BULLET REVIEW: Sonos Play3 with Bridge

by Steven B. Combs, Ph.D.

A couple of weeks ago, my wife made an offer to purchase a Sonos Play:3 for me for Father’s Day. I’ve been eyeing and researching the streaming music device for months and I believe she knew I was intent on trying one, so why not make it a gift. Good call!

At the time, Sonos was offering the Play:3 with a Sonos Bridge (a $50 savings). She found the best deal on Amazon. It is now a wonderful addition to our living room (a location that will actually spread sound throughout our entire first floor). After a couple of weeks, It was time for a Bullet Review.

The Good:

• Compact and stylish design
• Access to almost any cloud based system available (List of services)
• Control apps for Mac, PC, iOS and Android to control sound and organize music/playlists with a consistent user interface across all devices
• Dead simple setup to current Wi-Fi network (you need a router with a free port)
• Necessary cables are in the box
• Sonos apps for iOS and OS X allow control from any point in home when on same network.
• Sound is excellent for a unit this size (adjust the EQ settings in the iOS or OS X app for the optimal sound quality)
• Bridge is tiny, white, and sits comfortably next to our AirPort Extreme {UPDATE May 16th, 2015 - Bride is no longer required.}
• Pairing an iOS device is simply a matter of pressing a button on the bridge
• Streaming is consistent with rarely a drop out (and those are probably due to my often spotty Comcast service)
• Queue up songs and allow others to add to the queue on different devices (great for families and parties)

The Bad:

• No web control interface (won’t work with Chromebook)
• Mono sound unless you pair another $299 device (still sounds incredible though)
• Pricey for multiple components throughout the house
• Even though vertical orientation is an option, the appearance is awkward/odd
• Limited number of Sonos favorites slots available (too many streaming options to choose from)
• No iTunes radio support

Summary:

If my wife finds the Sonos compelling, it must be good. Right? She’s really good with tech, but she was a bit hesitant about this purchase. I came home from work one day and she surprised me by saying that “the Sonos kept me motivated during work today…and it was fun!” Probably not a better endorsement than that one. I can’t wait until we save up and can afford another component such as the larger Play:5, sound bar or the subwoofer.

If you have a Sonos or if you simply have a question or comment, drop it in the comments area below.