If you are looking for a whole home audio system, these offerings from Sonos and Bose are the best in market. But are you confused which one to choose out of the two? Well, this article will clear your confusion. So that you can take a definite decision which of these beasts will suit you the best. Both the systems have an enriching sound experience. Both the beasts connect for multi-room audio. Both come with app integration and are super easy to set up.
Our Verdict
Comparison Chart – Sonos Play:3 Vs. Bose Sound Touch 20
| Specifications | Sonos Play 3 | Bose Sound Touch 20 |
|---|---|---|
| Dimensions | 5.2 x 10.6 x 6.3 in. | 7.4 x 12.4 x 4.1 in. |
| Number of Speakers | 3 | 3 |
| Audio Format Supported | Compressed MP3, AAC (Without DRM), WMA without DRM (which includes purchased Windows Media downloads), Flac (lossless), AAC+, Ogg Vorbis, AAC (MPEG4) Apple Lossless, uncompressed WAV and AIFF | MP3, AAC, Apple Lossless, WMA, FLAC |
| Adjustable Bass & Treble Controls | Yes | No |
| Audio line-in | No | Yes |
| IR Control | No | Yes |
| Change Orientation | Yes | No |
| Has its own remote | No | Yes |
| Voice Control Over Google Assistant | No | With the help of line-in port |
| Price | Check Price | Check Price |
Sonos Play 3 Vs Bose Sound Touch 20: Differences
1. Sound Quality
Sonos Play 3 definitely comes with better sound quality than Bose SoundTouch 20. It fills the room with rich audio that can be optimized for any kind of room composition. It comes with 3 speakers and class D amplifiers which pack great sound. The base is also very good, with no distortions at maximum volumes. The tweeter and two mid-range drivers rounds out the sound as well. This gives a superb music experience from anywhere in your room. Bose is not too far behind Sonos when it comes to sound quality. It produces natural bass through high and mid range frequencies by pushing through unique Bose audio architecture. The internal technology allows for clean bass and a warm sound at higher frequencies.
2. Audio In-Line
The Play 3 does not come with audio in-line unlike its brother Play 5. Hence music streaming is limited over Wi-fi only. Bose SoundTouch 20 comes with in-line to pair up your speakers with other devices. Yet, connecting via an auxiliary cable may lead to some problems with lip syncing on the television. It is not recommended for use as a dedicated TV speaker.
3. TruePlay Feature
We already know that Sonos Play 3 provides a better sound quality than Bose SoundTouch 20. A good reason is that Sonos speakers are more customizable and flexible. The TruePlay feature automatically adjusts the speakers which best suits the room. It automatically optimizes the speakers according to the size of the room and furniture present in the room.
4. Voice Over Google Assistant
The Bose SoundTouch 20 can be controlled by both Alexa and Google Assistant. While the Sonos only supports Alexa. Google Assistant support might come in future updates, but as of now, there is no support. So if you owe a Google Home, the Bose SoundTouch 20 would be a better choice for you.
5. Connectivity
Both the speakers work differently while streaming music wirelessly. The Sonos speaker creates its own dedicated wireless network called SonosNet. The speaker communicates with other speakers in your house and stream the music you queue up with the help of this technology. This reduces congestion on your main connection while reducing any interference when it comes to playing audio. The Bose SoundTouch 20 has a fairly simple way of communicating with other connected speakers through wi-fi and bluetooth. But if you want to stream music from inside some apps, Bluetooth can be a valuable option. The Bose SoundTouch 20 is compatible with more frequencies with support for 802.11 b/g/n, 2.4 and 5Ghz. The Sonos PLAY:3 is compatible only with 802.11b/g, 2.4 GHz.
6. Extension Of Native Speakers
The Sonos Play 3 can be easily used to expand your smart speaker into a full 3.1 or 5.1 home theatre. All you need is another PLAY:3, in order to make left and right channels, a sound bar like the Beam, Play bar, or PlayBase, and Sonos Sub and that superb bass that will fill the room with dynamic audio. The SoundTouch 20 cannot be expanded into a full fledged home theatre. It comes with decent sound quality, but if you want to create a home theatre 3.1 or 5.1, you should go for the Sonos Play 3.
