Is the SUB really an inferior product?

There is no arguing with the gear heads; I know because I was one once. Just trust your ears and enjoy the music.

If it is of any use: I was convinced for a long time that Subs are only meant for movies and not music because they don't integrate well with the main speakers. I changed my mind after seeing how well the Sub integrated with both a play 1 pair and a Connect Amp driving third party bookshelf speakers.

The same gear heads will say the same thing about the play 1. Again, there is nothing to be gained in arguing with them, but I believe that a 1 pair + Sub is as good as many audiophile grade set ups out there. And I have heard/owned/used a few of those over more than a decade.

That's what I have: SUB + SoundBar + 2x Play:1 and I love the soundstage, power and sound.

I didn't get it. I thought maybe I didn't know any better.

And the answer to the driver size argument is that Sub performance is down to how much air it can move while reproducing low frequency music. That is a function of driver size, number of drivers moving air, the extent they can move back and forth, and the design of the box in which they are placed. Driver size matters, but it is the combination of factors that delivers outcomes.

But as I said, the proof of the pudding is in the eating; if it sounds good, it is. Nothing else matters in these very subjective assessments, IMO.

SUB will go to 25Hz. It might be pushing it to ask for 20Hz.

Simplistic gear head comparisons with conventional subwoofers might overlook the clever internal acoustic engineering. Don't judge a SUB by its size.

They were telling me it doesn't even get to 25Hz (which is what the specs sheet reads).

I've observed general disdain for Sonos products on Hi-Fi / 'Audiophile' forums. My own view is that much of it is uninformed twaddle, and could be demonstrated as such in a blind test. For many of the correspondents in question it would be the first time they'd actually heard a Sonos system anyway :)

Since acquiring my Sonos equipment I've done far more actual listening to music, and that music sounds just great. I find the listening more enjoyable than the worrying about Hi-Fi equipment, but maybe that's just me!

I have the 5.1 setup. My own opinion is that the playbar and the play 1s produce good sound (not great). The sub is great. It is easily the most impressive part of the 5.1 package in my opinion. It shakes my walls with no distortion at all.

5.1 is a poor environment to assess the capabilities of the 1 units because of how thin surround content is when compared to 2 channel stereo music. But it does what it needs to there, which isn't much to start with. The play bar/base is as much about looks and no clutter as it is about sound quality. It is the Sub that is the anchor of what is otherwise a compromised set up compared to a multi speaker equipped 5.1 set up for TV; but the benefit of the compromise is much less clutter.

That's what I have: SUB + SoundBar + 2x Play:1 and I love the soundstage, power and sound.

I didn't get it. I thought maybe I didn't know any better.
The Sub hits 25 Hz. I measured it using a utility on my phone.

This is a similar argument to what you will hear when you get into a Apple V/s Android argument. I am guessing that they all are major Android fans too? Maybe like tweaking and tuning a bit much, as opposed to the walled garden approach that Sonos and Apple take in their products. In any case the Sonos Sub cannot be used with other products and no other sub would be able to produce the kind of sound in a Sonos environment like the Sub does purely because they cannot be tuned with TruePlay. The advantages the Sub has in a Sonos environment are not available in most other products either. No body vibration, easily turned off in the app, can be moved and setup in 15 mins, Trueplay to tune sound to ambiance.

Check out my comments on the Sub here:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/customer-reviews/R1FIV7YM4NPKHP/ref=cm_cr_getr_d_rvw_ttl?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B01IOECP6A

I am also curious - what sounds are available in the 20-25 Hz range? Deeper booms? And how often do music recordings and movies hit that range? Again going by the 80/20 rule - most recordings don't go that deep. And audiophiles always make claims but can never prove things technically; the ear is a delicate organ. I bet some can't hear below 25 Hz. :D

You could also argue that subs that hit below 25 Hz will still suffer from some distortion so they have to go below - maybe 15 Hz to be able to produce distortion free sound. But that would affect rattle and shake of the body. So now its now opening a pandora's box of multiple factors.

As for me, I sit back and enjoy the music and movies on my Sub.

The fundamental things about audiophiles are tinkering, equipment obsession and elitism. Sonos fails on all three counts by leaving no scope for any of these three to flourish, never mind that it sounds as good as most audiophile kit, because that alone isn't the core of the hobby.