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Fives stereo mode orientation

  • 11 January 2022
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I saw a couple closed topics on this, but the answers were inconsistent.  I’m planning on getting a pair of Fives to setup in stereo mode.  As I don’t want the controls to be on the side of the speaker when orienting them vertically, I’d like to orient them horizontally.  Given that with a single speaker, horizontal puts it in stereo mode and vertical in mono, and vertical seems to be the recommendation for a stereo pair, can I orient a pair horizontally and have them work properly in stereo mode?

Also, when in stereo mode, does the volume control on one speaker control the volume for the pair or just that one speaker?

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Best answer by Ken_Griffiths 11 January 2022, 16:52

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6 replies

jgatie

Whoops, wrong thread!

Ken_Griffiths

@pyoung62,

Note, if you want both channels (stereo sound) from both ‘Five’ speakers to fill your room with sound… then you can place them both Horizontal and ‘group’ the two speakers together, rather than ‘pair’ them - if you do choose to ‘pair’ them, (regardless of orientation), you will see they each then play the separate L/R channels instead. Hope that now makes sense.

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Got it.  Thank you for clarifying.

Ken_Griffiths

A horizontal speaker will output stereo audio over a wide soundstage while a vertical speaker will output mono audio/single audio channel. When placing a single speaker, Sonos recommend using a horizontal orientation. 

When either horizontal or vertical, make sure all four rubber feet are sitting completely on the flat surface. 

I will just add to the above with this slight clarification…

A single vertical speaker will not play in stereo (it’s mono audio only), whereas a single horizontal will have a left/right channel. Two speakers paired in stereo will play in stereo regardless of orientation.

If using the Fives as a stereo pair, then orient vertically with tweeters on the inside for a sharper stereo image, or put the tweeters on the outside for a slightly wider, but possibly more diffuse soundstage.

When paired the volume buttons act on both speakers

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So this is what seems to me like conflicting info.

”Two speakers paired in stereo will play in stereo regardless of orientation.”

”If using the Fives as a stereo pair, then orient vertically”

If setup as a stereo pair, is the orientation sensor in the speakers ignored so that they will function properly when horizontal?

Ken_Griffiths

So this is what seems to me like conflicting info.

”Two speakers paired in stereo will play in stereo regardless of orientation.”

”If using the Fives as a stereo pair, then orient vertically”

If setup as a stereo pair, is the orientation sensor in the speakers ignored so that they will function properly when horizontal?

Yes when ‘paired’ horizontal (or otherwise) they play in stereo with the one speaker playing the left channel and the other speaker playing the right channel - it’s a more diffuse soundstage and perhaps ideal for the larger room size.

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