Sonos Review: The Play:5 is the Perfect Centerpiece for a Whole House Audio System

[deany]

That vertical Sonos logo on the front is oddly irritating to me. Still planning to purchase however...

If I had my time again I would start with a pair of Play 1's and the Flexson stands https://www.amazon.co.uk/Flexson-Fl...e=UTF8&qid=1471074367&sr=8-3&keywords=flexson plus Google Play Music or a streaming service.
My brother has this setup and its simply jawdropping how good the quality is and it never goes above 60% as it is far too loud.
Worth googling for reviews the other nice thing is they are beautiful to look at and the least expensive SONOS line.
I think if John McFarlane had got into streaming which would have been a logical business decision - apple would have bought SONOS, instead of the overpriced Beats.
SONOS is a very apple like product.

 

[dv8or]

Sonos is a well-regarded brand known for creating some of the best multi-room home speaker setups, and in late 2015, the company debuted its latest product, a second-generation Play:5. The original Play:5 (once called the S5) came out in 2009, so the new Play:5 marks a long overdue update that brings a new design and better sound.

As someone new to the Sonos ecosystem, the Play:5 (paired with a set of Play:1 speakers) is the first Sonos speaker I've tested in my home. After a month breaking it in, I finally understand why Sonos is such a popular brand and is regarded as the best system for iPhone-compatible whole house audio.

Priced at $499, the new Play:5 isn't cheap, but that price point includes a hassle-free user experience and impressive audio. As covered in the review below, there are some downsides to buying into the Sonos line, but its ease of use, sound, and multi-speaker pairing capabilities make it largely a win for those ready to shell out the cash for a quality sound system.


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Article Link: Sonos Review: The Play:5 is the Perfect Centerpiece for a Whole House Audio System

[doublepost=1471083860][/doublepost]I have a play bar and whilst it sounds great I am actively looking to replace Sonos for one simple reason. They won't allow native apps like Apple Music and Spotify to be used with it. You are forced into a sub standard Sonos App to play your music. If they would just listen to their users they would be my first choice.

 

[deany]

[doublepost=1471083860][/doublepost]I have a play bar and whilst it sounds great I am actively looking to replace Sonos for one simple reason. They won't allow native apps like Apple Music and Spotify to be used with it. You are forced into a sub standard Sonos App to play your music. If they would just listen to their users they would be my first choice.

I think the problem is with apple not SONOS.
Apple would have to make the app SONOS friendly and maybe they dont want to?
With Google Play Music I cant think of one thing I cant do on the SONOS for iOS app or the SONOS for macOS.
I cant comment on lacking features for apple music if there is any?

cheers

 

[dv8or]

Im no expert but I'm reasonably technical and can't see any reason why the apple music app shouldn't be able to work natively without having to make it Sonos friendly - we are talking about a connected speaker here? Perhaps someone with a deeper knowledge can comment? As far as usability is concerned - Apple music has a lot of sophisticated features that are not available through the Sonos app.

 

[deany]

Im no expert but I'm reasonably technical and can't see any reason why the apple music app shouldn't be able to work natively without having to make it Sonos friendly - we are talking about a connected speaker here? Perhaps someone with a deeper knowledge can comment? As far as usability is concerned - Apple music has a lot of sophisticated features that are not available through the Sonos app.

Hi
There are work arounds (appleTV or airport express and airPlay) but the SONOS product has to have line-in. Also I find airPlay a tad flakey and have stopped using it except with watching a youTube concert (airport express line in to Play 5 1st gen) which is better than the appleTV work around.

SONOS products that have line in-

• PLAY:5 (gen2)
• PLAY:5 (gen1)
• CONNECT
• CONNECT:AMP

https://sonos.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/1091/~/using-line-in-on-sonos

so dv8or would need one of the four above as a 'second zone' for the playbar and ideally an airport express (better than appleTV) connected via 3.5mm and then airPlay from apple music app to the express and play through the play bar 'first zone'.

 

[dv8or]

Thanks Deany but it kind of obviates the idea of having Sonos to begin with having to plug your device in... I already have a workaround that requires my soundbar to be connected to my tv and my Apple TV. This way I can play Apple music using the Apple TV music app. Not ideal but a hell of a lot better than using the Sonos App.

