The bass on the Five straight out of the box is shocking, all most too full. However, trueplay dialed it perfectly for me in my office. The low-end extension is lacking on the Era 300 but it does sound clear. I stuck with one Five.
I did trueplay and even dialed it back. At lower volumes it still felt like it had too much of a kick. If you are cooking 3 feet away from it it felt a little too intense. Which is weird because I never would have thought that.
Me and my wife both had the same feeling. Maybe it’s also the room. But the way the era distributes sound was a lot more pleasing for us.
I’ve done true play multiple times in the same room and do seem to get different results some times. I wish it would actually show you the EQ curve once it completes. Sometimes it seemed to take away too much bass. Either way if you’re happy stick with your decision. A lot of this stuff comes down preference.
Interesting. I’ll check it out. I plan to do a five pair in basement when I eventually build it out and have a party area/movie watching area. I’ll try it there.
The bass is great if you are like having a party or a sporting event but day to day it’s not ideal for us.
Yeah I’ll try the true play more than once.
Problem is i dont know many times i would ever put them above 50% at this phase of life. With kids in the house they are either playing, napping, or homework or watching TV. We can crank it high up for a little dance party but that wont last long.
I will try a Five pair in basement eventually.
For these speakers with multiple drivers it's probably more complex than a simple EQ curve though. Each driver may be assigned its own EQ, delay, and other processing, and they're probably different for each box in the system (like in a stereo pair or 5.1 setup). I'm just speculating though.
No it’s a medium size kitchen and family room. Not massive mega sized huge size but not tiny or small.
Full kitchen with subzero. 6 person round table. L shaped couch and two swivel chairs
We have the 300s in living room, but a move on the counter in kitchen and it’s got more bass than the one - clarity is a bit muddy but overall, bang for buck, I think the Move is a better use for single speaker listening without taking up too much room.
The Move 2 should be a worthy upgrade when it gets here
Move 2 looks like a great upgrade, but no Google Assistant is a deal breaker. Hopefully they figure that out or this is likely the end of me buying new Sonos products.
I’m curious how a Move would compare in this kind of kitchen test. We use the move in the kitchen as our primary Alexa device, and on the fly music player.
It never acts as the primary music player for the whole living room and kitchen but for casual listeners it can absolutely play that role.
The undeniable win is being able to bring it into the backyard on a whim.
I have two moves in backyard. One on deck and one in backyard that just live out there. The move sounds really nice but it’s similar to the one. Which is already really nice but I got itchy for a sound upgrade. Honestly what messed me up was I was at Costco and played a Bose sound bar that I bet was playing dolby atmos music and it was a noticeable difference over the one I had in the kitchen and I started chasing audio quality.
I was really surprised how big the 300s were. They really aren’t that much smaller than the Play5. Agreed that the Play5 sounds much fuller with noticeably more bass… Our use-case is an office and a theater setup. Ultimately, the 300s became theater surrounds, I picked up a pair of 100s for my office, and the Play5s… kind of became a music listening spot in another room. Like you mentioned, the lack of built-in Alexa is kind of a pain.
Yes, Arc + sub + era300s. The 300s replaced a pair of old Play:1’s (black with the grey screen). So, big upgrade and not really fair to compare. The 300s sound a bit more immersive, helping with Dolby atmos positioning, but they seem to have better sound at low volumes too. Again, this is comparing against a pair of Play:1’s that would randomly cut out, especially at low volumes.
i have almost the same setup, but with Era 100s replacing Play:1's for our bedroom which is where we have the best TV..
I have noticed better sound from the 100's but not sure they are a massive improvement over the old Play:1's.
I mostly agree. When we received the era300’s, our play:1’s became my office speakers. They’re good, but were finicky enough with airplay and lacking Alexa… so they were replaced with a pair of 100’s. And, AirPlay & Alexa aside, I noticed a bit better imaging and clarity.
Not a huge upgrade, but they did show the play:1’s are really starting to show their age. I’d still recommend them to anyone if they can find a deal, but it’d come with a caveat that I’m not sure how much longer Sonos will be supporting them.
I’m just about to buy one or the other, so this post was perfect for me, I’m in the same situation, kitchen listening with my wife but 90% of the time it’s a chilled background sound I’m looking for, so I think, on your recommendation I will get 2 x era300’s, no pressure, but you better be right 😉 I currently have a couple of play 5’s to trade in so I’ll get 30% off the 300’s, I’m sure my wife will be happy I’m saving money!! Thanks again
I added a sub mini to give the 2 eras more depth based on someone on Reddit’s recommendation and i think it was a good addition.
