1 Play5 vs pair of Play 1s

yes, the small Play1 is more convinient for carrying/placing around in the house, and don't forget its relative waterproof design.
handy for use in garden or bathroom

I am a experienced HiFi audio listener , and my opinion is that all the SONOS speakers do have great sound, but they are not real high-end hifi sounding (like my old-skool HiFi stereo setup).
they all very good but "coloured" sounding, and the bigger the enclosures, the bigger the influence (colouration) of these enclosures is on the sound. therefore I like my 2 little PLAY1's in stereo setup, with EQ neutral Bas, and 80% increased Treble settings, loudnes off....


I know this post is kinda old, but still comes up in Google and I just had to reply.
Its posts like these that makes hifi newcomers feel awkward, confused and unsure about their own hearing. I've seen so many people posting that their experienced hifi audio listeners and then completely destroying their own claim by saying something stupid.
Him claiming that the Play 1 sounds right keeping the bass at neutral and 80% increased treble is totally ridiculous. If you do these settings on a Play 1 that will not sound good at all and completely out of balance. If to him this really sounds good he should get his ears checked as it is in no way a natural sound.
The Sonos play 1 actually come with an incredible clear and well balanced sound straight out of the box. In my opinion Sonos did a great job on engineering and the sound clarity actually is pretty much up the audiophile standard.
The only thing one should actually play around with per room is the loudness setting. While loudness is a setting that can distort the original sound a bit it really depends on how much bass and high ends your room can reflect to make it either sound good or too boomy. Keep in mind that loudness also only works on the lower end of the volume scale. While in the higher ends it does little to nothing.
I got both the Sonos Play 5 and Play 1 and both do an amazing job at producing clear, well balanced and vibrant sound. The only advantage the 5 gives over the 1 is the amount of bass. Both offer pretty much the same clarity in the mids and high's. But don't underestimate the 1 tho. For such a tiny speaker it still produces an amazing amount of bass. And I don't mean that over distorted bass that comes from beats headsets. But the one that still stays clear and punchy. Its not a room shaker like the 5 is, but it has enough to at least let your ears not miss a thing.

I only trust measurements, never subjective reviews, especially those of self-proclaimed "experts". The Play:1 measures exceptionally well for a speaker its size and price. Considering that it's powered and DSP corrected, it's quite a bargain.

http://stereos.about.com/od/Wireless/fl/Review-Sonos-Play1.htm

Sorry to necro this thread, will throw in a few comments which could help people out I hope.

I have owned everything Sonos sells with the exception of the Connect:AMP, I took a lot of it back, kept a bunch of it.

I'm pretty picky, but to my untrained ears I just like what I like. I don't have any meters or formal training.

Someone said that the speakers are room dependant. I 100% agree. Not only that, distance matters too. I'm sure the audophile grade guys here have some math equation for it, but I've discovered that sitting a Play:5 on a desk about 2 feet from me doesn't sound like it does when you move it 15 feet away.

Square rooms tend to do worse than non-symmetrical rooms.

I have a Play:5, 5xPlay:1's, and a Play:3. Never tried the Sub (will get one soon), and I will admit I have never done a Stereo Pair of 2xPlay:3's.

However, I think Stereo PLay:1's sounded better than a single Play:3, and even a Play:5. The Play:5 has more bass, but in some songs that's not what I'm looking for.

In a nutshell, here's the variables that I found to be pretty random.

1. Room size / layout / shape.
2. Distance from speaker.
3. Type of music! No one seems to talk about this one.

Type of music is important, less so for the Sonos because it's so versatile, but even though, Bose sounds great on Bass heavy rhythm tracks, and some instrumental, but falls apart when you want to hear mids and some highs. On the contrary, Sonos does an excellent job with all 3 ranges, but some records / songs do better or worse than others. On that same though, some Sonos speakers tend to do better for certain types then others.

I find my Play:1 Pairs have good bass, not crazy, but solid, good volume for my rooms, and have the right mix of mids and highs for the TYPE of music in the ROOM I enjoy them in. In other rooms, I rock Play:5's.

I have 2 rooms that are Play:1 Stereo, one room that's just a single Play:1, and a room that's a single Play:5.

I never have used my line in, but if I wanted, I could hook a bluetooth adapter to it to give the sonos bluetooth, just never needed it.

My issue with the "measurements" is that if you need a tool to tell the difference, you're likely not appreciating the difference. The only way I have been able to answer any of these questions is to sit in front of the system with my untrained, biased ears.

Best buy has a crazy good return policy, so just go try them out. It's the only way you'll ever really know.

My issue with the "measurements" is that if you need a tool to tell the difference, you're likely not appreciating the difference.
Where a speaker shortlist is to be made, measurements are very useful. Selecting from the shortlist is best done by listening, preferably in the target room with preferred music.

@Smansmith, I really like your setup that you described in the forum (pasted here below). Wondering how this would work on a TV? Also, would it be simple to connect the Play 1's as TV stereo L&R and have the Play 5 paired as well?

I currently run a Play5 and two Play1s (playing as stereo L & R) and all 3 paired to one room in our condo. This is more than enough for the space, the Play5 for a bit more depth with the Play1s for an overall wider soundstage. I think it works well and gives a bit of flexibility in case I move or if I prefer to move a Play1 to the bedroom, etc.

If you are looking at only this option of 1xPlay5 or 2xPlay1 and have no 'extra' sound system - the 2 x Play1s would be best IMHO, a Play5 may be 'better quality' sound overall but having a fuller, more encompassing sound gives a richer experience I think.

Of course, I do think everybody needs at least one Play5 regardless but it is a nice upgrade if you are just entering the Sonos waters or if considering value. $0.02.

I can't afford the whole sub+playbar setup and this sounds like a decent start.

Sonos is far away from HiFi. It's about convenience.

Sonos is far away from HiFi.
It depends on your definition. A ZP80/90/CONNECT can deliver a bit-perfect lossless stream that's just as 'HiFi' as the best of the CD players, perhaps even better given the absence of real-time error correction.

Sonos is far away from HiFi...

Rubbish! Don't agree at all. Maybe Sonos does not conform to the audiophile's aspiration, but I listened to some organ music the other day with the volume turned up and I can't believe anyone really needs quality that is very much better! This was on a CONNECT:AMP/ZP120 feeding into a pair of Mission M30s, but with the added benefit of a Sonos SUB. Wonderful. Rich bass and crisp treble notes that made the hairs on my neck tingle.

I discovered later that my neighbour in the other half of this house had visitors at the time. Sure hope they enjoyed Bach and Widor!

Got a pair of play ones, love the stereo separation and find the bass realy good, plenty loud enough for me and my neighbours..

my experience is that for casual music listening a single play 1 is plenty loud and sounds good for even a large size room.