When you think of multi-room audio, only one name comes to mind: Sonos. For myriad reasons, these handy and easy-to-setup speakers have become the de facto method of pumping audio throughout your home for the last decade.

But why go for a Sonos? They’re simple to use and sound great, plus they enable you to control the music from wherever you are in the house by syncing multiple speakers to the same song. It’s one heck of a party trick. 

Here’s the problem: Sonos speakers can be darn expensive … unless you find a good deal. That’s where we come in. We’ve put together the ultimate guide to the best cheap Sonos deals so you don’t have to scavenge the internet wasteland looking for them. 

Below you’ll find the best deals on the regular speakers – Sonos Play:1, Play:3 and Play:5 – but also the Sonos Playbar, Sub and Connect as well. 

Are you here for a deal on the brand-new Sonos Playbase? Don’t worry, we didn’t forget about the latest addition to the Sonos family. If you’re looking for the best Sonos Playbase deals, we’ve got those as well.

Here are some prices in the US we’ve found, but if you’re in the UK or Australia, keep scrolling down for more deals.

So what’s a good deal?

Good deals are subjective, obviously. But if we were in your shoes, we’d wait for at least a $50/£35/AU$75 off sale. These happen around the holidays, mostly, but can happen randomly throughout the year as well. 

If you’re looking for a recommendation, your best bet is to start your Sonos system with a Play:5, the big brother of the bunch, and work your way down. We also have a soft spot in our heart for the Playbar (it’s on our best soundbar list, after all) and a Play:1 is a good pick if you’re looking to move the party outdoors. If you want the latest and greatest from Sonos, check out the brand-new Sonos Playbase – it’s a speaker and TV stand all in one package. 

OK, without further ado, here are the best Sonos deals we’ve found this month.

Sonos One deals

Sonos and Alexa, Amazon’s smart personal assistant, are a perfect match for one another – it’s almost a wonder it’s taken this long for the two of them to meet. Regardless, the Sonos One is here now and it combines the best of both worlds. The One is able to call upon Alexa to answer basic inquiries, adjust appointments on your calendar and, for Amazon Prime members, voice access to Amazon’s expansive Music Unlimited library. It’s already an excellent sounding speaker but, with Google Assistant support expected in 2018 and many more updated to Alexa sure to come over the years, the Sonos One is only going to get better over time.  

Read our full review: Sonos One

Sonos Play:1 deals

The Sonos Play:1 is the alpha in Sonos’ alphabet. It’s not the most powerful of the bunch, but it definitely knows how to get the job done. It’s 6.36 x 4.69 x 4.69 inches (161.45 x 119.7 x 119.7 mm) and 4.08 lbs (1.85 kg) but it can really kick. It comes in two colors – white with light metallic grille and black with graphite grille – and works with standard wall mounts and speaker stands. We love how easy it is to setup and its awesome sound quality, but thought that its low end could use a bit of oomph. Still, if you’re looking to start a Sonos system without spending a lot, the Sonos Play:1 is the place to start.

Read our review: Sonos Play:1 

Sonos Play:3 deals

The Sonos Play:3 is the middle child of the bunch. It’s more powerful than the puny Play:1, but doesn’t have the same room-filling audio that you get from the Play:5. For some people, though, it’s just right. So how big is it? The Play:3 is 5.2 x 10.6 x 6.3 inches (132 x 268 x 160 mm) and weighs 5.71 lbs. (2.6 kg). It comes in two colors – white with light metallic grille and black with graphite grille – and works with standard wall mounts and speaker stands. It has three Class-D amplifiers, one tweeter, two mid-woofers and a bass radiator. Again, here you’ll find great audio quality and a pretty easy setup.

