I interchange the term 'network speaker' and 'smart speaker' in this video. I am aware that an original Sonos device such as the Play 3 or Play 5 are not smart speakers.
Just recently bought a Sonos bar and two Sonos ones, absolutely love them and I've had a shit ton of different 5.1 setups over the years. Amazing sound and build quality.
The way the Sonos amp/sub/Arc wirelessly bonds together is AMAZING, how you can hear the bass boost in all speakers, amp is driving Polk audio in ceiling speakers…even they sound incredible bass wise…amp/sub/arc/2 in ceiling Polk speakers and 2 play1 s…just amazing
I agree they don't replace a good "Amp + speaker" setup. I have x2 (gen2) play 5 in stereo with the sub. The sub makes a huge difference. Not just that its gives it more bass. It pulls out some of the bass from the play 5's and allows them to stretch there legs when the volume is turned up. They have much stronger mids and the digital EQ, DB cut or what ever its called it doesn't interfere and its not a muddy sound when they are turned up compared to if you just have the 2 play 5s by themselves.
There expensive, you can buy decent floorstanding speakers and good amplifier for the price of Sonos. Epcs when you considering a stereo pair or sub. Hifi will blow it out of the water.
That's £1700 in the UK! For that you can get decent upper mid-range hifi speakers and a hefty amp. Given that the 5's are so big I doubt many people buy them for their portability so I don't understand why you wouldn't just get bookshelf/floorstanding speakers for much cheaper.
Started out with Beam Gen 1 and two IKEA Symfonisk bookshelf speakers for surrounds for my office LG OLED 55C1 TV. Later added the Gen 3 Sub. Really impressed with the sound quality and ease of use with Sonos. The Sonos Beam system sound noticeably better than my Nakamichi 7.2.4 soundbar with our LG OLED 77C1 in our main TV room. Ended up replacing the Nakamichi with the Arc+sub+surrounds.
Thank you so much for this review. You saved me! I went to demo a pair of Kef Q and R series floorstanding speakers and finally found the sound I had been looking for-that is the fullness and smooth sound that only hifi towers can give you. The sales person was trying to convince me to buy into Sonos “and be done with it”. Of course I have read many great things about Sonos and the store was too noisy to do any proper listening (not to mention the Sonos section was too far away from the hifi section to do any comparison). I left without listening to the Sonos pieces-opting to think about the Kef some more and research the different systems. I am so glad you confirmed Sonos will not replace hifi.
After coming across your review I can only agree with you 100 percent. Bought Sonos sound bar and bass unit with 2 speakers for the back of the room and although its very good its not Hi Fi and if you want to listen to music at its best the Sonos will not cut it. As for TV and movies it is brilliant and I am very happy with it for that purpose.
I have a killer system using seven of these pieces for my home theater. I took the preamps for the seven channels and connected them to the aux input on each Sonos Play 5. I used a 1/8" stereo input connector and a Y cable for each unit. Paired with two 8" subwoofers for the low-end, this room is impressive and enjoyable. Good thing is, when I get bored of having a home theater, I can sell each of the Play 5 units for close to what I paid where as floor standing and bookshelf speakers have very little resell value from what I have seen on auction sites and such. The high end brands will sell but not for as much as one may feel they are worth. With seven smart speakers, they are super flexible. Has anyone else done this with Sonos Play 5 pieces?
I’m using a Sonos amp to power a pair of Focal Aria 926 loudspeakers, I know the speakers I have are capable of significantly higher fidelity sound HOWEVER, I am extremely impressed with how well the Sonos amp drives them. Lifestyle meets HiFi. I plan on upgrading to proper gear soon but the Sonos amp will be plenty fine for now
I have owned Sonos speakers for perhaps three years now. Eight Play speakers and a sub. Two of them have Alexa built in and the other rooms also work with Alexa through an Echo or Dot appliance. To be sure everything works as expected I also have a Sonos boost which uses its own WiFi to operate the speakers. They have worked without an issue and every few months I added from my first purchase to reach the total I now have. I don’t blast music in the home, I prefer to hear it at a pleasant volume as I move about my home. These give me good quality, easy operation and via Spotify and my own connected hard drive all I want in a system.
Great review. Nailed it. I have recently bought the Sonos play 1 to replace using a small Bluetooth speaker and within two days of using it bought a second one so I can use them as a stereo pair. I totally agree with your synopsis. I myself have owned some hi end hifi equipment since the late 80s and Sonos isn’t quite up there but for the price / convenience/ sound quality I’d agree they are worth it. 👍
I went with the (now defunct) LG Music Flow Wi-Fi speaker system. I had a G4 when I bought my first Music Flow speaker, the portable H4 speaker, and was going to use it as a BT speaker for my laptop. I was so astonished with the sound of that little guy, I immediately wanted to hear the rest of the line up. So I started buying all the different sizes available. 4 years and 14 speakers later, I have these things down to a science. It took years, but I'm intimately familiar with these speakers now. I love them to death!
Hi, if you add a sub you will get a better sound than just pairing two play5 or just from one play5. There is a lot of software managment that I noticed in SONOS owning two play5 and two play1. It is different sound coming out of a speaker (they are good but by adding more units they become better and better and with some software managment they are able to improve them) if you play one speaker, than stereo (not just stereo separation but some clearity and bass managment via software) and by adding sub or playbase etc...
I chose the Bluesound route (mainly because I had a NAD amplifier with Bluesound upgrade) and recently added a Pulse Mini 2i speaker for my bedroom. When it was new, I placed the speaker in my living room and started using it exclusively for a few days. I must say I was relieved once I started using my traditional hi-fi again (NAD C368 + Neat Acoustics Motive SX2), it sounded so much better (my main setup costs a few times more then the network speaker, so a direct comparison is really not fair). That said, I'm mighty impressed with my Mini 2i player, especially after placing it in a smaller room. I can totally understand people choosing a network speaker in their living room as a main audio source, but for me, as a hi-fi enthusiast, it would not work. So, my Bluesound experience is fully similar to yours. Thanks for your thoughtful review and sharing your experience, I totally understand why Sonos is at the top of the game.
Very thoughtful and considered review. Only recently added the Beam and a pair of Sonos 1 to my home. So far impressed with sound quality and ease of use.
I’m currently in my second week of the play 5, you are bang on when you say that the clarity of the sound drops when you turn up the volume. I’m impressed with the idiot proof set up and have used the only 3/4 jack port to link up to my TV where I can get more out of it by using the additional digital amp to create a better sound. To be honest it is a great bit of kit and if Sonos offered a second play 5 at a reduced price to the purchaser then I’d more than likely buy another.. great review pal. Thank you.
hi, i am an audiophile and i already eared sonos speakers, i wasn't that impressed because i think they are bass boosted, the sonos one for example is 90-200hz boosted if we look at the frequency graph, i don't like them, please tell me if i am right and it's not really hi-fi, there are definitely some wholes in the treble region and it rolls off at 12khz, I really like detailed, spockiling treble and this hasn't
Good review and you had lots of key points about it. For me I had and still have sonos, but now that receivers are integrating into products like Google assistant or Alexa, I am looking at going back to an amp and speaker above my cupboards where my old sonos lived. Once I change I expect my multi channel music will once again breath new life. I had a sonos theater in my living room but when I really want theater sound I watch in my TV Room with traditional Amp and speakers. Sonos is a lifestyle and like so many things in a lifestyle we sacrifice quality for convenience. I will hang on to my old play 5 for my backyard fires though. Thanks again for the review
I've had Sonos stuff for about 4 years now. Started with a play 5 and then added a 2nd for music. Then got a Beam and Sub for the TV. I have had problems connecting a few times but generally that aspect is pretty good. For the TV I now find the Beam to be too small to get real channel separation so ordered the new Arc which I have not been terribly impressed with the sound in stores but should be quite an improvement over the beam which was already decent. Too many other soundbar and surround systems have drop out problems and for that reason I decided to stay with Sonos. For music I find the 2 play 5's to just be good but not audiofile by any means so I will be replacing them with passive speakers with amp and DAC soon. What wasn't mentioned in this whole video was what source was being listened to which also makes a huge difference.
A very good review so thank you for posting. Trueplay tuning can make a significant difference to your Sonos speakers in my experience. I also think that stereo pairing of two speakers makes a huge difference in the soundstage stage so I would recommend trying that if it is within your budget. Sonos just makes playing music so simple. The software interface is excellent and relatively intuitive and I make use of my NAS drive and also a number of streaming services to quickly access new or existing music. It’s got me listening to music again all over my house so I’m a big fan all in all.
That's it really. If it makes you listen to more music and enjoy it, job done. Music isn't really about tech, apps, phones etc...but if they can be used genuinely without it being tech for techs sake, perfect! Thanks for your comment. :-)
Since buying my first Sonos speaker I’ve even reverse-engineered my set up and bought a turntable with a Pre-amp to use out of the line-in connection of one of my Play 5’s. I then took that a stage further l and subsequently bought a ConnectAmp, external speakers, cassette player and a CD player so I get the best of both worlds now and have total flexibility - even more so now that you can use AirPlay 2 via certain Sonos speakers.
@@stevepollard7107 or you could have spent 50$ on a Chromecast audio to connect to your Amp and could have stream everything to it... Hard choices... I don't know which way to go!
Metal_Head If you already have an amp then for $50 it’s probably worthwhile trying the Chromcast option just to see how viable it is in practice. I was already in the Sonos-world so it made sense for me to incorporate it within my existing system and I’m delighted with the result.
Probably "muddled" compared to +$500 wired towers. To me, who's used to $50 satellites ($300 Logitech Z906 system w/ 5 bassless satellites and a thumpy sub) this thing sounds like a fucking commercial theatre.
