Question

New Play 5, VPN


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What features are different in the new Play 5 compared to the previous Play 5? Is the dark (grey/black) the same color? Same inner handle (upper back)? Can the new Play 5 be paired as surrounds? Currently have 1x Soundbar, 3x Play 3, 2x Play 5. Windows mobile App please!!! Looking at more Play 5. With VPN active Sonos is not detected. How does one have VPN and access Sonos? Thanks

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What features are different in the new Play 5 compared to the previous Play 5? Is the dark (grey/black) the same color? Same inner handle (upper back)? Can the new Play 5 be paired as surrounds? Currently have 1x Soundbar, 3x Play 3, 2x Play 5. Windows mobile App please!!! Looking at more Play 5. With VPN active Sonos is not detected. How does one have VPN and access Sonos? Thanks

The new Play 5 can be used as surrounds as they have the 5GHz radio. Most reviews state the Play 5 Gen 2 is a significant sonic improvement esp wrt bass from Gen 1.
Windows mobile app - Sonos have said no.
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Thanks. There was talk that Play 5 firmware updates could add features. The reason I ask is, from your answer it does not look promising that Pay 5 Gen 1 and Gen 2 can be combined to use as surrounds? Can Pay 5 Gen 1 and Gen 2 be combined to use as stereo? Is there a link listing Pay 5 Gen 1 and Gen 2 feature comparison? Sonos completely underestimates the dollar base of their Windows users.
Thanks. There was talk that Play 5 firmware updates could add features. The reason I ask is, from your answer it does not look promising that Pay 5 Gen 1 and Gen 2 can be combined to use as surrounds? Can Pay 5 Gen 1 and Gen 2 be combined to use as stereo? Is there a link listing Pay 5 Gen 1 and Gen 2 feature comparison? Sonos completely underestimates the dollar base of their Windows users.

Two different generations/models cannot be combined for either surrounds or stereo pairs. The sonic signatures are too different.
Sonos completely underestimates the dollar base of their Windows users.
Windows users are obviously everywhere. Windows Mobile users, however, are a distinctly threatened species.
Userlevel 7
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Thanks. There was talk that Play 5 firmware updates could add features. The reason I ask is, from your answer it does not look promising that Pay 5 Gen 1 and Gen 2 can be combined to use as surrounds? Can Pay 5 Gen 1 and Gen 2 be combined to use as stereo? Is there a link listing Pay 5 Gen 1 and Gen 2 feature comparison? Sonos completely underestimates the dollar base of their Windows users.

In terms of features the Gen 1 Play 5 has a headphone socket whilst Gen 2 does not. Gen 2 Play 5, as stated, can be used as surrounds. Also, internally they are completely different but in all other respects are interchangeable though note that a Gen 1 and Gen 2 cannot be combined as a stereo paid (I'm fairly sure about that but if you could it wouldn't sound good).
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Thanks for the replies. How does one have VPN and access Sonos?
Userlevel 7
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If you mean can you connect remotely via VPN to Sonos then you cannot do that
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When using VPN at home unable to connect to Sonos.

Looked at the Play 5 Gen 2 today. Big & Heavy. No back handle. They also had Gen 1 available at a discount. Have not yet decided. Play 5 Gen 2 must have some serious speakers to ~double the weight.
I don't have a gen 2, but the fact that you can't stereo pair a gen 1 and a gen 2 leads me to believe the sound from each is substantially different. I'd be willing to guess that the 2 is substantially better sounding than the 1, and I like the 1 quite a bit.
Sonos blundered, IMO, when they did not change the number designation of the new 5; calling it a play 6 or play 7 would have avoided a lot of these questions from many people.

The new 5 is on a completely different level of sound quality compared to the old 5. Internally too it has more hardware and better software.

I would buy a new 1 instead of an old 5, any day. Unless it was to get a cheap line in jack from a used cheap 5 unit.
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Bought Play 5 Gen 2. Impressive! Audiophiles might actually sniff this one. 🙂 On a more serious note. About My Sonos System: How does one recognized (electronically) Play 5 Gen 1 vs Gen 2? When doing setup can one setup Gen 2 as a Gen 1? Surprising software does not auto-recognize units (instead asks user what unit: Play 5 Gen 1, Play 5 Gen 2, etc.) How does one have VPN and access Sonos? Thanks
Of course the software knows what the model type is. There are a few more internal parameters than those displayed in About My Sonos System.... 🆒

The setup process often does recognise the model from its wireless transmissions, but remember that at that stage it hasn't even joined your network let alone your system.
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Yes, but my question, "How does one recognized (electronically) Play 5 Gen 1 vs Gen 2?" relates to the human user. How does the user recognized which Play 5 are Gen 1 and which are Gen 2?
For example, by looking at this (under About My Sonos System):

PLAY:5: Kitchen
Serial Number: B8-E9-37-29-D0-C6:9
Version: 7.2 (build 35339010)
Hardware Version: 1.16.4.1-1
IP Address: 10.0.0.11
WM: 0
OTP: 1.1.1(1-16-4-zp5s-0.5)
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PLAY:5: Kitchen 1
Serial Number: B8-E9-37-29-B6-2C:G
Version: 7.2 (build 35339010)
Hardware Version: 1.16.4.1-1
IP Address: 10.0.0.8
WM: 0
OTP: 1.1.1(1-16-4-zp5s-0.5)
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PLAY:5: Master Bedroom
Serial Number: 5C-AA-FD-F2-08-34:B
Version: 7.2 (build 35339010)
Hardware Version: 1.13.1.7-1
IP Address: 10.0.0.18
WM: 0
---------------------------------

Which of the above are Gen 1 or Gen 2?
Which is why I agree with Kumar, when he said:

Sonos blundered, IMO, when they did not change the number designation of the new 5; calling it a play 6 or play 7 would have avoided a lot of these questions from many people.
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I'd have to physically look at the units. I suppose there may be something in the hardware version, if I knew anything about that, but you're correct, it's not very plain. Fortunately, I know which room I have my gen:1 in, so I'm not confused.
Which of the above are Gen 1 or Gen 2?
Well, it's pretty likely -- don't you think -- that Hardware Version: 1.16.x would come after Hardware Version: 1.13.x.

But I agree with Airgetlam, the room names ought to be the clue ... unless of course you've forgotten what you installed where.
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The answer is the opposite, which is why I asked.

Hardware Version: 1.13.1.7-1 (this is the Gen 2)

Hardware Version: 1.16.4.1-1 (this is the Gen 1)
Ha! You're right. My Gen2s are 1.13.x. (My old Gen1 is mothballed so inaccessible.)

I tend to agree with Kumar that it might have been simpler to call them PLAY:6, but then maybe the product positioning dictated the re-use of the PLAY:5 name. As it happens, they have the internal designation 'ZPS6'.
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Bizarre that "About My Sonos System" does not clearly identify Gen 1 and Gen 2.

On initial setup when prompted to selet unit type:
What happens if one selects Play 5 Gen 1 when actual unit is Play 5 Gen 2?
You just get shown a different picture, indicating where the buttons are. It makes no difference to the association procedure.