Peter one of the most charismatic and humble youtubers out there, also very useful content! BTW Peter I’m the guy who added 2 one SL to beam and sub last week!
Thanks for the detailed comments. I've switched the orientation several times , mainly for esthetics. There are times when music sounds great from either orientation. I appreciate you offering enough details to say: "it really doesn't matter." P.S. I often re-watch your videos because I learn something new. Great job Peter!
Thank you for all those detailed analyses... you asked all the right questions and helped me so much. I am a big fan! ... and I agree, charismatic and humble..
Worth a mention, apart from the freq response comparisons. positioning a stereo pair vertically: the sound of Sonos Five pair will be more like studio monitors. Imaging will be extremely precise if placed 60degrees apart from the listening point. positioning the stereo pair horizontally: the sound of the Sonos Five will produce a wider stage.
Thanks so much for this video. I have always wondered the difference. I prefer vertical but I always read horizontal was better. I’m happy to say I will now guilt free use my play 5s vertically:) I really enjoy how informative your videos are. Until today I was constantly conflicted over this issue..Conflict now solved ;)
Very interesting about the image difference in horizontal orientation compared to vertical. My experience was the same as yours - I bought one Play:5, was blown away but also immediately went back to the store to get a second one. Have you compared the orientation differences with a stereo pair? I suspect many folks orient the pair vertically for space reasons but it would be fun to try them horizontally sometime. I love your videos and recommend them to my friends!
Great video! You always have the answers I'm looking for when it comes to my Sonos products! Suggestion. Maybe you should use a speaker stand to eliminate the variations in your frequency response test because the bottom-facing tweeter won't be disrupted by the table and thus may produce more accurate results for you to conclude whether or not vertical vs horizontal is better. Either way thanks for making the video!😀
Great job on all of your videos! I am new to the Sonos brand and have been very impressed so far. The one question I can't seem to find an answer for is in using two of the Sonos 5 speakers as rear channel for my surround sounds system do I mount them vertically or horizontally and why?
Horizontally if you have the space for it and it gives a bigger wider soundstage. Vertically if your ceiling is high and you are placing the speakers on stands at least 2 feet off the ground without a reflective surface directly to the front of the speaker.
Awesome videos Peter ! Keep up the great work ! I'm planning to get the fives as rears with the ARC. Due to space restrictions in my apartment, the fives will be place right behind either side of my couch with the ARC placed 7 ft away under the TV. What orientation do you personally recommend I use for the Fives?
@PeterPee I’m using Play 3s for surrounds. Would it be safe to assume similar results can be applied to play 3 speakers? I’m sitting mine on floating shelves.
I have had my stereo pair of Fives for a few weeks now and love them. I placed them vertically as per the normal way most people place them. I then thought I would try them horizontally and wow! they sound much better. I trueplayed both times and interestingly, with them vertically, there was a huge difference in toggling on and off the trueplay. Not so much now with them horizontally which suggests my room was better able to deal with the sound horizontally anyway.
Hey, Peter! I was wondering, is there any stands you would recommend for these speakers as surrounds? I am unable to wall mount them and it seems stand options are limited. The Sanus one, for example, doesn't have anything to secure the speaker. On the other hand, I'm worried the Flexson one may not be tall enough to go behind a couch. Thanks in advance!
Hello Peter. Excellent technical videos! I will be installing the fives as rear (already have the arc and sub) in a room that is 20 feet tall and rears will be about 10 feet from the couch. Do you recommend wall mounts and at what height or floor stands? (there is a working desk between the couch and where the speakers will be placed) ps. The room is about 3000 sq feet but its comprises of a kitchen and two living rooms one being where the tv is setup (open space). Cheers!
That's a HUGE space! Make sure the fives are mounted at least at ear height. If not higher. Don't mount them too low for a big space. Give them some room for the sound to travel.
in a stereo pair, one of the speakers on each Five will fire upwards, I think that creates a more immersive experience... and in future they can update it to support Dolby Atmos music.
Holy crap... that’s an idea I have not thought of. Would be cool if they did that. But the problem might be that Atmos needs to be able to handle the mid range as well and I suspect the tweeters on the fives aren’t going to be able to handle mid range.
Peter Pee am a fan of your channel, awesome stuff, the freq responses tell more of the story & are convincing compared to other reviewers who just talk... got a Sonos Arc + a pair of SLs ... sounds bomb! I don’t have Sub yet but I have been able to use an old Apple Airport Express (which has a line out, supports AirPlay 2), I plugged it into my old old Bose surround sound console connected to the Sub (wireless), I disconnected all the satellite speakers, I airplay the Bose Sub along with Arc + SLs. great experience... for those who don’t want to get an expensive Sub, can get a third party subwoofer and connect it via airport express, great way to play it via Apple TV.
