All Star Audio Video » Sonos Play:3 Big Sound for Small Spaces

Sonos Play:3 Big Sound for Small Spaces

If you are limited in room space and want to fill it with great sound, the Play:3 could be for you. The Sonos Play:3 wireless hi-fi system is a powerful speaker designed to incorporate and mesh with the rest of the Sonos family. Macworld recently gave the device a “5.0 out of 5 Mice,” saying the device “can easily fill a room with sound from [a vast and diverse array of sources, including] your iTunes library, internet radio, and services such as Pandora, Rhapsody, Napster, Spotify, Mog, Rdio, Last.fm, SiriusXM, [and many more].”

Like the previous Sonos Play:5, the new Play:3 is an all in one wireless music system that streams music and audio programming. The Sonos Play:3 has 3 speakers; two mid-range, one tweeter, and one bass radiator. The Play:3 was designed to accommodate areas with limited space such as a bedroom, home office, kitchen, or study. Each speaker has its own digital amplifier.

The Play:3 has no subwoofer due to minimal enclosure space, however it uses bass radiator technology. The bass radiator mimics a speaker cone to reinforce a speaker’s low-end bass frequency, which allows it to efficiently provide deep bass in the compact enclosure. For not having a subwoofer, the depth of the bass produced by the bass radiator was better than expected and I was pleasantly surprised. If you listen to music genres with deep bass this unit may not be for you. If you’re looking to make efficient use of space, the trade off in bass may not be critical.

If you’re looking to listen in a smaller or enclosed area, the Play:3 is loud enough for most of your listening needs. Having tested both the Play:3 and Play:5, the volume of the Play:3 is approximately 75-80% of the Play:5. If you’re looking to listen to your music content in an open living area the Play:5 may be better a better choice.

Listening to all generes of music, the depth and richness of the Play:3 were similar with an edge to the Play:5 at both higher and lower volumes. Still, both very crisp and clear and if I wasn’t comparing both systems the Play:3 is still quite impressive in sound quality. The sound for numerous music genres, radio talk programming, and podcasts for the Play:3 was superb.

A nice feature of the Play:3 is that it can be placed in either a horizontal or vertical position. The unit has pads on the bottom and sides to easily facilitate horizontal or vertical positioning. In addition, the unit is provided with a 1/4 inch threaded hole at the back of the case to provide mounting capability on the walls or ceiling with separate purchase of a mount kit. The unit is light, compact, and sleek in design.

The Play:3 was designed to fit in small compact areas. For its size, the Play:3 packs a big punch. The sound of the mid-range and bass is rich, clear, and vibrant and can easily fill a small room with great sound.

The Play:3 is perfect for the home office, bedroom, study, or bathroom. The horizontal and vertical positioning or optional wall/ceiling mount provides the flexibility to locate the unit in tight areas where space is a premium.

Fully compatible with all Sonos Products and Multiple Controllers, you can control the Play:3 on your desktop or on mobile devices using free apps for iPad, iPhone, and Android.

Add players all over your home with one touch. The Sonos Play:3 is easy to set up, relatively affordable, portable, and nicely balanced. If you are just discovering Sonos products, this is a nice device to help you “get your feet wet.” The Play:3 sound might not be as big as the sound you can extract from larger devices, such as the Sonos Play:5. But you might be shocked and amazed by just how much sound you get out of the Play:3 — as well as how deep and rich and articulated that sound is.

The Play:3 is an ideal stereo for relatively small, “nook-y” spaces, like your kitchen, the kids’ bedroom, your own bedroom or a small library or office. But don’t get the wrong impression. It is powerful enough and produces big enough sound to saturate a much larger space, such as a living room or even a home theater space.

Obviously, you will need to take into account several variables around your home theater or entertainment area, such as acoustics, space, other furniture, etc. Rather than go through the hassle of installing and setting up your Sonos systems yourself… CALL THE TEAM AT ALL STAR AUDIO VIDEO TODAY!