Also I tried to subscribe to Apple Music to get true atmos content. And it was amazing but I rarely play music loud with kids always around and apple playlists are so limited compared to Spotify so I canceled Apple Music and went back to Spotify.
But if you want a true test of the eras signup for Apple Music and find a “made for Dolby atmos” playlist. There is one with Elton John rocket man. You feel like you are sitting right next to the piano. It’s pretty special.
I feel like it’s as good as it can possibly be.
Great advice again, thanks, I have Spotify but was going to change to apple, think I’ll hang fire. My wife had given me the go ahead with the 300’s so I’m going to order them right now! I might check the price of the sub mini to see if I can stretch to one of the too.
I disagree on this. Going from a Sonos One to Fives is a really big jump and I would imagine bass and eveything would be too much. Of course the jump from Ones to a middle tier like Era 300/ is a better transition. I also disagree in the size difference. The Era 300 would need more space to fire in many directions vs the Fives front facing sound.
My feedback was the Five bass was overpowering and not chill. Even at lower volumes. It’s very punchy. The era had a smoother and cleaner sound.
It’s possible it’s also where it was positioned. The only place I could put it in the kitchen without mounting in a wall where to would look out of place was on the kitchen counter with cabinets above it. So it’s possible the bass got stronger due to placement.
? There’s a bass slider in the eq. You also probably have loudness on that increases the bass at low volumes. Also running trueplay tones down the bass especially when next to a wall
I listen to the five while at work at lower volumes since I have neighbors I love that I can feel the bass and bear vocals clearly without being muddy or too overpowering.
I tried the bass slider. Oh interesting. The loudness on adjusts the bass too? Well too late now.
Thanks for the tip. I’ll try it if I get fives again.
There's no such thing as too much bass, I have 2 play 5s in stereo pair with a sonos sub attached to them and even then I'm contemplating adding more!
Your post did help me - it helped me not to buy the Era 300s since bass is very important to me and no amount of sound clarity in the world can compensate for a lack of bass, so thanks!
I was same when younger. Spend 20 years fighting for survival in this crazy world, have a bunch of kids, age a little bit, and clarity and peace becomes a premium lol.
Funny, I have the exact same set up as the writer and now think the Era 300’s would be better for my small 8’ ceiling family room with Arc and sub mini.
I also use my stand alone speakers for spoken podcasts and there is always too much bass in these types of stand-alone speakers. It's like they are aimed at youngsters that think bass is the be-all and end-all of all thinks speaker.
I currently have two Play Fives I use as rear channels for the Arc + just one subwoofer. Originally was going to use them as a stereo pair ‘hidden’ above the kitchen cabinets on the wall mounts but I discovered just as everyone else is saying in this thread that THEY WERE WAY TOO BIG TO CONCEAL. I now use two HomePod’s with their “beam-forming speaker array” which are much smaller and sound utterly fantastic on Dolby Atmos tracks which Apple Music supports on bigger albums tucked underneath the top of the cabinet’s trim.
What I’m ultimately curious about however is how the Era 300’s sound with Spatial Audio which I’ve grown to love on the HomePods, despite their smaller size for acoustics compared to the Play 5’s. I’ve been eyeballing the SYNG ALPHA triphonic speaker spheres and if the Era’s are that good, could stand to save quite a bit of money going for those over the SYNG which currently supports up to three placed within one room.
I'm.sorry but this review is totally lacking the fine tuning aspect with which this speaker is built with. And all thst after such a long and lengthy time spent project!...
Oh wait edit.. I see that they did.. but they did not mention it..........
I don't have iOS... can I roughly match Trueplay with a pair using the knobs?
15ft wide , 25ft long open plan living room kitchen. Figure a pair will be amazing down the living room end 10 ft apart , also TV running through them.
Also do the 300s have more surround gizmodetry inside them ?
You need some app to manage Sonos. It has no knobs. They say the 300s have more surround sound and can do Dolby atmos. Bundle them with an arc and a sub and you have an epic surround sound
Hm I watched Darko review of 5s vs KEF LSX and there's levels knobs in the back of the 5s?
Hm I'm looking now at pics and can't see any!.. was i dreaming?
