Sonos and Teufel are two renowned and well respected brands in the audio industry. Sonos focuses on the hifi market and targets audiophiles while Teufel focuses on the budget customer.
In this article, we will cover a general overview of both brands, looking specifically at sound quality, durability, price and so on. Of course, each brand has different devices at different price points, however we will compare them as closely as we can.
Sonos is a well-known brand in the home theater and audio industry, known for its high-quality wireless home audio systems, while Teufel is a German audio brand known for its high-quality speakers and home theater systems.
Pros and Cons of Sonos:
- Pros: Sonos is known for producing high-quality, easy-to-use wireless audio systems that can be easily integrated into a home network. Many of their products have good sound quality and are easy to set up.
- Cons: Over the years, many users have complained about Sonos as it relates to connectivity and in some cases, even reliability. In addition, their products can be relatively expensive.
Pros and Cons of Teufel:
- Pros: Known for producing high-quality speakers and home theater systems with excellent sound quality and strong bass response. Many of their products are well-regarded for their value for money.
- Cons: Some users have reported issues with durability and reliability of some of their products.
Quick History
Sonos Quick History
Sonos, Inc. is an American company that specializes in the development and manufacture of audio devices. They are best known for their quality multi-room audio products. The company was co-founded in 2002 by John MacFarlane, Craig Shelburne, Tom Cullen, and Trung Mai.
The company displayed its first prototype at an industry event in 2004 and started shipping in early 2005. The company is always expanding its services internationally, for example to the UK in 2005 and Japan in 2018.
In January 2015, Sonos was rebranded by Bruce Mau Design, with a new visual identity and improved logotype.
Teufel Quick History
Teufel was founded in 1979 as a dealer for DIY loudspeaker kits and parts. Teufel’s founder, Peter Tschimmel, landed on a winning business concept when he decided to start producing high-quality and economical DIY speaker sets. He started off his production in Berlin in 1980.
Teufel now owns products such as mounts and stands, cables, subwoofers, and speaker system expansion sets. Teufel offers compatible and quality complementing products.
Sound Quality
Sonos Sound Quality
One of the most distinctive features of all Sonos speakers is their superb audio quality. The sound output is rich and clean, with deep bass and clear mid-tones.
Sonos has a team of seasoned musicians such as Grammy-winning music producer Giles Martin that assist in fine-tuning their speakers to ensure a natural and superior sound. Each Sonos speaker sounds really great on its own but you can connect two or more speakers together for a really immersive experience.
Teufel Sound Quality
Teufel since its establishment has been known for its great sound quality, and this is evident from its many positive reviews from users. Teufel devices have a good and well-balanced sound.
Their products produce sound with clarity in all ranges. The bass is also satisfying with no distortion and clearly defined treble.
Features
Sonos Features
Sonos is very popular for the suite of features that are incorporated into their products to ensure that you get the best out of your gadget. Most of the features ensure versatility in the speakers, which allows you to use them throughout the house, or outside.
Here are some features you can expect from your Sonos device:
Sonos App: The Sonos app is available for both iOS and Android to bring additional functionality to all your Sonos devices. Apart from functioning as a remote control for your speakers, it has a lot of other features such as the Calm app that plays relaxing music if you’re going to sleep, or you can set your alarm so that you wake up to your favorite music. It also has a sound equalizer feature to tweak the sound of your speaker to your taste.
Sonos Trueplay: To produce the best sound effect wherever you are, Sonos has a tuning feature known as Trueplay. Trueplay optimizes the sound of the speaker based on the acoustics of the room they are placed in.
Support For Multiple Music Platforms: Sonos has partnered with over 100 music service companies around the world such as Spotify, Pandora, Tidal, and Amazon Music to ensure that you can listen to your favorite music, podcasts, or TV shows regardless of the platform you use.
Surround Sound: Sonos speakers can be connected to each other for a truly immersive stereo or surround sound experience.
- Support for Bluetooth, WiFi, Airplay 2 streaming
- Voice control support for Amazon’s Alexa, Google Assistant, Apple Siri, and in-house Snips SAS
- Multiple input and output ports such as HDMI and optical audio input for TVs and type C to charge the battery-powered
Teufel Features
Some common features you will find on most Teufel devices are:
- Direct audio streaming from Apple Music, Spotify, and other streaming services.
- Bluetooth connections
- On-device controls for Play/Pause, Skip, and volume
- Sleep timer and energy-saving function
- A 3-way system with two high-power woofers for high, distortion-free sound production
- Double-tube bass reflex port for deep bass.
- Fiberglass mid-range driver with a phase plug for excellent speech intelligibility.
Build Quality
Sonos Build Quality
Sonos uses sturdy materials like polycarbonate for the grille and a mixture of ABS and 10% glass fiber for the chassis to ensure a solid build, though this makes their speakers bulky. But if you prefer durability to portability, Sonos is the way to go.
Some of their speakers have IP ratings, which means they are water-resistant and dust-resistant, therefore allowing for outdoor use.
