Sonos Five review: Ultimate Sonos speaker

The Sonos 5 changed the Play:5 in Sonos’ line-up of audio system final yr. It arrived with a brand new paint job and a tweaked identify that Sonos mentioned was designed to make it really feel at one with different the merchandise within the line-up (specifically, Sonos One). In response to Sonos, the refresh additionally introduced “elevated reminiscence and processing energy to offer improved efficiency.” Nevertheless, when it comes to the audio system themselves — nothing has modified below the bonnet in comparison with the earlier mannequin.

That’s not a criticism. This was all the time the flagship speaker in Sonos’ line-up and had the center to show it, so there’s actually no must make any adjustments. Contained in the Sonos 5 are six custom-designed drivers. These are coupled with three midwoofers designed to make sure bass isn’t distorted at increased volumes. There are additionally three tweeters, together with one centre tweeter and two angled aspect tweeters squeezed into this 6.3kg speaker.

Sound from the Sonos 5 sounds immense. Vocals are crisp and the soundstage is fairly beneficiant. Given the quantity ranges succesful from the comparatively diddy Sonos One, it’s no shock that the a lot bigger Sonos 5 can comfortably fill any room in your home with sound. For those who’re having a backyard get together, opening the again door and pointing the Sonos 5 in the suitable course will likely be greater than sufficient to maintain the BBQ bopping (though Sonos would presumably say {that a} £399 Sonos Transfer is your only option in that state of affairs).

Even at excessive volumes, nothing from the Sonos 5 sounds muddy or distorted.

These on the lookout for floor-shuddering ranges of bass is perhaps barely disenchanted as out-of-the-box the Sonos 5 is unlikely to make your internals rumble when the quantity is cranked to the utmost. Nevertheless, the Sonos companion app does help you do some slight tweaks to the sound, together with growing the bass.

Nevertheless, we’d suggest leaving the tuning to Sonos’ intelligent algorithms. Like a variety of different Sonos audio system, the 5 helps TruePlay. This nifty little system will fine-tune the sound of the speaker to the dimensions and form of your room utilizing your smartphone. TruePlay is recommended throughout set-up and there’s a very clear tutorial video to get you began (spoiler alert — you’re going to want to wander across the fringe of your room waving your smartphone round such as you’re water dowsing listening to high-pitched beeps) and that’s it.

In our expertise with the Sonos 5, the sound high quality was boosted immeasurably after a fast TruePlay tuning session. Sonos says the system will proceed to make alterations as you take heed to the speaker too. In fact, each time you progress the Sonos 5, you’ll want to start out the entire course of once more, so be sure you’re pleased with the position of your shiny new speaker earlier than you plug it in and begin the set-up course of.

Sonos 5 is appropriate with the most recent model of the Sonos app. For those who missed the controversy final yr, Sonos break up its merchandise into two classes. Older gadgets, together with its first-generation audio system, will now solely work with a extra restricted Sonos app dubbed ‘S1’, whereas newer merchandise can use the most recent Sonos app. In response to Sonos, this fork needed to occur to allow it to introduce thrilling new options and updates that wouldn’t be potential with audio system launched in 2009… just like the first-generation Play:5, for instance.

For those who solely have older Sonos package put in in your house, there’s little level shopping for the latest-and-greatest Sonos 5. You is perhaps higher suited with a earlier model of the {hardware}, which can be found at a steal on eBay in the meanwhile as these making an attempt to transform their complete Sonos system to {hardware} that helps the brand new app look to improve.

For individuals who haven’t already received a number of Sonos audio system round the home, Sonos 5 is a good place to start out. You’ll make sure you get the most recent options from Sonos and may slowly add extra audio system to completely different rooms protected within the data that — if final time is something to go by — you’ve received a decade earlier than your speaker is relegated to the second-class app.

Sonos’ app is a fairly slick solution to queue up songs, playlists, radio stations, and podcasts. The software program, which is out there on iPhone, Android, Home windows and Mac, helps a variety of the largest music providers, together with Spotify, Amazon Music, Apple Music, Deezer, YouTube Music, Audible, International Radio Participant, Plex, SoundCloud, TIDAL, TuneIn, and lots of, many extra, together with an excellent ol’ usual iTunes library. There’s additionally assist to usher in meditations from providers like Calm too and Sonos has its personal free-to-stream radio, referred to as Sonos Radio.