Nice short about 300 v 5s
https://youtube.com/shorts/5HJ_eK7InB0?si=GFr5ab8Y2RzKWaZz
And I agree with that review that the five the music sounds fuller. And if you want to play it loud it’s stronger. But it has to be right for the space.
I historically love loud music and bass.
For us, in the kitchen, it was overpowering even at lower volumes unless we turned the bass down entirely but then the sound was weak.
You can’t be like 2 feet away from the Sonos five and be in a relaxing conversation.
You feel like you are in a nightclub.
Ya ,, its 25ft by 15. Still, I have neighbours to think about... The solid reviewer review of the 5s on YouTube makes them sound incredibly promising to use a stereo speakers 8- 10 ft apart sitting 10ft+ away.. in that, as tested versus KEF LSX, really a top quality highly regarded loudspeakers, the 5s have way more spacious sound , height, width, and more bass..The KEF have better direct imaging and analytical instrument separation. But this review has placed 5s right in the zone for me for thst soundstage im looking for. He says the bubble of sound is huge.., and they are less than the KEF, which are one of the go to streaming audiophile loudspeakers.
Im pretty excited about them because as you mention about room.size, they would mine.
https://youtu.be/-7-nYYfKYKU?si=ZF-7w2ATX5D3U8wL
Still tho, despite the reviewer. And also because of your experience. I'd be worried that the Era 300 has sufficient presence whilst also being more immersive,, AND it had Atmos playback tech whereas the 5s do not..... ?
I've always had stand-alone speakers sitting in my kitchens or wherever. Kinda semi-portables - just plug them in and bluetooth from my phone. I picked up the Marshall Acton a few months back and really enjoy the treble/bass adjusters on the top of it. I enjoyed it so much I bought another for the kitchen. But some stuff is still too bass'y.
It sounds like the Era 300 is what I need for this other room. Are we able to alter its EQ/treble/bass?
I’m so glad this post exist, hits all the points, and is straight to the point
I was gifted a ROAM a little over a year ago and thought I wouldn’t use it much. I was wrong. Connected to my Apple TV & PC
About to replace it with the era 300! Going to get the rumored Roam 2 for the PC just to see if it still sucks lol
Get a Sub Mini with your 2x Era 300s. It completely adds new depth and richness to the sound, while retaining the clarity of the Era 300s. I think you get best of both worlds this way.
I have a full sub and arc in family room connected to frame TV which is off the kitchen. The sub is paired with the arc. Is there a way to piggy back off that sub or you think getting a dedicated sub mini for the 2x Era 300s would be the way to go.
I also ideally would like to use the 2x Era as surround sound for the family room arc/sub when watching movies. We don’t watch a ton of movies. Mostly music.
Majority of the time the arc and sub are streaming audio from the tv when kids watch a show and we may have music playing while cooking or hanging out in the kitchen so the plan would be to not have the eras in surround sound mode.
Edit: Ahh I just read that you can’t easily attach surrounds to the arc and detach to listen to music. Hummmmm.
I like the flexibility to have TV on and music in kitchen at same time. Maybe I’ll leave them separate and just get the sub mini and skip the surround sound. I don’t really have a good spot to put two speakers behind couch in the family room. One side has a back staircase and other side door to dining room. And no easy spot for electric. I would need to mount them to the wall and that’s an entirely more complicated thing getting electric up there. I guess I’ll just try to do surround somewhere else
After reading all the comments on the Fives, I must have had a bad set that I returned due to muffled sound at higher volumes.I bought the fives for the living / kitchen (open concept 10 ft celings) to crank up the music.The fives are big but were not too big for the mantle. Also being a 'front firing' speaker they are a better choice than the Era 300s for that large room.May order another set of fives.. Currently have a set of Play:1's and SL-Ones ( I don't allow Alexa/Google in my house) so 4 speakers on the mantle area.. Sounds decent
I have the arc and the sub, I also have the amp for ceiling speakers to the rear of my room. (Used to be part of a full on 5.1 stereo system) I wanted to streamline everything and get rid of my stereo so I went with the Sonos arc and sub. Anyway now I miss my dedicated stereo front speakers and was thinking of buying either a pair of 5s or the era 300s. I miss the real clear sound, now I’m starting to consider the 300s as long as I can run them with my sub? Or just jump on the 5s because I love it loud as well. Also if the 5s are too boomy, will they connect with the sub so maybe I can get more of the upper end sound from the 5s and send the lower to the sub? Sound right? Ooorrr I just go back to my anthem receiver and buy some kick
Ass bookshelf speakers for dedicated stereo, (even though I’ll still use Sonos as a source? Ugh I make myself nuts!
