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Sonos is a leading American audio technology company that is best known for pioneering wireless multi-room audio systems, which make it easy for listeners to stream music and other content throughout their homes. The company continues to innovate, creating wireless speakers, home cinema systems, headphones, architectural components, and integrated home audio solutions that revolutionise how people listen and connect to sound.

Guest Writer

When it came to creating a voice control experience unique to Sonos, the team behind Sonos Voice Control™ took a listener-first approach that prioritized privacy, sound quality, and inclusivity along with hands-free ease.

“Voice control makes technology very accessible,” says Joseph Dureau, Vice President of Voice Experience at Sonos. Dureau leads the team behind Sonos Voice Control, a new innovation that offers listeners hands-free control of their music and systems with any voice-enabled 

 product. His interest in the technology, however, extends beyond his professional life.

As a father to two young children, Dureau is always trying to limit screen time for himself and his family. “Being able to control music with my voice helps me stay present,” he explains. “I don’t need to pull out my smartphone to change the song or adjust the volume, and my children don’t see me constantly looking at a device.”

Drawn to the convenience of voice control, Dureau and his team wanted to find a way to improve upon the technology in a way that only Sonos could, making it even more intuitive, private, and inclusive. Oh, and it had to sound good, too.

A white Sonos Roam with examples of voice commands in animated speech bubbles

“Everything we do aims to empower listeners,” says Dureau. “When we think about a new feature, product, or partnership, it has to be rooted in our ethos. And it has to be easy.” With the addition of Sonos Voice Control, the team has realized this ambition on a new level with a one-of-a-kind experience.

Sonos Voice Control stands apart from other voice assistants that have become synonymous with smart speakers.

First, the setup is nearly effortless: There are no extra apps to download or new accounts to create. Sonos Voice Control offers complete command of your Sonos system with any voice-enabled product, regardless of generation.

Unlike other voice assistants, Sonos Voice Control has a better grasp of natural language, so it understands the way people actually talk. For example, it understands “Hey Sonos, up a bit” as well as “Hey Sonos, louder.” Whatever comes more naturally. You can also quickly follow up one request with another without having to repeat “Hey Sonos” (also known as the wake word) every single time. “It seems like a small detail,” says Dureau, “But it creates a lot of friction.”

Also, Sonos Voice Control processes all requests locally on the speaker or soundbar, which significantly reduces the time to music. It’s as instant as tapping a control in the app. Most of the time, Sonos Voice Control just does what’s asked without a repetitive verbal confirmation.

Local processing also allows for limited playback controls on Bluetooth®, including pausing, resuming, and volume adjustments. Plus, because no data or audio transcript is ever sent to the cloud, Sonos Voice Control doesn’t compromise on privacy.

With the increase of smart devices in our lives, privacy has become a top priority for customers. It’s also the number one reason why listeners never set up or use a voice assistant despite being drawn to the ease. So, naturally, privacy became a top priority for the Sonos Voice Experience team.

“We don’t use any customer data to feed our engines,” explains Dureau. All requests are processed locally on the Sonos product. “At no point is your voice going to be sent to the cloud, transcribed, or listened to by anyone.”

Rather than making shopping frictionless or leveraging data to enhance voice AI and search engines, Sonos Voice Control services the listening experience. “It’s like a voice version of the app,” says Dureau.

“At Sonos, we want to make everything sound as good as we possibly can,” says Greg McAllister, Senior Manager of Sound Experience. Throughout his storied career as a sound engineer, McAllister has worked on everything from Hollywood blockbusters to award-winning albums alongside Sonos Sound Experience Leader Giles Martin at London’s famed Abbey Road Studios. When it came to choosing a voice for Sonos Voice Control, he wanted it to sound as “natural as possible.”

Rather than use a sterile-sounding option generated by AI, McAllister and his team sought the perfect human voice, which they found in Giancarlo Esposito, the beloved big-screen and Emmy-nominated actor known for 

So, what makes a good-sounding voice? “It’s very dependent on context,” explains McAllister. “For instance, if you’re listening to someone reading a bedtime story, then you want the voice to be nice, soft, and relaxing. If you’re listening to somebody making an announcement, that should be a bit more direct.” Sonos Voice Control had to do it all.

“We want something that’s warm and positive, but also informative. Giancarlo’s voice perfectly fits the bill. He has a really nice deep resonance about his voice that feels very warm.”

