Sonos delivers its most-requested feature after 13 years. Sonos has added presets, letting users save music, rooms, and volume levels for one-tap playback. It supports up to 50 presets. The company also plans an optional AI assistant, 27voice, which sends voice requests to the cloud. Users can skip it and still use presets. Published on: 04 Nov 2026, 8:20 am Updated on: 04 Nov 2026, 8:20 am Sonos has added a feature that fans have wanted since 2013. The new Presets tool lets users start music in chosen rooms with one tap. It began rolling out on November 3, 2026. Sonos is also preparing 27voice, an optional AI voice assistant that processes voice requests through cloud-based servers. One-Tap music playback comes to Sonos. Users can save their music, their speakers, and the volume for each room. Every preset sits in its own section on the Home screen of the Sonos app. People can save up to 50 presets and use them on any phone or tablet signed in to their account. The feature has limits. It saves music playback only. It cannot save settings like switching to TV audio or muting every speaker. Presets also do not work with voice commands or the Sonos web app. Both Presets and 27voice need S2 speakers running Sonos 27. The privacy cost of Sonos' new AI assistant. 27voices understand more natural speech. It handles follow-up requests, music tips, weather questions, and general knowledge. Classic Sonos Voice Control handles requests on the device. 27 voices do not. After it hears the wake word, it sends the request to Sonos servers. For some open-ended questions, it also uses outside AI models. The system collects voice recordings, transcripts, command details, device IDs, and usage data with names removed. Some of this data may go to the US or to outside AI companies. The audio brand says it deletes recordings and transcripts once a request is done. It also says it does not use recordings to train AI or sell them. But going back to Classic Voice Control does not erase data collected earlier. US customers can ask for early access from November 6. Access starts November 12. A wider release is planned for 2027. AI features remain optional. The AI assistant is optional. Users can stay on Classic Voice Control or leave 27voice whenever they like. That means anyone can use presets without sending their voice to the cloud.

The US-China trade truce now runs to January 2027, and talk of reciprocal tariff cuts on billions of dollars of goods has put import-heavy consumer electronics brands back in focus. Three US-listed stocks stand out. Sonos, with a market cap of $2.10 billion, makes premium speakers and soundbars. It earns about $1.49 billion from audio and video products, including roughly $881 million in the US. Tariffs on goods made in Vietnam and Malaysia may force price rises that could hurt sales. Turtle Beach, valued at $260 million, sells gaming headsets made in Asia. Its Q2 2026 revenue of $56.4 million was flat year over year, despite new premium products. Helen of Troy, worth $651 million, sells home, beauty and wellness goods that rely on imported components. Lower duties could cut its costs.

I was blown away by JBL's new Cove wireless speakers. They're finally available in Australia - and with a 20% discount via its coupon code. JBL's new Cove M1, Cove P1 and Cove X1 wireless speakers were announced just over a month ago, and are now available to buy in Australia. The trio marks JBL's latest attempt to take on the likes of Sonos in the multi-room audio market, and having recently had the chance to see and hear the new speaker range up close, they certainly put up a decent fight. The trip share some interesting features: they can each be used as standalone units, or paired with a second unit of the same model for stereo sound. They can also be integrated into a wider home audio system alongside compatible JBL products, including the company's Bar Mk2 soundbars and Bluetooth-only speakers. And for any TechRadar Australia readers interested in the new models, you can save 20% thanks to an exclusive JBL AU coupon code. The range up close. In ascending order of size and power, the new trio comprises the Cove M1, Cove P1 and Cove X1. All three models are Wi-Fi enabled, with support for Google Cast, AirPlay 2, Spotify Connect, Tidal Connect, Qobuz Connect and Roon Ready. And, of course, they can also connect via Bluetooth. The Cove P1 and Cove X1 gain Dolby Atmos support too, while the P1 has the added benefit of being truly portable, thanks to its built-in battery. One immediate advantage is that you can use a pair as rear surrounds, connected to a Bar Mk2 soundbar, without having to worry about running power to them. Battery life is a claimed 14 hours on a single charge. If you do have access to power behind your seating position, the Cove P1 sits on a USB-C-powered charging base, similar to the Sonos Play - a pair of speakers which can also be used as battery-powered rear surrounds with the Beam Ultra soundbar. Another useful feature demonstrated to me was the P1's portability. Say you're watching sport on the main TV with the P1 acting as a rear surround speaker, but decide to move the party outside. You can simply ungroup the P1 from the home theatre setup, pick it up and take it with you. Once outside, press and hold the heart-shaped Moment button on top, and the P1 will resume playing the most recent content, so you don't miss any of the action. As for hardware, the Cove M1 has three 20mm tweeters and a single 4-inch woofer, with a total output of 110W. The Cove P1 gets three 30mm tweeters and a single 20mm tweeter to handle Dolby Atmos duties, along with the same 4-inch woofer, with a total output of 120W. The larger X1 gets four 30mm tweeters and two 90 x 120mm woofers, delivering a total of 200W. JBL wants to simplify multi-room audio. One of the main points JBL emphasised during my demo was ease of use. The company told me it recognises that one of the biggest barriers preventing consumers from investing in multi-room audio is the perception that it will be too difficult to get up and running. In response, JBL has developed the JBL One platform, which handles initial setup, speaker grouping and playback controls. During my demo, adding speakers to a network appeared relatively easy, with step-by-step instructions provided within the app. All available speakers are displayed on one screen, and you can select which ones you want to group together. One feature I found particularly neat is how quickly and easily you can remove individual speakers from a group to use them on their own. In my experience with Sonos, separating grouped speakers to use them as standalone units hasn't always been as straightforward as it should be, so JBL's approach is certainly welcome. Of course, I'll need to spend time with the JBL speakers in my own home before making any firm conclusions about how it compared with the likes of Sonos. A missing piece of the JBL puzzle. The Cove speakers slot neatly into a gap in JBL's lineup. The company is the king of Bluetooth speakers - just see its guide to the best Bluetooth speakers in Australia as proof - and it already has a comprehensive selection of soundbars. The Authentics speakers (the Authentics 200 currently tops its list of the best wireless speakers) are similar in that they're designed for home use, but they can't be used with other JBL speakers, and their retro styling may not be to everyone's taste. If the Cove speakers sound like a good fit for your home, you can save 20% thanks to its exclusive JBL Australia coupon code. Your unique code can be used on any full-priced item on the JBL Australia store, so you could even set yourself up with a complete home theatre system for less. JBL's new Cove M1, Cove P1 and Cove X1 wireless speakers were announced just over a month ago, and are now available to buy in Australia. The trio marks JBL's latest attempt to take on the likes of Sonos in the multi-room audio market, and having recently had the chance...