Ditching smart speakers for bookshelf speakers has transformed my music listening

Bowers & Wilkins 705 speakers and Marantz amp.

I thought I had a fairly decent sound setup for my music. I was wrong. Typically, I played my favourite tracks or stations from my phone to a Sonos 5 speaker, which is also connected to my turntable for when I fancy playing some vinyl. I can also connect a second Sonos speaker and the Apple HomePod when I want big sound.

Last week, I unplugged my Sonos 5 and replaced it with a Marantz 70S amp, then connected a pair of Bowers & Wilkins 705 speakers to it. This is not a like-for-like change by any means. While the Sonos 5 costs around £500, the amp alone will cost you £900. The 705 S3 speakers are £2600 a pair, and then there’s the cables.