“I’ve had a lot of experience playing characters, but I realized with Sonos that I would have to manipulate my voice in a way that was really me. It enticed me to be a part of this because people respond to the quality of my voice—they say it can be calm, it can be reassuring. It’s a voice that people recognize before they even recognize my face.” 

Giancarlo Esposito recording voice over in the studio

Giancarlo Esposito speaking with an audio engineer in the studio

Even more important than the human output of Sonos Voice Control is the human input that informed its final articulation.

Dureau and his team paid close attention to creating the best experience for 

 existing and future Sonos listeners. While surveying a diverse set of testers for an initial launch in US English, it became clear that they would not be designing for a monolith and found a few interesting opportunities for innovation.

“In the US, we noticed a large majority of song titles and artist names in Spanish,” explains Dureau. “We wanted to make sure that words would be pronounced correctly.” He laments how other assistants tend to mispronounce or alter non-English words and names entirely, sending the people on the other end hearing them that they were not considered in this technology. “We want everyone to feel included in the Sonos Voice Control experience,” he says.

A French native, Dureau also brings a special appreciation for regional accents. The US-based testers ranged from Southern California and New Jersey to Georgia and Minnesota, and the team plans to continue expanding the pool. “Every time we launch Sonos Voice Control in a new region,” Dureau continues, “we will do everything we can to make sure it works with the variety of accents you find there.”

Also included in the Sonos Voice Control experience? Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant.

Sonos is all about choice, letting you stream from your favorite services, mix and match speakers to customize your system, and even use multiple voice assistants. So, listeners who want a little extra hands-free help managing their smart home devices, getting answers to questions, or ordering dinner can also use Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant on their Sonos system. Alexa even works with Sonos Voice Control on the same speaker.

“We just want to be the best conduit of sound,” explains McAllister.

Sonos Voice Control is now available in the US. Learn more 

. For a deeper dive into the ins and outs of the technology behind the feature, visit our 

Closeup of a white Sonos Roam being used on kitchen countertop 

Voice Control, But Make It Sonos

In August 2021, Sonos became the official sound partner of Liverpool Football Club. It’s our first team partnership in sport and an absolute gamechanger. As we near the end of our first season with Liverpool FC, we recognise more than ever how Liverpool—the club and city—sound like nowhere else on earth.

On any given matchday, it starts with the scuffs and shuffles down Skerries Road and Arkles Lane as 50,000 people make their way to Anfield. Then the beeps and clacks of each supporter moving through the turnstiles, the local Scouse chatter between them, followed by the echoes of the stadium announcer around the ground as the players of Liverpool FC take to the pitch to warm up. Slowly, as the stands fill, chants and songs charge the air. These are the sounds that make the heart beat a bit faster if you’re lucky enough to be there.

And then, a few minutes before kickoff, a bit of modern magic. Those of us who can’t be there in Anfield turn on our televisions to hear the

When you walk through the storm, hold your head up high

, the stirring opening lines of Gerry & The Pacemakers 1963 hit, “You’ll Never Walk Alone,” Liverpool FC’s official anthem. The song suddenly seems to collapse the distance between wherever we are and this glorious, hallowed ground of sport. Within seconds Gerry Marsden’s velvety croon is overtaken by the roar of Liverpudlians singing every word, there to support their team through thick and thin. This is the distinctive shared experience that inspires Sonos’s partnership with LFC.

“Being in the stadium and singing the anthem of Liverpool is such an amazing feeling,” says Ian Cowen, a local supporter who’s been going to games since before he can remember. “The hairs on my neck still stand up each time I hear it.”

Sonos allows the rest of us around the globe to truly feel these same emotions at home, as they happen, like never before. Perhaps we sing along from Germany or Japan or California, but in the moment, we can be transported to this iconic ground near the River Mersey. Perhaps our hearts beat a little bit faster too.

LFC fan holding up a Liverpool banner at a match

The song ends. A brief hush, then the whistle. The rousing rumble of Anfield—the Kenny Dalglish, Anfield Road, and Main Stands, and of course, the legendary Kop—launches the players into action. There’s nothing like it.

Liverpool FC’s current coach, Jürgen Klopp, believes this sound and energy has the power to push the team forward. “The atmosphere at Anfield is the best I have ever experienced,” he says. “It should serve as an example to everyone about how supporters can influence a team and influence a game.” You can often see Klopp on the touchline exhorting the fans to make it even louder, a fitting frontman for what many pundits have taken to calling “heavy metal football” for its relentless and rollicking style of play.

