Brandwave

Bowers & Wilkins vs Sonos:Which is more popular?

In September 2026, Sonos had more branded searches than Bowers & Wilkins among speaker brands in New Zealand. Sonos had about 7,970 branded searches, while Bowers & Wilkins had 480. Sonos made up 9.1% of all speaker brand searches we track, and Bowers & Wilkins accounted for 0.55%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about speaker brands, Sonos appeared in three of the five answers and Bowers & Wilkins in two. Sonos was mentioned before Bowers & Wilkins in three out of four answers that named either.

Among speaker brands in New Zealand in September 2026

Who do people search for more?

Sonos, about 17 searches for every 1 for Bowers & Wilkins

Sonos 8K searchesBowers & Wilkins 480 searches

Who does AI mention more?

Sonos, mentioned in 3 of 5 answers, Bowers & Wilkins in 2

Sonos in 3 of 5Bowers & Wilkins in 2 of 5

Who does AI recommend more?

Sonos, named ahead of Bowers & Wilkins in 3 of 4 answers

Sonos first in 3Bowers & Wilkins first in 1

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Top speaker brands in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Sonos was mentioned in three out of five: in two of the three ChatGPT answers and in one of the two Google AI Overviews. Bowers & Wilkins was mentioned in two out of five: in two of the three ChatGPT answers, but not in either of the two Google AI Overviews. Sonos was listed before Bowers & Wilkins in three out of four answers that named either.

Most recommended by AI

Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.

  1. JBL1st
  2. Edifier2nd
  3. KEF3rd
  4. Sony4th
  5. Bose5th
  6. Sonos6th
  7. Bowers & Wilkins7th
  8. Ultimate Ears8th
  9. Q Acoustics9th
  10. DALI10th
  11. +2 more

Mentioned by AI

Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.

  • Edifier4 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • JBL3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Sony3 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Bose3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Sonos3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • KEF3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Ultimate Ears2 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Bowers & Wilkins2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Q Acoustics2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • DALI2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers

+2 more

See every answer about speaker brands

5 answers

Not named in any answer:

Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in New Zealand on October 19, 2026.

Is Bowers & Wilkins or Sonos more popular in search?

This chart shows how often people search Google for Bowers & Wilkins and Sonos by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all 12 speaker brands we track, month by month, from searches in New Zealand.

Bowers & Wilkins and Sonos among speaker brands in New Zealand, by month

Share of searches by month for Sonos, Bowers & Wilkins. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthJBLSonyBoseSonosUltimate EarsMarshallEdifierBang & OlufsenBowers & WilkinsKEFQ AcousticsDALI
Oct 202540.9%19.5%16%8.3%9.3%2.1%0.93%1.1%0.76%0.75%0.27%0.09%
Nov 202541%18.3%15.1%9.2%11.3%2.1%0.89%0.8%0.53%0.52%0.19%0.06%
Dec 202550%14.7%13%7.8%10.2%1.8%0.68%0.68%0.45%0.45%0.16%0.05%
Jan 202644.4%18.4%13.9%9%8.4%2%0.92%1.1%0.75%0.68%0.27%0.09%
Feb 202642.5%20.8%14.1%8.6%8.1%2%0.96%1.2%0.78%0.62%0.23%0.11%
Mar 202640.9%21.3%14.7%9.9%7.7%1.8%0.88%1.1%0.71%0.7%0.21%0.07%
Apr 202644.6%19.3%13.9%9.6%7.2%1.8%0.97%0.97%0.8%0.7%0.19%0.07%
May 202642.6%20.3%15.5%9.3%6.2%2.1%0.96%1.2%0.79%0.69%0.23%0.12%
Jun 202643.2%19.8%15.8%8.9%5.9%2.1%0.95%1.2%0.78%0.86%0.28%0.12%
Jul 202642.5%20.1%14.8%9.2%7%2.5%0.93%1.1%0.76%0.75%0.27%0.09%
Aug 202643.7%17.5%15%9.5%7.5%2.9%1.1%1.1%0.72%0.71%0.26%0.13%
Sep 202645%19.6%13.5%9.1%7.3%2.2%1%0.84%0.55%0.54%0.16%0.1%

How has the Bowers & Wilkins and Sonos comparison changed over the last 12 months?

3 findings
  • Sonos was ahead of Bowers & Wilkins in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Bowers & Wilkins’ share of searches among speaker brands in New Zealand moved from 0.76% to 0.55%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 590 to 480.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Sonos’ share of searches among speaker brands in New Zealand moved from 8.3% to 9.1%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 6.4K to 8K.

How did search popularity change for New Zealand speaker brands in September 2026?

2 changes

  1. Estimated monthly branded searches for Sonos in New Zealand rose 23.8% over 12 measured months, from 6.4K to 8K in September 2026.

  2. Estimated monthly branded searches for Bowers & Wilkins in New Zealand fell 18.6% over 12 measured months, from 590 to 480 in September 2026.

How are branded searches counted?

17 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Bowers & Wilkins’ and Sonos’ names. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brands is growing, holding steady, or fading.

Bowers & Wilkins

2 branded search terms

  • bowers & wilkins
  • bowers and wilkins

Sonos

15 branded search terms

  • sonos
  • sonos amp
  • sonos arc
  • sonos bluetooth speaker
  • sonos five
  • sonos move
  • sonos one
  • sonos play
  • sonos port
  • sonos ray
  • sonos roam
  • sonos sound bars
  • sonos soundbar
  • sonos speaker
  • sonos sub

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Other head-to-heads among speaker brands

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