Read our review: Sonos Play: 3

Sonos Play:5 deals

Here it is, the grand kahuna of the Sonos systems. The Sonos Play:5 is everything you can want in a network speaker. It gets loud, but also sounds crystal clear at top volumes. It’s obviously a bigger than its brethren, however, so keep that in mind before you try stuffing one into a one-room apartment. So how big is it? It’s 8.03 x 14.33 x 6.06 inches (203 x 364 x 154 mm) and weighs 14 lbs. (6.36 kg). It comes in two colors – white or black matte enclosure with graphite grille – and contains two built-in microphones that can tune it for your space. Unlike the Play:3 it has five Class-D amplifiers, three tweeters, three mid-woofers and a phased speaker array that separates sound into its three channels – left, right and center. Good sound doesn’t come cheap, but once you hear a Sonos Play:5 speaker you won’t want anything else.

Read our review: Sonos Play:5

Sonos Playbar deals

TVs might look great, but most of them definitely don’t sound all that good. That’s why Sonos made the Playbar, a soundbar that can produce top-tier audio quality while simultaneously syncing up to your other multi-room speakers. It’s definitely expensive, no doubt about it, but there’s no other soundbar this well-connected. Here are some specs: First off, it’s 3.35 x 35.43 x 5.51 inches (85 x 900 x 140 mm) and weighs 11.9 lbs. (5.4kg). It only comes in one color and requires a separate mounting kit if you want to mount it beneath your screen. Unlike the Play:5, it has nine Class-D amplifiers, three tweeters and six mid-woofers – that can put out a ton of noise. 

Read our review: Sonos Playbar

Sonos Playbase deals

Three years after the company released its first ever soundbar, the Playbar, Sonos has created the Playbase, a unique form factor sound system that combines a stable pedestal for your TV with an audio cabinet. 

Why did Sonos create a second home entertainment device? The team did extensive research into how people used their Playbar at home and found that most people didn’t wall mount their televisions or Playbars. To that end, the Playbase was created to allow people to set their televisions right on top of the speaker, allowing for a compact home theater solution. 

Overall, the Sonos Playbase is a good-sounding speaker for those who don’t want to fumble with a surround sound system or simply don’t have the room for one. There’s no need for a receiver, making it truly plug-and-play. Sonos’ philosophy of making music enjoyment as frictionless as possible continues with the Playbase – the Sonos app is easy to use and the integrated universal search across music services is something we wished every speaker had. 

Read our review: Sonos Playbase

Sonos Sub deals

Sonos systems are great. Like seriously great. We want to call them perfect, and yet without some sort of low-end support they just aren’t. For that you need the Sonos Sub, the additional audio piece that adds a hefty amount of bass to your favorite music genres. The design here is a bit funky, we’ll admit, but hey, if you were looking for a conversation starter (and ender) at your next house party, this is it. That said, it’s 15.3 x 15.8 x 6.2 inches (389 x 402 x 158 mm) and weighs 36.3 lbs (16 kg). It’s available in two colors – premium white gloss and premium black gloss – that can match either your Playbar or Play:5 speaker. Inside you’ll find two Class-D amplifiers, two force-cancelling speaker drivers and dual acoustic ports that help the Sub reach a low frequency of about 25Hz. 

Read our hands on review: Sonos Sub

Sonos Connect deals

There’s nothing wrong with your old audio equipment. You’ve invested years in setting up and tuning your system, and there’s no reason to let any of that go to waste. For anyone interested in keeping the equipment they already own but add on a streaming or mutil-room audio component, Sonos Connect is your solution. While it’s not exactly a player in its own right, Sonos Connect allows you to send or receive audio streams. That means you can hook it up to your receiver to send out your favorite CD over the airwaves in your home, or set it up with your old floor speakers to bring them into the 21st century. 

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Just like you should never doubt the immense power of a soundbar to simulate surround sound as you watch movies on your television, never doubt the power of a deal. Saving on a unibody speaker is impossibly easy and even the cheapest soundbar can still add power and clarity to the audio on a level your regular TV’s speakers simply can’t.  

While the results speak for themselves, trying to find the best soundbar deals  can be an exercise in tedium. It’s a world filled with random series of numbers (take, for example, the Vizio SB-3830-D0 38-inch soundbar) and crazy differences in price. It’s overwhelming for most, and inconvenient for everyone. But that’s why you have us. 

