I have a stereo pair of Era-300s (without a Sub) in our Kitchen/Diner and I think they sound fantastic - I mostly use them with Amazon Music Unlimited and they are a great sounding stereo pair. I’m sure adding a Sub to the pair would also be incredible… Anyhow, I personally have no hesitation in recommending the Era-300 speakers.

Had a pair and returned them. Wasn’t impressed and went back with my One’s. 

I…like @Ken_Griffiths think the Era 300’s sound good as a stereo pair. I have them bonded with a full size sub which allows them to focus on mids and highs. A sub mini would have sufficed but I already had an extra sub.

In truth I also have a pair of Fives bonded with a sub. The Fives are a “one trick” pony in that they are designed for stereo only; but IMO do a better job for PURE stereo separation to present a wide sound stage. They also have a better low-end without a sub.

The Era 300’s also have the option of Dolby Atmos which the Fives do not. Therefore IMO they are a better value than the Fives.

However, if you don’t have a pair of Fives to perform an A/B comparison you won’t be disappointed with the Era 300’s as a stereo pair. Even if you could do an A/B comparison you may not notice any difference. Takes a very discerning ear to say one sounds better than the other. Like mine

If I could only purchase a set of Era 300’s or Fives based upon value/versatility I’d choose the Era 300’s. If I wanted the best stereo Sonos has to offer (albeit by a small margin) I’d choose a set of Fives.

Thanks for the input.  I read elsewhere that Sonos has removed the balance slider for the 300s so there is no way to adjust the balance.   Is this true?  If so, that could be a problem. 

It’s correct, there has never been a balance control for the Era 300 stereo pair, because of its angled speakers, I guess …and the fact Trueplay tuning takes care of the rest.

I did once request L/R control though, suggesting it might be helpful when ‘spatial audio’ in the room has been set to ‘disabled’ on the pair, but whilst that went forward as a feature request, it’s not been implemented thus far, probably due to the reasons mentioned. In real terms the paired 300s audio output works really well, even when not sat at the ‘sweet spot’ in a room, so I guess therein lies the reason why the balance control has not been implemented.

I disconnected my 300 surrounds and set them up as a stereo pair with a Sub, just to try it out.   My first impressions are mixed. 

The 300s are very bright and detailed in the high end.   Their dispersion is better than any speaker I have ever heard.  Highs are clear no matter where you stand or sit in the room.  Still, the speakers have a sweet spot that is dead center at about the distance equal to their separation.   Move to either side and they can sound off balance.   They do need a balance slider if only because most rooms have unbalanced acoustics.   I assume that,  because of the position of each driver,  balancing is not as simple as left or right volume adjustment, and that Sonos hasn't figured out a simple way to do it. 

I do find them lacking in warmth, though.  There is something missing in the lower mid to upper bass that makes them sound a little harsh to me.  I've played with the EQ a bit but haven't had much luck.   If I increase the bass, it can get a bit boomy, so that doesn't appear to be a fix.   If someone has had experience with this, I'd appreciate any suggestions. 

I love these things as surrounds, so they will eventually go back to the home theater.   In the mean time,  I'll continue to use them as a stereo pair to see if it's worth buying another pair for that purpose.   Overall, I do like them for stereo, I'm just not sure how much. 

Your profile doesn’t say but if you have a sub what does it do for your sound?

I do have a Sub connected.  It provides solid bass that you can feel, but being a Sub, it doesn't contribute much to the mid bass.   They sound very good together.   I still have a lot of listening to do before I decide whether I want to get another pair of 300s or get a pair of Fives. 

After reading the glowing reviews about Trueplay, I drove to Costco in search of the cheapest iPad I could find.   I live in the Android universe, so I figured with all the dough I've dropped on Sonos, a cheap iPad wouldn't break the bank any more then it has been broken already. 

I ran Trueplay on the 300s and Sub setup, and it sure did make a difference.   The speakers sound much more balanced now, both left to right and tonally.  Bass is solid all the way to the floor, highs are clear and open throughout the room, and the transition between the two is smooth. 

For reference,  I listened to Brandenburg Concertos 1 and 2 played by Academy of Saint Martin in the Fields and sir Neville Marriner, Wynton Marsalis Standard Time Volume 1, and Jaco Pastorius Jaco Pastorius.  I also listened t to some hip hop to see how this system handled that thunderous bass.

This setup sounds great.   I've never heard speakers fill a room like these.  It doesn't really sound like the music is coming from speakers.  It sounds more like the music is in the room.  It's almost like you're in a concert hall or a jazz club.  Further, while you can certainly crank these up, you don't have to.   They are enjoyable at lower volumes as well. 

I don't want to over hype these.  The sound quality will be limited by their size and price, I'm sure,  but I'm no audiophile - I don't listen so much to the speakers but to the music.  These sound great. 

