Sonos Five Rethink


Sonos five. needs a rethink. Bought this speaker at Xmas  Big mistake for now.The crossover setup in my opinion is well off. Yes, good base. But music is not just about base!. . What is missing is the voices, way back in the background wearing a Facemask!. I want to hear what is in the music not just thumping base that drowns out voices and percussion.  This would be an exceptional speaker if they got the balance right.


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40 replies

Userlevel 7

The Five is considered to be Sonos’ best-sounding speaker for music. Have you performed Trueplay tuning and adjusted the EQ?

Have tried 2 different fives

Have tuned them more than 100 

When people say this speaker sounds so clear. I'm definitely missing something.

Do they mean there's no distortion?. No there is none.

Just wish the Facemask can come of and hear more clarity in the voice.

 

Userlevel 7

What is your music source? Have you tried testing the Five in a different room?

I set my equaliser to +3 treble and base -1

I want to use it in my living room where I listen to it.

I have laminate flooring and not much material wise items.

Should be better

Userlevel 7

What is your music source?

All types of music.

Mainly solo singers, country, and most other music apart from heavy rock

My music source is Tidal 16 bit and direct connection from Samsung 9+ flac

I use tidal via wireless via s2 app and direct connections.

No difference when bypassing app.

Userlevel 7

Have you checked your sound quality settings in the TIDAL app and optimized your DAC? See this article: https://support.tidal.com/hc/en-us/articles/360005773698-Optimizing-HiFi

Yes, my settings are as they should be on Tidal. Streaming is Hi-fi 16 bit. And I set it for master 24 bit on my Sony xm3 earbuds.

As for the day, cannot change any settings just streaming to your five!

Meant dac

 

I have laminate flooring and not much material wise items.

 

Room acoustics because of this reason? Have you done Trueplay tuning? Have other speakers sounded good here?

Room acoustics is ideal. 

Never had problems before with other speakers. 

The real problem is this speaker is uncapable of producing hi fi sound.

For alot of people this speaker will be acceptable,  but if you are wanting high class sound this is definitely not the speaker to buy.

Not worth the overpriced £500!!!

 

Userlevel 7

@Tech_nician62 If you want Hi-Fi audio, you should probably invest in a higher end audio system than Sonos. But be prepared to spend A LOT more money.

For a £1,000 for a pair of speakers you should get hi fidelity sound and not just a bass box which pretends to be and cannot provide the goods which it should.

This speaker iis falsely over rated on reviews and people should listen to it before they commit.

Userlevel 7

@Tech_nician62 I’m no audiophile, but I love my Sonos Play:5 and think it sounds fantastic and is worth every penny.

FYI… most audiophiles would tell you that Sonos has never been considered a high-end, Hi-Fi audio speaker.

Just telling how it is, and to warn others before they buy

 

 

I’m really very happy with the sound of the Sonos Fives, I have four of them at the moment. Prior to getting these, I had the original Play:5 (gen 1’s) which were good, but not as good as the new Fives. 

We have very little reflective surfaces in any of our rooms, mostly carpets, curtains and soft furnishings that absorb sound waves, rather than reflect them around the room. I think the speakers sound great for their reasonable price-point and even better when you add a Sonos Sub to a stereo pair. 

I prefer them orientated vertical with the tweeters set on the outer edge for a wider and more diffuse soundstage, but in truth they sound good in any orientation, particularly after they are TruePlay tuned to a room.

I quite often like a ‘flat’ EQ, which tends to suit my own hearing, but if paired with the Sub, I like to increase the Sub volume a little to a +4 setting, however these things may vary depending on the type of audio being played.

Since the OP has nothing new to say here now, let me ask others to give an example of the cheapest set up they consider to be HiFi.

 

I'm Sorry mate but the OP is still here and looking for support and advice.

Its people like you that is so quick to be unhelpful but quick to add no help.

Start your own thread about cheapest hifi, got nothing to do with this topic.!!!!!!!

I did start one as you were typing to tell me to. That said, I saw more of an opinion and less of asking for support in yours, so good luck getting that...mate.

OK mate. What kind of problems are you having!.

Like to help if I can.

I’m really very happy with the sound of the Sonos Fives, I have four of them at the moment. Prior to getting these, I had the original Play:5 (gen 1’s) which were good, but not as good as the new Fives. 

We have very little reflective surfaces in any of our rooms, mostly carpets, curtains and soft furnishings that absorb sound waves, rather than reflect them around the room. I think the speakers sound great for their reasonable price-point and even better when you add a Sonos Sub to a stereo pair. 

I prefer them orientated vertical with the tweeters set on the outer edge for a wider and more diffuse soundstage, but in truth they sound good in any orientation, particularly after they are TruePlay tuned to a room.

I quite often like a ‘flat’ EQ, which tends to suit my own hearing, but if paired with the Sub, I like to increase the Sub volume a little to a +4 setting, however these things may vary depending on the type of audio being played.

I'm glad that you have an ear that accepts this speaker.

We all have our own expectations how music should sound. But my main point is in this topic is the poor sound quality of this speaker for the price . Definitely recommend buying the Kefs.

Have tuned this speaker over 100 times, what a waste of time!!. It is impossible to get a balanced and enjoyable experience. 

 

Yes, my settings are as they should be on Tidal. Streaming is Hi-fi 16 bit. And I set it for master 24 bit on my Sony xm3 earbuds.

As for the day, cannot change any settings just streaming to your five!

Don't have a clue what your on about!!!

Don't think do ither