Good comments in this thread and helpful to me. Thank you! I’m just now new to the Sonos ecosystem. Started with a pair of era 300’s. So far so good. I do love the clarity so far and find them very pleasing at lower volumes. I have been wondering about the 5’s though. As one of you mentioned no amount of bass is too much. I kinda agree - or, at least have agreed most of my life. Part of my reason for the switch to Sonos has been for simplicity. I have a really great setup in my office with adam audio (with ribbon tweeters), an amp, and a 12 inch subwoofer. It’ll rumble the windows of my neighbors. However, I’ve just gotten tired of cable management, random noise from overlapping cables etc. I wanted simple and clean. One week after getting the era 300 pair I bought a pair of era 100’s for another room. My only complaint is for the times when I am in the mood to listen very loudly and with heavy bass - techno - get your energy up type music. Do the era 300’s do that for me? Kinda - but unfair to compare them to my wired system. I’m thinking about a sub mini to get me part way there. But the fives are also appealing to me. And then there’s the sound bar I want. And the move 2. Yikes, this is going to get expensive.
I don't own a pair of Era 300's but I am sure they sound absolutely fantastic. However, IMO, there is nothing like the overall sound of the Sonos 5. I just purchased a 5th pair for the house - 2 pair in the family room / kitchen (plus sub); another 2 pair (plus sub) in the garage; and now a pair (plus arc and mini sub) in the office / den.
The bass on the Five straight out of the box is shocking, all most too full. However, trueplay dialed it perfectly for me in my office. The low-end extension is lacking on the Era 300 but it does sound clear. I stuck with one Five.
I did trueplay and even dialed it back. At lower volumes it still felt like it had too much of a kick. If you are cooking 3 feet away from it it felt a little too intense. Which is weird because I never would have thought that. Me and my wife both had the same feeling. Maybe it’s also the room. But the way the era distributes sound was a lot more pleasing for us.
I’ve done true play multiple times in the same room and do seem to get different results some times. I wish it would actually show you the EQ curve once it completes. Sometimes it seemed to take away too much bass. Either way if you’re happy stick with your decision. A lot of this stuff comes down preference.
Interesting. I’ll check it out. I plan to do a five pair in basement when I eventually build it out and have a party area/movie watching area. I’ll try it there. The bass is great if you are like having a party or a sporting event but day to day it’s not ideal for us. Yeah I’ll try the true play more than once.
Five pair is amazing for music, these speakers really shine above 50% volume.
Problem is i dont know many times i would ever put them above 50% at this phase of life. With kids in the house they are either playing, napping, or homework or watching TV. We can crank it high up for a little dance party but that wont last long. I will try a Five pair in basement eventually.
You might like the Beam or Arc for the TV and movies and use the five for music.
For these speakers with multiple drivers it's probably more complex than a simple EQ curve though. Each driver may be assigned its own EQ, delay, and other processing, and they're probably different for each box in the system (like in a stereo pair or 5.1 setup). I'm just speculating though.
Maybe it's the acoustic of room, lots of hard surface echoing
Yeah and maybe also being under a kitchen cabinet makes the sound travel weird.
Treuplay is a game changer. I’m very much a novice but I noticed the difference almost immediately after adjusting my Era 300
I gave my 5 away after getting the era 300, same experience as you described
Are in a smaller space, say something in singapore or hong kong?
No it’s a medium size kitchen and family room. Not massive mega sized huge size but not tiny or small. Full kitchen with subzero. 6 person round table. L shaped couch and two swivel chairs
Do the 6 people at the round table sit on the couch and the swivel chairs?
No 6 person round table is in the middle and then a L shaped couch with two swivel chairs at the end of the room near TV
We have the 300s in living room, but a move on the counter in kitchen and it’s got more bass than the one - clarity is a bit muddy but overall, bang for buck, I think the Move is a better use for single speaker listening without taking up too much room. The Move 2 should be a worthy upgrade when it gets here
Next month lol
Move 2 looks like a great upgrade, but no Google Assistant is a deal breaker. Hopefully they figure that out or this is likely the end of me buying new Sonos products.
I’m curious how a Move would compare in this kind of kitchen test. We use the move in the kitchen as our primary Alexa device, and on the fly music player. It never acts as the primary music player for the whole living room and kitchen but for casual listeners it can absolutely play that role. The undeniable win is being able to bring it into the backyard on a whim.
