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Sonos Five vs Stereo Sonos Ones (gen 2)

  • 7 November 2021
  • 4 replies
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W
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This is an odd questions but as a relatively new sonos user Im loving the community so I though I’d ask…..

I bought 2 x Sonos ones (gen 2) a few months back and fell in love. Bought a new (half decent) turntable and a Sonos five to plug into - all working well. 
 

My intention was to buy another five to run as a stereo pair for the turntable but in Australia stock is zero so I haven’t been able to buy one. So strangely I am listening to the stereo ones and the five (vertical) TOGETHER whilst I wait for stock. Because I have them set up together it’s easy to compare the stereo ones separately with the five (vertical and horizontal). They are all tuned via the app too. 
 

Generally the stereo ones sound much better than the single five. Would that be right? It seems odd to switch from the stereo ones to the five and prefer the ones considering the five is a much more HiFi speaker. Obviously when I play them together the five fills in some bottom end but, I just assumed I would switch to the five and be blown away compared to the stereo ones. 
 

still going to buy a second five when I can get stock but was curious if anyone more experienced than me could pitch in with some thoughts. 
Thanks everyone…

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Best answer by John B 7 November 2021, 11:09

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4 replies

J

There has been debate on here over various combinations of single and paired Ones and Fives, with and without Sub.  The overwhelming conclusion is that people prefer different things.  So your preference is as valid as anyone’s.

My one word of caution would be over volumes.  Unless the volumes are perfectly matched comparisons can be misleading (and that can be difficult to do subjectively, and does not mean same position on the slider).  Generally, louder will seem better, but you may not realise that one or other speaker is playing louder.

Ken_Griffiths

I think the Stereo Ones are rather good (and far better with a bonded Sonos Sub), but a stereo pair of Fives sound great (and really great with the Sub). I also think that stereo separation is an important factor, as the soundstage with audio coming from each side and from different positions, whilst sat at the ‘sweet spot’, creates a much more immersive listening experience.

The way to compare is to just listen to a single Sonos One and a Five side by side and then try to imagine how a stereo pair of Fives will then go onto sound… I think when you do eventually get your second Five, you will not be disappointed… but perhaps don’t exclude adding a Sonos Sub at some point, which really adds another dimension to the sound experience, that neither pair can achieve without it.

W
Userlevel 2
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Thank you John and Ken,

John your point on volume is really interesting as (probably due to my lack of experience) cantering the sliders is exactly what I have done. 33% of stereo ones compared to 33% of a single five (vertical or horizontal) and so on… :-)

I have heard and read various comments on the sub - it’s definitely on my game plan after the second five (depending on that result) although much comment refers to it being a good idea for stereo ones but not needed for stereo fives. I haven’t heard the sub in any configuration as yet so Im keen to test with either. 
thanks again to both of you for taking the time. Robin

K

If your way of listening to music in the past has largely been via a speaker pair, the One pair will always sound better to you than a single 5. 

Add a Sub to the One pair, and it will trump even a 5 pair. 

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