Teufel Build Quality
Most Teufel products are carefully designed for durability and are well-made. Teufel device enclosures are built from sound-absorbing hardboards.
Internal structures are built with acoustic damping materials that ensure the enclosure doesn’t eliminate internal standing waves. They make use of interference-reducing grilles for the exterior of some of their products.
Hand-buffed furniture-grade finishes are applied to the design to create an audio art piece you’ll be proud to display.
Ease of Use
Sonos Ease Of Use
Sonos products have a minimalistic design and a clean look without a clutter of buttons, which makes the products easy to operate.
Older Sonos speakers have a pause/play button that can mute if you press and hold or skip a track if you double click. Newer speakers have a touch-sensitive button that skips to the next or previous track if you slide from left-to-right or right-to-left, respectively.
Multiple speaker connectivity is easy to set up across different rooms using WiFi, Bluetooth, or connection to a single router.
Teufel Ease Of Use
You probably won’t need to contact an expert when trying to install or set up any Teufel devices. With the help of the Teufel Rumsfeld app available on every downloading platform, the Teufel devices are very easy to use. Also, the company provides a manual for every product in case a user finds it difficult to customize any settings or set up.
Cost
Sonos Cost
Sonos products are quite expensive, but they are known to always deliver quality regardless of their price tag.
Sonos products are known for always delivering excellent performance, build quality, and strong connections compared to other brands in the same price range. In short, Sonos makes products that give great value for money.
Here is a price range for some Sonos products:
Soundbars: $150 – $850
Smart speakers: $150 – $500
Premium speakers: $200 – $900
Amplifier: From $600
Subwoofer: From $700
Teufel Cost
Teufel products are kinda cheap compared to some other manufacturers. Below is the price range for different products by Teufel:
- Soundbars: $250 – $1000
- Headphones: $50 – $150
- Speakers: $300 – $1200
Space Requirements
Sonos Space Requirements
Sonos speakers tend to be bulky, so they require ample space to use. Though this doesn’t mean that it cannot be used on your desk or placed on a bookshelf.
Some Sonos speakers, like the Sonos Roam and Sonos Move, focus on portability. Therefore, they produce the excellent audio output that Sonos is well-known for at a reduced weight and size.
Teufel Space Requirements
Some Teufel devices have stands or hangers that can be used to situate them in any position you see fit. They also have portable bookshelf speakers which use less space in your room. Hence, you have to consider your available space before buying any audio devices.
Remote Controls
Sonos Remote Controls
There are several universal remote controls supported by Sonos products. There are some custom-made Sonos remote controls for easy operation of your devices. Sonos devices can also be remotely controlled with the Sonos app which allows you to control each device connected to the network individually.
Sonos gadgets also have Snips SAS, Sono’s custom AI technology for connected devices with the purpose of bringing a music-specific voice assistant to all its devices.
Teufel Remote Controls
Teufel produces remote controls which can be programmed to work with four different devices i.e you can control several different devices with the remote control. It works perfectly in a 5-10 meter range.
Connectivity Options
Sonos Connectivity Options
Multiple Sonos gadgets in a single household can be connected to each other wirelessly, through a wired Ethernet network, or a mixture of both. Wireless connectivity includes Bluetooth, WiFi, and LAN network for Internet connectivity.
Wired connections include HDMI for connecting to TVs and Ethernet connection to connect to multiple devices. Sonos devices can also be connected using Alexa, Siri, Google Assistant, or Snips SAS.
Sonos gadgets can be connected to any device with Bluetooth or WiFi connection such as your smartphones, digital TVs, and other Sonos devices over the same network.
Teufel Connectivity Options
Here are the main connectivity options compatible with most KEF speakers:
- Bluetooth
- Wi-Fi
- RCA
- HDMI
Power Range
Sonos Power Range
Sonos devices have different power ranges depending on the device’s performance. An average Sonos speaker consumes from 55 Watts to 125 Watts per channel.
Most Sonos devices do not have power buttons but have an idle/standby mode, consuming from 4-8 Watts in this standby mode.
All the information on the power range of a device is included in the product manual, so you can get information on the power range for your particular device.
Teufel Power Range
Teufel devices do not consume much power, although the power range varies. Most Teufel devices have a power range of 50 W to 200 W.
Frequency Response
Sonos Frequency Response
Sonos speakers have pleasing frequency ranges to suit the various types of usage scenarios. The Sonos five, for example, has a -3 dB bass response frequency of 88 hertz, which is excellent for a speaker of its size.
Teufel Frequency Response
The frequency response of most Teufel devices ranges from 50Hz to 20KHz on average. It also varies from device to device, just like the power range. An example is the Teufel floor speaker UL 40 Mk3 18 with a frequency response of 45Hz-20Khz.
Conclusion
Sonos is a company that’s dedicated to manufacturing products with premium quality for a decent price. Their products have a wide range of features to suit each person’s needs. As said above, Sonos is a company that produces devices that give good value for money. Teufel may be a good option for anyone looking for an easy-to-use and not-so-expensive audio device. The company has been at its very best since its establishment. Their devices are well built and have great sound quality.
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