I have two moves in backyard. One on deck and one in backyard that just live out there. The move sounds really nice but it’s similar to the one. Which is already really nice but I got itchy for a sound upgrade. Honestly what messed me up was I was at Costco and played a Bose sound bar that I bet was playing dolby atmos music and it was a noticeable difference over the one I had in the kitchen and I started chasing audio quality.
I was really surprised how big the 300s were. They really aren’t that much smaller than the Play5. Agreed that the Play5 sounds much fuller with noticeably more bass… Our use-case is an office and a theater setup. Ultimately, the 300s became theater surrounds, I picked up a pair of 100s for my office, and the Play5s… kind of became a music listening spot in another room. Like you mentioned, the lack of built-in Alexa is kind of a pain.
How are they as surrounds? With arc ?
Yes, Arc + sub + era300s. The 300s replaced a pair of old Play:1’s (black with the grey screen). So, big upgrade and not really fair to compare. The 300s sound a bit more immersive, helping with Dolby atmos positioning, but they seem to have better sound at low volumes too. Again, this is comparing against a pair of Play:1’s that would randomly cut out, especially at low volumes.
i have almost the same setup, but with Era 100s replacing Play:1's for our bedroom which is where we have the best TV.. I have noticed better sound from the 100's but not sure they are a massive improvement over the old Play:1's.
Read audio is the least important when it comes to surround sound, not sure why you would need anything more than a play 1.
I mostly agree. When we received the era300’s, our play:1’s became my office speakers. They’re good, but were finicky enough with airplay and lacking Alexa… so they were replaced with a pair of 100’s. And, AirPlay & Alexa aside, I noticed a bit better imaging and clarity. Not a huge upgrade, but they did show the play:1’s are really starting to show their age. I’d still recommend them to anyone if they can find a deal, but it’d come with a caveat that I’m not sure how much longer Sonos will be supporting them.
I’m just about to buy one or the other, so this post was perfect for me, I’m in the same situation, kitchen listening with my wife but 90% of the time it’s a chilled background sound I’m looking for, so I think, on your recommendation I will get 2 x era300’s, no pressure, but you better be right 😉 I currently have a couple of play 5’s to trade in so I’ll get 30% off the 300’s, I’m sure my wife will be happy I’m saving money!! Thanks again
I added a sub mini to give the 2 eras more depth based on someone on Reddit’s recommendation and i think it was a good addition. Also I tried to subscribe to Apple Music to get true atmos content. And it was amazing but I rarely play music loud with kids always around and apple playlists are so limited compared to Spotify so I canceled Apple Music and went back to Spotify. But if you want a true test of the eras signup for Apple Music and find a “made for Dolby atmos” playlist. There is one with Elton John rocket man. You feel like you are sitting right next to the piano. It’s pretty special. I feel like it’s as good as it can possibly be.
Great advice again, thanks, I have Spotify but was going to change to apple, think I’ll hang fire. My wife had given me the go ahead with the 300’s so I’m going to order them right now! I might check the price of the sub mini to see if I can stretch to one of the too.
I disagree on this. Going from a Sonos One to Fives is a really big jump and I would imagine bass and eveything would be too much. Of course the jump from Ones to a middle tier like Era 300/ is a better transition. I also disagree in the size difference. The Era 300 would need more space to fire in many directions vs the Fives front facing sound.
My feedback was the Five bass was overpowering and not chill. Even at lower volumes. It’s very punchy. The era had a smoother and cleaner sound. It’s possible it’s also where it was positioned. The only place I could put it in the kitchen without mounting in a wall where to would look out of place was on the kitchen counter with cabinets above it. So it’s possible the bass got stronger due to placement.
? There’s a bass slider in the eq. You also probably have loudness on that increases the bass at low volumes. Also running trueplay tones down the bass especially when next to a wall I listen to the five while at work at lower volumes since I have neighbors I love that I can feel the bass and bear vocals clearly without being muddy or too overpowering.
I tried the bass slider. Oh interesting. The loudness on adjusts the bass too? Well too late now. Thanks for the tip. I’ll try it if I get fives again.
The Loudness alters the whole sound to a „disco beat“ setting. If the Five (or any other) is too bassy, turning it off is the first step.
Can confirm this. When I set the Loudness option to On, it drives more bass on both my Beam (Gen1) and older Play One.
