A pair of era 300s or a pair of Five's for music?

this what my exact thought. 

As was said above Sonos is still supporting every speaker they have ever sold.

Worrying about something going unsupported should be your last concern with Sonos.

Hi @TMONEY 

Just want to add my two cents here FWIW…🙂

As others have said Sonos unlike any other company supports its products for years after production has ended. The Play 5 introduced in 2015 (which was replaced by the Five in 2020) is still supported and works on Sonos S2 the latest iteration of the Sonos OS. 

Sonos; unlike any other company, typically offers an upgrade credit of 15% to 30% to allow its loyal customers the opportunity to acquire the latest technology in a product family. Also, Sonos products hold their value quite well. I can attest to purchasing my Five’s for $185-$200 USD each after 30% upgrade credit and selling my two Play 5’s for approximately $190-$200 USD each. Of course timing is everything when selling.

To answer your question regarding Era 300’s x 2 versus Five’s x 2….I must agree with others that the Fives offer a better sound stage for stereo listening. I have a stereo pair of Era 300’s with sub; as well as a pair of Five’s with sub.

The Era 300’s are excellent speakers and deliver on Sonos’ promise to take your listening experience to another level with Dolby Atmos Spatial Audio.  However, IMO because they are so good at delivering  the Dolby Atmos Spatial Audio experience they fall short when listening to stereo compared to the Fives. IMO because the Era 300’s are designed to fool the listener into thinking that the sound is encompassing them rather than coming straight toward them; the intended stereo music presentation is somewhat light or airy; if you will.

Five’s on the other-hand deliver a more robust stereo sound stage that targets the listener when in a seated position. Sounds are still reflected off walls; but not to the extent where you can’t discern from whence they are coming from . To be clear one might never notice a difference without performing an A/B listening test of Era 300’s versus Five’s.

All said…purchase the Era 300’s; as you may repurpose them later as surrounds with an Arc or Beam 2 for full immersion with Dolby Atmos content in movies. However if your primary goal is to experience the best sound stage/stereo imaging with Sonos speakers…purchase a pair of Five’s. 😉

Since YMMV is always the rule, I'll muddy the waters a bit. 

I've been listening to each, with and without a Sub, and the answer is complicated.   The 300s on their own sound good, but are really lacking on the low end, making them sound a bit thin, though still good.   Add a Sub plus Trueplay and they fill out nicely making the difference between them and the Fives small.   The Fives, on the other hand, don't benefit tremendously from a Sub. 

The Fives win on clarity in the low mids and bass.   So drums, double bass, and lower registers of piano and baritone sax will have more detail.   When the 300s are paired with a Sub, you likely wouldn't notice the difference without listening to them side by side. 

The 300s fill a room nicely with clear sound that almost surrounds you, similar to a live performance.   I like the effect, though an audiophile might find that a detriment.  I prefer them for casual listening, for listening while moving about the house and for big music, like orchestral music.  I listened to a 1984 digital recording of von Karajan and the Berlin Philharmonic playing Beethoven symphony 9 that made me feel like I was at the performance.  (Deutsche Grammophon, if you're interested.  The streaming on Apple music is lossless).  This was significantly better on the 300s than on the Fives. 

If you enjoy focusing on individual instruments, the Fives will probably sound better.  I think an audiophile would prefer the Fives. 

Then there is decor.  The 300s on the Sonos stands just look good from all sides IMHO.   The Fives look kind of clunky, but if you're putting them on a table against a wall, then it doesn't matter so much. 

I've been comparing the Fives against the 300s with a Sub.   A pair of Fives would be cheaper, but I had the Sub, so there's that.  But you could get the 300s with a Sub mini and have a more versatile setup that is more "future resistant" if that checks more boxes for you.  Or you could add the Sub mini later.  Speaking of later, I have a pair of 300s as surrounds with an Arc and Sub and it sounds spectacular. 

Basically there is no correct answer.   I hope this helps some

lol you said a lot that made so much sense and makes it even harder lol. Jk 

I bought two Era 300 and Sub Mini and two Sonos Five and Sub Mini.

I might return the Fives and get two additional Era 300.

Still testing, but there is something about the Era 300 that I like better thus far.

@JB Music

Are you asking a question or just stating your opinion? You’ll have to decide if you prefer Era 300’s x 2 vs. Five’s x 2 (both with sub mini) for music. It’s a personal decision. Although having a set of both (with subs) I prefer my Five’s for dedicated stereo listening. JMO.

You might also consider using the Era 300 as surrounds with your Arc and keep the Fives for a dedicated stereo pair for music. FYI, the Era 300’s used as surrounds can play music in full stereo with the Arc. It will give the sensation of being in the middle; if that’s to your liking.