Impressions from a Sonos Play 5 (gen 2) owner

[OneZweiThree]

You are missing the point with a one sided comparison of the play 5 with the HP. It’s okay, a lot are. You sound like the Mercedes coupe driver, mired off road in mud, wondering why the humvees slog past. The HP is more than a speaker.

But sure, I grant you a 14 pound , 14, x 8 x 6 speaker will have physical advantages over a 5 pound 6x6 cylinder. These physical advantages extend to greater amplitude and frequency. These will translate into base.

I have two sonos 5’s that I have moved around to find the best use for. They didn’t sound good in my small office. Low volume is not their forte. They do well in larger rooms at higher volumes. Yes, ‘party’ speakers.

Now, my HP? Sounds great in my small office. I would chose it every time over the pair of sound 5s. There is a crispness the 5’s lack. Vocal in particular stand out for me like i have NEVER heard from my sonos’s. You say too much, well, sure, if you want it to sound like a 5 you are going to be disappointed. It isn’t a 5. I prefer the HP vocals.

At the moment I am watching TV. Got my sonos playbar, sub, and pair of 3’s as rear speakers. And i really want to say, Hey Siri, set volume to 40%. So miss that already. My HP spoiled me with how easy it is to control. My Mercedes is back on the highway laughing at lumbering humvees.

Sure, this summer when I have my 4th of July barbecue you better believe I will move my pair of 1000 dollars of Play 5s outside and leave my 349 HP inside. Well, unless Airplay 2 is out and then I will move my HP outside too and slave my 5s to it.

Being disappointed that a HP doesn’t sound like a play 5 is about the same as if I was disappointed when I look at my sonos 5 and say ‘set volume to 40%’ and it sits there and does nothing. And as far as Alexa goes.. .forget it, she didn’t hear me.

If I could only have one, a play 5 or a HP? I’d chose the HP every single time. Because a few days a year I need a party speaker, the rest of the year I want to listen to my music in my office. And I want voice control that really works.

No offense, but I think, you are missing OPs point. Like he said, he was never under the assumption, that the HP would be better sounding than the play 5 UNTIL some reviews claimed otherwise. So basically some reviews oversold the HP (what? reviewers don’t know, what they are talking about?! Bummer...).


Just wanted to make it more clear, so that everyone is on the same page.

Personally, I’m somewhat in the same boat as OP. I have a play 5 and a play 1. I was thinking about replacing them with 3 HPs. When I read some reviews I was super excited, that even a single HP could outperform a play 5 (skeptic, but still excited). I guess we just have to wait for some more longterm reviews or I have to try it out for myself...

 

[DarwinOSX]

Several reviews have said the HomePod is better than the Play 5. Both the Verge and 9 to 5 Mac.
I have a single Play 5 and two stereo paired Sonos One's and received my HomePod today.
The HomePod has much better detail than either of them. Both Sonos devices get louder but the HomePod gets more than loud enough. Both Sonos fall apart on detail and bass gets muddy above 30 or 40 percent volume and I also like the 360 sound of the HomePod. The HomePod maintains its sound quality no matter how loud you go.
I've never been very impressed with the sound quality of any Sonos Product actually and i find that alot of Sonos owners who think they sound great haven't heard much else.
The HomePod does a decent job of stereo separation but i will be glad to get another one and pair them. It sounds like that capability is not far off.
My stands for speakers are my Kef LS50 Wireless which are $2200 speakers that have been compared favorably with speakers costing 4 or 5 times that.
The Play 5 and Sonos Ones are going on Craigslist and i won't miss them.
I'm also glad to dump Alexa for Homekit for privacy reasons.
[doublepost=1518232699][/doublepost]

No offense, but I think, you are missing OPs point. Like he said, he was never under the assumption, that the HP would be better sounding than the play 5 UNTIL some reviews claimed otherwise. So basically some reviews oversold the HP (what? reviewers don’t know, what they are talking about?! Bummer...).

YOU think they oversold the HomePod vs Play 5. I don't and others don't either.
One of these reviews was The Verge which didn't exactly give the HomePod a glowing review otherwise.

 

[OneZweiThree]

YOU think they oversold the HomePod vs Play 5. I don't and others don't either.
One of these reviews was The Verge which didn't exactly give the HomePod a glowing review otherwise.

Wait a second. If a review says „the HomePod sounds better than the play 5“, it’s really not my interpretation, that sets the tone. When they literally say it and it turns out to be false, than they are overselling it.

Look, I’m in no way mad, since I never expected the HomePod to sound as good as the play 5. but when reviews tell us, that it does indeed sound better than the play 5, it’s quite normal, that we get our expectations up.