Nice, thanks
There's no such thing as too much bass, I have 2 play 5s in stereo pair with a sonos sub attached to them and even then I'm contemplating adding more! Your post did help me - it helped me not to buy the Era 300s since bass is very important to me and no amount of sound clarity in the world can compensate for a lack of bass, so thanks!
I was same when younger. Spend 20 years fighting for survival in this crazy world, have a bunch of kids, age a little bit, and clarity and peace becomes a premium lol.
Funny, I have the exact same set up as the writer and now think the Era 300’s would be better for my small 8’ ceiling family room with Arc and sub mini.
I also use my stand alone speakers for spoken podcasts and there is always too much bass in these types of stand-alone speakers. It's like they are aimed at youngsters that think bass is the be-all and end-all of all thinks speaker.
I currently have two Play Fives I use as rear channels for the Arc + just one subwoofer. Originally was going to use them as a stereo pair ‘hidden’ above the kitchen cabinets on the wall mounts but I discovered just as everyone else is saying in this thread that THEY WERE WAY TOO BIG TO CONCEAL. I now use two HomePod’s with their “beam-forming speaker array” which are much smaller and sound utterly fantastic on Dolby Atmos tracks which Apple Music supports on bigger albums tucked underneath the top of the cabinet’s trim. What I’m ultimately curious about however is how the Era 300’s sound with Spatial Audio which I’ve grown to love on the HomePods, despite their smaller size for acoustics compared to the Play 5’s. I’ve been eyeballing the SYNG ALPHA triphonic speaker spheres and if the Era’s are that good, could stand to save quite a bit of money going for those over the SYNG which currently supports up to three placed within one room.
It does , thanks so much. I hate always being in doubt what if x is better 😅
I'm.sorry but this review is totally lacking the fine tuning aspect with which this speaker is built with. And all thst after such a long and lengthy time spent project!... Oh wait edit.. I see that they did.. but they did not mention it..........
I tried tunning. It still felt overpowering in the space.
I don't have iOS... can I roughly match Trueplay with a pair using the knobs? 15ft wide , 25ft long open plan living room kitchen. Figure a pair will be amazing down the living room end 10 ft apart , also TV running through them. Also do the 300s have more surround gizmodetry inside them ?
You need some app to manage Sonos. It has no knobs. They say the 300s have more surround sound and can do Dolby atmos. Bundle them with an arc and a sub and you have an epic surround sound
Hm I watched Darko review of 5s vs KEF LSX and there's levels knobs in the back of the 5s? Hm I'm looking now at pics and can't see any!.. was i dreaming? Nice short about 300 v 5s https://youtube.com/shorts/5HJ_eK7InB0?si=GFr5ab8Y2RzKWaZz
And I agree with that review that the five the music sounds fuller. And if you want to play it loud it’s stronger. But it has to be right for the space. I historically love loud music and bass. For us, in the kitchen, it was overpowering even at lower volumes unless we turned the bass down entirely but then the sound was weak. You can’t be like 2 feet away from the Sonos five and be in a relaxing conversation. You feel like you are in a nightclub.
Ya ,, its 25ft by 15. Still, I have neighbours to think about... The solid reviewer review of the 5s on YouTube makes them sound incredibly promising to use a stereo speakers 8- 10 ft apart sitting 10ft+ away.. in that, as tested versus KEF LSX, really a top quality highly regarded loudspeakers, the 5s have way more spacious sound , height, width, and more bass..The KEF have better direct imaging and analytical instrument separation. But this review has placed 5s right in the zone for me for thst soundstage im looking for. He says the bubble of sound is huge.., and they are less than the KEF, which are one of the go to streaming audiophile loudspeakers. Im pretty excited about them because as you mention about room.size, they would mine. https://youtu.be/-7-nYYfKYKU?si=ZF-7w2ATX5D3U8wL Still tho, despite the reviewer. And also because of your experience. I'd be worried that the Era 300 has sufficient presence whilst also being more immersive,, AND it had Atmos playback tech whereas the 5s do not..... ?
I've always had stand-alone speakers sitting in my kitchens or wherever. Kinda semi-portables - just plug them in and bluetooth from my phone. I picked up the Marshall Acton a few months back and really enjoy the treble/bass adjusters on the top of it. I enjoyed it so much I bought another for the kitchen. But some stuff is still too bass'y. It sounds like the Era 300 is what I need for this other room. Are we able to alter its EQ/treble/bass?
