Hey folks,
Just getting into Sonos. I'm not an audiophile...just like music. I have 2 sets of tower speakers (in different rooms): Boston Acoustics VR960 and Boston Acoustics VR30. I'm trying to decide if I should sell those and buy 2 Play 5's or instead buy 2 connect Amps for them. I'm leaning towards the Play 5's primarily because they are small compared to the monstrosity of the tower speakers. However, if there is a great difference in sound (with the towers being significantly better), you can probably convince me otherwise. If only slightly better or equal, it's Play 5's all the way. Note: I don't blast music at super high volumes often (i.e. rarely), so looking primarily for great sound at normal or the rare occasion party volumes.
What's your thoughts?
THANKS!
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Depends on the speakers, but I have a Connect connected to an old Sherwood 5.1 system and it sounds fantastic. Granted you have to go into the room settings and tweak treble & bass and turn on loudness but then you also have the added benefit of further tweaking the signal with the onboard treble and bass controls of your stereo system; however, if you go with the Connect Amp, you won't have that functionality, since you will be connected directly to your speakers. I was going to set up my Connect with my Luxman L430 hooked up to a couple of Paradigm tower speakers, but unfortunately the power supply pooped out just before I was able to do so. So, not exactly sure how that would have sounded with the higher end speakers since the Sherwood system doesn't have enough wattage to push those.
I'd get the play:5s and put them as a stereo pair in one of your rooms. Buy directly from Sonos so you can do a no hassle return if you aren't happy about it. You may also want to consider gettting a pair of Sonos Ones if one of your rooms isn't as big as the others. It can do just fine in a medium size room, especially if you aren't blasting it in there. A pair of 3s is good too, but that is an older model.
I personally am a fan of stereo sound over mono, so I don't think I'd care for a single play:5 much myself. You are correct though that the size and ease of use of Sonos is a big plus. And you might find that you can sell your old speakers and amps to help pay for the costs.
I personally am a fan of stereo sound over mono, so I don't think I'd care for a single play:5 much myself. You are correct though that the size and ease of use of Sonos is a big plus. And you might find that you can sell your old speakers and amps to help pay for the costs.
+15I’m curious why you’re looking at Connect:Amps - do you not already have receivers or amps for those two pairs of speakers? A Connect is $150 cheaper than either the Amp or the 5, and if you already have an amplifier that drives those speakers properly, then you can save a bit. What are the powe handling and efficiency specs for those speakers?
I’m going to say something contrary to most of what’s said on this board - I’m exceedingly unimpressed by my Play:5’s sound. I’m very glad I didn’t pay full price - it’d have gone back instantly. I haven’t heard a paired set of 5’s, maybe that’s where the magic comes arrives, but that’s a grand - if you already have speakers, than a Connect and a middle of the road integrated amp or receiver will probably well outperform the 5. Now my paired Play:1’s? They punch way above their weight class. A pair of Play:1’s have no right to sound that good for less than three bills.
I’m going to say something contrary to most of what’s said on this board - I’m exceedingly unimpressed by my Play:5’s sound. I’m very glad I didn’t pay full price - it’d have gone back instantly. I haven’t heard a paired set of 5’s, maybe that’s where the magic comes arrives, but that’s a grand - if you already have speakers, than a Connect and a middle of the road integrated amp or receiver will probably well outperform the 5. Now my paired Play:1’s? They punch way above their weight class. A pair of Play:1’s have no right to sound that good for less than three bills.
Thanks for the thoughts everyone. Lots to consider.
I currently have a receiver that powers both as part of a 5.1 setup, but the receiver is crapping out on me and ready to be chucked. So I'm gonna replace that whole setup with a playbar, 2 (maybe 4) Play 1's, and a sub, as that sounds better than my current setup and I want to simplify the setup with all the wires and receiver (plus there's no need for 4 towers in a 5.1 setup). I have other rooms that need music though, so trying to decide if I should salvage the towers or go for the Play 5. Some here suggested 2 Play 5's per room. That's getting a little pricey though, especially after the new Sonos 3.1/5.1 setup. So, not sure on that.
airforceteacher wrote:
I’m curious why you’re looking at Connect:Amps - do you not already have receivers or amps for those two pairs of speakers?
I currently have a receiver that powers both as part of a 5.1 setup, but the receiver is crapping out on me and ready to be chucked. So I'm gonna replace that whole setup with a playbar, 2 (maybe 4) Play 1's, and a sub, as that sounds better than my current setup and I want to simplify the setup with all the wires and receiver (plus there's no need for 4 towers in a 5.1 setup). I have other rooms that need music though, so trying to decide if I should salvage the towers or go for the Play 5. Some here suggested 2 Play 5's per room. That's getting a little pricey though, especially after the new Sonos 3.1/5.1 setup. So, not sure on that.
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