 

[deany]

Thanks Deany but it kind of obviates the idea of having Sonos to begin with having to plug your device in... I already have a workaround that requires my soundbar to be connected to my tv and my Apple TV. This way I can play Apple music using the Apple TV music app. Not ideal but a hell of a lot better than using the Sonos App.

okay didn't realise you had the apple TV work around I have appleTV 2 and find as mentioned above the airport express to be much more reliable.
As you say not ideal.
If you ever get another zone those Play 5's get rave reviews then add express.
I guess its the iOS app you'd rather use so this is an option.....and you wouldn't need to plug your iPhone in which is very 1980s
cheers

 

[dv8or]

Will have a look into that - cheers.

 

[n-evo]

Overpriced nonsense. For the same price you can get a proper pair of bookshelf speakers and an AirPort Express.

 

[deany]

Will have a look into that - cheers.

It might be worth me mentioning my setup -

Router with wifi off connected via cat 6 to Time Capsule in one part of house.
Then as a 'roaming network' cat 6 running along outside wall from Time Capsule to Airport Express in the other part of house.

SONOS Connect amp cat 6 to Time Capsule (I dont use SONOS bridge)

The Airport Express is then connected to the Play 5 line in.

From this setup I get a really good 'roaming' wifi network with a strong wifi signal.
Plus I can airPlay from Time Capsule 'zone' etc to Airport Express 'zone' and this gives a very reliable airPlay/SONOS experience with the Google Play Music iOS app and iOS youTube for concerts.
The battery on the iPhone will deplete quicker with airPlay but I have 3m lightning in most rooms now for my 2 year old iPhone 6.
This method is especially helpful for folks who have capped broadband maybe in a rural location but have a decent capacity iPhone that they can download to for offline listening.
I would always buy from amazon with their 'no quibble' returns.
Dropouts may occur and wont be as reliable as SONOS net and iOS app.
It may be worth waiting for the SONOS event on the 30th August to see what that brings - sounds like exciting times ahead for the Santa Barbara company.
Hope this helps.

 

[LinusB]

I just bought a house that I will be moving into in September. I have been looking at Sonos and really have not seen a better option. I will have 3 floors (plus a basement) and it being built in 1910 there is no cabling in the house, so a multi room wifi system is what I am looking for. If anyone has anything they recommend I look at before buying, please let me know. Thanks.

Sonos is nice in many ways but I hate that I have to use their app. I was really close to getting the Sonos system but I ended up getting the Raumfeld system. I've only had it for three weeks but I love it. I can use Spotify connect, Google cast in the next update. You should google it at least and read some reviews.

 

[JWSpaceMan]

For those in the market, there is another system you might look at, made by Canadian speaker manufacturer Axiom. It is called the "Air": https://air.axiomaudio.com/ . As I understand, it has a Raspberry Pi inside as the brain, is fully portable (I think it broadcasts as a wifi hotspot for streaming from your phone) with a Lithium Ion battery pack, handles 24/192 audio streams, runs at 150 Watts, and has very high end speaker components. I haven't heard the Air in person, but our home theater is outfitted with 9 Axiom speakers + 2 Subs and they are absolutely phenomenal. It is a homegrown engineering project made by a real audiophile speaker company. Note: I am a fan of their speakers, not otherwise affiliated with the company in any way.

 

[offshoreyachty]

Overpriced nonsense. For the same price you can get a proper pair of bookshelf speakers and an AirPort Express.

Sonos makes less sense for one zone, but with more it's difficult to match - I have 10 zones in my house, with Play:1,3,5; Connects driving garden speakers, pool and connect:Amps driving Meridians and BeoLabs. We have Mac, iPhone, Android and windows controllers between us. FLAC's and iTunes library live on a NAS, and everything else is streamed. The SonosNet mesh stretches the system out of the range of my wifi, which is another bonus.

It simply works, which is all I want, and has done for 12 years, without any failure. I'd consider an upgrade to Sooloos , but the cost would preclude using it for all the zones, so .. I passed.

 

[calderone]

Im no expert but I'm reasonably technical and can't see any reason why the apple music app shouldn't be able to work natively without having to make it Sonos friendly - we are talking about a connected speaker here? Perhaps someone with a deeper knowledge can comment? As far as usability is concerned - Apple music has a lot of sophisticated features that are not available through the Sonos app.