I own the sonos play 5, 2nd generation. And I know for a fact its not muddy at all. In mids or highs. Bass is not cheap sounding boomy either. Bass is very airy and lively. Very full and natural and wide. Mids and highs are very bright and clear. Very clear actually. It has a lot of power behind it. A lot! Can get very loud and big sound. I listen to lossless music and flac. I care very much about sound quality and picture quality. Also a big gamer I care about performance. No its not $100 grand setup. But then again who really has that kind of money to spend on sound. Most do not. Its more than enough for an audiophile. You want pure lossless music in this thing. You got it. You want it soft. You got it. Large sound you got. Full sound stage spectrum you got it. You want it muddy and cheap. Look else where. This aint some equalizer Bose trickery. This is good quality legit 👌 full sound stage audiophile grade sound. At least the sonos play 5. Its literally designed for that audiophile grade music. I not completely familiar on all the sound bars. I know the large sound bar the newer flat one and newest one are very very good sounding ones too.
@@seerking absolutely true. They do compete with Audiophile speakers. Obviously not high end floor standing speakers but the Sonos Five sound amazing for the money.
I found the best if both worlds, running the Sonos Beam with TV & Sonos rears to give a basic wireless home cinema setup with films whereas the Beam enhances TV only. Music can then be streamed via a source to all Sonos speakers in the house. BUT I also run a living room Brio Amp & CD player & Project turntable Audiophile setup for sheer high end production through a small pair of Ophidian floorstanders. All fits in nicely whereas before I’d tried one or the other, now they co-exist in the lounge. Next purchase a Sonos portable speaker for using anywhere including garden. If your not an Audiophile then the Sonos is more than enough for a quality lifestyle system 👍🏻
In an earlier life I had two Gen 1 Play 5s and was not impressed. A year or so ago I bought a Gen 2 Play 5. It was better; louder, warmer, just more pleasant to listen to. I wanted more though so added another Gen 2 Play 5. This made a big difference, mainly to the volume (perhaps I shouldn’t have been surprised that two speakers would be much louder than one!). It still wasn’t quite there for me though so in the end I reluctantly added a sub on a 100-day trial. Well, I’m not giving it back. To my ear it’s transformed the sound. I’ve set the sub at around 65% (default being 50%) via the Advanced Audio option and fiddle around with the bass on the EQ as required from track to track. Generally this means having the bass setting on the EQ at less than 50%. The sub gives the depth and reducing the bass on the EQ allows greater clarity, doing away with the muddiness that I got before when cranking the base up on the EQ. I use two Apple devices simultaneously; an iPad for browsing/track selection/volume and an iPhone to fiddle with the EQ (every track is different). Agreed it’s not ‘high resolution’ but it sounds pretty damned good.
In a word yes. 2 x play 5 + sub is almost comparable to an £8k separates system that I used to have (excluding a lap top / streamer), but with way more convenience and flexibility. My old system was a Hegel amp and a pair of ATC SCM40mk2 so a proper "audiophile" system. The sonos system is almost as detailed though the bottom end not so authorititive, but then it was less than half the price! I've owned cheaper systems (think NAD / B&W for example) and my sonos system is superior. Detail, timing control. That's the big advantage of an active system, and using the truplay set up with a sub the results are deeply impressive with no fuss set up. I used a huge JL audio sub with mine and took ages to get it synced with rest of the system. All of this assumes you place the play 5 in the vertical orientation, sonos badge on inside, and on proper stands. In summary, as an ex audiophile (audio fool?) I totally disagree with your summary. They are hi fi quality, and much better value than over priced separate analogue boxes.
He might have a slight bias to his own speaker system. Audiophiles tend to always, and I mean always, disregard consumer equipment even if they have potentially more organised and clearer sound than their decade old floor standing speakers. That isn't to say I disagree with the creator of this video but there is a good chance he has some bias, not used the EQ or True play etc.
Really? I am currently listening to my Sonos Play:5, PB and sub .... and I find the sound really sub par. Treble too high, cheap tin-can like sound. How can these impressions be so different?
I know that's an old video but I don't agree with the statement that you don't need a sub when comparing them to hifi system with always have a separate subwoofer , and considering that when you add sub the other speakers can go louder and cleaner past the volume when previously they sounded uncomfortable to ears.
I liked the SONOS sound, so I kept adding them to my house. When I got my whole house connected with SONOS, about 4 play 5's, 3 soundbars, 1 SONOS sub, 2 SONOS amps, 3 play 3's and finally 3 play 1's. I noticed when I set them all to play at once they break up, 3 of them will not play, some will cut of and on, called several times to SONOS, and tried all kinds of connections, none worked. Next comes the updates, constant long updates, if it works what the F**k are you updating? and why can't I opt out of it. Its frustrating when you have friends over, want to listen to some music on your cool system, and the F****n thing goes on an updating frenzy, this happed to me on a number of accessions! Finally one day I went to listen to some music and discovered my SONOS Application forgot ALL MY SPEAKERS, I had to manually set each and every one of them again, this happened once more, but this time they all went on E-Bay, because I am done baby-sitting my sound system! I just want to hear some music dammit! Complete overall garbage! Now looking to built and try the Definitive Technology ones, hoping they do better!
It's too bad you gave up on your speakers, because I'm pretty sure I could have helped you. Although I've never owned a SONOS product, simply because they're just too goddamn expensive for what they are, I do own 14 LG Music Flow WiFi speakers (for the same money as 2 Play 5's and a Play 1). I had all the same issues as you've described, except for the constant updating, that's just weird, but it was supremely frustrating and I wanted to chuck them all in the landfill. So they were paperweights the entire year of 2018 because I was so over the bs. I thought I'd made a huge mistake. I'd bought a D-Link ac3200 router, the best available in 2016. I'd bought a brand new modem, because the one I was using was very old. I even bullied my ISP into giving me an upgraded service package of 100/10 for the one year introductory price of $49.99. Even tho I was an old Time Warner customer when Spectrum bought them out. I was only getting 20/2 from Time Warner. After all that, they still gave me fits. So I got pissed and let them sit for a year. January 2019 rolls around and I just wanted my music to play. So I decided to try one more time. I reset the Ethernet connected speaker back to factory spec, and reinitialized it. Played music, everything worked fine. Continued that process for all the rest of the speakers, one at a time, updating any speakers that needed it along the way. I got 12 speakers connected and playing. I was very excited. Lucky number 13 refused to connect. It's in my bedroom corner nightstand, furthest away from my router. So I took it in the living room plugged it in, tried connecting it, got it working, but then other speakers started dropping out, and that old familiar feeling was back again. So I said screw it, and went to bed. The next morning, I woke up to an epiphany.... *_WHAT IF I'M OVERTAXING MY NETWORK, AND IT CAN'T RUN THEM ALL AT THE SAME TIME???_* That was my *_EUREKA!_* moment. After much testing and experimentation, I came to the realization that, I can run any combination of 8 of my 14 speakers at any one time, plus a phone to control them, and that's it. Anything more and I start having connectivity issues. The other six speakers had to be turned OFF. Not on standby. 2 years, 7 months it took me to figure out this simple solution. Now, they will run flawlessly all day, and all night, running 8 speakers or less. It all came down to one word... *_BANDWIDTH._* Phones and computers and such will load webpages slow and buffer videos if the signal is weak. Speakers can't do that. They do have RAM-like memory that buffers the music so they can all play in sync, but once that buffer is empty, if they don't have the bandwidth to replenish, they simply stop playing, and drop signal, and cause the app to lose sight of them and yada yada yada. From what you've said, you had A LOT of SONOS gear on your network, and only you know what else, all at the same time, and your network just couldn't do it all. Like I said, it's too bad you gave up on your speakers.
I think it's more obvious that, regardless of configuration, a network can only deliver so much bandwidth. Although I make no claim to being a networking IT expert, I did substantial amounts of research on how to configure the router and the speakers. The speakers are fairly straightforward. Dual band, with several different channels to choose from within those bands. 5 GHz is more stable and less crowded, channel 44 is the rock. The router itself has several different customization options. I assigned priority to Music Flow, experimented with many settings and came to the conclusion, after years of testing, that allowing the router to live in auto-detection mode was the most reliable. Also, I discovered the router settings had little to do with how the speakers performed. It acts merely as a relay between the app and the Ethernet connected speaker. The Ethernet connected speaker does all the heavy lifting by creating it's own network, and connecting in a mesh. The broadcast signal comes from it, not the router, and it's broadcast signal simply is not strong enough to supply all 14 speakers. I'm still curious about testing Wi-Fi signal repeaters around the house to see if a get any gains from that technology. We'll see.
Buy an old school stereo amp and a pair of old school speakers and pretend its a bluetooth speaker. When you do that you will suddenly realise that bluetooth speakers a garbage compared to old school speakers. No bluetooth speaker will ever sound as good as a pair of full size old school speakers. No way! And when you do that little pretend comparison you will realise this.
After reading and learning lately about what people like, I've realized, I'm a background listener. I don't really sit and listen, I wasn't music to play while I'm working on other things. That's difficult to do with just two, old school speakers. Besides, since I already have 14 speakers, I really don't feel like buying anything else.
This is a good review. Sonos is definitely a very convenient and decent-sounding lifestyle product. A quality component hi-fi system is unquestionably superior to Sonos for music listening or home theater. I have a friend who spent over $2,500 on his Sonos soundbar, subwoofer, and satellites. It sounds pretty good, but it's not in the same league as a good set of speakers (or 2) and a good amp. I don't even have a particularly expensive component stereo system, but it's well thought-out and put together. My friend had to admit that my system blows his Sonos away for music. The total investment in my system is under $1,200. There is some appeal to the extra features that Sonos offers, but nothing you can't do with a smartphone or tablet, streaming to a bluetooth adapter for your home stereo.