But that hardly gives this team enough credit. They are a symphony to watch. An international squad—Senegalese, Egyptian, Brazilian, Dutch, Japanese, English—all coming together, defending and attacking as one, driven by the unmistakable spirit of Liverpool behind them.

This is not lost on those who have to watch their beloved Reds from home. The passion of Anfield comes clearly through the speakers, the lift it gives to the players visible as they battle to the very last second of every match.

“With millions of Reds globally, Liverpool FC’s sound sits well outside the walls of its stadium, reverberating through countless towns and cities, and creating a sense of community over shared moments of celebration, loss, or encouragement to keep fighting,” says Pete Pedersen, Sonos’s Vice president of Marketing.

“Sound has always been an essential part of sport,” Pedersen adds. “It breathes energy into every game, whether it’s the music that players listen to while getting hyped for a match, the vibrating chants from fans in the stands, or recreating a stadium experience at home. Liverpool is also a city famously steeped in music. We wanted to embrace that heritage and connection.”

Closeup of Liverpool match on TV with Sonos Beam

As part of our partnership with the club and to celebrate Liverpool’s deep musical roots, we’re installing Sonos products throughout Anfield Stadium, giving players and fans the best-sounding matchday experience ever. And for anyone who wants to get those matchday feelings any day of the week, Sonos Radio has created a special Anfield Pre-Match Anthems station, with music selected by players from the men’s and women’s first teams along with some VIP voiceover by Liverpool legend John Barnes and the latest hits from dance, hip hop, Afrobeats, and R&B.

In recent years, the club’s on-pitch successes have made it Liverpool’s greatest export since The Beatles. Since Klopp’s arrival in 2018, the team has harnessed the power of their support like no other. LFC won their first league title in 30 years in 2020, after capturing Champions League, UEFA Super Cup, and FIFA Club World Cup trophies in 2019, and have since added a League Cup in March of this year. The trophy case might need expanding soon if they can add another Premier League title, Champions League, and FA Cup by the end of May.

If they do, the fans, both home and away, will have played no small part, but even if no further silverware arrives, this season has already been triumphant, as fans finally returned to Anfield after more than a year away due to the pandemic.

The team’s star striker, Sadio Mané, has paid tribute to the importance of having them back.

“Like I have always said, the Liverpool fans are the best fans in the world,” Mané said. “It was fantastic to play in front of a full Anfield again. Having them back can be massive for us, and they can play a huge part in our success.”

Liverpool taking the field at the start of a match

Their return has meant just as much to the fans watching at home. Whether it’s that collective rendition of “You’ll Never Walk Alone” or the unmistakable roar of the Kop, the sounds of Anfield are what make watching Liverpool FC so visceral and emotional. Sonos brings these sounds closer than ever. Whether you’re watching at home with Arc or Beam, or on-the-go with Move or Roam, every product allows fans across the globe to feel a little bit more of what makes Liverpool FC so special on matchdays.

Take it from legendary local Red, Paul Tremarco, who has owned the world-famous Arkles Pub across from Anfield since 1981. He’s been supporting Liverpool FC since 1966 and welcomes fans from around England and around the world every week with open arms. “Liverpool is a very, very vibrant, and a very, very welcoming city. Not just about football. It’s about culture, it’s about history, you know, it’s got everything. And I am very much a very proud Scouser,” he says. “For me, Liverpool Football Club—the ground, the atmosphere—we’re just unique. There’s no fans like Scousers. There’s no fans who sing as passionately as Liverpool FC fans. We’re the most passionate fans in the world.”

​​This passion and the marriage of music, sound, and sport are precisely what make the partnership between Sonos and Liverpool Football Club so harmonious. And now, through the power of Sonos, it is easier than ever to hear the match at home as if you were in Anfield. Whether you’re in a Liverpool living room or on the other side of the world, every wholehearted yell, every thud of foot against the ball, and every soft rattle of the net makes you feel as if you’re right there, part of this legendary club.

And for those in the UK, Germany, The Netherlands, Finland, and Norway, we’ve got a way to feel even closer. Sonos is offering you and your football club the opportunity to 

 to level-up your dressing room and amplify pre-game energy, just like Liverpool FC’s first team does at Anfield.

