Sonos Five Smart Speaker Review

[A Surfer]

As was posted above tap the logo, or just drag the card down from the top to dismiss it.

Yep, did that last night. Still would be better UI design to have a icon as the navigation control.

 

[Pritaudio]

Not having voice control has its advantages in not being activated by accident. But no Bluetooth is a big miss for convenience.

 

[A Surfer]

Not having voice control has its advantages in not being activated by accident. But no Bluetooth is a big miss for convenience.

I have four Fives in my system and I agree it is a miss, but maybe not a big miss. They are pretty darn big so no portable application and who will have them but no wifi? Still, I think BT should have been incorporated as well.

 

[Pritaudio]

what are better alternatives in terms of wireless mono speakers (not necessarily smart speakers).
Because I have a wiim pro not being used.
Not many options if you just want one unit to do stereo sound.

 

[A Surfer]

what are better alternatives in terms of wireless mono speakers (not necessarily smart speakers).
Because I have a wiim pro not being used.
Not many options if you just want one unit to do stereo sound.

Can you really experience meaningful stereo with a single source point?

 

[Pritaudio]

No it’s just having two or more tweeters to fill the room.
I am having issues using Sonos s1 app with legacy products and s2 at the same time.
Not having Bluetooth with the fives is becoming a problem.

I’m not sure if the rumours about the s2 app being unreliable is true yet.

I’m checking out the audio pro c20 speaker instead.

C20

The C20 speaker is the right choice when you want one compact solution to meet multiple different needs. When you need a speaker to perform extraordinary well when watching TV as well as listening to your favourite music, or maybe even connecting to your turntable!This is the optimal speaker to...

uk.audiopro.com

But it doesn’t have anything like Sonos true play sound management.

 

[Pritaudio]

I have no confidence in the future compatibility of the app user interface.
I can’t even set them up, so I haven’t heard the sound.
No Bluetooth means you are stuck with the Sonos app.
Even Spotify connect or airplay/ chromecast usability may fade with future software updates.

I am now considering the audio pro c20.
These are supposed to be competitors with the Sonos era 300 for sound.
Plenty of future proof. But not sealed.
2 tweeter and 1 woofer may not compare with 3tweeters and 3 midwoofers of the Sonos five.
The era300 has 4 tweeters and 2 woofers. But I don’t need spacial sound as long as it fills the room.

C20

This active stereo speaker is the obvious choice when you need a speaker to work equally well when watching movies on your TV as listening to music. You do not need to have two different systems to meet these two needs – the C20 will take care of both tasks for you, in one single compact...

audiopro.com

 

[cowsgomoo2002]

I wanted an all-in-one solution for background music and got the Sonos Five at $440 during sale. I'm fortunate that I have not encountered any software issues like some others have, however I use it strictly with Airplay for music.

I'll be sticking with a single speaker for mono and I'm happy with the off-axis performance. If I wanted stereo I probably would have went for a Wiim amp + bookshelf speakers like the LS50 Meta. Currently I don't want to make room for a stereo setup and I'll be moving around the room a lot during use anyways and negating the benefits. The Five sits neatly on top of a bookshelf and the white color blends to the walls. No cable mess is nice

I also got a Sonos Move 2 and while it doesn't sound as good as the Five it is impressive for what it is. IP56 rating with 24 hours battery life and lots of connectivity options makes it fun to use anywhere around the home.

 

[palm]

I have an Arc soundbar to which I later added Ones, and just added a Sub mini. Installation was incredibly simple and flawless and Trueplay just works.

I think they are making great products. I also have HomePods of the two sizes and I have to reboot them occasionally, while the wireless Sonos system is really solid.

There is huge gap in complexity and wires with my “serious” setup, an RME connected to the O800 sub connected to O300 monitors. I like to tinker so audio measurements and introducing EQs is part of the hobby. It sounds better but I totally get why most people would stay away from this. These active speakers are almost 20 years old now and I hope options like WiSA will mature before I’m confronted to something that can’t be repaired.

 

[Pritaudio]

Are you using trueplay tuning.
These sound bloated and the bass is distorted.

I’m using the audio pro c20. And there is a huge difference.

 

[palm]

Yes, working fine for me, no distortion at least.

This being said I decreased the sub level and bass setting as it was a bit on the hot side. I generally listen at low volume so I don’t mind some loudness correction but not that much.

I’ll try to measure and post results.