100 agree with you. What speaks to me about sonos is the simplicity. Nothing replaces my Klipsch setup but Sonos is a nice way to get some music into another room where you had nothing decent to listen music.
I appreciate your video and I think you did a great job with it (I'm subbing). Although, I do have one slight criticism. You kept mentioning audiophiles and I am one (disclosure). The problem is that you didn't approach a cost discussion (at least to a meaningful degree) that I noticed. Personally, I think the price is entirely too high and there would be a very specific set of individuals who should pay that price. 90% or the convenience could be duplicated but there would be much better sound and it would/could cost less. Anywho, try to add a cost discussion into videos that are like this to help customers understand if they are paying a premium for certain features. Then they can decide if those features are worth the premium. Keep up the good work!
I'm not sure if you are the right person to ask, Joshua, but as a selv-proclaimed "audiophile", maybe you are ;-) I'm looking to buying my new speakers coming from the BOSE Acoustimass III. I *think* i'm looking for a stereo setup with cleaner sound and no sub. To be honest i was never truly happy with the BOSE system. What really speaks to me with the SONOS is that i can place the speakers where i want, do not have to worry about messy cables and have all my streaming services fully integrated. Is there a "HiFi"-setup with this functionality in the same price range as the Play 5? I mean - with the need for cabling and with streaming services fully integrated? If you could point me in the right direction it would be truly appreciated.
@@hikewild5694 The Sonos Connect and Sonos Amp are quite expensive. If I were playing that kind of money, I would prefer a good Yamaha AV Receiver that has most of the streaming, more connectivity and can be voice controlled by Amazon Alexa etc... Pair a Yamaha with a pair of reasonably priced B&W 606 0r 607s and you've got a great sounding system with all the connectivity of Sonos.
em.fotografik Sorry, the Yamaha and B&W would sound better overall but the connectivity is still pretty hit or miss. I have used both systems and the Yamaha ends up costing the same or more and placement around the home is more challenging. The app experience is poor. Buy the Yamaha and B&W for sound. The convenience is NOT there the way it is with Sonos.
I mostly love that Sonos *just worked* with my home automation system. I won't spend up to $10k on a Hifi anymore, though I had little worry spending that on auto lighting/blinds/air-con/garage door/etc. I *love* that Sonos One speakers just needed to be added to the network to work with everything. I highly recommend Fibaro Home Automation here. So many people miss that - including Google at the moment :(
Great video. I currently run a stereo set of Play 5 gen 1 and is considering upgrading to gen 2. Do you know if they have fixed the typical "muddy" base coming from high bass output at loud volume.
hey wanted some help make a purchase decision.which do you feel is good sound setup for sonos (playbar +2×play1+sub) or (sonos beam + 2*play 5) for a living room 22ft×12ft approx. great work comprehensive reviews.
I only really have experience with the Play 3 and Play 5 (gen2). I know the 2 x Play 5 are fantastic together and work well in a room about 20x12ft. I've never really been too bothered with Subs so I would probably go with the second setup but that's just me.
I had been going back and forth with doing a Sonos 5.1 Home Theater setup. A Playbar a couple Play 5’s and Sub vs AVR with wired Speakers. The Ease and Setup would be awesome. I struggle with a couple a things. First, Playbar does not have an HDMI connection to the TV. Beam does but Playbar sounds better. Also Sonos does not support Dolby Atmos. So I can’t Setup 5.1.2. I thought maybe I can get the Sonos Amp with Sonance In Wall or In Ceiling Speaker’s. I’m still on the fence.
TruePlay can make a massive difference to the sound quality. To review the speaker you really need to do this first. Sometimes the sound isn't changed much but sometimes it's very noticeable.
I BOught 2 ones and new sonos amp, I connected them to klipsch 160.s and a 10" Sub. Hdmi from apm to tv is easy and works great. I can control volume on amp with tv remote even when the tv is off. I use ones for rear surround and it works great. Its easy, it looks good, and its a good resale value so im pretty happy with this solution. I had the beam before and It was t good without sonos Sub, and the Sub is expensive.
I'm more than ok with Sonos being "behind the curve" when it comes to "smart speakers". I'm looking for sound quality rather than being able to speak to my speakers.
I have to agree but I'm not sure Sonos will see it like that. They'll have to embrace this to keep sales going. I just hope that they can still keep separate from the pack as far as quality is concerned. Apple and Google etc. are making some very good products.
I'm waiting for Sonos to support Chromecast so I can use my Google Home to control the Sonos. They say it's due sometime late 2018. Until then I'm not going to buy one.
Have you used you hifi less?, I linked my Apple TV to Tivioli system using an Arcam dac, and I find I’m using my €18,000 hihi system less and less B&W speaker, Gamut D200 and Gamut preamp, meridian cd, and Nordost interconnects. I’m know I have a big red face now.
TDCatTech, I think convenience has trumped quality, and reasonable priced equipment is considerable more advance in terms of sound quality then even ten years ago.
Very honest review, thank you. One way to go around the problem that Sonos speakers use WiFi bandwidth is to use 2.4GHz WiFi exclusively for Sonos and put the rest of your devices in the 5GHz WiFi. I have it like that and have no issues, my devices in the 5GHz network can control the speakers on the 2.4GHz network. Also have never experieced music gaps
I wonder what the Hi Fi set-up was that the Sonos was being compared to here. Anyways, these types of all in one speaker systems can compete with much more expensive Hi Fi set-ups. Once you get into the Kef and Dynaudio wireless speakers, you don't need to buy expensive separates.
Great review. I just bought 3 Sonos play 1 and the Sonos amp to link to QEF Q100s. I’m really happy. Also just bought the HomePod. Love all the extra services Sonos supports and Spotify Connect with google assistant and AirPlay 2 coming soon. 2 play 1 facing you in stereo pair are great too! HomePod great for corner of room due to design but if had to choose both front facing placement 2 play 1s or like you two play 5s if you have money! Not sure the play 3 good value now.
Very good review on this product. I ordered the P5 and still waiting for it to arrive, kinda exciting. I guess that in the last 10 years everything has gone the same way, a product that runs and relays on updates until they become obsolete, and I didn't think of that on this product, however I think this product would not be completely obsolete if they stop supporting/updating it's software as you could just use the 3.5mm jack connecting to any device (that's if in 5 years the 5mm jack has gone completely extinct, which now if I think about it.... shit).
I think "replace your hifi" is a pretty vague idea. I think the play 5 is a huge improvement over a $250 hifi from a big discount store. I'd say it sounds as good as any traditional amp/speaker setup that costs the same ($500). But I agree it won't replace a system that costs more, and that audiophiles won't be impressed (except if you ask them in comparison to similarly priced smart speakers). I think anyone shopping for a $500 system would be impressed though on sound alone, but everything else about the product really nails it. Also the average consumer is likely going to compare the sound to expensive Bluetooth speakers and it blows those away because it's not Bluetooth and doesn't suffer from Bluetooth audio compression
1:55 They are not Sonos but I have a few bluetooth speakers (one is 2.1 with a bass driver built in) and I also have my old school stereo speakers and a 200 w amp. If I play my stereo system and close my eyes and pretend that it's a good bluetooth speaker, it sounds like the best bluetooth speaker in the world that would be worth WAY more than my old school stereo system. I can't even imagine that it would be a bluetooth speaker it sounded so much better than any bluetooth speaker. But I didn't notice so much difference till I pretended that my stereo was a bluetooth speaker. Try it with your stereo speakers and pretend it's a bluetooth speaker, you will be shocked how good it sounds. lol
It depends on the listener. For me, compressed music files played through wireless speakers are not going to approach the detail and ‘soundstage’ of a decent, not even audiophile level, wired hifi solution. It’s a different animal entirely. I’m not knocking Sonos. It’s good stuff. But if I want to listen to Beethoven’s 9th or anything with a lot of detail and dimension, it’s going to be on a wired system. Wireless just doesn’t capture the detail and for me wireless becomes fatiguing for close attentive listening.
Sonos way too expensive for what you get. Get some new pioneer bookshelf speakers for 100 bucks and a Bluetooth receiver for 150. While there will be the additional 2 speaker wires to deal with in the “hi fi” setup ( just hide it them behind something) the overall sound quality can be much higher and more dynamic. Only takes a minute of research to find some high fidelity bookshelf speakers for low price. ( used ones even cheaper) technology is getting smaller and better as years go by. No need for 200 pounds of gear anymore, even though that vintage stuff still sounds great. My sister has two sonos 5’s and the sub... over 1,000 dollar setup... could be spent on just as small of system with much higher quality sound. I like saving money when I can. Sonos has good marketing and style, but not worth it. in my opinion
Thank yoooooou for saying it’s a LIFESTYLE product... I say the same thing about some of Bose’s products... their portable speakers are made for convenience and lifestyle. They are compact and sound great. Some audiophiles try to compare... there’s nothing like a traditional receiver and hifi speakers...However there are higher end speakers that aren’t always impressive
Just don't buy it it's not worth your time honestly i got it and i am returning it... It just doesn't get loud at all and at max volume the sound gets pretty bad
No of course this system won't sound as good as 'proper' hifi. I still use a 1980s Sansui setup with Kef speakers and it blows my Sonos away. But that's not the point, Sonos is simple, clean, unobtrusive and integrates seamlessly with modern technology. A 'lifestyle' product as you say.
Great review and I totally understand where you are coming from re Audiophile quality production from a HiFi. That said, there’s always so much snobbery around sound production in the home etc... I think if you solely listen to music and have a separates system in a dedicated room, then it’s worth keeping (as you say!) . However I’ve struggled to integrate my HiFi with DVD & TV as they simply don’t synch (esp. from DVDs that only offer 5.1 channel output!). So I’m going to buy Sonos Playbase see how it goes and then add 2 x P5 later to see Seamlessly synch L & R channels for film and music CD/DVD and streaming via @Amazon & Tunein Radio, serving all options....
