SONOS Upgrade

Add a Sonos Sub to the 3 pair you have.

My apologies. I (accidentally) came across the specs for my system and it seems I already have a pair of 5s with the bridge. I guess the newer model looks different than the older one I have. Assuming that my 5s are the equivalent to the most recent 5s, at least in terms of sound quality, would you still go with the sub?

Hmmm. Problem is that you can't set up a gen 1 and a gen 2 Play:5 as a stereo pair. Assuming they're in the same room (and maybe grouped?), I'd probably pick up a second gen 2, and then pair the two of them. And then put the Gen 1 in another room. But if they're in separate rooms, then Kumar's right, go for the SUB, and put it in the room you listen to music the most in.

then Kumar's right, go for the SUB,
Actually, not so with the recent clarification that OP has a first gen 5 pair. The new 5 units are much better than the old 5, but the old 5 units are better than the 3 units, with a built in subwoofer, so adding a Sub to them isn't so easy to recommend.

I would now suggest a 1 pair + Sub or a current model 5 pair at about the same price point. With the bonus in both cases of releasing the old 5 units for up to two additional rooms/zones.

Which of the two alternatives to choose becomes a subjective thing. I have heard the new 5 unit, singly, only for a little while. With that caveat, my recommendation is 1 pair + Sub that I have used extensively.

Oh, I misread that as a single gen 1 and a gen 2. My apologies.

OK. Let's see if I've got this straight. I assume that the latest sub is compatible with gen 1 5 speakers. But I don't need a sub since the gen 1 5s have built-in subs. I have no idea what makes a good vs not so good subwoofer(size, power, material?) but it would seem that a unit dedicated as a sub would be better than a sub in a speaker. However, now, if I want music in another room, I just unplug the speakers and move them. A sub would make that more difficult. I can't pair my gen 1 5s with any gen 2 speakers and create my own personal Quadrophenia (sorry). Are gen 1 speakers still available? Or are the gen 2 5s an improvement over gen 1 5s to the extent that it would be worth the investment. Am I overthinking this? A pair of gen 2 1s with a sub is sort of attractive. Everyone's help is greatly appreciated.

Heh. Both Kumar and I are opinionated, and sometimes even agree on some things :)

Yes, the SUB is compatible with Play:5 gen 1. Or any speaker Sonos sells.

Yes, moving a SUB is a pain, because it's heavy. Other than that, though, it's just a power cord to unplug and plug back in.

You can't pair a Play:5 gen 1 with a Play:5 gen 2. There are no other gen 2 speakers. You can't pair any speakers that aren't the same kind for stereo, but you can group them (two or more mono speakers playing the same thing)

Play: 5 gen 1 speakers are available on the used market. I'm not aware of any stores that would carry them. I occasionally look at eBay, as I wouldn't mind a second gen 1 for my house.

It is generally said in these boards that the Play:5 gen 2 is a significant step up in sound from the Play:5 gen 1. People who have listened to both have claimed that it is, I don't have the experience myself.

Subjectively, is it worth getting a pair of Play:5 gen 2 to replace your Play:5 gen 1, and get a stereo pair? I can't say. I suspect it depends on how deep your pockets are, and how much you dislike your Play:5 gen 1. As I type this, I'm listening to Tangerine Dream on my Play:5 gen 1, and I can say I'm quite happy with mine....just want a pair for stereo while sitting at the computer 🙂

I do have a pair of SUBs, both of them are connected to a Playbar, one in the living room, one in the bedroom, for movie and TV experiences. I also listen to music on the Living room 5.1 setup, and am pretty happy with it, given that I set the surrounds to Full rather than Ambient. But much of the music I listen to isn't heavy on the bass. Most of my taste runs to stuff from the 70s and earlier, jazz and classical. I also listen to the stereo pair of Play:1s in my kitchen while eating, and don't feel like I need to add a SUB to that experience.

Are you overthinking this? Who the hell knows. Am I overthinking my answers? Yes. :)

Not sure what a pair of "gen2 1s" is. There's only one generation of the Play:1 But indeed, a pair of Play:1s with a SUB would sound fantastic.

(edited to fix the autocorrect of "gen" to "get" all over this post!)

That says it all!

The question is how do I overthink something I know almost nothing about? But I think we're getting close now. I looked on ebay and there were a bunch of gen 1 5s and even some gen 2 5s at reasonable prices. Caveat emptor as always, but is there something in particular that I should be wary of when buying used speakers? If I did buy another pair of gen 1 5s, could I group each of the two pairs, then use the two groups as a stereo pair. It sounds like I could not do this with a pair of gen 1 5s and a pair of gen 2 5s. And what exactly is a playbar? Does SONOS offer a trial period if I buy new gen 2 5s? And I think the last time I heard any mono it was on an old Yardbirds disc. Thanks again, all.

Mono is the absence of stereo and is heard when the recording is mono; much of classic jazz is for example. It is also heard when the stereo illusion collapses and it appears that all the sound is coming from just one part of the room.

Stereo needs two speakers and only two speakers to create and sustain the stereo illusion. Like two eyes create the 3D one. More speakers doesn't add to the effect and usually confuses/dilutes it.

Sonos offers a return period for all new kit it sells directly. So do many other retailers, online and real.