people will pay for it.
Sonos is in full out panic!