No, I don't think they replace HIFI. I think they are some of the best mass consumer speakers out there (I have four Ones and a Beam 2), but I don't think they are actually audiophile grade speakers. I am currently building out a hifi system to supplement the Sonos speakers.
I have never used the KEF, but I would bet that they are superior sonically but lack when it comes to app reliability and functionality. Companies that don't specialise in this area always seem to get this wrong and release buggy or clunky apps. Again, I stress, that is just a guess. I really don't know but would like to hear from anyone who does.
Where to start lol. 1 Play5 is just a Streaming speaker that you network to a Sonos Playbar or Beam system and put in your kitchen or Bedroom, it’s not meant for the needs your speaking of so of course it’s not meeting those wants and needs. Play5 or any single Sonos ( single speakers in general) speaker setup is more or less a higher end speaker meant to out perform a cheesy Bluetooth speaker and , it does, in a big way. 2. You didn’t let Sonos tune your speaker so it’s just delivering a basic/ generic setup that it came from the factory with instead of letting it adjust to your room size and shape. Scratching my head on why you chose to skip that 2-3 minute process. 3. You just plain bought the wrong system, I know you don’t want to hear that. Good news, once you do you’ll have the Play5 to put in the kitchen etc, where it belongs. 4 power consumption on your device your streaming from. It’s not the Sonos app at all, it’s the streaming from your device that’s eating the battery. Your wrong about the audiophile comment as well. In my old house I had a mega money acoustically designed system built into the house and I can say, yes, it was considerably better than my Playbar w/ the added 5.1 setup in my new house ( that’s the system for your wants and needs) BUT it didn’t cost me $8000 USD. Massive volume isn’t what makes a good system, but if that’s what you want you’ll need to spend some serious money. You also need to calculate in room size when picking a system.
The last part is so true... it will become old fashion in less than 10 years. And how about ioS, android, wifi? If all of these things one day are unavailable there is no chance to listen to the music. Anyway you're right again, we all use these services every day.
I think the sound is amazing and balanced but not flat best WiFi speaker you can get it won’t be a hifi speaker as have have more drivers and a lot bigger plus more speakers then you need the room for then I think is to replace a hi fi System but it can’t beat great review tho from a person that a has i hi fi System
Are you familiar with punctuation? this is the comma: , this is the period: . We use them so that people don't blow a lung trying to read everything we said as if it were one sentence. Using them also makes you look at least 30 IQ points smarter than if you don't.
Methinks you haven't read all the info....its only half a review......For example; using Connect:AMP will allow "regular" speakers and the sonos sub is pretty good too....
Fantastic review and I really appreciate the comparison with the standard HiFi. I also own a Play 5 (gen 2) and find that it sounds good up to 50% volume. Past that and the sound becomes uncomfortable to my ears. More so if I play lossless files ... sibilance and a bit of harshness in the high frequencies ensues. having said that, it is fantastic for whole house background music which stays in sync and is easy to access. How about a Sonos Connect for your main HiFi? :-)
Thank you for the comments. It’s good to know this style of review is useful. I tend to focus on real life use reviews rather than just features and specs. Having invested in 2 x Play 5 and 2 x Play 3, I would struggle to justify another one :-) as I already use a Play 5 in the same room as my main hifi. Different tool for a different job in a way. I do, however, take the record line out from my amp into the line in on the Play 5. Don’t really use it much but nice to have the option. Thanks again for the feedback.
I would rather have svs ultra, klipsch or kef speakers plus a svs subwoofer any day over this. Plus with a reciever I can get Dolby atmos. Plus you can't listen to your music if your wifi goes down. Not worth it
Exactly. There's nothing you can do with Sonos that you can't do by adding a bluetooth adapter to your home hi-fi setup. A smartphone or tablet can stream anything you want to any home stereo that way.
There's a lot of good product out there, But not all of it is for everybody, You have to know yourself first before going for a certain product, Sonos brings convenient to the table (at least for me), i can tell most of the errors or reviews left all over the internet is cause by the user's itself, whether they didnt fully understand their product, or what they are working with. Wifi speaker is all about convenient, if you really care about quality dont go wireless, it's whether quality over convenience or convenience over quality but what do i know, your money your choices
These seem very neighbour friendly. I doubt you will have the police come by your house with complaints about the noise. I'm sure these are great for filling your house with good quality sound. I tried all sorts of speakers and I was never truly happy with any of them. My last attempt was a £5000 5.1 set up. Still not happy. This was then I realised the problem was the room, or rather the neighbours. I thought about soundproofing the party wall but after a lot research found this would be a waste of money. I then decided to build a home theater in my garden. Twin wall, green glue and all that. I can now play at any volume at any time day or night. The sound is truly amazing. I have gone the cinema and I feel it doesn't sound as good as my set up. I may get sonos for house. They seem better than Bose. I'm skeptical when people are evangelical about Sonos. They make out they can defy the laws of physics or something.
Interesting. You buy one Sonos speaker and a month later you are ready to sum up the company and the entire experience?! A stereo pair can’t replace your hifi? How would you know? You don’t have a stereo pair!
I think a high end hi fi system would sound a little better but stereo pairs makes a night and day difference. Stereo Play5s are light years better sounding. Additionally, to compare to floor standing speakers a sub should be added. Play5s are “bookshelf” speakers.
Wow are we getting into this world or it’s more important for information and a listening device then the playback of music? I sell Sonos and many other network speakers they all sound mediocre at best.I still prefer to have in ceiling speakers in a multi room situation they sound much better.
It depends a lot of who the listener is I guess. For me the Sonos doesnot work, but I am aware it does for many many others. the Sonos to me sound just like my car stereo, at least when I have the revy engine off. It sounds good, but it does not offer the magic my good old 80s hifi set with big speakers offer. I like having both some mass coming out of the woofers and the tweeters still being crystal clear. And I am not audiophile, I am speaking of listening to Ozzy Osbourn: you feel the heavy guitars, bass guitars and drums and at the same time you hear Ozzy his voice like jhe is standing next to you. A Sonos does not offer any of that, it just sounds OK. But it is practical, something spotify people appreciate, people that do not collect vinyl and do not have racks with many many records. A diffrent type of people than my kind, realy ;-)
Can you further justify why a dedicated amp setup is better? You've covered higher volumes which I agree with but you never went into comparing at lower volumes. There's actually not much reason as to why a pair of 5s can sound worse to a good deficated amp setup. The drivers are brilliant, and it's heavily controlled with software to sound natural. Sound EQ is subjective, detail isn't. And the 5s have excellent detailed sound that is balanced (Trueplay brings the best out of it)
Had two Sonos Play5 version 2 in stereo setup in our dining room and must say that from the moment they were on I was dissapointed with the sound quality. I had them for about 6 months then sold them. They were bought for playing music, but I only used them for background radio and then the news radio station. I kept going back to my old HIFI system for playing music. Now I have one Sonos one only for background music and the news radio station and thats really good. Bottom line... Sonos isnt HIFI sound, it´s kitchen radio sound with a lot of smart functions! It wont replace your good HIFI setup anytime soon!
Sonos and Bose are both overrated. I've been slowly building a 7.1 home theater for a few months that will blow any sonos or Bose soundbar setup out of the water. Yes I have to run a few cords and need a reciever but it sounds fantastic. I have sonos and Bose. Both sit in my closet collecting dust.
I interchange the term 'network speaker' and 'smart speaker' in this video. I am aware that an original Sonos device such as the Play 3 or Play 5 are not smart speakers.
Haha, very English -" It has its little niggles" (translation: quirks or frustrations) I do so love the British idioms! Thanks, great review!
Just recently bought a Sonos bar and two Sonos ones, absolutely love them and I've had a shit ton of different 5.1 setups over the years. Amazing sound and build quality.
Agreed. I use my Sonos every day I'm at home without fail. Amazing quality.
The way the Sonos amp/sub/Arc wirelessly bonds together is AMAZING, how you can hear the bass boost in all speakers, amp is driving Polk audio in ceiling speakers…even they sound incredible bass wise…amp/sub/arc/2 in ceiling Polk speakers and 2 play1 s…just amazing
Perhaps a Sonos Connect:AMP would let you use your high-end speakers and give you the features of Sonos.
Or you could just add a bluetooth adapter to your home stereo and stream everything to it from your phone or tablet.
I agree they don't replace a good "Amp + speaker" setup. I have x2 (gen2) play 5 in stereo with the sub. The sub makes a huge difference. Not just that its gives it more bass. It pulls out some of the bass from the play 5's and allows them to stretch there legs when the volume is turned up. They have much stronger mids and the digital EQ, DB cut or what ever its called it doesn't interfere and its not a muddy sound when they are turned up compared to if you just have the 2 play 5s by themselves.
Great info. I never thought of the 5s EQ’ing differently in the presence of a sub. Makes sense.
There expensive, you can buy decent floorstanding speakers and good amplifier for the price of Sonos. Epcs when you considering a stereo pair or sub. Hifi will blow it out of the water.
That's £1700 in the UK! For that you can get decent upper mid-range hifi speakers and a hefty amp. Given that the 5's are so big I doubt many people buy them for their portability so I don't understand why you wouldn't just get bookshelf/floorstanding speakers for much cheaper.
Started out with Beam Gen 1 and two IKEA Symfonisk bookshelf speakers for surrounds for my office LG OLED 55C1 TV. Later added the Gen 3 Sub. Really impressed with the sound quality and ease of use with Sonos. The Sonos Beam system sound noticeably better than my Nakamichi 7.2.4 soundbar with our LG OLED 77C1 in our main TV room. Ended up replacing the Nakamichi with the Arc+sub+surrounds.
