Hi guys in the community, so I understand why Sonos played it safe and went with a mid-woofer for the overall sound quality on the Sonos play 5 and the Sonos move but see Apple didn’t play it safe and it still sounds fantastic and like I say the Apple HomePod just factually sounds better at max volume. Now I like the treble on my Sonos move better but I definitely much preferred the bass on the Apple HomePod over the Sonos move. I mean the Apple HomePod has a larger woofer in a smaller box. And I couldn’t figure out how it’s like a year and a half older than the Sonos move but yet it managed to output deeper cleaner bass boom/bass bump from a smaller box? I feel like the Sonos move could of definitely had closer to the bass power of the Sonos play 5 (Gen 2) if it would of had a woofer instead of a mid-woofer because the Sonos move and the Sonos play 5 both run mid-woofers. I definitely think the Sonos move could of had maybe near quite as much bass as the play 5 but it could of had deeper bass boom for its size than the play 5 if it had had a woofer instead of a mid-woofer. It probably would of been like the Apple HomePod with the bass. Like the Apple HomePod is definitely not to the bass level of the Sonos play 5 but definitely I’d say the Apple HomePod does push deeper cleaner bass for its size though. When compared to the Sonos play 5 (Gen 2) and the Sonos move. But like I said though I preferred the treble on the Sonos move over the the Apple HomePod. The Sonos move really challenges the Apple HomePod with having almost as good or better treble than the apple HomePod and the move only has 1 tweeter but the Sonos move is no match for the Apple HomePod in the bass category. I can’t figure out why the Apple HomePod sounds better at max volume though? Is it because it might offer better balance near and at max volume?
I can’t figure out why the Apple HomePod sounds better at max volume though? Is it because it might offer better balance near and at max volume?
I cannot bear to listen to any Sonos speaker in my room at full volume for it being painfully loud, let alone comparing the SQ at those sound levels with anything else that would have to playing at the same levels for the comparison to be meaningful.
I would be surprised to read here of anyone else that can, but who knows? Time will tell when someone that can posts here.
Seems odd to be comparing a Sonos Move, a portable speaker that can be switched between an integrated WiFi experience and a stand alone Bluetooth mode with the Apple HomePod, which is not portable at all.
They’re clearly designed for different use cases, and both are good products.
+2I understand that the move is portable and the Apple HomePod is not but even with the move being portable it is still larger in size than the Apple HomePod.
+2I was incorrect I apologize. The Sonos move runs a 3 inch woofer. But I can’t figure out how to change the heading to 3 inch woofer instead of 3.5?
Unfortunately, the forum software that Sonos uses, from a company called inSided, does not allow editing topic headings.
Yup, it sure does.
Woofer size is a factor, but there are others that, in combination, determine the final results. A simple other factor is woofer excursion range, or how much/fast it moves back and forth. Because that, in combination with size determines how much air is moved back and forth. Then there is the enclosure design. And DSP algorithms applied. And a few others.
So, the error in the headline is a trivial thing.
In addition to the above comments, neither of the speakers can be called a woofer or mid-woofer etc. These are purely marketing names for a very small speaker that receives a highly processed signal to squeeze out as much bass as possible.
In classical speaker terms, that size of speaker would never be used for actual bass playback, it is just too small for that.
It is, however, very impressive what all the recent DSP and other processing technologies can squeeze out of such a small speaker to give it that full sound.
+2True. I noticed that the Apple HomePod had deeper cleaner bass from a smaller box as I have said but I also noticed it had a little better bass response than the Sonos move. The Sonos moves bass is good for its size but the HomePod has better bass and response. Smoother bass I guess you could say. All from a smaller box but I know you guys already knew this stuff i’m guessing. Really all I care about is the overall sound quality the speaker is outputting and the overall sound quality it produces for its size. Like how much larger than it’s size does the speaker sound
+2Do you think anyone from the Sonos team or engineering team will see/check this? I want to help improve the sound quality of the next version of the Sonos move if at all possible.
Unlikely, IMHO. If I was their manager, I would not allow them to read these forums, and expect the community team to be collating suggestions and surfacing a report.
I am certain that the engineering team is well aware of any competition, and is constantly making every effort to exceed any competitors offerings wherever they can.
I would imagine, having operated similar operations, that the community team collates a report of discussed issues, highlighting unresolved issues as well as feature requests, and presents that to a manager, who further filters it, prioritizing what is information and what needs to be worked on immediately at the expense of current ongoing projects.
But it seems unlikely that any person directing the engineering effort would be directly involved with the randomness, emotion, and repetitive nature of a public forum. An inappropriate use of their time.
True. I noticed that the Apple HomePod had deeper cleaner bass from a smaller box as I have said but I also noticed it had a little better bass response than the Sonos move. The Sonos moves bass is good for its size but the HomePod has better bass and response. Smoother bass I guess you could say. All from a smaller box but I know you guys already knew this stuff i’m guessing. Really all I care about is the overall sound quality the speaker is outputting and the overall sound quality it produces for its size. Like how much larger than it’s size does the speaker sound
“Smaller box”???? Ever think the reason the Move has a bigger box is because a third of that box is taken up by a big ass rechargeable battery that the Homepod doesn’t have? You are truly comparing apples and oranges.
+2Your right but the Sonos move would still be taller, even with the battery pack removed. I only know because I had the Apple HomePod for 2 weeks. And put the apple HomePod right above where the line is separating the speaker and the battery pack, the Sonos move is still a little taller and slightly wider.
+2But the Apple HomePod and the Sonos one are about exactly the same size and the apple HomePod has overall better sound and power.
But the Apple HomePod and the Sonos one are about exactly the same size and the apple HomePod has overall better sound and power.
Different price though? For about the price of a HomePod, one could get a One pair and many will prefer the stereo image afforded by two separate speakers.
Both are good products and which way to go also depends on the ecosystem one wants to adopt, in addition to a personal preference for what sounds better - not louder.
+2True, hey I hear Sonos could/will possibly be releasing a Sonos move mini (Sonos s27) I hope they do. What if the sound of the new Sonos speaker is a lot smaller but actually challenges the original?
True, hey I hear Sonos could/will possibly be releasing a Sonos move mini (Sonos s27) I hope they do. What if the sound of the new Sonos speaker is a lot smaller but actually challenges the original?
Since your original post complained about the frequency response (lack of bass), and the perceived sound quality at high/maximum volume of the original Move, I’m surprised you are so keen to see a smaller version. Surely this will have smaller amplifiers and speakers resulting in less bass and volume, which seem to be the features by which you are judging quality?
+2True. But this new version might not have as much power but it could push more sound for its size though. It could do an even better job of sounding larger than it’s size than the Sonos move does.
+17I was incorrect I apologize. The Sonos move runs a 3 inch woofer. But I can’t figure out how to change the heading to 3 inch woofer instead of 3.5?
Apologies for the delay - I’ve adjusted your topic title 
There’s some good discussion here! It’s always good to read feedback on the Sonos products as well as what you guys would like to see next. I’ve passed the suggestions over to our development teams for future consideration.
Let us know if there’s anything else you’d like to see, and we’ll be sure to forward those on too 
True. But this new version might not have as much power but it could push more sound for its size though. It could do an even better job of sounding larger than it’s size than the Sonos move does.
I would suspect that power requirements also played a part in the Move’s design. It’s not just that the Move had to make room for a battery, but that it had to consider power draw so that it could run off the battery for a useful period of time. The homepod does not have that constraint.
+2That is true. So do you think if Sonos had made a non-portable version of the Sonos move it would of definitely had more bass power?
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