We’ve found tons of cheap soundbars you need to check out ASAP.

What’s the best soundbar deal?

This answer is going to be different for everyone. Some people are fine with a standard soundbar – no subwoofer, no streaming capabilities. Others might want the sub, but no streaming. Others might want all of the above, plus two satellite speakers. It’s a your-miles-may-vary situation. 

That said, we can give you some good ideas of what to look for and where to find those great deals when they pop up. 

For most folks, you really just want the basic package: a soundbar with a digital audio cable input that should connect to most modern TVs. You can get a bit tricky with HDMI passthroughs, RCA inputs and 3.5mm jacks, but sometimes basic is better. Of course, we also recommend looking for soundbars with a subwoofer included, that way you’ll get the full audio range from your favorite TV shows and movies, not just the highs and the mids. 

There’s plenty of soundbars to pick from, and more coming out every week, so without further ado here are the best soundbar deals we’ve found this month.

Samsung HW-J355 2.1 Soundbar

Samsung’s HW-J355 is one of the best-selling soundbars, and for good reason. Not only does it offer good sound quality from its four combined-120W tweeters, but also comes with a wired subwoofer to add some meat to the sound. It’s a bit on the trim side at 37.13 x 2.28 x 2.56 inches, but it only weighs 3.5 lbs. The accompanying subwoofer is wired, so that might be one hang-up, and you won’t find a ton of ports here. On the plus side, though, it comes with 3D Sound Plus, which tries to simulate a surround sound effect using some clever sonic tricks. If you don’t mind something basic, this is your guy.

Read the review: Samsung HW-J355

Bose Solo 5 TV Sound System

Don’t want to be tied to a subwoofer? We don’t blame you. If you want the same robust quality of sound without the extra black box, check out the Bose Solo 5 TV Sound System. The bar measures in at a fair 2.6 x 21.6 x 3.4 inches (H x W x D) and 3.73 lbs, making it easy to wall-mount. As far as inputs and outputs are concerned it takes optical audio, coaxial audio and 3.5mm auxiliary. It comes with a remote control, which we appreciate, and has built-in Bluetooth. 

Q Acoustics M3 Soundbar

The M3 soundbar is easy to love. It might not be the most glamorous to look at, stubbornly only supports 2.1 channels of sound, and has never heard of Wi-Fi, but if there’s a better sounding soundbar on the market for less than £300/$300, we haven’t heard it. Unfortunately, there’s no subwoofer here or shot at simulated surround sound, but that’s because Q Acoustics has very deliberately kept things simple by not attempting to ‘muddy the waters’ by trying to apply (often ugly) psycho-acoustic processing. 

Read the review: Q Acoustics M3 Soundbar

LG SH7B

If you’re looking for a soundbar that strikes the balance between feature set,  performance and price, LG’s SH7B is it. That said, it might cost a bit more than you were looking to spend. Thankfully, it’s very often on sale. This soundbar measures in at 41.73 x 2.09 x 3.35 inches, making it perfect for 49-inch and up TVs. The soundbar excels in the movie department – lasers, explosions and crushing bodily impacts in football hit home with impactful blasts of sound –that said, it’s probably not the best soundbar for the music lover out there. 

Read the review: LG SH7B

Samsung HW-MS650 Sound+ Soundbar

Not content with dominating the TV world, Samsung now seems to have its sights set on becoming the number one brand for home entertainment audio, too. To that end, the Samsung HW-MS650 Sound+ Soundbar is one of our favorite pieces of AV equipment made this year – which is why we gave it our coveted Editor’s Choice award when it came out last year. 

Samsung has rewritten the rulebook with the HW-MS650. No other one-body soundbar has combined so much raw power with so much clarity, scale and, especially, bass, or excelled so consistently with both films and music. It’s the sort of performance that only genuine audio innovation can deliver.

If you can afford it, this is the soundbar you need in your living room.