(2) Create an Instagram feed post (video or picture) showing your love for football

(3) Tell us your favourite song that gets you in the mood for the match in the caption

(4) Tag @sonos, @liverpoolfc, #FeelMoreLFC

Closeup of Sonos Move with Liverpool jerseys hanging above

Group watching Liverpool football at home with Sonos Beam

Sonos x Liverpool Football Club: Champion Sound

, Sonos is expanding how we think about the environmental impact of our work, committing to carbon neutrality by the end of the decade, and taking bold new steps toward a sustainable future.

At a time when the climate crisis threatens the future of the planet, it’s vital that we think holistically and critically about how our actions affect the world around us: from broad political change to individual actions, and from waste reduction to ecosystem protection. With the launch of our new Climate Action Plan, we’re entering a new phase in our commitment to environmental responsibility, building on work we’ve been doing for many years, and setting ambitious targets for the future.

 itself, and its focus on reducing Sonos’s carbon footprint: with the commitment to become carbon neutral by 2030 and net zero by 2040. This year Sonos will partner with the nonprofit Sustainable Surf to invest in carbon offsets for 2021, with a portion of our funding used to restore kelp forests along the California coast. Alongside the specific focus of our 

 on carbon emissions, we’re also announcing a raft of wider sustainability measures including: dramatically reducing the energy our products use, extending the product lifespan by making them easier to repair and recycle, switching to 100% paper packaging by 2025, decreasing the environmental footprint of our supply chain, and working with world-leading organisations on research, accreditation and accountability.

This is a major package of commitments and policies, reflecting many years of existing work at Sonos and setting out our priorities for decades to come. But how did we get here? Deji Olukotun, Director of Policy and Corporate Social Responsibility, emphasises the connection between past and present. “We've been on this journey for a number of years now not just thinking about sustainability, but also our supply chain, how the people who make our products are treated, and how our facilities and offices are managed,” he explains. “So we've spent the past few years listening and learning, seeing how we can improve, and then putting that into practice. The climate crisis demands action. Every single office where we have employees has experienced extreme weather over the past couple of years, and that makes this work feel real and urgent to all of us.”

Assortment of sustainable packaging for Sonos products

The first step was to map and disclose our global carbon footprint, which yielded surprising results. “We learned that the biggest source of our emissions wasn't our supply chain, production, or distribution. Less than a quarter of our overall footprint involves the pulling of materials out of the ground, building our products, and getting them to our retailers,” Deji says. In fact, 75% of our carbon emissions come from the energy consumed during each product’s lifecycle, which in turn guided the focus of our 

“In some ways, it was a welcome surprise because it's an area that we have more control over. We want to help our customers make responsible choices, so we’ll be able to present them with more options about energy use, like shutting down parts of their system while other parts are active, or being more intentional with speakers using voice assistants.” Sonos has also committed to extending the sleep mode we introduced with Roam to all new products from 2023. This renewed focus on efficiency will reduce the energy consumed by our products by 35% within the next decade, forming a key part of our carbon neutral and net-zero goals.

Fully auditing and then reducing our carbon footprint is only one part of the puzzle though. “These climate-focused steps are extremely important, but there are other aspects of sustainability that matter,” explains Deji. “For example, the moment when a product reaches the end of its life has a relatively low impact from a carbon emissions standpoint, but it could have a big environmental footprint in terms of e-waste or materials ending up back in the soil.” In 2022 Sonos will move beyond mapping our products’ carbon emissions and begin auditing these wider environmental impacts too. “It’s going to give us a very granular level of detail into our products,” says Deji. “These important insights will help us make good design decisions in the future.”

We’ll also be working on groundbreaking projects which use sound to support fragile ecosystems. “We’ve been thinking a lot as a company about the concept of regeneration—the idea that you shouldn’t just be reducing your environmental footprint, but giving back more than you take out to leave the Earth better off than when you found it.” This commitment to regenerative work has seen Sonos collaborate with organisations that specialise in using sound to improve the environment, from joining the Music Declares Emergency coalition and hosting the Climate Blowout Conference summit on climate solutions within the music industry, to funding cutting-edge bioacoustic research. One of the high-impact projects Deji and his colleagues are already supporting involves a team of scientists using multi-mic arrays and machine learning to track the sounds of endangered spotted owls across California as they return to ecosystems ravaged by recent wildfires. A key marker species whose presence indicates re-established biodiversity further down the food chain, owls (and their sonic signature) gives researchers a clearer understanding of how quickly different ecosystems are recovering so they can decide where to focus their efforts.

