In terms of size, the Sonos One is almost identical to the Play: 1, but the look is a little more discreet to be able to blend even more into the interior. The buttons on the top have provided space for touch controls to start and stop playback as well as control the sound level.
The installation is as usual ridiculously simple. You choose to add a new speaker to the app, tap the pairing app on the back, and it will appear. You can pair two pieces to get a small stereo system. Or use two pieces as rear speakers in a small home theater, along with Playbase or Sonos Playbar.
Like the simpler Play: 1, One sounds very good for its size. It has an open sound, with a warmer and fuller midrange than the others in the class. Important on both voices and instruments, and Sonos also follows upwards. Run TruePlay room correction, and it becomes even more distinct upwards, but then it can also be in the sharpest layer. Sonos is still among the most sonorous in this test.
Alexa works just as well on the Sonos One as on the Amazon Echo. Steer the road with your voice! It also has built-in AirPlay 2, and can be voice controlled via iPhone or an Apple HomePod. But it can not be voice controlled directly with the Apple system. As far as Google Home is concerned, this has been constantly postponed since its launch in 2017. The latest news from Sonos is that it is constantly being worked on, and “the plan is during 2019”. In other words, it is Alexa in English that applies in the foreseeable future.
Conclusion
Only Sonos is Sonos, and the usability of Sonos One is in class with others from the same manufacturer. In the top seat, in other words. The sound is nice, especially the midrange is rich and adds warmth to voices and instruments. Clear speech is a nice plus, when talking to the speaker. Unfortunately, Google Home support is still vulnerable, it is Alexa in English that applies.