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Sonos Five Smart Speaker Review
- Thread starter amirm
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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.
Can you really experience meaningful stereo with a single source point?
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.
uk.audiopro.com
But it doesn’t have anything like Sonos true play sound management.
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.
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.
audiopro.com
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
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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.
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
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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.
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.
palm
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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.
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.
They'll pry this compact sonic dynamo from my cold, dead hands.....
Currently I rent a single bedroom out of a large family home. I needed something compact, I dont necessarily need it to go very loud since I cant get very loud anyway. I listen in a near field fashion, the Sonos is sitting 4 feet away right in front of me, near ear level.
I listen mainly to electronic music and rock music, with a small bit of classical and acoustic.
Just for comparison, I recently auditioned both the Naim Muso 2nd Gen and the Acoustic Energy AE1 Active bookshelf speakers. To be clear, both of these speakers had better stereo imaging, a flatter response, greater detail(particularly the AE1) and definitely sounded better on some songs than the Sonos 5 did, for example drum solos and some acoustic guitar songs simply sounded more authentic. But the Sonos is able to do those instruments justice while also replicating synthesizers, bass drums and electric guitars in a much fuller, more vibrant and impactful way. The Sonos also possesses a much higher volume of deep, quality bass, richer/clearer more intelligible vocals (due to its dedicated center channel woofer and tweeter)and a far stronger midbass slam for tom drums, electric bass and such. Overall it delivers an exciting, powerful, clear, warm, musical presentation. It also sounded better pulling soundbar duties for bluray movies, all of the sound effects are simply much more visceral and the dialogue is clearer due to the center channel. I sent the others back and kept the Sonos. As a bonus, it is much smaller than the Muso and has half the wires of the AE1 set.
(I run my Sonos without the grille, there is a definite uptick in treble clarity and detail. If you dont have any pets or small children, I highly recommend this)
Currently I rent a single bedroom out of a large family home. I needed something compact, I dont necessarily need it to go very loud since I cant get very loud anyway. I listen in a near field fashion, the Sonos is sitting 4 feet away right in front of me, near ear level.
I listen mainly to electronic music and rock music, with a small bit of classical and acoustic.
Just for comparison, I recently auditioned both the Naim Muso 2nd Gen and the Acoustic Energy AE1 Active bookshelf speakers. To be clear, both of these speakers had better stereo imaging, a flatter response, greater detail(particularly the AE1) and definitely sounded better on some songs than the Sonos 5 did, for example drum solos and some acoustic guitar songs simply sounded more authentic. But the Sonos is able to do those instruments justice while also replicating synthesizers, bass drums and electric guitars in a much fuller, more vibrant and impactful way. The Sonos also possesses a much higher volume of deep, quality bass, richer/clearer more intelligible vocals (due to its dedicated center channel woofer and tweeter)and a far stronger midbass slam for tom drums, electric bass and such. Overall it delivers an exciting, powerful, clear, warm, musical presentation. It also sounded better pulling soundbar duties for bluray movies, all of the sound effects are simply much more visceral and the dialogue is clearer due to the center channel. I sent the others back and kept the Sonos. As a bonus, it is much smaller than the Muso and has half the wires of the AE1 set.
(I run my Sonos without the grille, there is a definite uptick in treble clarity and detail. If you dont have any pets or small children, I highly recommend this)
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It doesnt pop off easily. You got to do some careful prying with the right tool. The guy in the link below suggested a guitar pick. I used plastic tools I had laying around specifically designed to remove car door trim and a plastic butter knife. Be extra careful with the tweeters when removing the grille.
Sonos Five Midwoofer Replacement
www.ifixit.com
Even if you dont have any small children, that center tweeter is always going to be pretty vulnerable (the other two are nicely tucked away inside the wave guide and the woofers seem pretty tough) Im always messing with my speaker and have almost dented the center tweeter. I ended up buying a metal car speaker cover on ebay and cutting out a nice acoustically transparent grille and sticking it on with industrial double sided tape
Attachments
Thanks very much. Appreciate it.It doesnt pop off easily. You got to do some careful prying with the right tool. The guy in the link below suggested a guitar pick. I used plastic tools I had laying around specifically designed to remove car door trim and a plastic butter knife. Be extra careful with the tweeters when removing the grille.