7. Flexibility Of Orientation
Sonos Play 3 rules over SoundTouch 20 when it comes to flexibility. You can place it horizontally as well as vertically. Rubber feet on both sides prevent scratching of your furniture. The vertical setup produces mono sound and a horizontal orientation plays stereo sound. The Bose SoundTouch 20 produces stereo sound only and is not much flexible. Although you can place it in multiple ways, you’re definitely a little more limited than you are with the PLAY:3.
8. Music Streaming Services They Support
Sonos beats Bose by a huge amount when it comes to music streaming services. With over 40 services that make it a near-guarantee that you shouldn’t have to change up anything too much in order to get your favourite music streaming. Bose SoundTouch 20 also does a great job of playing music that’s already on your phone as well as streaming from select services. Yet we just can’t compare with the vast catalog of streaming sites that the Sonos smart speaker family supports. Also keep in mind that while the Sonos speaker supports a large number of services, it will generally only interface well with the paid services when it comes to the big names in streaming. Which means you’ll need to spend more for Spotify Premium, Google Play Music etc in order to get the most out of your setup.
Sonos Play 3 Vs Bose SoundTouch 20: Similarities
1. Voice Control Over Amazon Alexa
Smart speakers come with the ability to play music through simple voice commands. Both the speakers offer support for Amazon Alexa. This means you can play your favorite music hands free simply with your voice.
2. Stereo Output
Most speakers come with either stereo or mono audio configurations. Both the speakers take advantage of stereo technology which uses left and right channels to play well-rounded and rich audio that will fill the room with awesome tunes.
3. Setting Up Your Speaker Over Wi-fi
Both the speakers are quite easy to setup over wifi. You will enjoy an easy setup process over WiFi. By simply hooking your device up to the network and using a smartphone app, you can get your speakers up and running in no time. That is the best part of smart speakers when it comes to installation.
4. Device Controls
Both the speakers can be controlled through their dedicated apps. They also support Alexa voice commands. They also offer on device controls for convenience.
5. One App Control
Although the Bose and Sonos systems differ in the number of streaming services they support, you can access your music from one app with either choice. Search for a song, and the app will locate the audio across multiple subscribed services.
6. Design
Although Sonos Play 3 is slightly smaller and lighter, they look almost same. Sonos Play 3 is available in white with a light metallic grille or black with a graphite grille. On the other hand, Bose SoundTouch is available in white and black as well, and is slightly heavier and larger than its competitor.
Technical Specifications Of Sonos Play:3
- Delivers richer and deeper sound than Play:1, making it perfect for spots where you have more room
- Connect your Play:3 to any Amazon Echo or Alexa enabled device, then just ask for the music you love
- Play different songs in different rooms at the same time. Or, pump one song in perfect sync, throughout your home
- Dimensions :- 5.2 * 10.6 * 6.3 inches
- Weight :– 5.7 Pounds
- Material :- Plastic
- Colour :- Black with grey grille
- Audio formats supported :– AAC (without DRM), WMA without DRM (including purchased Windows Media downloads), AAC (MPEG4), AAC+, Apple Lossless, Flac (lossless), Ogg Vorbis, uncompressed WAV and AIFF, Compressed MP3
- Music services supported :– Amazon Cloud Player, AUPEO, Batanga, Beats Music, Blinkbox® music, Ca lm Radio, Concert Vault, Dar.fm® Record Radio, Daytrotter, Deezer, Google Play Music, Hearts of Space, 7 Digital, iHeartRadio, JB Hi-Fi NOW, JUKE, Last.fm, Live365, MLB.com Gameday Audio, Murfie, Napster by Rhapsody, Qobuz, radionomy, rara.com, Rhapsody, RUSC, Sh uffler.fm, Pandora, SiriusXM Internet Radio, Slacker, Songl, Songza, SoundCloud, Spotify, YouMusic, Stitcher SmartRadio, Hype Machine, TuneIn, WiMP, Xiami, Zdigital, and downloads from any service offering DRM-free tracks, Grooveshark, TDC Play Musik, TDC Play Musik
- Total number of speakers :- 3
- Wall mounting :- Yes
- LCD Display :- No
- Humidity Protection :– Yes
- Bluetooth connectivity :– Yes
- Features :- Stereo sound, can be home theatre rears, simple setup, 3 Class-D digital amplifiers, adjustable bass and treble controls
- Wi-fi bands :- One band 2.4 GHz
- Given Manufacturer warranty :– 1 Year
Technical Specifications of Bose SoundTouch 20
- Works with Alexa for voice control (Alexa device sold separately), Remote : 4.5 H x 1.75 W x 0.5 D inches
- Proprietary acoustic design delivers big performance from a compact speaker—perfect for bedrooms and kitchens
- Works with Wi Fi and Bluetooth devices to play music services like Amazon Music, Spotify, Internet radio stations and...