A person carrying a white Sonos Roam strapped to their backpack on a hike

All of this is great, but we know that talk is cheap: what really matters is putting these lofty principles and ambitious ideas into action. There are two clear paths to making sure that Sonos is living up to the standards we’ve articulated in our 

. Firstly, we’re setting clear goals so that all of our stakeholders have a tangible sense of the progress we’ve made: “The key difference between a company that says they’re going to do something, and one that actually does it, is the use of performance targets,” explains Deji. “For the past five years, we’ve had these in relation to our packaging, our energy efficiency and auditing our supply chain. But now we’re layering on these new climate targets as well.” This doesn’t come without challenges, though. “One of the interesting things with these targets is that you have to say when you didn’t meet them. I think it’s a real challenge for a lot of companies to be transparent about where they’ve missed the mark. Announcing those goals publicly, as we’ve done, and reporting back on them, as we’re going to do, is a huge part of that accountability.”

The second way in which we’ll be making Sonos’ progress transparent and accountable is by partnering with outside agencies that maintain industry-wide standards on carbon, sustainability and ethics. By the end of 2021, Sonos will be a full member of the Responsible Business Alliance, an organisation that will help audit our supply chain and ensure we adhere to best practices, and the Forest Stewardship Council, which certifies our use of sustainable paper-based products. In both cases, these gold standard organisations will make sure that we’re meeting our aspirations.

Across all of this work, our underlying philosophy can be summed up in two words: Listen better. Initially created as a project title for Deji and his colleagues’ work on social impact, this phrase has since been adopted as a mantra across the whole of Sonos, embodying not just our commitment to high-quality sound, but ensuring that we help make the world a better place.

“This is a collective action opportunity—particularly for climate change, but also in terms of broader sustainability—in that the more companies that get involved, the easier it becomes. At Sonos I think we can be proud to recognise that people really care, that there’s been a big cultural shift, and that we’re all committed to this journey.”

A black Sonos Move on a bench next to a mug and a jacket in a forest.

Increasing Our Commitment to Sustainability

To celebrate our partnership with innovative furniture designer Floyd, we’re sharing a recent interview they did with artist and designer Hassan Rahim. Find out what drew him to design, how music inspires his work and his advice for emerging artists and young designers.

Inside Hassan Rahim's Brooklyn apartment, you'll find a zen space filled with collections and unique pieces that keep him working, inspired and relaxed. The artist and designer channels childhood interests in his work, which are distinctive and strong, contextual and reflective of his own nature. Rahim spoke with us about his self-made journey into design, inspirations and work within the music industry.

My name is Hassan Rahim. I'm an artist but I don't like to just stick with one title. I find I'm sometimes an artist and graphic designer or art director and designer. I grew up in Santa Ana, California, lived in L.A., and moved to Brooklyn, New York, six years ago. I like to focus my work on versatility. I'm drawn to projects based on concepts and ideas from a range of mediums—directing videos, designing logos and my own personal work of printmaking and collage. I kind of freestyle it and I've been doing that since I was 15 years old when I first downloaded Photoshop.

You are self-taught. So what was your journey into design, being self-taught?

My design journey started with skateboarding. I was a skateboarder but I really was obsessed with graphics, skateboard art and ads, and magazines. These are what caught my eye and I wanted to make those things. I had a desire to make stickers and shirts and was curious about how to make them. I'd ask myself, "Oh, how did they do that?" and then try to recreate some things. From there I figured out different techniques and developed tools to start using my own imagination.

You got your start in t-shirts. Tell us more about that.

I was posting some of my own t-shirt work on Myspace when I was 15. People came across my work and asked me to make shirts for their brand. Then through skateboarding, I met people who worked for brands like Obey and Diamond Supply Co. and they asked me to make shirts for them as well.

You do a lot of collage in your work. What inspired you to get into that?

That was the way my brain put pieces together. I'm made up of all the little bits and pieces of inspiration from everyone else, you know? All the little snippets, memorable quotes and things people told me... All of those things combined are me. Also the way somebody like Madlib or J Dilla makes beats was a big inspiration; it's like sampling, cutting, pasting and chopping. I was inspired by watching beat-making and I saw that my work felt that way visually that my brain assembled pieces like that.

“I was inspired by watching beat-making and I saw that my work felt that way visually that my brain assembled pieces like that.”

When you think of breaking down these aspects of music and transcribing it, if you will, to art, are you often using music to inspire your work?

My process has evolved. I used to play a lot of music, but now I usually try to get into an internal meditative state. At one time, I could work until 4 a.m. with high-energy club music. As I grew in my work, the process changed. I feel zen just staring at the screen and getting the work done and it's a different type of focus.