Thank you so much for this review. You saved me! I went to demo a pair of Kef Q and R series floorstanding speakers and finally found the sound I had been looking for-that is the fullness and smooth sound that only hifi towers can give you. The sales person was trying to convince me to buy into Sonos “and be done with it”. Of course I have read many great things about Sonos and the store was too noisy to do any proper listening (not to mention the Sonos section was too far away from the hifi section to do any comparison). I left without listening to the Sonos pieces-opting to think about the Kef some more and research the different systems. I am so glad you confirmed Sonos will not replace hifi.
After coming across your review I can only agree with you 100 percent. Bought Sonos sound bar and bass unit with 2 speakers for the back of the room and although its very good its not Hi Fi and if you want to listen to music at its best the Sonos will not cut it. As for TV and movies it is brilliant and I am very happy with it for that purpose.
I have a killer system using seven of these pieces for my home theater. I took the preamps for the seven channels and connected them to the aux input on each Sonos Play 5. I used a 1/8" stereo input connector and a Y cable for each unit. Paired with two 8" subwoofers for the low-end, this room is impressive and enjoyable. Good thing is, when I get bored of having a home theater, I can sell each of the Play 5 units for close to what I paid where as floor standing and bookshelf speakers have very little resell value from what I have seen on auction sites and such. The high end brands will sell but not for as much as one may feel they are worth. With seven smart speakers, they are super flexible. Has anyone else done this with Sonos Play 5 pieces?
I’m using a Sonos amp to power a pair of Focal Aria 926 loudspeakers, I know the speakers I have are capable of significantly higher fidelity sound HOWEVER, I am extremely impressed with how well the Sonos amp drives them. Lifestyle meets HiFi. I plan on upgrading to proper gear soon but the Sonos amp will be plenty fine for now
I have owned Sonos speakers for perhaps three years now. Eight Play speakers and a sub. Two of them have Alexa built in and the other rooms also work with Alexa through an Echo or Dot appliance. To be sure everything works as expected I also have a Sonos boost which uses its own WiFi to operate the speakers. They have worked without an issue and every few months I added from my first purchase to reach the total I now have. I don’t blast music in the home, I prefer to hear it at a pleasant volume as I move about my home. These give me good quality, easy operation and via Spotify and my own connected hard drive all I want in a system.
Great review. Nailed it.
I have recently bought the Sonos play 1 to replace using a small Bluetooth speaker and within two days of using it bought a second one so I can use them as a stereo pair. I totally agree with your synopsis. I myself have owned some hi end hifi equipment since the late 80s and Sonos isn’t quite up there but for the price / convenience/ sound quality I’d agree they are worth it. 👍
I went with the (now defunct) LG Music Flow Wi-Fi speaker system. I had a G4 when I bought my first Music Flow speaker, the portable H4 speaker, and was going to use it as a BT speaker for my laptop. I was so astonished with the sound of that little guy, I immediately wanted to hear the rest of the line up. So I started buying all the different sizes available. 4 years and 14 speakers later, I have these things down to a science. It took years, but I'm intimately familiar with these speakers now. I love them to death!
Thanks man! That’s what I needed. A straight forward, all included rundown of a Sonos system.
Hi, if you add a sub you will get a better sound than just pairing two play5 or just from one play5. There is a lot of software managment that I noticed in SONOS owning two play5 and two play1. It is different sound coming out of a speaker (they are good but by adding more units they become better and better and with some software managment they are able to improve them) if you play one speaker, than stereo (not just stereo separation but some clearity and bass managment via software) and by adding sub or playbase etc...
Agree. Minimum hi fi set up is two play 5 on stands set up position as you would any hi fi system.
I chose the Bluesound route (mainly because I had a NAD amplifier with Bluesound upgrade) and recently added a Pulse Mini 2i speaker for my bedroom. When it was new, I placed the speaker in my living room and started using it exclusively for a few days. I must say I was relieved once I started using my traditional hi-fi again (NAD C368 + Neat Acoustics Motive SX2), it sounded so much better (my main setup costs a few times more then the network speaker, so a direct comparison is really not fair). That said, I'm mighty impressed with my Mini 2i player, especially after placing it in a smaller room. I can totally understand people choosing a network speaker in their living room as a main audio source, but for me, as a hi-fi enthusiast, it would not work. So, my Bluesound experience is fully similar to yours. Thanks for your thoughtful review and sharing your experience, I totally understand why Sonos is at the top of the game.
Very thoughtful and considered review. Only recently added the Beam and a pair of Sonos 1 to my home. So far impressed with sound quality and ease of use.
I’m currently in my second week of the play 5, you are bang on when you say that the clarity of the sound drops when you turn up the volume. I’m impressed with the idiot proof set up and have used the only 3/4 jack port to link up to my TV where I can get more out of it by using the additional digital amp to create a better sound. To be honest it is a great bit of kit and if Sonos offered a second play 5 at a reduced price to the purchaser then I’d more than likely buy another.. great review pal. Thank you.
hi, i am an audiophile and i already eared sonos speakers, i wasn't that impressed because i think they are bass boosted, the sonos one for example is 90-200hz boosted if we look at the frequency graph, i don't like them, please tell me if i am right and it's not really hi-fi, there are definitely some wholes in the treble region and it rolls off at 12khz, I really like detailed, spockiling treble and this hasn't
Good review and you had lots of key points about it. For me I had and still have sonos, but now that receivers are integrating into products like Google assistant or Alexa, I am looking at going back to an amp and speaker above my cupboards where my old sonos lived. Once I change I expect my multi channel music will once again breath new life. I had a sonos theater in my living room but when I really want theater sound I watch in my TV Room with traditional Amp and speakers. Sonos is a lifestyle and like so many things in a lifestyle we sacrifice quality for convenience. I will hang on to my old play 5 for my backyard fires though. Thanks again for the review
I've had Sonos stuff for about 4 years now. Started with a play 5 and then added a 2nd for music. Then got a Beam and Sub for the TV. I have had problems connecting a few times but generally that aspect is pretty good. For the TV I now find the Beam to be too small to get real channel separation so ordered the new Arc which I have not been terribly impressed with the sound in stores but should be quite an improvement over the beam which was already decent. Too many other soundbar and surround systems have drop out problems and for that reason I decided to stay with Sonos. For music I find the 2 play 5's to just be good but not audiofile by any means so I will be replacing them with passive speakers with amp and DAC soon. What wasn't mentioned in this whole video was what source was being listened to which also makes a huge difference.
Amazingly thorough review, well done, and thanks so much 👊
A very good review so thank you for posting. Trueplay tuning can make a significant difference to your Sonos speakers in my experience. I also think that stereo pairing of two speakers makes a huge difference in the soundstage stage so I would recommend trying that if it is within your budget.
Sonos just makes playing music so simple. The software interface is excellent and relatively intuitive and I make use of my NAS drive and also a number of streaming services to quickly access new or existing music.
It’s got me listening to music again all over my house so I’m a big fan all in all.
That's it really. If it makes you listen to more music and enjoy it, job done. Music isn't really about tech, apps, phones etc...but if they can be used genuinely without it being tech for techs sake, perfect! Thanks for your comment. :-)
Since buying my first Sonos speaker I’ve even reverse-engineered my set up and bought a turntable with a Pre-amp to use out of the line-in connection of one of my Play 5’s. I then took that a stage further l and subsequently bought a ConnectAmp, external speakers, cassette player and a CD player so I get the best of both worlds now and have total flexibility - even more so now that you can use AirPlay 2 via certain Sonos speakers.
@@stevepollard7107 or you could have spent 50$ on a Chromecast audio to connect to your Amp and could have stream everything to it... Hard choices... I don't know which way to go!
Metal_Head If you already have an amp then for $50 it’s probably worthwhile trying the Chromcast option just to see how viable it is in practice. I was already in the Sonos-world so it made sense for me to incorporate it within my existing system and I’m delighted with the result.
It doesnt get muddled at all, what in the world is he tslking about. It keeps it quality at max volume.
Probably "muddled" compared to +$500 wired towers. To me, who's used to $50 satellites ($300 Logitech Z906 system w/ 5 bassless satellites and a thumpy sub) this thing sounds like a fucking commercial theatre.
Seriously clear sound on my new Beam, these reviewers nitpick based on far more expensive speakers
I own the sonos play 5, 2nd generation. And I know for a fact its not muddy at all. In mids or highs. Bass is not cheap sounding boomy either. Bass is very airy and lively. Very full and natural and wide. Mids and highs are very bright and clear. Very clear actually. It has a lot of power behind it. A lot! Can get very loud and big sound. I listen to lossless music and flac. I care very much about sound quality and picture quality. Also a big gamer I care about performance. No its not $100 grand setup. But then again who really has that kind of money to spend on sound. Most do not. Its more than enough for an audiophile. You want pure lossless music in this thing. You got it. You want it soft. You got it. Large sound you got. Full sound stage spectrum you got it. You want it muddy and cheap. Look else where. This aint some equalizer Bose trickery. This is good quality legit 👌 full sound stage audiophile grade sound. At least the sonos play 5. Its literally designed for that audiophile grade music. I not completely familiar on all the sound bars. I know the large sound bar the newer flat one and newest one are very very good sounding ones too.
@@seerking absolutely true. They do compete with Audiophile speakers. Obviously not high end floor standing speakers but the Sonos Five sound amazing for the money.
I found the best if both worlds, running the Sonos Beam with TV & Sonos rears to give a basic wireless home cinema setup with films whereas the Beam enhances TV only. Music can then be streamed via a source to all Sonos speakers in the house. BUT I also run a living room Brio Amp & CD player & Project turntable Audiophile setup for sheer high end production through a small pair of Ophidian floorstanders.
All fits in nicely whereas before I’d tried one or the other, now they co-exist in the lounge.