- Dimensions :- 7.4 * 12.4 * 4.1 inches
- Weight :- 7 Pounds
- Material : Plastic
- Colour : Black with grey grille
- Number of speakers : 2
- Audio formats supported :- MP3, WMA, FLAC, Apple Lossless, AAC
- Music services supported :– Amazon Music, iHeart Radio, Deezer, Sirius XM, TuneIn, iTunes, Spotify, Pandora
- Wall mounting : No
- Controls : Buttons, remote and voice controlled
- LCD Display : Present
- Ethernet Jack : Present
- Bluetooth connectivity : Present
- Micro USB : Present
- USB : Present
- AUX : Supports AUX
- Manufacturer warranty :1 year
Overview Of Bose SoundTouch 20
- Works with Alexa for voice control (Alexa device sold separately), Remote : 4.5 H x 1.75 W x 0.5 D inches
- Proprietary acoustic design delivers big performance from a compact speaker—perfect for bedrooms and kitchens
- Works with Wi Fi and Bluetooth devices to play music services like Amazon Music, Spotify, Internet radio stations and...
After using the Bose SoundTouch 20, here’s what we found. It is an amazing home sound system, with multi room functionality. It is robust, durable, sleek and elegant. It fits in any nook and corner of your house. The dual speakers provide great sound. Sound does not get distorted at high volumes. You can add more speakers into your system. You can control your speakers with Amazon Alexa. It’s sales comes with bluetooth and Wi-fi connectivity. Yet it comes with a few drawbacks. The biggest drawback is that it does not support all music streaming services. The major downside is for Apple Music users. The user interface of the mobile application is also not that great. With future updates, it should get better. Their customer support is quite great. It can be made more better. Considering the price, it promises to offer a lot with such great features.
Overview Of Sonos Play:3
- Delivers richer and deeper sound than Play:1, making it perfect for spots where you have more room
- Connect your Play:3 to any Amazon Echo or Alexa enabled device, then just ask for the music you love
- Play different songs in different rooms at the same time. Or, pump one song in perfect sync, throughout your home
The Sonos Play:3 offers a great sound experience and great flexibility. It comes with dual mount options. So you can place it any way you want. It is supported with Amazon Alexa. It also has bluetooth and Wi-fi connectivity. Adding more speakers is very easy. The mobile application also has a great user interface. It is very user friendly. The biggest advantage is that it supports most of the music streaming services. From Amazon music to Apple Music, it supports all. For Apple users, it also comes with a TruePlay feature. It will use your device’s microphone to calibrate your speakers for better performance. It also comes with 3 speakers and extra subwoofers. So the sound is awesome, without any distortions. The bass is also great, and so are the trebles. Although it comes at a great price, it is worth the extra cost for pure music lovers.
FAQs
Yes you can have different Pandora accounts on different presets.
Keep your software updated regularly to check support of Flac files.
The Bose SoundTouch 20 does not come with a battery.
No, the Sonos Play 3 does not come with audio port. It comes in the Bose SoundTouch 20 speaker though.
Sonos has a controller for windows pc but as such there is no support for Windows mobile controllers. You can still call the customer care and they will guide you what to do.
It does have an Ethernet port on the back, so I imagine it would work if you could connect to it directly from your computer … but better check with SONOS.
Bottom Line
After a lot of comparisons, the final verdict is here. It is no wonder that Sonos Play:3 is a clear winner. It packs 3 speakers, great flexibility and a user friendly app. The customer support is also great. All these cool features comes at a price. The Bose SoundTouch 20 is also a good choice, if budget is your primary concern. It almost packs in the same features. But it does not support all music streaming services. So if you want to hear some great music without hurting your bank balance, go for the Bose SoundTouch 20. But if you are someone who wants the best music in their room with a great user experience, choose none but the Sonos Play:3. It packs a whole lot of features and will be the right choice for you.
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