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Sub placement with home theatre/stereo audio

  • 17 September 2023
  • 14 replies
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C
Userlevel 2
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Hi -

I want to set up a pair of Era 300s or Fives at one end of a long room, set up as a stereo pair, specifically for music, while retaining a Beam 2, two Ones and a Sub (Gen 3) at the opposite end of the same room, for home theatre.

I'd like to use the home theatre Sub with the audio setup, to augment the bottom end, especially if I opt for the Era 300s.

Will the physical position of the Sub (around 20 feet away from the proposed music area) work effectively from an audio perspective? I'd buy another Sub in an ideal world but that's currently a non-starter!

Finally, will I be able to easily switch the Sub between the two systems, or will it involve having to bond the Sub to the the individual systems, every time I use them? Not ideal.

 

 

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Best answer by Ken_Griffiths 17 September 2023, 13:13

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14 replies

Ken_Griffiths

You would have to unbond/rebond the Sub to the relevant room each time you switched it. It’s not worth the trouble, not least if you use Trueplay, as the settings would be lost each time you switched rooms. It would be easier to ‘group’ the two rooms instead when playing music audio. Personally speaking you need another Sub. Maybe look to the Sonos refurbished, or used market, if that perhaps suits your pocket better, or simply live without the Sub at one end of the room.

C
Userlevel 2
Badge +2

You would have to unbond/rebond the Sub to the relevant room each time you switched it. It’s not worth the trouble, not least if you use Trueplay, as the settings would be lost each time you switched rooms. It would be easier to ‘group’ the two rooms instead when playing music audio. Personally speaking you need another Sub. Maybe look to the Sonos refurbished, or used market, if that perhaps suits your pocket better, or simply live without the Sub at one end of the room.

@Ken_Griffiths Thanks for the response Ken - still 50/50 on a pair of Fives v Era 300s - at least I do know that the paired Fives will happily give me the depth of sound I'm looking for in my music, even if the functionality and connectivity might be reduced.

Ken_Griffiths

I would describe the Era-300s as being ‘brighter’ with slightly less bass - they do have real clarity across all frequencies - the Fives are excellent too, more bass, but not as ‘bright’ IMHO, but as you say, there is no Bluetooth or Atmos audio, but the Fives do not need a dongle to use their line-in port. Also there’s no voice assistant capability built into the Fives.

The Era-300’s are newer and if it was my decision I would go for those and then replace them later with the next generation of the Five (Era-500?) assuming that will happen at some point in the future …and then move the Era-300’s to other rooms around the home. However the decision is whatever you feel will be best for you in the short, medium and long term.

N
Userlevel 7
Badge +18

@Ken_Griffiths Thanks for the response Ken - still 50/50 on a pair of Fives v Era 300s - at least I do know that the paired Fives will happily give me the depth of sound I'm looking for in my music, even if the functionality and connectivity might be reduced.

 

In many regions Sonos offer home trial time. Buy both; return the less favoured pair. 

106rallye
Userlevel 7
Badge +17

Edit: Superfluous.

C
Userlevel 2
Badge +2

I would describe the Era-300s as being ‘brighter’ with slightly less bass - they do have real clarity across all frequencies - the Fives are excellent too, more bass, but not as ‘bright’ IMHO, but as you say, there is no Bluetooth or Atmos audio, but the Fives do not need a dongle to use their line-in port. Also there’s no voice assistant capability built into the Fives.

The Era-300’s are newer and if it was my decision I would go for those and then replace them later with the next generation of the Five (Era-500?) assuming that will happen at some point in the future …and then move the Era-300’s to other rooms around the home. However the decision is whatever you feel will be best for you in the short, medium and long term.

Thanks again Ken. I will indeed be adding a turntable to that particular set in the next six months or so (hopefully - I've got a lovely old Garrard 301 going in for a major overhaul) so those connectivity options will be important.