I still don't know whether to buy another pair of these or get a pair of Fives for music.   These have to go back to my home theater,  eventually.   The Fives would have to be a noticeable improvement though. 

If anyone has any experience comparing the two, I'd appreciate their comments. 

Hi @Rob_95 

Re-Read my post above in this thread. For Pure Stereo separation and wide sound stage I prefer my Fives. The Fives provide a more traditional listening experience; if that is your goal. However, if possible you should do an A/B test in your home as only your ears can be the final judge. Sonos in the US has a 45 day return no questions asked (so to speak) policy. The return policy does vary by region. 

Hopefully you’ll get enough use out of your iPad to make it worth the cost before it goes obsolete and you need to buy a new one.

Thanks for your help.   I was all set to order a pair of Fives. It appears, though, that the tallest stand offered for the Five is only 31 inches tall, which is a couple inches shy of what I need.   That may have narrowed down my choice some. 

There is no reason you can’t put a booster under a speaker stand.

I’ve made some very nice risers using a simple rectangle of 1” oak board with an oak plywood center. Simple cutting and then glue together for a very nice project. If you are going to paint them pine will do as well and be cheaper.

Not a bad idea. 

Hi

@Rob_95 

If you search the web the recommended speaker stand is 24 to 28 inches. My Flexson Sonos Five stands are 31 inches tall. 

My floors are hardwood with very few soft surfaces excluding my leather recliners and a cloth love seat. I’m seated about 10 feet from my Fives. 

My point here is that unless you have carpeted floors and/or a lot of sound adsorbing surfaces the reflected sound from floor, ceiling and walls should provide an enjoyable listening experience. Using Trueplay with an iOS device should help as well (in most settings).

In any event if not satisfied you can of course take the great advice of @Stanley_4 and build risers.

Thanks @AjTrek1 , I need the extra height to get over some furniture.   I'll just use some slices of 2x12 initially, until I decide on a final configuration.  Looking forward to getting my 300s back to the home theater. 

I took the advise of @AjTrek1 and purchased a pair of Fives so I could compare them with the 300s.   So far, my listening results largely mirror Aj's.  Sort of.  I don't find the Fives either better or worse than the 300s, but different. 

The Fives produce slightly better detail, particularly in the lower mids and bass.   I believe they produce clearer sound, which is beneficial when listening to individual instruments.  So if I want to focus on a drum or bass solo of a jazz quartet, the Fives are marginally superior.   Here, though, the difference is subtle, and you likely wouldn't notice without listening to each side by side. 

The 300s, on the other hand, fill the room better, and I think are more enjoyable than the Fives when listening to the music as a whole.   For instance, orchestral music sounds superior on the 300s than on the Fives, as does big band, or even an entire jazz quartet.  The 300s produce a slight reverb that feels more like a live performance that I think I prefer.   I suppose a hifi purist would not want this, but then such a purist would likely not "settle" for sonos in the first place.  Purist's sound systems get crazy expensive. 

In short, based upon my limited listening,  I think the 300s make music sound better while the Fives make instruments sound better.  Right now, I'm leaning toward the 300s. 

I'd be interested in anyone else's opinion on this, whether they agree or disagree.   Thanks to everyone for their helpful comments. 

Rob

I'll add that a big advantage to the Fives is that balance control.   The 300s need that, in spite of what Sonos says. 

I think you also need to factor in the room your playing in, when comparing Fives and Era 300s.  The Fives are going to fill up a larger space that the Era 300s, so I would recommend Fives for a large open concept space for example.

I think you also need to consider atmos music. Obviously, you get atmos with Era 300s, but not with Fives.  What people don’t consider as well is whether or not you have other rooms in the house that are atmos capable.  Grouping 2 atmos capable rooms, with an atmos track, gets atmos in both rooms.  If you group 2 rooms and only one is atmos capable, you get stereo in both rooms.  In that regards, using Era 300s gives you more flexibility, even if you don’t care too much about atmos in the room you are placing the speakers.

Speaking of atmos, and looping back in the question of what room your playing in, the listening area matters for atmos music.  If there is no definitive listening area (say a couch, chair, table) but people will be listening frequently in multiple spots in the room, then stereo is a better option for the room.  You may want Fives then even if it’s a smaller room, or you group with an atmos room frequently.  So again, an open concept spaces isn’t ideal for atmos, and thus Fives would make more sense.

Hi @melvimbe 

Good post. However, The above sentences (to me) seem to contradict each other.  Although I may just be reading incorrectly

That would be a typo.  I shall fix.

I've noticed that the 300s are more sensitive to separation than other speakers.   They sound better when they are placed further apart.   When I moved each speaker from is original position another 2 feet outboard,  4 feet total additional separation, the sound quality improved.  That puts them further apart than I'd place stereo speakers normally.   That might just be my room, but I thought I'd mention it. 

Makes sense. What is the total distance between them?

Right now, about 8 ft OC and I'm seated about 9 to 10 ft away.