If (legit) reviews were claiming, that the iPhone X camera outperformed a Sony A7, people would get their hopes up. It’s just a normal reaction. And that example is way more outlandish than the HP-Sonos comparison.


Edit: re-reading your comment, I think, I might have misinterpreted it. If you were trying to say, that some people (including yourself) don’t think, that the play 5 does indeed sound better than the HP, than that’s totally fair. Since I haven’t heard the HP yet, I can’t comment on a comparison between the two from first hand experience.

 

[Phil77354]

Just chiming in here to say I have a Play:5 (2nd gen) and have a HomePod on order. I never expected the HomePod to get close to it based on the physical size difference between them.

I do however feel that it should be beating the Play:1 I have in the bedroom, particularly on the treble side as I’ve found Sonos generally slightly lacking there especially on the Play:1. I love my Sonos products but wanted to give HomePod a chance at least.

How is the treble on the HomePod? From what reviews said, vocals are crisp, and instruments are clearly defined/separated.

Listening now to Vivaldi Oboe Concerto RV 454, Harold Gomberg oboe with Leonard Bernstein conducting the New York Philharmonic - the oboe is very distinct and beautifully reproduced, and the balance between the instrumentals and the orchestra is excellent.

 

[kennyab]

Listening now to Vivaldi Oboe Concerto RV 454, Harold Gomberg oboe with Leonard Bernstein conducting the New York Philharmonic - the oboe is very distinct and beautifully reproduced, and the balance between the instrumentals and the orchestra is excellent.

I was listening to Performance Today in the car, where they were talking about Messiaen, and realized I hadn't really tried anything other than pop or folk. Was just about to try a bit of classical when I saw you posted this, looking forward to find out how it sounds.

 

[rubenrp]

My stands for speakers are my Kef LS50 Wireless which are $2200 speakers that have been compared favorably with speakers costing 4 or 5 times that.

How would you compare the sound quality of the HomePod to the Kef LS50Ws? I realize that until Airplay 2 is out, detailed comparisons are unfair, but I'm still curious to hear your take.

 

[weeesss]

I am contemplating getting one to replace a Play 3 in my living room. It is accompanied by an Echo. I like being able to control the Sonos from the Echo, but I mostly use my Apple Music subscription (which I cannot access by voice control via the Echo) and sometimes Sirius. I am looking for the best sound quality for Coltrane, Bill Evans, etc. I will lose the Alexa controls but will gain voice control of Apple Music.

Has anyone made such a side by side comparison? I am not looking for a party speaker or home automation.

My mind is telling me that it is not a $350 improvement from the Sonos but the access to Apple Music is what is really making me think.

 

[jeyf]

I am contemplating getting one to replace a Play 3 in my living room... Has anyone made such a side by side comparison?... My mind is telling me that it is not a $350 improvement...

you know forums like this are flooded after the release of new apple product.

anyways only your ear can tell the difference.

 

[iLog.Genius]

How would you compare the sound quality of the HomePod to the Kef LS50Ws? I realize that until Airplay 2 is out, detailed comparisons are unfair, but I'm still curious to hear your take.

Nothing to say that would provide any meaningful conclusion which is to say that they're not even comparable or in the same league. While I find the LS50(Wireless) a bit bright, it is outstanding in clarity and dynamic range - a true audiophile-type speaker.

I haven't heard the HomePod (not available in Canada yet), so you're probably thinking why I'm even quoting/responding to you, but having heard the KEF LS50 lineup and knowing what type of speaker the HomePod is, there's no meaningful comparison between the two other than to say the price difference between the KEF LS50(Wireless) price difference between the HomePod is heard through the LS50(Wireless) sound. But I'll let @DarwinOSX chime in with his thoughts.

 

[MistrSynistr]

Just chiming in here to say I have a Play:5 (2nd gen) and have a HomePod on order. I never expected the HomePod to get close to it based on the physical size difference between them.

I do however feel that it should be beating the Play:1 I have in the bedroom, particularly on the treble side as I’ve found Sonos generally slightly lacking there especially on the Play:1. I love my Sonos products but wanted to give HomePod a chance at least.

How is the treble on the HomePod? From what reviews said, vocals are crisp, and instruments are clearly defined/separated.

The Verge did a review meshing a song into all the smart speakers including the Sonos , the HomePod sounds leagues above them all.