Sonos Five Midwoofer Replacement
I compare the Muso and the Five in the post linked below
Sonos Five Smart Speaker Review
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.
audiosciencereview.com
Digital Audio Player highly recommended with the Sonos 5
I pulled this old Onkyo DPX1 digital music player out of storage, I used to use it with headphones and my car stereo. I was curious how it would sound hooked up to the Sonos 5 AUX In.
It sounds great. The best sound yet coming out of my Sonos It sounds better than Wifi and probably even better than the DAC I have connected to the PC going into the Sonos 5 Aux. And the thing is, I dont think any of the songs on my DAP are lossless, and they still sound amazing through the Sonos.
(Its interesting how the various sources differ in sound. The Wifi really emphasizes the bass over the other connections. The DAC into the Aux is not as heavy in the bass as the Wifi connection, but the mids and treble are definitely better, just a more airy and crisp sound than the Wifi. The DAP sounds somewhat similar to the DAC but it dials all the positive qualities up a couple of notches, more detail, warmer sound, more of a holographic stereo image and the EQ allows for a massive bass boost.
The main thing about the DAP I have is the 16 band Equalizer. It really wakes up the speaker, the Sonos takes the DAP EQ very, very well, both the low bass as well as the treble. Its a very musical and natural sound and sounds great even when the bands are jacked to the maximum into clipping
If you have a DAP, DEFINITELY hook it up to your Sonos 5.
(Yes, I am aware that any signal fed into the Sonos AUX will be processed by the Five's onboard DSP/DAC.
Still, A DAC or DAP going into the Aux will provide a stronger and higher quality signal than Wifi. Try it for yourself.)
I pulled this old Onkyo DPX1 digital music player out of storage, I used to use it with headphones and my car stereo. I was curious how it would sound hooked up to the Sonos 5 AUX In.
It sounds great. The best sound yet coming out of my Sonos It sounds better than Wifi and probably even better than the DAC I have connected to the PC going into the Sonos 5 Aux. And the thing is, I dont think any of the songs on my DAP are lossless, and they still sound amazing through the Sonos.
(Its interesting how the various sources differ in sound. The Wifi really emphasizes the bass over the other connections. The DAC into the Aux is not as heavy in the bass as the Wifi connection, but the mids and treble are definitely better, just a more airy and crisp sound than the Wifi. The DAP sounds somewhat similar to the DAC but it dials all the positive qualities up a couple of notches, more detail, warmer sound, more of a holographic stereo image and the EQ allows for a massive bass boost.
The main thing about the DAP I have is the 16 band Equalizer. It really wakes up the speaker, the Sonos takes the DAP EQ very, very well, both the low bass as well as the treble. Its a very musical and natural sound and sounds great even when the bands are jacked to the maximum into clipping
If you have a DAP, DEFINITELY hook it up to your Sonos 5.
(Yes, I am aware that any signal fed into the Sonos AUX will be processed by the Five's onboard DSP/DAC.
Still, A DAC or DAP going into the Aux will provide a stronger and higher quality signal than Wifi. Try it for yourself.)
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staticV3
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How could it?
All that using an external DAC does is insert an additional D->A and A->D conversion into the chain.
Repeatedly converting your audio to analog and back to digital does not increase signal quality.
Count Arthur
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They have a few of these at the gym I go to, but it looks like some are failing. One of them sounded like it had a blown woofer.
Out of curiosity, I had a look to see if you could find replacement drivers. Doesn't look like it.
Also, I thought it odd that an active/DSP speaker should allow the driver to be damaged. You would think that they would limit or cut power to prevent damage.
Out of curiosity, I had a look to see if you could find replacement drivers. Doesn't look like it.
Also, I thought it odd that an active/DSP speaker should allow the driver to be damaged. You would think that they would limit or cut power to prevent damage.
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