I've also been playing slow focus on NTS radio; it's like ambient zen music. So I wake up to that. That's my alarm, actually.

So it's pretty safe to say that music has been a strong inspiration for your work.

I work from home and have been doing so since before the pandemic. I used to have a studio but I just realised that my work is so personal. It comes from such a personal place that I get my inspiration from being in my house with my books and records and stuff. It's a small New York apartment, so there isn't a lot of space. My desk is in the middle of the room. But it's really nice working from home.

You do have an extensive book and record collection. How did these collections come into your life?

The collections do come into your life. But very slowly. It's an accumulation. There are things that I'm really passionate about and the things that I am no longer passionate about, I make sure to get rid of. As far as records go, I have a few different collections. I have some that are records that I like to listen to, some are just rare, and then some are just for visual inspiration. I shop the dollar bin for cool records. I used to do it when I was younger. It got me interested in design—seeing really rad records from the 70s with crazy cover art, and it was always conceptual. It made you think. I still buy records in a dollar bin based on the cover because I want my record collection to resemble my book collection.

“I have some that are records that I like to listen to, some are just rare, and then some are just for visual inspiration. I shop the dollar bin for cool records.”

How has your work been shaped by the places you’ve lived or the spaces that you're in?

My work was shaped by my time in Orange County just because it was around this time I developed an interest in design. I was trying to find inspiration, and in that search, I became an online person; it's where I found the coolest stuff.

All my friends were into skateboarding, and they'd be interested in skaters because of their abilities. But the skaters I liked were those I thought were cool and stylish. I wanted to know what they were wearing, and I'd look them up.

What keeps you interested in the work you do?

Range and variety. Taking new challenges and experiences and not saying I'm just a specific type of designer or just an artist. I direct films, make books and consult and do exhibitions. I'm just having a good time with what I'm doing and making sure to try new things and not worry about being boxed in. That's what's most exciting to me.

You've designed for the music industry. What did you learn working with musicians and people in the music industry?

I think that the music industry is interesting. You're creating a little 12x12 piece of art. I feel like you have to start with emotion when designing for music. I think back to when I was 15 and I cracked open those first CDs, and how those songs were really special to me and I try to recreate that feeling. I want to make sure I give kids a similar experience. This approach, I feel, has pushed me to be better about iconography. I think iconography is important in music, at least in packaging.

Besides iconography, another way to keep music alive is through t-shirts. That's why there's such a huge vintage graphic tee secondary market; band tees are very rare and expensive.

“I feel like you have to start with emotion when designing for music. I think back to when I was 15 and I cracked open those first CDs, and how those songs were really special to me and I try to recreate that feeling.”

Do you have any advice for emerging artists or young designers that are coming up in this space?

This is so cliche but be yourself. Don't be the designers you think are cool. Genuinely be you and it's going to actually make you different. Of course, it's OK if you're still trying to find who you are. That's totally valid too but I think being yourself is what will set you apart despite what you think.

For more design-focused stories and to learn about the new Sonos Stand from Floyd, visit 

At Home with Hassan Rahim

Global Head of Editorial

Sonos listeners are a loyal and passionate group of people. It was with them in mind that we were inspired to create our latest brand campaign, 

. We continue to be delighted by the unique and special ways Sonos shows up in your lives. In this post, we share the campaign video and a few of the stories that keep us inspired every day.

It’s my full-time job to describe what’s great about the Sonos experience and I always come up short. Always. Before I can get into why that is, I have to say something that may seem bold to anyone who hasn’t experienced Sonos for themselves, but here goes: Having Sonos in your home is not the same as having speakers in your home.

To really describe what it’s like to have Sonos, I have to communicate so much more than just the features of our products. Yes, our speakers are easy to set up and use. Yes, our speakers sound great. Yes, they are beautifully designed. But those are like pieces of a puzzle, mixed up and spread out across the dining room table. You can’t really appreciate the full picture of why people love Sonos until you fit all of those pieces together, sit back, and take it all in. That’s when it clicks. And you realise that Sonos isn’t just about listening—it’s about feeling.

One of the pleasures of working at Sonos is that when people find that out, they often want to share their stories about Sonos with us. The way their eyes light up after I tell them where I work gets me every time. And then they’re off, excitedly telling me what it was like for them the first time they heard music coming from two stereo-paired Fives. Or how incredible their favourite movie sounds with Arc. And after four years of working here, I’m still compelled to do the same, equally excited to share my own Sonos stories.

