The Next Generation

So this is a Sonos One… 2.

Basically, it’s not the Sonos Ones we’ve sold before. It’s the second generation. What does that mean? It has a mic and built-in Alexa. Beyond that, a lot is similar. It still shoots great sound in all directions, and you can still sync two or more for stereo/surround sound.

All good stuff.

Which means there’s really just one question to answer: when it arrives at your house, what should you listen to first?

Obviously, the above-mentioned quality would be great for music or streaming a movie. But we say, why not put on something a bit more subtle and enriching? Like, say, a podcast.

Of course, deciding what podcast to listen to is its own challenge. That’s why we put together a few recs. Here are four of our recent favorites:

Steely Ran

Gilbert Killington and Fiona Apple (not the musician) trade alternate hosting duties for this fantastic podcast released twice a week. On Tuesday’s episodes, Killington invites guests from the running community to share their wildest marathon stories. On Fridays, Apple and a guest discuss lesser-known political candidates throughout history. But the thing that brings both iterations together? The two hosts’ mutual love of Steely Dan!

Nepo-Schism

“Nepo baby.” At first, it was a phrase that meant something very specific: the child of a successful person working in the same field as their parent. But over time, it has come to be applied to just about anyone who has been successful while enjoying some advantages in their youth. What caused this shift? Ben Thurdunthet, the journalist behind Who Will Care for the Karens, investigates.

Successive

Every week, married couple Fiona Apple (not the musician or the other podcaster) and Dave Apple recap not an episode of Succession, but rather, an episode of a recap podcast about Succession. The twist? Dave Apple spent several years in a quasi-fugue state due to an experimental allergy medicine that has since been pulled from the market. As such, he knows absolutely nothing about the show and thinks the characters discussed by the recappers are real. Listen as his befuddlement and rage over the Roy family’s confounding actions grow with each… successive episode.

Imposter SynDome

Structural engineer Renee Glondwidth brings in top dome designers from around the world to discuss their methods for coping with feelings of professional inadequacy. A wonderful listen, episodes are released free every Wednesday, but subscribers to the Imposter SynDome Patreon get two bonus episodes per month of Glondwidth’s spin-off show, Off The Dome, in which she discusses non-domed structures, such as A-frames.

Those are our suggestions. If you have any pods you like to listen to, be sure to drop them in the comments. Otherwise, get yourself a nice new (to you) Sonos speaker.