Next purchase a Sonos portable speaker for using anywhere including garden.
If your not an Audiophile then the Sonos is more than enough for a quality lifestyle system 👍🏻
In an earlier life I had two Gen 1 Play 5s and was not impressed. A year or so ago I bought a Gen 2 Play 5. It was better; louder, warmer, just more pleasant to listen to. I wanted more though so added another Gen 2 Play 5. This made a big difference, mainly to the volume (perhaps I shouldn’t have been surprised that two speakers would be much louder than one!). It still wasn’t quite there for me though so in the end I reluctantly added a sub on a 100-day trial. Well, I’m not giving it back. To my ear it’s transformed the sound. I’ve set the sub at around 65% (default being 50%) via the Advanced Audio option and fiddle around with the bass on the EQ as required from track to track. Generally this means having the bass setting on the EQ at less than 50%. The sub gives the depth and reducing the bass on the EQ allows greater clarity, doing away with the muddiness that I got before when cranking the base up on the EQ. I use two Apple devices simultaneously; an iPad for browsing/track selection/volume and an iPhone to fiddle with the EQ (every track is different). Agreed it’s not ‘high resolution’ but it sounds pretty damned good.
In a word yes. 2 x play 5 + sub is almost comparable to an £8k separates system that I used to have (excluding a lap top / streamer), but with way more convenience and flexibility. My old system was a Hegel amp and a pair of ATC SCM40mk2 so a proper "audiophile" system. The sonos system is almost as detailed though the bottom end not so authorititive, but then it was less than half the price! I've owned cheaper systems (think NAD / B&W for example) and my sonos system is superior. Detail, timing control. That's the big advantage of an active system, and using the truplay set up with a sub the results are deeply impressive with no fuss set up. I used a huge JL audio sub with mine and took ages to get it synced with rest of the system.
All of this assumes you place the play 5 in the vertical orientation, sonos badge on inside, and on proper stands.
In summary, as an ex audiophile (audio fool?) I totally disagree with your summary. They are hi fi quality, and much better value than over priced separate analogue boxes.
He might have a slight bias to his own speaker system. Audiophiles tend to always, and I mean always, disregard consumer equipment even if they have potentially more organised and clearer sound than their decade old floor standing speakers. That isn't to say I disagree with the creator of this video but there is a good chance he has some bias, not used the EQ or True play etc.
Really? I am currently listening to my Sonos Play:5, PB and sub .... and I find the sound really sub par. Treble too high, cheap tin-can like sound. How can these impressions be so different?
But of course good for you. I am thinking to move on ... or is something wrong with my setup? Puzzling.
I know that's an old video but I don't agree with the statement that you don't need a sub when comparing them to hifi system with always have a separate subwoofer , and considering that when you add sub the other speakers can go louder and cleaner past the volume when previously they sounded uncomfortable to ears.
I liked the SONOS sound, so I kept adding them to my house. When I got my whole house connected with SONOS, about 4 play 5's, 3 soundbars, 1 SONOS sub, 2 SONOS amps, 3 play 3's and finally 3 play 1's. I noticed when I set them all to play at once they break up, 3 of them will not play, some will cut of and on, called several times to SONOS, and tried all kinds of connections, none worked. Next comes the updates, constant long updates, if it works what the F**k are you updating? and why can't I opt out of it. Its frustrating when you have friends over, want to listen to some music on your cool system, and the F****n thing goes on an updating frenzy, this happed to me on a number of accessions! Finally one day I went to listen to some music and discovered my SONOS Application forgot ALL MY SPEAKERS, I had to manually set each and every one of them again, this happened once more, but this time they all went on E-Bay, because I am done baby-sitting my sound system! I just want to hear some music dammit! Complete overall garbage! Now looking to built and try the Definitive Technology ones, hoping they do better!
It's too bad you gave up on your speakers, because I'm pretty sure I could have helped you.
Although I've never owned a SONOS product, simply because they're just too goddamn expensive for what they are, I do own 14 LG Music Flow WiFi speakers (for the same money as 2 Play 5's and a Play 1).
I had all the same issues as you've described, except for the constant updating, that's just weird, but it was supremely frustrating and I wanted to chuck them all in the landfill.
So they were paperweights the entire year of 2018 because I was so over the bs. I thought I'd made a huge mistake.
I'd bought a D-Link ac3200 router, the best available in 2016. I'd bought a brand new modem, because the one I was using was very old. I even bullied my ISP into giving me an upgraded service package of 100/10 for the one year introductory price of $49.99. Even tho I was an old Time Warner customer when Spectrum bought them out. I was only getting 20/2 from Time Warner. After all that, they still gave me fits. So I got pissed and let them sit for a year.
January 2019 rolls around and I just wanted my music to play. So I decided to try one more time. I reset the Ethernet connected speaker back to factory spec, and reinitialized it. Played music, everything worked fine. Continued that process for all the rest of the speakers, one at a time, updating any speakers that needed it along the way. I got 12 speakers connected and playing. I was very excited.
Lucky number 13 refused to connect. It's in my bedroom corner nightstand, furthest away from my router. So I took it in the living room plugged it in, tried connecting it, got it working, but then other speakers started dropping out, and that old familiar feeling was back again. So I said screw it, and went to bed.
The next morning, I woke up to an epiphany.... *_WHAT IF I'M OVERTAXING MY NETWORK, AND IT CAN'T RUN THEM ALL AT THE SAME TIME???_*
That was my *_EUREKA!_* moment. After much testing and experimentation, I came to the realization that, I can run any combination of 8 of my 14 speakers at any one time, plus a phone to control them, and that's it. Anything more and I start having connectivity issues. The other six speakers had to be turned OFF. Not on standby. 2 years, 7 months it took me to figure out this simple solution. Now, they will run flawlessly all day, and all night, running 8 speakers or less. It all came down to one word... *_BANDWIDTH._*
Phones and computers and such will load webpages slow and buffer videos if the signal is weak. Speakers can't do that. They do have RAM-like memory that buffers the music so they can all play in sync, but once that buffer is empty, if they don't have the bandwidth to replenish, they simply stop playing, and drop signal, and cause the app to lose sight of them and yada yada yada.
From what you've said, you had A LOT of SONOS gear on your network, and only you know what else, all at the same time, and your network just couldn't do it all.
Like I said, it's too bad you gave up on your speakers.
You obviously had a terrible network configuration
I think it's more obvious that, regardless of configuration, a network can only deliver so much bandwidth. Although I make no claim to being a networking IT expert, I did substantial amounts of research on how to configure the router and the speakers.
The speakers are fairly straightforward. Dual band, with several different channels to choose from within those bands. 5 GHz is more stable and less crowded, channel 44 is the rock.
The router itself has several different customization options. I assigned priority to Music Flow, experimented with many settings and came to the conclusion, after years of testing, that allowing the router to live in auto-detection mode was the most reliable. Also, I discovered the router settings had little to do with how the speakers performed. It acts merely as a relay between the app and the Ethernet connected speaker. The Ethernet connected speaker does all the heavy lifting by creating it's own network, and connecting in a mesh. The broadcast signal comes from it, not the router, and it's broadcast signal simply is not strong enough to supply all 14 speakers.
I'm still curious about testing Wi-Fi signal repeaters around the house to see if a get any gains from that technology. We'll see.
Buy an old school stereo amp and a pair of old school speakers and pretend its a bluetooth speaker. When you do that you will suddenly realise that bluetooth speakers a garbage compared to old school speakers. No bluetooth speaker will ever sound as good as a pair of full size old school speakers. No way! And when you do that little pretend comparison you will realise this.
After reading and learning lately about what people like, I've realized, I'm a background listener. I don't really sit and listen, I wasn't music to play while I'm working on other things. That's difficult to do with just two, old school speakers.
Besides, since I already have 14 speakers, I really don't feel like buying anything else.
This is a good review. Sonos is definitely a very convenient and decent-sounding lifestyle product. A quality component hi-fi system is unquestionably superior to Sonos for music listening or home theater.
I have a friend who spent over $2,500 on his Sonos soundbar, subwoofer, and satellites. It sounds pretty good, but it's not in the same league as a good set of speakers (or 2) and a good amp. I don't even have a particularly expensive component stereo system, but it's well thought-out and put together. My friend had to admit that my system blows his Sonos away for music. The total investment in my system is under $1,200.
There is some appeal to the extra features that Sonos offers, but nothing you can't do with a smartphone or tablet, streaming to a bluetooth adapter for your home stereo.
If we are talking about stereo, Sonos offers the play 5 which is also 1200. What is your 1200 system that blew away the Sonos 5s?
100 agree with you. What speaks to me about sonos is the simplicity. Nothing replaces my Klipsch setup but Sonos is a nice way to get some music into another room where you had nothing decent to listen music.
the thing is, Sonos best comes in packs ;-)
i just went all out and Sonos. Love the software, love the comfort, love the sound actually.
You get a thumbs up and a subscription from me. You did a phenomenal job.
I appreciate your video and I think you did a great job with it (I'm subbing). Although, I do have one slight criticism. You kept mentioning audiophiles and I am one (disclosure). The problem is that you didn't approach a cost discussion (at least to a meaningful degree) that I noticed. Personally, I think the price is entirely too high and there would be a very specific set of individuals who should pay that price. 90% or the convenience could be duplicated but there would be much better sound and it would/could cost less. Anywho, try to add a cost discussion into videos that are like this to help customers understand if they are paying a premium for certain features. Then they can decide if those features are worth the premium. Keep up the good work!
Thanks for the constructive feedback Joshua. It's good to get some well laid out opinions on UA-cam sometimes!
