I was wondering if a surround setup with two play ones a sub and the beam would sound better and more direct than one play five. I wanna get the play five for the quality but I can get the sub and add on to the surround set up. Which is better?
Best answer by melvimbe
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The Beam is three speakers in one, and has the ability to interpret a Dolby Digital signal. The Sonos Five can only interpret a stereo signal, and can not have surround speakers added to it. There is also a ~75 ms delay on the analog input of the Five. The digital input on the Beam has no appreciable lag on it, so if you’re sensitive to lipsync, the Five may be an issue.
It boils down to what usage you intend. If it is just music, the Five would be a better choice, but if connecting to a TV is the goal, a Beam wins over the Five.
Thank you for your response my main issue is if I want to buy the sub to make the surround sound better for music and low end or just get the five for less money and use it only for music but I want to know which sounds better a whole surround sound system with a sub or a single five
Thank you for your response my main issue is if I want to buy the sub to make the surround sound better for music and low end or just get the five for less money and use it only for music but I want to know which sounds better a whole surround sound system with a sub or a single five
Your beam+sub+2 Ones will sound better for music than a single Five. Obviously, getting the sub will also improve the TV audio. Deciding between a sub and 2 Fives would be a tougher decision. Two Fives is going to give you the strereo separation you want for music and provide a lot of bass. If you’re not getting the bass from the sub for TV watching though, so it really depends on what you value more, TV, music...or your wallet. 
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