Skip to main content

Sonos Play:1 goes kind of blue for Blue Note Records’ 75th

hi fi corner sonos play1 gets kind blue notes records 75th bluenote angled black press image
Image used with permission by copyright holder
In celebration of iconic jazz label Blue Note Records’ 75th anniversary, Sonos has gone blue. A limited edition of the company’s stalwart Play:1 speaker, the entry point to the Sonos empire, now dons a shiny coat of paint that fades from navy to cerulean blue for the occasion. As a bonus, Sonos is also offering an exclusive playlist specially curated by some of today’s seminal jazz artists.

Related: Samsung’s new audio lab creates gorgeous multi-room speaker pods

The Play:1’s specially-crafted color shift should be enough to turn some heads on its own. The breakaway from Sonos’ traditional color scheme is meant to be a shout-out to the so-called “blue notes” of jazz, those that venture into melodic micro-tone realms that standard popular music dares not follow.

But more exciting to the jazzers among us will be the new exclusive curated playlist from Blue Note. The iconic label that has been home to jazz legends like Thelonius Monk and John Coltrane will provide the track list for a new Artists Select station, which will proffer tunes hand-picked by current Blue Note artists, including Robert Glasper, Jose James, Terence Blanchard, Ambrose Akinmusire, Lionel Loueke, and Don Was.

The new exclusive station will show up on Sonos’ intuitive centralized app, joining two other Sonos exclusive stations from Blue Note that all Sonos owners landed in October, including Born in Blue and Blue Note 101. But those looking for the hand-picked favorites from the artists above will have to go blue to get them and cough up a $250 asking price, $50 above the normal Play:1 pricing.

If you’ve got an eye for the new Blue Notes Play:1, you’ll have to act fast once the speaker hits the market, as Sonos claims only around 4,000 of these blue bombers will be made. And just to keep your ear a little longer, Sonos has not yet offered a release date, indicating the news will be unveiled in the coming weeks. To be notified when the speakers arrive, you can sign-up for an email notification at Sonos’ website.

This post originally appeared on our brother site Digital Trends.

Ryan Waniata
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Ryan Waniata is an audio engineer, musician, composer, and all-around lover of all things tech, audio, and cinema. Hailing…
Want a free desktop cigar humidor? Here’s how to get one
Quality Importers all-black desktop humidor from Famous Smoke Shop

If you plan on buying and storing cigars for longer than a couple of days, you want a humidor -- that's cigar 101. But humidors, like cigars, don't come cheap. Well, I'm here to tell you that's not the case, for a few days anyway, because it doesn't get any cheaper than free. Famous Smoke Shop is offering a Quality Importers black desktop humidor for free when you spend more than $100 with it. That might seem like a lot, but you can get some great cigars to fill the humidor for that much. Usually $44, that's about how much you're saving by grabbing this humidor with your purchase.  To get the deal, you can either use promo code 75620W15APR at checkout or clip the on-page coupon on .

Why you should take advantage of this free humidor deal from Famous Smoke Shop
Cigars need to stay humidified, or they'll dry out. Sure, you can rehydrate a dry cigar, but by the time you do, it will have lost all its natural oils and complex flavor. It will never be as good as it originally was, and that's a bummer.

Read more
The 12 best small cigars I’ve tried and tested in 2024
man smoking small cigar by engin-akyurt unsplash

Big cigars take a while to smoke. We're talking hours for some of the largest stogies out there unless you're puffing too often -- which you shouldn't do. But the cigar world is vast, and not only does that mean a ton of different cigar blends, from Maduro and Corojo to Nicaraguan and Cuban-made, but there are also a plethora of sizes from small to big. You don't have to buy, smoke, or even try a massive stogie, and I would argue against doing so for something like the . There are cigars much bigger than that. I can't imagine that would be a relaxing smoke, if at all enjoyable. Shrinking things down is possible, and I'm not referring to a Robusto or petite size either. I mean closer to a cigarillo. If you're looking for something short and sweet but packed with loads of great flavor, here are the best small cigars I've tried and tested in 2024.
The best small cigars tried and tested in 2024

Most of the time, if I want a quick cigar or something smaller, I'll reach for a nub or Robusto size. I prefer a full-bodied cigar and small cigars typically don't provide that. However, that doesn't mean I don't enjoy a smaller cigar or cigarillo occasionally. My top recommend is the . They are fantastic. Here is a little more detail about all the small cigars I've tried and loved in 2024.
Acid Blondie Blue

Read more
The best Liam Neeson movies, ranked
Liam Neeson at an event

Liam Neeson poses for the camera Karen 司徒嘉蘭 / Flickr

Liam Neeson's career has been one of the most fascinating in Hollywood history. This Irish screen legend towers over his peers literally (he's 6'4'') and metaphorically (he's starred in Academy Award winners and blockbusters alike.) Neeson started out as a supporting actor in the 1980s before supplanting some of the biggest names in the industry. His rise to first-team status in the 1990s can be attributed to his unforgettable performance in Schindler's List.

Read more