I'm not sure if you are the right person to ask, Joshua, but as a selv-proclaimed "audiophile", maybe you are ;-)
I'm looking to buying my new speakers coming from the BOSE Acoustimass III. I *think* i'm looking for a stereo setup with cleaner sound and no sub. To be honest i was never truly happy with the BOSE system. What really speaks to me with the SONOS is that i can place the speakers where i want, do not have to worry about messy cables and have all my streaming services fully integrated.
Is there a "HiFi"-setup with this functionality in the same price range as the Play 5? I mean - with the need for cabling and with streaming services fully integrated? If you could point me in the right direction it would be truly appreciated.
so what speaker would you suggest?
@@hikewild5694 The Sonos Connect and Sonos Amp are quite expensive. If I were playing that kind of money, I would prefer a good Yamaha AV Receiver that has most of the streaming, more connectivity and can be voice controlled by Amazon Alexa etc... Pair a Yamaha with a pair of reasonably priced B&W 606 0r 607s and you've got a great sounding system with all the connectivity of Sonos.
em.fotografik Sorry, the Yamaha and B&W would sound better overall but the connectivity is still pretty hit or miss. I have used both systems and the Yamaha ends up costing the same or more and placement around the home is more challenging. The app experience is poor. Buy the Yamaha and B&W for sound. The convenience is NOT there the way it is with Sonos.
I mostly love that Sonos *just worked* with my home automation system. I won't spend up to $10k on a Hifi anymore, though I had little worry spending that on auto lighting/blinds/air-con/garage door/etc. I *love* that Sonos One speakers just needed to be added to the network to work with everything.
I highly recommend Fibaro Home Automation here. So many people miss that - including Google at the moment :(
Thanks for your frank openion . That Sonos 5 cannot replace Tower / book shelf speaker !👍
Great video. I currently run a stereo set of Play 5 gen 1 and is considering upgrading to gen 2. Do you know if they have fixed the typical "muddy" base coming from high bass output at loud volume.
hey wanted some help make a purchase decision.which do you feel is good sound setup for sonos (playbar +2×play1+sub) or (sonos beam + 2*play 5) for a living room 22ft×12ft approx. great work comprehensive reviews.
I only really have experience with the Play 3 and Play 5 (gen2). I know the 2 x Play 5 are fantastic together and work well in a room about 20x12ft. I've never really been too bothered with Subs so I would probably go with the second setup but that's just me.
Sibin Alexander I have the beam plus sub and a play 5 and it’s ducking fantastic
I had been going back and forth with doing a Sonos 5.1 Home Theater setup. A Playbar a couple Play 5’s and Sub vs AVR with wired Speakers. The Ease and Setup would be awesome. I struggle with a couple a things. First, Playbar does not have an HDMI connection to the TV. Beam does but Playbar sounds better. Also Sonos does not support Dolby Atmos. So I can’t Setup 5.1.2. I thought maybe I can get the Sonos Amp with Sonance In Wall or In Ceiling Speaker’s. I’m still on the fence.
TruePlay can make a massive difference to the sound quality. To review the speaker you really need to do this first.
Sometimes the sound isn't changed much but sometimes it's very noticeable.
I BOught 2 ones and new sonos amp, I connected them to klipsch 160.s and a 10" Sub. Hdmi from apm to tv is easy and works great. I can control volume on amp with tv remote even when the tv is off.
I use ones for rear surround and it works great. Its easy, it looks good, and its a good resale value so im pretty happy with this solution. I had the beam before and It was t good without sonos Sub, and the Sub is expensive.
Can you have 2 play 5 in stereo plus a Sub. 2.1 set up for music? Thank you
I'm more than ok with Sonos being "behind the curve" when it comes to "smart speakers". I'm looking for sound quality rather than being able to speak to my speakers.
I have to agree but I'm not sure Sonos will see it like that. They'll have to embrace this to keep sales going. I just hope that they can still keep separate from the pack as far as quality is concerned. Apple and Google etc. are making some very good products.
I'm waiting for Sonos to support Chromecast so I can use my Google Home to control the Sonos. They say it's due sometime late 2018. Until then I'm not going to buy one.
Have you used you hifi less?, I linked my Apple TV to Tivioli system using an Arcam dac, and I find I’m using my €18,000 hihi system less and less
B&W speaker, Gamut D200 and Gamut preamp, meridian cd, and Nordost interconnects. I’m know I have a big red face now.
Considerably less. My usage has changed enormously and the HiFi is used at least 80% less now. The Sonos isn't as good but it's available everywhere.
TDCatTech, I think convenience has trumped quality, and reasonable priced equipment is considerable more advance in terms of sound quality then even ten years ago.
What’s a good basic 5.1 home theater equipment?
Wow great review love the professionalism
Very honest review, thank you. One way to go around the problem that Sonos speakers use WiFi bandwidth is to use 2.4GHz WiFi exclusively for Sonos and put the rest of your devices in the 5GHz WiFi. I have it like that and have no issues, my devices in the 5GHz network can control the speakers on the 2.4GHz network. Also have never experieced music gaps
I wonder what the Hi Fi set-up was that the Sonos was being compared to here. Anyways, these types of all in one speaker systems can compete with much more expensive Hi Fi set-ups. Once you get into the Kef and Dynaudio wireless speakers, you don't need to buy expensive separates.
DJ Fawkes LOL😂😂😂
Thanks for using my track! Love This video
Great detailed review. I appreciate it. Thank you!
What is the name of that music playing at 3:53 does anyone kno?
Kick Lee - Call On Me
I logged onto my PERSONAL Google account at WORK just to tell how great and helpful this review was. Much appreciated!
Great review. I just bought 3 Sonos play 1 and the Sonos amp to link to QEF Q100s. I’m really happy. Also just bought the HomePod. Love all the extra services Sonos supports and Spotify Connect with google assistant and AirPlay 2 coming soon. 2 play 1 facing you in stereo pair are great too! HomePod great for corner of room due to design but if had to choose both front facing placement 2 play 1s or like you two play 5s if you have money! Not sure the play 3 good value now.
Very good review on this product. I ordered the P5 and still waiting for it to arrive, kinda exciting. I guess that in the last 10 years everything has gone the same way, a product that runs and relays on updates until they become obsolete, and I didn't think of that on this product, however I think this product would not be completely obsolete if they stop supporting/updating it's software as you could just use the 3.5mm jack connecting to any device (that's if in 5 years the 5mm jack has gone completely extinct, which now if I think about it.... shit).
Thanks for making the video, really enjoyed hearing your perspective on the Sonos, especially from the lens of a hifi fan.
Appreciate the feedback. Thanks!
I think "replace your hifi" is a pretty vague idea. I think the play 5 is a huge improvement over a $250 hifi from a big discount store. I'd say it sounds as good as any traditional amp/speaker setup that costs the same ($500). But I agree it won't replace a system that costs more, and that audiophiles won't be impressed (except if you ask them in comparison to similarly priced smart speakers). I think anyone shopping for a $500 system would be impressed though on sound alone, but everything else about the product really nails it. Also the average consumer is likely going to compare the sound to expensive Bluetooth speakers and it blows those away because it's not Bluetooth and doesn't suffer from Bluetooth audio compression
1:55 They are not Sonos but I have a few bluetooth speakers (one is 2.1 with a bass driver built in) and I also have my old school stereo speakers and a 200 w amp. If I play my stereo system and close my eyes and pretend that it's a good bluetooth speaker, it sounds like the best bluetooth speaker in the world that would be worth WAY more than my old school stereo system. I can't even imagine that it would be a bluetooth speaker it sounded so much better than any bluetooth speaker. But I didn't notice so much difference till I pretended that my stereo was a bluetooth speaker. Try it with your stereo speakers and pretend it's a bluetooth speaker, you will be shocked how good it sounds. lol
It depends on the listener. For me, compressed music files played through wireless speakers are not going to approach the detail and ‘soundstage’ of a decent, not even audiophile level, wired hifi solution. It’s a different animal entirely. I’m not knocking Sonos. It’s good stuff. But if I want to listen to Beethoven’s 9th or anything with a lot of detail and dimension, it’s going to be on a wired system. Wireless just doesn’t capture the detail and for me wireless becomes fatiguing for close attentive listening.
Sonos way too expensive for what you get. Get some new pioneer bookshelf speakers for 100 bucks and a Bluetooth receiver for 150. While there will be the additional 2 speaker wires to deal with in the “hi fi” setup ( just hide it them behind something) the overall sound quality can be much higher and more dynamic. Only takes a minute of research to find some high fidelity bookshelf speakers for low price. ( used ones even cheaper) technology is getting smaller and better as years go by. No need for 200 pounds of gear anymore, even though that vintage stuff still sounds great. My sister has two sonos 5’s and the sub... over 1,000 dollar setup... could be spent on just as small of system with much higher quality sound.
I like saving money when I can. Sonos has good marketing and style, but not worth it. in my opinion
So you're going to stream over bluetooth? You aware that bluetooth is not as convenient as wifi right?
They need to add Bluetooth for emergency, my WiFi /broadband went down for 2 days and I couldn't use my Sonos speakers
Andy Dawson I definitely agree with that
The Sonos Move is here. A WiFi speaker with bluetooth. Just letting you know...
Thank yoooooou for saying it’s a LIFESTYLE product... I say the same thing about some of Bose’s products... their portable speakers are made for convenience and lifestyle. They are compact and sound great. Some audiophiles try to compare... there’s nothing like a traditional receiver and hifi speakers...However there are higher end speakers that aren’t always impressive
Best review of Sonos products I have viewed! Would to hear your thoughts on Sonos Beam.
Just don't buy it it's not worth your time honestly i got it and i am returning it... It just doesn't get loud at all and at max volume the sound gets pretty bad
Thanks for the terrific review.
Many thanks!