The speaker is only "loosely" connected. They are working on extending the platform to enable more connectivity which will be used by the upcoming Spotify Direct Control feature which is currently in Beta.

Long story short, it is in the works. There is announcement coming at the end of the month to share some of those efforts. Once Spotify control is out there Apple will soon follow.

 

[deany]

Just carrying on with regard to the 'always on' benefits of SONOS and the cost as per https://sonos.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/260/~/sonos-power-consumption-when-idle

my 4 zones-
2 x Play 5 1st gen. stereo pair.
1 x Play 3
2 x Connect:Amp

365 days a year on standby is approx £26.00 (more power is used when the zone is playing music, so this is the minimum cost).
I don't like wasting money who does?, heck I use one of these for my toothpaste http://www.aliexpress.com/item/Crea...2445627621.html?spm=2114.13010608.0.71.aNvGNU but I'm not tight and realise false economy isn't worth it, but the convenience of always on - I can put my favourite music on so its playing when I walk through the front door or find and play a favourite track in seconds for 00.07p a day. Its like owning a Tower Records chain or HMV without the overheads.
nb
All Sonos components take 3 minutes to go into idle mode, unless part of a Sonos PLAYBAR 3.1, 5.0, or 5.1 setup.

 

[Grahamps]

My main is Auralic Aires streamer>Chord Hugo TT DAC>ATC SMC 40A speakers

earlier, I posted a recommendation for the Wyred4Sound Connect mod. I "bet" your DAC has an available coax connector that would accept it. Add one, and your Hifi will become a worthy zone on your Sonos system.

Check out this okay recording I made of a friend's stereo playing Deezer Elite with that modified source. It's not a very immediate recording, but you still can hear the quality of the stereo's performance:

 

[deany]

earlier, I posted a recommendation for the Wyred4Sound Connect mod. I "bet" your DAC has an available coax connector that would accept it. Add one, and your Hifi will become a worthy zone on your Sonos system.

Check out this okay recording I made of a friend's stereo playing Deezer Elite with that modified source. It's not a very immediate recording, but you still can hear the quality of the stereo's performance:

how much it that entire system new, pray tell?
thanks

 

[ozaz]

Okay, you say AirPlay "sucks", but - given that AirPlay allows you to immediately send audio from Apple Music (which is turn is fast to find music in, and can be used with Siri - what does Sonos do that makes up for not being able to do this?
Curious, as I'm trying to decide what setup to buy.

Sonos has a reputation for achieving far greater stability with ease. People with excellent home wifi coverage will say they have no connection issues with Airplay, but Sonos works exceptionally even in troublesome environments by creating its own mesh network.

With Ariplay you typically need a constant connection between your OS X / iOS device and the Airplay receiver. This is not the case with Sonos when you are playing web or server-based audio.

Sonos can be controlled by non-Apple devices.

Sonos has fanboys worse than Apple fanboys could be. Strange for such a lousy system. Tried Sonos and did not like it. Having to use an extra app instead of Airplay? Wasting power on standby as much as all of my lights in my whole house on 24 hours a day?? Are you kidding me? And don't get me wrong, I am a musician and have good ears but the price is too high for that quality.

I think the single app restriction is divisive. Some people clearly dislike it because it reduces flexibility but I think it should be recognised that a lot of Sonos users actually prefer it (rather than just put up with it). I like it because it makes things easier for the non-techy people in my family. They find it easier to control everything in a single app (radio, NAS-based music, and streaming service).

What light bulbs do you have and how many do you have in your house?
2nd gen Sonos Play:5 only draws 2.1 Watts when idle. Play:1 draws 3.4 Watts.

Spotify direct control is around the corner (currently in Beta). Apple Music will follow.

Where have you heard this?
I heard direct play via a Sonos cast api might be coming (around the time Chromecast audio was launched) but have heard nothing concrete since.

 

[Attonine]

earlier, I posted a recommendation for the Wyred4Sound Connect mod. I "bet" your DAC has an available coax connector that would accept it. Add one, and your Hifi will become a worthy zone on your Sonos system.

