Which Sonos pair is comparable to B&W 600s

Yes, that’s good advice….

I’d only add that it’s worth using Trueplay on the speakers before making a final decision about sound quality, because it can make a big improvement. You need a modern Apple device for the setup, but you can toggle Trueplay on/off with an android device. Obviously, if you change the siting, then you need to redo the Trueplay for optimum sound.

Hi guys, thanks for the response.  Yes, I was referring to the Sonos Ones,  not the Play 1s.  A little confusing with the Play 5s.  We currently use a Chromecast audio with the receiver to stream from Spotify and Google Assistant so I would stick with the smart one to reduce cord clutter.

Thanks again, internet research is only going to go so far with this I suppose.

Nybhh,

ONE’s and 600’s will sound distinctly different, only you will know which is “best”.

A plan would be to start with PLAY:5’s in your office. PLAY:5’s will also sound different from the 600’s, but they are in the same class. Don’t be surprised if you feel that PLAY:5 is a step up. You can test the PLAY:5’s in the Livingroom for esthetics and audio preference.

If you can find a discreet yet acoustically good place for keeping the Sub, the One pair+Sub is another good option. While the Sub can in theory be kept anywhere, the integration necessary for music to sound coherent means that it needs to be in about the same plane as the speaker pair, and somewhere between them, as close to the centre as feasible.

Thanks guys for the additional input.  Yea, I sort of figured the 5s would be closer to the B&Ws, even though this particular pair are “low end” ones.  I’m going to see if I can find a place to listen to them and go from there.  Sounds like they have a pretty good return policy as well so I can try them out at home too.

thanks!

I ordered a pair of Ones directly from Sonos this morning, figured we could always just use those in bedrooms or whatever if we like the ecosystem enough to keep them but they aren’t what we are looking for in the principal spaces.  I still think the Play 5s are going to be too big for the look my wife wants in the LR as she keeps referring to my father’s Bose acoustimass 10s which is why the Sonos Ones + Sub may work.  

Moving on, I understand what you are saying and locking into an ecosystem is always a risk and harder to extract from the larger the investment.  It has certainly played a role for me in keeping these old (but still good) receivers and speakers around.  They are a known and fixed element and I can certainly understand how constant software “updates” taking something that should be static and fixed and making it different every time you turn on the system incredibly annoying.  People are used to their audio systems working the same for years and even decades at a time and breaking that paradigm is a problematic business model for sure.  

I’m certainly not pulling wires out of walls or anything like that and won’t be selling-off old amps or speakers at this point.   Interesting enough, we are in the process of building a new building on our property now which is half studio/shop/work space and half screened-in entertainment area and decided to go ahead and home-run speaker wires from key locations in both spaces (and the bathroom) back to a utility room and was planning on moving some of my older speakers into the studio/shop space where aesthetics (and the wife) have less influence and was eyeing at a pair of B&W AM-1s for the screened-in area.  I was considering a couple of Sonos AMPS for those speakers as well but have not ruled out an old-school Russound multi-zone amp to power that building as well through a bunch of Chromecast audios on each zone.  I have some time to make that decision.  

Thanks for all your input, I will report back on the Ones tests with Trueplay.  I’m going to setup a side-by-side comparison between the Ones and the 600s for myself as well as my wife to listen to.   

Edit: Moving On’s critical comment which I responded to here was removed by him or moderators.  I saw it before it was removed and I considered it valid, thus my response.

Given today’s announcement, I would recommend against moving away from a more traditional set up. 

Put up with a few wires, and have a system that works beautifully for decades without having to throw it in the bin!

After today’s announcement, I’ll probably just send back the pair of Ones.  I understand that the tech side of these things makes them different than old school audio equipment that last forever but not a fan of how they are handling it.  
 

Sounds like the old multi-zone amp + speaker combo that last forever is the safest place to spend real money and limited the “technology” to just streaming/wireless interface points to that amp via “disposable” chromecast audios, echo dots, etc is the safest path to multi-room streaming audio at this juncture.

@Nybhh 

I agree, but there may be a balance that can be struck. I would now not invest in a 1 pair + Sub because a five year service life for that amount does not cut it for me - far better a Echo Dot wired to a pair of classic HiFi brand active speakers. On the other hand, a play 1 or two isn't that bad an idea seeing the price point for these, with corresponding expectations for service life.