No of course this system won't sound as good as 'proper' hifi. I still use a 1980s Sansui setup with Kef speakers and it blows my Sonos away. But that's not the point, Sonos is simple, clean, unobtrusive and integrates seamlessly with modern technology. A 'lifestyle' product as you say.
Great review and I totally understand where you are coming from re Audiophile quality production from a HiFi. That said, there’s always so much snobbery around sound production in the home etc... I think if you solely listen to music and have a separates system in a dedicated room, then it’s worth keeping (as you say!) . However I’ve struggled to integrate my HiFi with DVD & TV as they simply don’t synch (esp. from DVDs that only offer 5.1 channel output!). So I’m going to buy Sonos Playbase see how it goes and then add 2 x P5 later to see Seamlessly synch L & R channels for film and music CD/DVD and streaming via @Amazon & Tunein Radio, serving all options....
Paul Shepherd you will not be disappointed
Paul Shepherd The struggle with integrating?!?!😂😂😂
No, I don't think they replace HIFI. I think they are some of the best mass consumer speakers out there (I have four Ones and a Beam 2), but I don't think they are actually audiophile grade speakers. I am currently building out a hifi system to supplement the Sonos speakers.
How about bose home 500 speaker it can replace hifi?
Not muddled, strained at high volumes they get strained and it makes you knock the volume back a few clicks.
Good review...I’m not kidding!!!
I’ll say no, it won’t. I have a Sonos system and it isn’t HiFi, it’s mid fi at best. It’s fine for background music.
FM, LP, tape decks were all part of hi-fi, so yes
Better a stereo set up of play 5 sonos or kef lsx?
I have never used the KEF, but I would bet that they are superior sonically but lack when it comes to app reliability and functionality. Companies that don't specialise in this area always seem to get this wrong and release buggy or clunky apps.
Again, I stress, that is just a guess. I really don't know but would like to hear from anyone who does.
@@tdcattech lsx kef anyday
Sonos better...kef lsx miss of Power ..i've listen them in a shop...and they dont impress me
get the sonos connect so that you can still use the system you already have and just move the sonos speakers to different rooms
Thanks for Nice review bro. Please review sonos beam too
A hifi? ... I didn’t know they still existed. Does it still have a double tape deck and a record player on top?
:-)
Best review.....intelligent, honest, independent views...
Thank you!
And have you noticed that no matter which way you turn that speaker Sonos will be spelled Sonos I know OCD of mine
I love it! It's such a great use of a sans-serif font. Nicely considered. I guess they began knowing that they would be making products like this.
Song at 4:30? Thanks.
Darude Sandstorm
Where to start lol. 1 Play5 is just a Streaming speaker that you network to a Sonos Playbar or Beam system and put in your kitchen or Bedroom, it’s not meant for the needs your speaking of so of course it’s not meeting those wants and needs. Play5 or any single Sonos ( single speakers in general) speaker setup is more or less a higher end speaker meant to out perform a cheesy Bluetooth speaker and , it does, in a big way.
2. You didn’t let Sonos tune your speaker so it’s just delivering a basic/ generic setup that it came from the factory with instead of letting it adjust to your room size and shape. Scratching my head on why you chose to skip that 2-3 minute process.
3. You just plain bought the wrong system, I know you don’t want to hear that. Good news, once you do you’ll have the Play5 to put in the kitchen etc, where it belongs.
4 power consumption on your device your streaming from. It’s not the Sonos app at all, it’s the streaming from your device that’s eating the battery.
Your wrong about the audiophile comment as well. In my old house I had a mega money acoustically designed system built into the house and I can say, yes, it was considerably better than my Playbar w/ the added 5.1 setup in my new house ( that’s the system for your wants and needs) BUT it didn’t cost me $8000 USD. Massive volume isn’t what makes a good system, but if that’s what you want you’ll need to spend some serious money. You also need to calculate in room size when picking a system.
So as long as it can play through out my entire house that I can control from my home PC (and smartphone).
The last part is so true... it will become old fashion in less than 10 years. And how about ioS, android, wifi? If all of these things one day are unavailable there is no chance to listen to the music.
Anyway you're right again, we all use these services every day.
I think the sound is amazing and balanced but not flat best WiFi speaker you can get it won’t be a hifi speaker as have have more drivers and a lot bigger plus more speakers then you need the room for then I think is to replace a hi fi System but it can’t beat great review tho from a person that a has i hi fi System
Are you familiar with punctuation?
this is the comma: ,
this is the period: .
We use them so that people don't blow a lung trying to read everything we said as if it were one sentence. Using them also makes you look at least 30 IQ points smarter than if you don't.
Methinks you haven't read all the info....its only half a review......For example; using Connect:AMP will allow "regular" speakers and the sonos sub is pretty good too....
Fantastic review and I really appreciate the comparison with the standard HiFi. I also own a Play 5 (gen 2) and find that it sounds good up to 50% volume. Past that and the sound becomes uncomfortable to my ears. More so if I play lossless files ... sibilance and a bit of harshness in the high frequencies ensues. having said that, it is fantastic for whole house background music which stays in sync and is easy to access. How about a Sonos Connect for your main HiFi? :-)
Thank you for the comments. It’s good to know this style of review is useful. I tend to focus on real life use reviews rather than just features and specs.
Having invested in 2 x Play 5 and 2 x Play 3, I would struggle to justify another one :-) as I already use a Play 5 in the same room as my main hifi. Different tool for a different job in a way. I do, however, take the record line out from my amp into the line in on the Play 5. Don’t really use it much but nice to have the option.
Thanks again for the feedback.
I would rather have svs ultra, klipsch or kef speakers plus a svs subwoofer any day over this. Plus with a reciever I can get Dolby atmos. Plus you can't listen to your music if your wifi goes down. Not worth it
Exactly. There's nothing you can do with Sonos that you can't do by adding a bluetooth adapter to your home hi-fi setup. A smartphone or tablet can stream anything you want to any home stereo that way.
There's a lot of good product out there,
But not all of it is for everybody,
You have to know yourself first before going for a certain product,
Sonos brings convenient to the table (at least for me), i can tell most of the errors or reviews left all over the internet is cause by the user's itself, whether they didnt fully understand their product, or what they are working with. Wifi speaker is all about convenient, if you really care about quality dont go wireless, it's whether quality over convenience or convenience over quality but what do i know, your money your choices
Great review! Thanks
These seem very neighbour friendly. I doubt you will have the police come by your house with complaints about the noise. I'm sure these are great for filling your house with good quality sound. I tried all sorts of speakers and I was never truly happy with any of them. My last attempt was a £5000 5.1 set up. Still not happy. This was then I realised the problem was the room, or rather the neighbours. I thought about soundproofing the party wall but after a lot research found this would be a waste of money. I then decided to build a home theater in my garden. Twin wall, green glue and all that.
I can now play at any volume at any time day or night. The sound is truly amazing. I have gone the cinema and I feel it doesn't sound as good as my set up. I may get sonos for house. They seem better than Bose. I'm skeptical when people are evangelical about Sonos. They make out they can defy the laws of physics or something.
Interesting. You buy one Sonos speaker and a month later you are ready to sum up the company and the entire experience?! A stereo pair can’t replace your hifi? How would you know? You don’t have a stereo pair!
No. I am, however, prepared to give an opinion. That’s what reviews are largely about. Take from it what you wish.
I think a high end hi fi system would sound a little better but stereo pairs makes a night and day difference. Stereo Play5s are light years better sounding. Additionally, to compare to floor standing speakers a sub should be added. Play5s are “bookshelf” speakers.
This will satisfy mainly those who need their biased confirmed.
Wow are we getting into this world or it’s more important for information and a listening device then the playback of music? I sell Sonos and many other network speakers they all sound mediocre at best.I still prefer to have in ceiling speakers in a multi room situation they sound much better.
Amazing review.
good review i stick to my hi fi cheers
Great review
It depends a lot of who the listener is I guess. For me the Sonos doesnot work, but I am aware it does for many many others.
the Sonos to me sound just like my car stereo, at least when I have the revy engine off. It sounds good, but it does not offer the magic my good old 80s hifi set with big speakers offer. I like having both some mass coming out of the woofers and the tweeters still being crystal clear. And I am not audiophile, I am speaking of listening to Ozzy Osbourn: you feel the heavy guitars, bass guitars and drums and at the same time you hear Ozzy his voice like jhe is standing next to you. A Sonos does not offer any of that, it just sounds OK.
But it is practical, something spotify people appreciate, people that do not collect vinyl and do not have racks with many many records. A diffrent type of people than my kind, realy ;-)
Muddled? What is this guy talking about? Sonos has amazing clarity.
Can you further justify why a dedicated amp setup is better? You've covered higher volumes which I agree with but you never went into comparing at lower volumes. There's actually not much reason as to why a pair of 5s can sound worse to a good deficated amp setup. The drivers are brilliant, and it's heavily controlled with software to sound natural. Sound EQ is subjective, detail isn't. And the 5s have excellent detailed sound that is balanced (Trueplay brings the best out of it)
Had two Sonos Play5 version 2 in stereo setup in our dining room and must say that from the moment they were on I was dissapointed with the sound quality. I had them for about 6 months then sold them. They were bought for playing music, but I only used them for background radio and then the news radio station. I kept going back to my old HIFI system for playing music. Now I have one Sonos one only for background music and the news radio station and thats really good. Bottom line... Sonos isnt HIFI sound, it´s kitchen radio sound with a lot of smart functions! It wont replace your good HIFI setup anytime soon!
Sonos and Bose are both overrated. I've been slowly building a 7.1 home theater for a few months that will blow any sonos or Bose soundbar setup out of the water. Yes I have to run a few cords and need a reciever but it sounds fantastic. I have sonos and Bose. Both sit in my closet collecting dust.
Great vid . thx
Great review but really pricey
Since AirPlay support Sonos kills everything!