Reflecting on this, I think that one of the reasons why these encounters happen is because it’s just so fun to talk about Sonos with someone else who ‘gets it’. Because, like me, our listeners have probably tried to describe why they love Sonos to friends who don’t have it and felt like they weren’t really able to do the experience justice. Because of that, it’s surprisingly fulfilling to get to talk about it with someone else who understands.

It was with that in mind that we decided to let the people who best know what it’s like to have and love Sonos do the talking. We’ve included a small sampling of their stories below. Some were shared over social media, some were emailed to our CEO, Patrick Spence, and others were shared directly with those of us who work here. But they all have one thing in common: They get to the heart of what it means to experience Sonos. It’s heart-pounding suspense and the urge to dance. It’s the comfort of a classic album and awe inspired by new worlds. It’s food tasting better, loved ones getting closer, and every day feeling less everyday because you feel more.

“Last weekend my wife and I got married in a small elopement overlooking the ocean in Santa Cruz. Due to getting married on a cliff, there was a ton of wind so we weren’t entirely sure how we were going to do the music, but I decided to take my Move out just to see how well it would hold up. We were shocked. Not even at full volume you could clearly hear the music the entire length of our makeshift ‘aisle’ that my wife walked down.

Later that night we returned to the house we had rented which had a small rooftop that we had decorated for dinner and toasts. The rooftop had built-in outdoor speakers, however when we arrived we realised they were no longer working. Luckily the Move was once again perfect and allowed us to have high-quality music during dinner and our dances. I’ve been a Sonos fan for years, but every new product I buy seems to top the last, and I think this experience has solidified my love for the Move. Thanks again for everything your company does and keep up the great work!”

“We brought our Sonos Move into our delivery room this week, and our playlist was such an important part of the birth of our first child.”

“We brought our Sonos Move into our delivery room this week, and our playlist was such an important part of the birth of our first child. I’m so glad we packed it. Just wanted to say thank you for making products that make a difference!”

“Since I’m working from home due to COVID, I took the opportunity to stay with my parents for several weeks in November and December. While there, I noticed the sound for their TV was just awful, so I knew my dad (who wears hearing aids in both ears) must have been struggling. I’ve been a Sonos customer for years, so I suggested buying them a system for Christmas. After a trip to Best Buy for a soundbar, Sub, and multiple Ones, we set up the system in minutes. My parents were thrilled with how easy it was to use and the sound quality. Later in the day, my dad and I were sitting on the patio and listening to some music. He said to me, ‘I can’t get over how good the sound is from this little speaker. It’s been years since I’ve been able to hear and understand the words in the songs.’ It almost made me cry. That statement alone made this the best Christmas gift I’ve ever given! Thank you for giving the gift of music to my dad!”

Now it’s your turn. What does Sonos make you feel? How does it show up in your life? What are some of your favourite moments you’ve had with our products, big or small? We love hearing from you. Just tag @sonos or send us a DM. #FeelMore

Feel More with Sonos

In the new episode from The Lighthouse, Brian Eno speaks about his visual art practice in conversation with curator and historian Hans-Ulrich Obrist. With this companion blog post, you can follow along as the two delve deep into Eno’s bold visual explorations.

Brian Eno has been re-writing the rule book for the past five decades. As a musician, composer, producer, and visual artist he has and continues to innovate. The Lighthouse, his collaboration with 

, echoes several of the concepts which have defined his work as a musician, producer, and visual artist, from open-minded experimentation and the sensory overlaps between sound and vision to the use of technology to explore new forms of creativity. But the collaboration is also a bold step forward, using a treasure trove of unreleased work and random generation to construct novel worlds of sound.

In an exclusive programme for Sonos Radio, Eno guides us through the inspirations behind The Lighthouse. Interviewed by curator and critic Hans-Ulrich Obrist, they touch on everything from childhood dreams of tape recorders to music as part of an infinite process. To listen to their full conversation, click 

“Unlike many people who left art school and went into music, I also carried on doing visual art. And I noticed that gradually the two different practices were drawing closer together. At a certain point, I realised that I wanted to make music that was kind of like painting and I want to make paintings that were sort of like music. So I think it was all to do with the understanding of time, really. What happens if you have a picture that changes very slowly? It’s different when something is changing. It asks you to stay and look at it for longer. And so I started really playing around with light.”

“One of the things I like doing is taking technology that exists for a given reason and finding something else to do with it.”