When I added the Sub to a Beam 2/Ones as rears setup, the music separation was significantly improved. That said, the end of the room I'm looking to be specifically music might prove better suited for Era 300s alone, without the extra support of the Sub…

I may go and try and listen to both, and see what my ears make of it. The choice has become a bit more pressing, courtesy of a 40% discount email that I need to use by the end of next month.

 

C
Userlevel 2
Badge +2

Edit: Superfluous.

?

Airgetlam

Unnecessary…bonus, repetitive information, that likely has been covered before in a post that wasn’t there when they started typing originally. 

Or, a new super hero….

Bruce
C
Userlevel 2
Badge +2

Unnecessary…bonus, repetitive information, that likely has been covered before in a post that wasn’t there when they started typing originally. 

Or, a new super hero….

I'll go for the Superhero option.
 

Not the most in-depth, or useful response on a community forum otherwise. 

Airgetlam

I suspect, much like I often do, they wrote an in depth response, posted it, then found that someone else had done so before they hit post, so they edited so as not to cause you to reread something that had already been said.

Understandable, from my perspective, and appreciated. 

Bruce
106rallye
Userlevel 7
Badge +17

@Airgetlam That was indeed the case.

AjTrek1
Userlevel 7

Hi

I think sometimes people look too closely at the fidelity of the Sonos speaker such as Five’s vs Era 300’s in your case. It’s been confirmed that the low end for the Era 300’s is not the same as that heard with the Five’s but the highs and mids may be a plus. Therefore you may be complicating your decision assuming funds are not an issue.

The following analysis does not take into account your 40% discount. However you may be depriving yourself of excellent sound with an acceptable low by adding a Sub Mini to the Era 300’s with a slight up cost. 

Here are my cost analysis for your consideration: 

Five’s x 2= $1098

Era 300’s x 2 = $898

Difference = $200

Sub Mini = $429

Up-cost to add a Sub Mini to Era 300’s = $229

The above does not include your 40% that could be used against the Sub Mini which drops the cost to $257

The adjusted Up Cost is $57

How you use the 40% discount is up to you. I just wanted to present an alternative that might satisfy your needs to have great sound with the Era 300’s (with versatility) and a decent low-end.

 

Together Everyone Achieves More = T.E.A.M.
C
Userlevel 2
Badge +2

@Airgetlam That was indeed the case.

Ah, okay - I understand - I’m not familiar with the board etiquette so thanks for taking the time to reply and explain 🙏

C
Userlevel 2
Badge +2

Hi

I think sometimes people look too closely at the fidelity of the Sonos speaker such as Five’s vs Era 300’s in your case. It’s been confirmed that the low end for the Era 300’s is not the same as that heard with the Five’s but the highs and mids may be a plus. Therefore you may be complicating your decision assuming funds are not an issue.

The following analysis does not take into account your 40% discount. However you may be depriving yourself of excellent sound with an acceptable low by adding a Sub Mini to the Era 300’s with a slight up cost. 

Here are my cost analysis for your consideration: 

Five’s x 2= $1098

Era 300’s x 2 = $898

Difference = $200

Sub Mini = $429

Up-cost to add a Sub Mini to Era 300’s = $229

The above does not include your 40% that could be used against the Sub Mini which drops the cost to $257

The adjusted Up Cost is $57

How you use the 40% discount is up to you. I just wanted to present an alternative that might satisfy your needs to have great sound with the Era 300’s (with versatility) and a decent low-end.

 

Cheers @AjTrek1 for a new angle on this.

I know the sound I'm looking for,  having heard the difference a Sub made to my Ones/Beam 2 and I may just try out a pair of the Era 300s, and see how they sound in the space.

I can then weigh up the sub-mini as an option if required. I don't think it's available as a set with the 300s, which would be an efficient way of using the 40% discount?

I'll also need to factor in stands, which definitely appear to be required with the Era 300s, and how the end result will sound once a turntable is piped through it all.

Finally, it'll probably be some time before I'll need to build any further speakers into my existing system, so I want to tick all the boxes.

Appreciate your help 👍🏻

 

 

 

 

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