Read the review: Samsung HW-MS650 Sound+ Soundbar

Sony HT-NT5 2.1 Soundbar

One of the best deals on high-end soundbars comes in the form of Sony’s HT-NT5. This 6.1 soundbar offers 400 watts of power and, for the audiophiles out there, supports 24-bit/96KHz Hi-Res Audio. The main bar is 42.51 x 2.28 x 5.00 inches (W x H x D) while the accompanying wireless subwoofer sits at a portly 7.48 × 15.0 × 15.2 inches. As far as inputs and outputs are concerned, it has Analog Audio In, Bluetooth Reception, Bluetooth Transmission, Ethernet, USB, three HDMI-Ins and one HDMI-Out. Beyond traditional Wi-Fi and Bluetooth the HT-NT5 also supports multi-room listening through Sony’s SongPal app, and works with Google Home. 

Read the review: Sony HT-NT5

Razer Leviathan

Just when you think you really know a company, it goes and releases something completely out of left-field. Take Razer: historically, it’s been a peddler of pointers and the king of keyboards. Then they release the Razer Leviathan, a really smart soundbar that costs less than most TVs. Razer’s audio monster might not have the most power-per-inch at only 30 watts, but we really liked how low it could go with the accompanying subwoofer. Plus, while other speakers on this list might not even attempt surround sound, Razer gives it the ol’ college try and actually does a decent job with it. It might not be as good as a true 7.1 system, but try finding one of those for under $199/£159. 

Read the review: Razer Leviathan

Arcam Solo Bar (UK only)

With four HDMI inputs and 4K passthrough, myriad other connections and Bluetooth streaming, it’s tempting to call the Arcam Solo Bar as much of a home cinema hub as a soundbar. It also adds Bluetooth aptX for good measure, rendering your streamed tunes listenable at last. Well connected it may be, but this 1,000 x 130 x 110mm unit offers more than one-cable nirvana, with its two speakers offering a lot more meat than the average flat TV. Want more welly? Just add Arcam’s wireless Solo Sub. Want it for a steal? We’ve got you covered.

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Whether you’re new to the UAE or looking to switch network providers, finding the right carrier with the perfect plan can be tricky. Our guide will give you an overview of the mobile operators in the UAE and tips for picking the best plan for your needs.

 Mobile Operators in the UAE

Although the UAE’s mobile phone services landscape is not as competitive as some of the other countries, there are enough options here to make you think twice. 

Mobile services here are primarily provided by the big two: Etisalat and Du. The former is the oldest and leading mobile service provider in the region with over half of the total mobile phone service market. Du launched just over a decade ago and has seen meteoric growth thanks to their flexible plans and by-the-second billing system. 

Last year, du’s parent company launched a virtual network – more commonly known as mobile virtual network operator or MVNO – under the Virgin Mobile brand, giving mobile users a much needed third option. Although du technically owns Virgin Mobile, it is operated as a separate brand that uses du’s network infrastructure to deliver its service. 

Targeted towards the young and digital-savvy crowd, Virgin Mobile offers all of its services solely through the Virgin Mobile UAE app, wherein you can register for a SIM, choose your number, and have your SIM delivered to you anywhere in the UAE. The only catch here is that you need an active debit or credit card to subscribe to the service. 

Not to be outdone, Etisalat, too, launched its own youth-centric virtual network last year, under the brand name Swyp with one major caveat – you have to be between 15 and 29 years old to register for the service.

Swyp is a purely prepaid service that also uses a similar app-centric approach, allowing you to register for a SIM, manage your usage and recharge your account all from your smartphone. 

 Coverage

Both Etisalat and Du have vast coverage in the region, but you might find yourself dropping bars in certain areas. There are service coverage maps on both telcos’ websites but these don’t always show local dead zones. You’ll want to ask around or test coverage with a prepaid SIM around your home and work to make sure your phone works where you need it the most. 

Since Virgin Mobile and Swyp piggyback off of the big two, their coverage is only as good as the network they run on. So, if Du is spotty in your area then Virgin Mobile will equally be unreliable.

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