The Sonos Five Is Serious About Wireless Audio
Sonos Suggests You Get Two For Stereo … For About $1100
The Sonos Five offers a lot of connectivity, including ethernet, 802.11n, AirPlay 2, and their own Spotify Connect, not to mention 3.5mm input. Inside the speaker are three mid-woofers, and three tweeters which is why it weighs in at 6.36 kg even though it is only 364 x 203 x 154 mm (14lbs, 14.3 x 8 x 6.1″). As the rule of thumb is the heavier the speaker the better that weight is a good sign, though it’s price tag means it has to be very good.
You can control the speaker via the Sonos S2 mobile app or the desktop app, depending on your preference. As with previous Sonos speakers you can use the software to not just play music from a local source or your favourite streaming service. You can also pair two Sonos Five speakers to emulate stereo, each speaker handling a separate mono channel.
TechPowerUp took a listen to these speakers, in both black and white, so that you can benefit from their findings before purchase.
The $550/€600 Sonos Five is the most expensive, but also most powerful "traditional" wireless speaker Sonos offers. It's an entertaining speaker with impressive bass extension and enough volume to fill any room with a rich, lively sound.
In my opinion, Sonos has ruined their reputation beyond repair with their take on planned obsolescence. While reviews tend to not have major issues with audio quality, for the price, they do not compare to non-smart speakers at similar prices, thus a large portion of the pricing is the IOT capabilities, but Sonos uses that to do planned obsolescence by turning older speakers into paperweights.