Hi - I know this topic has been discussed before, but I can't seem to find any information specifically on the Gen 2 version of the Play 5, so I hope you guys can help me out.
I'm considering for my living room either:
1) 2 x Sonos One + Sub
2) 2 x Sonos Play:5 gen 2
Option 1 would probably be better from an aesthetic point of view, though I do worry about sub placement (it won't be in between the two Ones).
In your opinion, what is better in terms of sound quality?
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Userlevel 7
+21
If you can afford it the temptation would be two 5s and a Sub. Otherwise two 1s or Ones and a Sub over the two 5s. The sub location is not critical. I have mine to one side of the room.
The sub adds a lot or warmth and depth and frees up the Play 1's as all the low freqencies are no longer demanding attention. When you add a sub it adjusts the signals sent to the other speakers too so the 1s become a lot more efficient and sound a lot better without having to pump out the low bass. Adding a sub to my two play 1s made a hue difference. I had intended to send the sub back after 90 days as I could not imagine it being worth the money. how wrong was i . One track in and i knew it was staying.
I have a play 5 gen 2 as well and that on its own is better than the one without sub but not when the is are paired with a sub.
Also having ones give you greater placement flexibility and they are far more discreet looking the the 5s.
The sub adds a lot or warmth and depth and frees up the Play 1's as all the low freqencies are no longer demanding attention. When you add a sub it adjusts the signals sent to the other speakers too so the 1s become a lot more efficient and sound a lot better without having to pump out the low bass. Adding a sub to my two play 1s made a hue difference. I had intended to send the sub back after 90 days as I could not imagine it being worth the money. how wrong was i . One track in and i knew it was staying.
I have a play 5 gen 2 as well and that on its own is better than the one without sub but not when the is are paired with a sub.
Also having ones give you greater placement flexibility and they are far more discreet looking the the 5s.
Userlevel 4
+5
I have a pair of 5s a pair of 1s and a sub. If these are the only choices/combos you are offering, then the 1s with a sub all day. Don’t get me wrong, the 5s are super and they have great low end but the sub is on a whole other level. It has the ability to sound clean and neat or shake the crap out of my house. Good luck with your decision.
Userlevel 7
Hi Ruholm
If you are looking at Music only and don't mind the size_Play5 x2 (2nd Gen) in stereo pair is my choice and sound great even without a sub.
If you are looking at flexibility and discrete placement as a stereo pair then Play:1 x 2 w/Sub or Sonos One x 2 w/Sub definitely. Depending if you have a TV in the Living Room you are can easily integrate a Playbar or Playbase (at a later date) for DD5.1. Also, in a DD5.1 setup you can set the surrounds to auto switch to Full when playing music (although the Playbase or Playbar will still be active).
Note: If DD5.1 may be a future plan then I suggest you go with the Play:1's over the Sonos One's due to the Alexa integration that can become annoying while watching TV it the "wake" command (or sounds like Alexa) is heard. Good luck with your decision.
Cheers!
If you are looking at Music only and don't mind the size_Play5 x2 (2nd Gen) in stereo pair is my choice and sound great even without a sub.
If you are looking at flexibility and discrete placement as a stereo pair then Play:1 x 2 w/Sub or Sonos One x 2 w/Sub definitely. Depending if you have a TV in the Living Room you are can easily integrate a Playbar or Playbase (at a later date) for DD5.1. Also, in a DD5.1 setup you can set the surrounds to auto switch to Full when playing music (although the Playbase or Playbar will still be active).
Note: If DD5.1 may be a future plan then I suggest you go with the Play:1's over the Sonos One's due to the Alexa integration that can become annoying while watching TV it the "wake" command (or sounds like Alexa) is heard. Good luck with your decision.
Cheers!
If Sub placement was not an issue, I would any day pick a Sub anchored set up. For three reasons - the more power in support of the low frequencies at higher sound levels, the cleaning up of the mid range in the main speakers, and the welcome added richness to sound when playing at low sound levels.
Sonos says that Sub can be placed anywhere, but that may be true for HT applications. For music I found that it integrates as a Sub should when placed somewhere between the two speakers. Exact centre isn't needed, but I found off to one side of the pair to not work very well. If therefore placement is a constraint, the 5 pair may be a better idea as long as low level listening is not a major need. By all accounts, the 5 units on their own do not do that very well. There is one other advantage to this route, if relevant: the line in jacks on the 5, that the 1 does not offer.
Sonos says that Sub can be placed anywhere, but that may be true for HT applications. For music I found that it integrates as a Sub should when placed somewhere between the two speakers. Exact centre isn't needed, but I found off to one side of the pair to not work very well. If therefore placement is a constraint, the 5 pair may be a better idea as long as low level listening is not a major need. By all accounts, the 5 units on their own do not do that very well. There is one other advantage to this route, if relevant: the line in jacks on the 5, that the 1 does not offer.
Userlevel 5
+12
I’ll second this opinion. I had a new pair of 5s delivered this week and spent part of today experimenting where to use them. My grand plan was to have them as an additional grouped L+R in my lounge where I already have a playbar based 5.1 setup with P1 rears and a sub. I experimented with different pairings and using grouping.
Grouping for tv is horrible! I knew there was a sync issue likely, but it was far worse than I expected.
Flipping back and forth between pair of Play 5s and the 5.1 for musing (using the grouped volume sliders to do a/b), I came to the conclusion that the Play 5s added very little and if anything there were phasing issues at the bottom end once the volume got crancled up enough to hear the Play 5 mids and tops come through.
They’ve since been moved on to another room ?
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