Check out this okay recording I made of a friend's stereo playing Deezer Elite with that modified source. It's not a very immediate recording, but you still can hear the quality of the stereo's performance:

I could add a Connect, but why would I? I already have a streamer which is leagues better than pretty much anything else on the market unless you are going to spend a heck of a lot more. The Connect would just be duplicating (some of) that function - but with lesser sound quality and without the ability to stream HD. If I didn't have a streamer I might consider it. As it is, it would just be a waste of money.

how much it that entire system new, pray tell?
thanks

If you wanted to buy my kit retail in Wales, it would set you back around £12k. Did I pay that? No. I paid £24 for the streamer, DAC, and headphones, with a trade in of my existing kit (which itself had been traded up over the years). I needed to downgrade as I was moving to UAE and wasn't going to ship all my stuff. I also wanted to drastically reduce my box count. The speakers I got shipped from ATC in the UK, again reduced with some negotiation (and no VAT!).

With hifi, I advocate never buying new unless you absolutely have to. There's no need. If you know what you want (meaning you have listened to the kit in your own listening room), there are tons of hifi websites selling kit in perfectly good, often mint condition, that people are moving on, upgrading etc, at much more realistic prices! (For example, the Focal Utopia's in Grahamps attached clip are listed in the UK for something like £21k, you'd be nuts to pay this, they can be had for less than half this on the used market, often much less).
[doublepost=1471181380][/doublepost]

Overpriced nonsense. For the same price you can get a proper pair of bookshelf speakers and an AirPort Express.

What about the pre/DAC and amp you'd need to connect between the airport express and speakers?

 

[calderone]

Where have you heard this?
I heard direct play via a Sonos cast api might be coming (around the time Chromecast audio was launched) but have heard nothing concrete since.

From Sonos, it is currently in the user beta program. You can play directly from the Spotify app.

 

[einsteinbqat]

Anyone knows why most speakers are gone from the Apple Store website?

 

[deany]

From Sonos, it is currently in the user beta program. You can play directly from the Spotify app.

This is really good news for folks that aren't that keen on the SONOS app ( I love the SONOS app!!)
- once Spotify get the OK in the app store all other steaming services yes - apple - and of course google (my personal streaming choice) will follow.

thanks @calderone

Are you able to talk about the beta? if so does it hold a solid connection etc - is it better using the Spotify app v SONOS app - and if so why?

cheers
[doublepost=1471201857][/doublepost]

I just bought a house that I will be moving into in September. I have been looking at Sonos and really have not seen a better option. I will have 3 floors (plus a basement) and it being built in 1910 there is no cabling in the house, so a multi room wifi system is what I am looking for. If anyone has anything they recommend I look at before buying, please let me know. Thanks.

Hi buddy

Hope all goes well with your new home - I'm sure it will

I am, to be fair, very SONOS bias but there is a -

As I think I said earlier I adore the Play 1 and they just so happen to be the least expensive - convenient!

I also love the Flexon stand: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Flexson-Fl...e=UTF8&qid=1471201802&sr=8-3&keywords=flexson - not sure if they are available is the States

Cheers and again all the best with the move.

 

[ke-iron]

I was thinking of buying a Sonos system earlier this year but, after the recent layoffs, I changed my mind. I'm not entirely convinced they will be around much longer.

Just get the new B&W Zeppelin wireless. Best sounding music dock out right now. Has AirPlay and Bluetooth. They also fixed the AirPlay dropouts the previous generations had.

 

[peterdevries]

Just get the new B&W Zeppelin wireless. Best sounding music dock out right now. Has AirPlay and Bluetooth. They also fixed the AirPlay dropouts the previous generations had.

I had the B&W A7 and hated it due to its dependence on a direct device connection. In addition, there is no easy way to build a multi-room system with the B&W products.

 

[ke-iron]

I had the B&W A7 and hated it due to its dependence on a direct device connection. In addition, there is no easy way to build a multi-room system with the B&W products.

It's actually easier than you think. If you have
a Mac or an iPad it's very easy to do. On a Mac you can AirPlay to multiple speakers via iTunes, and on an iPad using the remote app you can do the same. It's built right in there but a lot of people don't know about it.

The direct device connection is true but that shouldn't be a problem since you'll be playing music when you're home with your devices there. If only B&W and Apple had a better partnership where they'd build independent speakers that can at least play beats one radio or the other Apple radio stations direct without a connection to your phone.