 

[ezmolaw]

Several reviews have said the HomePod is better than the Play 5. Both the Verge and 9 to 5 Mac.
I have a single Play 5 and two stereo paired Sonos One's and received my HomePod today.
The HomePod has much better detail than either of them. Both Sonos devices get louder but the HomePod gets more than loud enough. Both Sonos fall apart on detail and bass gets muddy above 30 or 40 percent volume and I also like the 360 sound of the HomePod. The HomePod maintains its sound quality no matter how loud you go.
I've never been very impressed with the sound quality of any Sonos Product actually and i find that alot of Sonos owners who think they sound great haven't heard much else.
The HomePod does a decent job of stereo separation but i will be glad to get another one and pair them. It sounds like that capability is not far off.
My stands for speakers are my Kef LS50 Wireless which are $2200 speakers that have been compared favorably with speakers costing 4 or 5 times that.
The Play 5 and Sonos Ones are going on Craigslist and i won't miss them.
I'm also glad to dump Alexa for Homekit for privacy reasons.
[doublepost=1518232699][/doublepost]

YOU think they oversold the HomePod vs Play 5. I don't and others don't either.
One of these reviews was The Verge which didn't exactly give the HomePod a glowing review otherwise.

Very interesting, I have a play 5 gen 2 and I love it. I've been noodling on whether to get 2 Sonos One's instead of a Homepod, just cause I feel like Siri isn't where I think it needs to be (plus from what I've read Alexa and Google are pretty far ahead in voice assistants capability). I also feel like I want to give Alexa a try on the Sonos One's but privacy also does worry me. Really the Sonos One bundle would just give me the multi-room functionality I've been looking for, but at the same time I'm also heavily buried in the Apple ecosystem (MacBook, Watch, iPad, iPhone, +Apple Music). Sonos App is also a bit clunky imo but I do like their business strategy of giving consumer choice. I feel like it's really hard to go wrong either way. I'm a bit on the fence, as you can see, but I'll likely wait until a few comparison videos come out within the next few days and make a game time decision between the Sonos One Bundle (ending 2/14) and the Homepod.

 

[macmyworld]

I own the Sonos Play 1, Play 3, and a pair of Play 5 gen 2. Hooked up the HomePod today and compared everyone.

I've always liked Sonos and have had them for many years including the old Gen 1 Play 5. Recently the Sonos app has gone through some rather brutal changes, seems like Sonos is trying to make it harder to use their system.

I tend to almost like the Play 1 over the Play 3. The Play 3 has always been an odd speaker to me, never have been able to put my finger on it. The Play 1 really produces some amazing sound for the form factor.

But -- the HomePod sounds better than the Play 1 or Play 3. Really no contest for me since the HomePod sounds much bigger than it is and it has a pretty amazing ability to nail vocals. Only place the HomePod was a little odd was some podcasts where the voice seemed a tad off. But overall the HomePod sounds great and with AirPlay can easily replace my Sonos speakers.

Now to the Play 5 Gen 2. Until the HomePod can do stereo it is hard to compare perfectly, but I still favor the Play 5. Yes the Play 5 is larger and more expensive, so it should sound better. For the room I use the Play 5s in I would probably be fine with the HomePod once it is in stereo.

I really hope the HomePod connects to other music services in the future. That would make it an outstanding value. For now AirPlay is fine with me. Really strong first effort by Apple.

 

[gui0312]

Initial impressions compared to my play 5 are mostly negative. Particularly if you are into bassy electronic music, homepod just sounds tinny in the mids and lows (at any volume). It just does not give you that club-like thumping of the 5. Also, when it comes to matching the volume output of the play 5, homepod needs to be at above 80% to somewhat match the 5’s 50% (still can’t match the lows though).

When it comes to the sound stage, I was also quite underwhelmed (especially after reading all the praise it got from reviewers). It just does not feel that much wider for some reason.

My original plan was to replace the 5 with one homepod and later add another one for a stereo pair. Now I do not feel it is going to be worth it losing the mids and lows for wider sound stage.

Another unfortunate discovery is related to itunes match. I expected homepod to be able to direct stream my matched songs from the cloud when initiating playback from an iphone (like it can do for apple music subscription), however it instead airplays them from the iphone (with the message popping up saying playback will stop when iphone out of range). It does work directly from the cloud if using the hey siri command though.

I would love for other play 5 owners to share their own impressions.

I also have owned a PLAY 5 for almost 2 years now. Great speaker but, I am fully involved with the Apple Ecosystem and I do have Apple Music. The Sonos app is clunky when trying to play music I have in library its far easier with Siri now or if I want to airplay (usually just use voice siri). I agree the sound on the PLAY5 is "better" more soundstage however, this little guy is much more asthetically pleasing (smaller and just nicer looking) it also has potential, there will be likely many updates that allow things people are looking for such as placing calls, calendar access etc. The PLAY 5 is much larger and takes up a ton of space, that does help with the sound though. I will end up moving the PLAY5 to another area or selling it.

 

[ihatephish]

To be fair, OP doesn’t listen to music but rather loud, obnoxious noise.