Need to know – Sonos Play:3

Small is beautiful
Sonos has made it even easier to kit out your home with wireless multiroom hi-fi, releasing its smallest – and cheapest – speaker yet. The Play:3 is the younger sibling of the S5 (now rebranded as the Play:5) and will set you back a mere £260.

Three is the magic number
The Play:3 pumps out a surprisingly weighty sound. Open it up and you’ll find three-drivers (one tweeter and two mid-range) and a bass radiator inside. Actually, don’t open it up – its minimalist black or white design looks better intact.

Wireless for sound
The Play:3 can be used as a standalone wireless hi-fi system, streaming tunes from a hard drive, NAS, internet radio or digital music services such as Spotify and Napster. Or, if you’re lucky enough to already have a Sonos setup, it will integrate seamlessly with your existing kit.

Tricks and treats
It’s got a few tricks that you won’t find in any other Sonos gear. Flip it from horizontal to vertical and a clever bit of software trickery will adjust the sound accordingly. Cleverer still, get two Play:3s and you can pair them for stereo output.

Easy does it
It’s ridiculously easy to use. Simply hook it up to a router and tell its software where you stash your MP3s (or AACs, FLACs, etc) and you’re away. Want to use it in a different room from your router? Just buy a Sonos ZoneBridge, itself basking in a price cut to £40, and plug that into the router instead.

Appy days
As with all Sonos kit, you can control it with the superb Control app, available for iOS and Android for free. If you prefer, you can spend a further £280 on the dedicated controller. But really, that would be a bit silly.

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