Sonos Play:1
Score: 70/100
Amazon Echo Dot Max
Score: 75/100Rankings
The Amazon Echo Dot Max is a compact smart speaker featuring a two-way woofer-tweeter system that delivers room-filling sound with a notable bass boost. It lacks detailed connectivity specs and a built-in battery, which may limit flexibility. Ideal for Alexa-centric homes in small to medium spaces.
The Sonos Play:1 is a compact wireless smart speaker that provides rich, room-filling sound with Trueplay tuning and Sonos multi-room support. Its lack of voice assistant, Bluetooth, and aux input limit flexibility for users seeking more connectivity. Best suited for users building a Sonos system in small to medium spaces who prioritize sound quality over extra features.
| Attribute | | |
|---|---|---|
18,000 Hzbest | — | |
90 mmbest | — | |
| ↓ lower better | 1,850 g | 499 gbest |
90 mmbest | — | |
1 yearsbest | — | |
162 mmbest | 99 mm | |
119 mmbest | 109 mm | |
119 mmbest | 109 mm |
Click an attribute name to sort · Green = best, red = worst (relative to this comparison)
| Attribute | | |
|---|---|---|
Controls(1) | ||
Voice Assistant Support | false | true |
Build & Design(4) | ||
Weight (g) | 1850 g | 499 g |
Height (mm) | 162 mm | 99 mm |
Width (mm) | 119 mm | 109 mm |
Depth (mm) | 119 mm | 109 mm |
Products in the top-left offer the best value (high score, low price).
Professional reviewers praise the Play:1 for its surprisingly pure and clean sound, noting its ability to reach around 100 dB SPL across a wide frequency range without distortion. The Trueplay DSP tuning is highlighted as a key differentiator that tailors audio to the room, and its seamless integration into Sonos multi-room and 5.1 home-theater systems is seen as a major strength. However, critics point out the absence of voice control and limited low-frequency output compared to larger speakers.
Everyday users appreciate the speaker's high-volume capability, easy wireless setup, and flexibility to group or ungroup speakers for different playlists. Common praise centers on its compact size delivering room-filling sound. Recurring complaints focus on the lack of an aux input, the need for multiple units in larger spaces, and occasional issues with the flat Ethernet cable.
Professional reviewers commend the Echo Dot Max for its impressive two-way audio system that delivers room-filling sound and a three-fold bass boost, while the custom AZ3 processor and >50% improved wake-word detection make Alexa interactions feel faster and more natural. The built-in Zigbee hub and Omnisense sensor fusion add proactive smart-home capabilities, though critics note the sound may fall short in larger rooms and the lack of full technical specifications leaves some power users wanting more detail.
Everyday users praise the Echo Dot Max for its helpfulness, vibrant sound that fills small to medium spaces, and seamless Alexa integration for controlling lights and routines. Common complaints focus on limited bass in very large rooms, the need to purchase a separate battery base for portability, and the absence of detailed size and weight information.
“handles pretty high volume without issues”
“Easy wireless setup”
“Very helpful. Can do ANYTHING”