You’ll be able to stream the music or radio to a single Sonos speaker, or group a number of collectively for synchronised playback in the identical room or round the home. And in contrast to Bluetooth, you received’t should endure — BLEEP! — annoying interruptions — PING! — each time {that a} notification pops up in your smartphone too.

In fact, the Sonos 5 helps Apple’s AirPlay 2 customary too. This presents uncompressed streaming over Wi-Fi from a variety of in style iPhone, iPad and Mac apps, together with Apple Music, Pocket Casts, Spotify and dozens extra. AirPlay 2 additionally lets family and friends on the identical Wi-Fi community as you and the speaker collaborate on a playlist in real-time by including songs from their particular person gadgets — excellent for a celebration.

One benefit that Sonos 5 has over some lesser-known rivals is the swathe of third-party wall mounts, stands, and equipment that can be purchased for this speaker. Whether or not you need to have the Sonos 5 free-standing within the nook of the room, or mounted behind the couch as a part of a 5.0 residence cinema system… there are many selections at a variety of worth factors.

Lastly, Sonos 5 is the one speaker within the audio model’s line-up with a 3.5mm line-in. Which means you possibly can join a turntable or a variety of different gadgets to the Sonos 5 and stream that audio — precisely like an album on Spotify — to each speaker dotted round your house. It’s a enjoyable little addition that might enable you to improve your complete music set-up with a single buy.

Sonos 5 is the flagship speaker within the US audio model’s lineup. Discounting the spectacular (and expensive) Sonos Arc soundbar, the Sonos 5 is the most costly standalone speaker with a price ticket of £499 (though if you happen to retaining checking our information to the most effective Sonos offers, you would possibly discover it cheaper). Nevertheless, this Wi-Fi speaker does sufficient to justify that price ticket. From the glossy fashionable design to the thundering stereo sound, to not point out the power to single-handedly improve an ageing turntable into an AirPlay-capable sound system ….there’s so much to love about this Sonos speaker.

The minimalist design, which sits alongside the Sonos One, Sonos Beam and different latest launches from the corporate, will work with any residence décor. As all the time with Sonos, it will be good to have a number of extra color choices as a substitute of the binary alternative between white and black. However that is a small nitpick with an in any other case stellar design.

Sonos 5 packs six custom-designed drivers: three midwoofers designed to make sure bass isn’t distorted at increased volumes, one centre tweeter, and two angled aspect tweeters. As you’d count on, that leads to some ludicrous volumes.

When you’ve got noise-sensitive neighbours, you are by no means going to have the ability to take heed to the Sonos 5 at greater than 1 / 4 of its complete quantity. And if you happen to’re trying to rumble the partitions throughout your subsequent get together – that is the Sonos speaker that you will want in your arsenal. Even at increased volumes, sound from the Sonos 5 is crystal clear. The expansive soundstage breathes life into virtually each music style, so you may hear the profit it doesn’t matter what your tastes.

Whether or not you’ve already received a number of Sonos merchandise at residence or not, Sonos 5 is ridiculously simple to set-up with the companion app for iPhone and Android. The Sonos 5 may be grouped with any of your current audio system in order that your favorite podcast, audiobook, radio present, or music follows you across the residence. Alternatively, you possibly can play a unique music from every Sonos speaker in your house.

Sonos’ wonderful app boasts a dizzying variety of music streaming platforms, podcast providers, dwell radio stations, audiobook suppliers, and extra. No matter service you are subscribed to, you’ll discover it inside the Sonos app and seamlessly beam the audio to your Sonos 5 with a few faucets.

And people with an ageing turntable – or some other gadget with a regular 3.5mm output – will be capable of use the Sonos 5 so as to add the gear to your wi-fi audio system.

For those who’re uncertain about whether or not Sonos 5 – or certainly, Sonos itself – fairly best for you, it’s price beginning with the stellar Sonos One. For its measurement, this speaker is able to some large sound and gives you an opportunity to measurement up the Sonos app, ecosystem, and whether or not it really works for you. Consider us, you’ll be hard-pushed to not instantly add a Sonos 5 to your basket as quickly as you hear one for the primary time.