Setup my first Sonos system in our bedroom. It’s not overly large, but a pretty sizeable space: 17.5’ x 19.3’.
I started out with 2 Era 100s as a stereo pair + a Sub Mini. Ran Trueplay and put the system through its paces. My initial reaction: Color me impressed. Solid, full range sound, even at extremely low volumes for nighttime listening. The Eras have impressive imaging and presence in the room, and pair exceptionally well with the Sub Mini. They lack a little bit on the high end, so I applied a +2 Treble to extend the highs a bit before they roll off. I was particularly surprised at the smooth, uniform output from the Sub Mini, even with it being corner-loaded. It’s not going to win any awards in the 25Hz SPL category, but musically, I could not ask for more from such a small sub.
Given that I never want to leave a question unanswered, I recently took advantage of the sale on the Sub Gen 3 and ordered one to A/B compare against the Sub Mini. The Sub was placed in the exact same location as the Sub Mini, oriented with the slot facing forward (like the Sub Mini) and tuned using Trueplay. I applied the same +2 Treble, and listed to the same selection of songs.
The result: In this room, I didn’t notice a significant difference in overall performance or output from the Sub Gen 3 vs. the Sub Mini. There was a little more impact and volume near the port tuning frequency that was evident in certain songs, but for most of the songs I tested, I didn’t feel like the Sub Gen 3 added much (if anything at all). In fact, there were certain spots in some of the songs that felt weaker when compared to the Sub Mini, especially as a I walked around the room. It left those tracks feeling lackluster and incomplete. I’m suspecting some room modes are at play there, but even in what I would consider the “primary” listening position within the room, the Sub Mini seemed to perform better and be more musically accurate than the Sub Gen 3.
I think that experience has reaffirmed my initial opinion of the Sub Mini. This thing is genuinely impressive. Especially for a music only setup in a mid-sized space. I can see where the Sub Gen 3 would shine for movies, especially in a dual-sub setup, but I just wasn’t impressed with its performance in a music-only setup for the price point. I’ll even go as far as saying that dual Sub Mini’s would be better for a music only setup for only $60 more than a regularly priced Sub Gen 3.
I hope Sonos will add the option to have dual Sub Mini’s in a single room soon.