“I can remember very clearly the first time I ever saw a tape recorder; I thought how amazing it was that music could be stored like that. And of course, the next thing I thought was: what would happen if you played it backwards?”

“In the late seventies, I started working with video, but just [letting] the event, whatever it was, happen in front of the camera. I was living down on West 8th street [in New York City] at the time and my apartment faced south. So I took the camera and laid it down on its side, pointing downtown. And then I thought, well, I'll just turn the TV around, and suddenly I wasn't looking at television anymore. I was looking at a picture.”

“A big consideration for me with all my installations was how do I make people stay longer? I didn't want people to take a quick look and then they move on to the next picture. And of course, this was connected to music. Music says something is changing, slows people down a bit, which I think is useful. When you walk into a church and there's a beautiful window there, the sun streaming through... maybe these are contemporary, non-religious stained glass windows.”

“It became very clear to me that the idea of art as a static, fixed, finished thing was not an idea that excited me anymore. Classical music is designed like architecture, with a view of what the goal is, how it is going to be when it's finished, whereas the music [Steve] Reich and [Terry] Riley and other people were composing was more like gardening. It was more like saying ‘Here are some seeds, I'm going to plant them and see what happens.’ I started to think I was more a gardener than an architect, and I still think that.”

“Drawing is important to me because it's the quickest way for me to find certain things out. A lot of the work I do begins with drawings, actually, including music.”

“I conceive of things as shapes and as systems and how those systems interweave with each other. If I make a drawing of it, does that drawing look interesting? Does it look like that would be something I would want to listen to? In a way, modern ways of making music are much more similar to painting than to traditional music.”

“I really don't finish things until I have a sense of what they are supposed to do in the world. What is this going to be? What will it turn into? If I do this to it, what will happen? My archive of unreleased work has 7,502 pieces of music. None of them are finished, but when I want to make something for a specific task, I usually start by taking one of these, and saying, okay, this, I think I could make into that piece.”

“I don't know how to meditate, so I don't know if it's the same thing or not, but what I do like is just letting my mind wander, which means, first of all, forgetting about the fact that there's all this news going on. I don't want to be in that world of constant activity and other people's stuff. I seek occasions to enter that childlike state again. It doesn't mean you become more stupid or less adult or anything like that, but you've become less preoccupied I think, and more open to sensation, more open to your own deeper thoughts, the things that you know are always there and you don't often focus on.”

The Lighthouse represents Brian Eno’s ongoing exploration of this childlike, meditative space—a unique soundscape rooted equally in the restless experimentation which continues to underpin his art and the peace waiting to be rediscovered within each of us.

 and begin exploring The Lighthouse today.

Brian Eno on Playing With Light

Everything we make is intentionally designed to be easy to set up, control and enjoy. But the Sonos experience can be as rich and multi-layered as you’d like. To make sure you’re getting the most out of your Sonos products, we present the ‘Essential Guide’ series.

 in 2018, we packed incredible power, dialogue clarity and voice control into a surprisingly compact soundbar. With the new generation, we’ve added two additional speaker arrays, a precisely perforated grille, a faster, smarter chip and an HDMI eARC connection for higher resolution audio formats, including Dolby Atmos.

Whether you’re brand new to Sonos or a long-time owner, the ‘Essential Guide’ series is for you. If 

 is your first Sonos speaker, start from the beginning. We’ll take you through the entire Sonos journey step by step, from setting up the product to some of the more advanced features possible when you group it with other Sonos speakers. If you’re a long-time owner, feel free to look around. Hopefully you’ll learn something new or rediscover features you haven’t used in awhile.

Once you’ve unboxed Beam, the first thing you’ll need to do is 

, starting by placing it on a piece of furniture below your TV or mounting it to the wall with 

Beam comes with two cords: one for power and one to connect the soundbar to your TV (If your TV does not have an ARC or eARC port, use the included Optical Adapter). Start by downloading the Sonos app to your smartphone or tablet and follow the guided steps.

Voice Control, But Make It Sonos

Sonos x Liverpool Football Club: Champion Sound

Increasing Our Commitment to Sustainability

At Home with Hassan Rahim

Feel More with Sonos

Brian Eno on Playing With Light

The Essential Guide to Beam

It’s College Football Season. Let’s Tailgate.

If These Walls Could Play Music

Roam’s Packaging Represents a Premium Approach to Sustainability

The Essential Guide to Roam

You Need Fresh Air. Bring Roam.

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