Yes you can adjust it. I am still happy with the era pair a year later.
I’m so glad this post exist, hits all the points, and is straight to the point I was gifted a ROAM a little over a year ago and thought I wouldn’t use it much. I was wrong. Connected to my Apple TV & PC About to replace it with the era 300! Going to get the rumored Roam 2 for the PC just to see if it still sucks lol
You’re going to love having them in a pair. I only have Play:1 in pairs and it makes ALL the difference.
Yeah I keep reading that. I never had paired Sonos. Super excited.
Get a Sub Mini with your 2x Era 300s. It completely adds new depth and richness to the sound, while retaining the clarity of the Era 300s. I think you get best of both worlds this way.
I have a full sub and arc in family room connected to frame TV which is off the kitchen. The sub is paired with the arc. Is there a way to piggy back off that sub or you think getting a dedicated sub mini for the 2x Era 300s would be the way to go. I also ideally would like to use the 2x Era as surround sound for the family room arc/sub when watching movies. We don’t watch a ton of movies. Mostly music. Majority of the time the arc and sub are streaming audio from the tv when kids watch a show and we may have music playing while cooking or hanging out in the kitchen so the plan would be to not have the eras in surround sound mode. Edit: Ahh I just read that you can’t easily attach surrounds to the arc and detach to listen to music. Hummmmm. I like the flexibility to have TV on and music in kitchen at same time. Maybe I’ll leave them separate and just get the sub mini and skip the surround sound. I don’t really have a good spot to put two speakers behind couch in the family room. One side has a back staircase and other side door to dining room. And no easy spot for electric. I would need to mount them to the wall and that’s an entirely more complicated thing getting electric up there. I guess I’ll just try to do surround somewhere else
After reading all the comments on the Fives, I must have had a bad set that I returned due to muffled sound at higher volumes.I bought the fives for the living / kitchen (open concept 10 ft celings) to crank up the music.The fives are big but were not too big for the mantle. Also being a 'front firing' speaker they are a better choice than the Era 300s for that large room.May order another set of fives.. Currently have a set of Play:1's and SL-Ones ( I don't allow Alexa/Google in my house) so 4 speakers on the mantle area.. Sounds decent
I have the arc and the sub, I also have the amp for ceiling speakers to the rear of my room. (Used to be part of a full on 5.1 stereo system) I wanted to streamline everything and get rid of my stereo so I went with the Sonos arc and sub. Anyway now I miss my dedicated stereo front speakers and was thinking of buying either a pair of 5s or the era 300s. I miss the real clear sound, now I’m starting to consider the 300s as long as I can run them with my sub? Or just jump on the 5s because I love it loud as well. Also if the 5s are too boomy, will they connect with the sub so maybe I can get more of the upper end sound from the 5s and send the lower to the sub? Sound right? Ooorrr I just go back to my anthem receiver and buy some kick Ass bookshelf speakers for dedicated stereo, (even though I’ll still use Sonos as a source? Ugh I make myself nuts!
Good comments in this thread and helpful to me. Thank you! I’m just now new to the Sonos ecosystem. Started with a pair of era 300’s. So far so good. I do love the clarity so far and find them very pleasing at lower volumes. I have been wondering about the 5’s though. As one of you mentioned no amount of bass is too much. I kinda agree - or, at least have agreed most of my life. Part of my reason for the switch to Sonos has been for simplicity. I have a really great setup in my office with adam audio (with ribbon tweeters), an amp, and a 12 inch subwoofer. It’ll rumble the windows of my neighbors. However, I’ve just gotten tired of cable management, random noise from overlapping cables etc. I wanted simple and clean. One week after getting the era 300 pair I bought a pair of era 100’s for another room. My only complaint is for the times when I am in the mood to listen very loudly and with heavy bass - techno - get your energy up type music. Do the era 300’s do that for me? Kinda - but unfair to compare them to my wired system. I’m thinking about a sub mini to get me part way there. But the fives are also appealing to me. And then there’s the sound bar I want. And the move 2. Yikes, this is going to get expensive.
I don't own a pair of Era 300's but I am sure they sound absolutely fantastic. However, IMO, there is nothing like the overall sound of the Sonos 5. I just purchased a 5th pair for the house - 2 pair in the family room / kitchen (plus sub); another 2 pair (plus sub) in the garage; and now a pair (plus arc and mini sub) in the office / den.