Peter Pee When in a stereo pair is there much difference between horizontal and vertical orientation? Also which orientation do you prefer when the pair is used as surrounds?
Edward Clarke I would say vertical orientation when using as surrounds will provide a better immersive experience because of the upward firing tweeter.
Peter, your videos are AMAZING and incredibly helpful so thank you. Quick question: do you know if I can connect a pair of Sonos 5s with a vintage Sherwood S-7700 Receiver (circa 1960s) and a Harmon Kardon Turntable from the 1980s? I love these old units but am at a loss as to which speakers would be best and would love your feedback.
Hey! Thank you so much for a fantastic job! Really appreciate your videos! I have a question about sound quality. How much difference does it make if you connect a CD player to Sonos Five compared to streaming from spotify?
If I were to be honest, negligible. The convenience of streaming from Spotify won me over. My cds are all in a box and I haven’t touched them in years.
It would be interesting to measure the frequency response in stereo pair : 1. Horizontally / 2.Vertically with Sonos logo inwards / 3. Vertically with Sonos logo outwards.
Great guy, you're doing an amazing job keep it up! Looking forward to when I can actually get the full surround setup. Question: Did you encounter any issues with lip sync when connected via arc/e-arc or any other noticeable issues worth mentioning with regards to the Sonos Arc full setup when watching movies?
I had lip sync issues when passing through Atmos from the Apple TV 4K to the wemax a300 projector. Other than that instance, everything else was find with other setups.
Peter, can a pair of Sonos 5 speakers be put on the ground, or does it have to be mounted on stand or on a table at ear level? If not ear level what is the shortest height? Will the sound of Sonos 5 speakers still sound good if its on the ground? I dont have much space and thats the only way I can do it.
If you are using them for music, I really advice against putting them on the ground. If they are for surround duties, yes they can go higher or lower than ear level towards the floor or ceiling it really doesn’t matter. But you will not get the same level of enjoyment from them for music if you are placing them on the floor. I recommend that you go for the Sonos ones with a sub instead. If that means that you are able to position the ones on stands at ear level.
Pete! Sonos just released another update now. 12.0.6. This one says “performance enhancements and improved reliability” I can’t wait to get home from work to see if there is any real differences in the performance and reliability now. Would love to get a video on this or an update after you update it and text it to see if you hear any difference in the sound. It would definitely be appreciated.
Peter Pee Awesome! Thanks Pete, I’m really looking forward to that! It’s been about an hour since I’ve been listening to them since the update. Maybe it’s me lol but from what I hear it sounds a little more crisp but the effects, I hear more sounds moving around the room now But you are the man with this stuff so hopefully you’ll see exactly what this update did as far as performance wise. Also, after an update like this would you recommend to trueplay again being this is a “performance update” or no?
That sucks! Hear I am believing I heard more sounds traveling around after the update last night... silly me! That’s why I follow you Pete! Your the man! And I appreciate you responding as always, thank you!
No worries. Hey mike, sound is very very subjective. And trust me, you will perceive the sound differently in the morning and at night, even if it is the same system and the same placement.
Thanks Peter for the effort! I haven't owned any Sonos products, I was thinking to get the 5's to connect to my laptop for Netflix, I was wondering if you get lip sync issue connecting via the 3.5mm jack? And is the audio quality compromised thru this type of connection? If so i might just get a beam/arc. My main purpose for the 5's is for music listening. Cheers!
If it’s for music listening, the fives will be perfect. But connected via 3.5mm, your lip sync will be unbearable for Netflix or any video watching. Quality will still be good so don’t worry. Just the lip sync issue.
@@PeterPee Appreciated! Just another cosmetic question regarding the white sonos, would you know if the white plastic housing will turn yellowish over time? Not sure if your previous play 5's were black or white colour. Cheers!
No. The play:1 onwards held on pretty well. The play:5 first gen were a little yellowish but I got those many years ago and they were used at that time.
Hi Peter, When using the Sonos Fives as a stereo pair in the vertical orientation is it better to have the tweeters facing inwards towards each other (Sonos label facing each other) or facing outwards?
Excellent question. I found no appreciable difference. I actually place them differently for left and right. The Sonos label on the outside, so that the controls are on the outside. I control the touch buttons with left hand on the left speaker and with right hand on the right speaker. The OCD version of Peter in me says they must be a mirror image so that they look as right as they sound!
@@PeterPee Thanks for the response. Years ago I read in a forum that if the tweeters are facing each other (inside) you get a sharper stereo image. If you put the tweeters on the outside you get a wider, more diffuse soundstage. I've had it set up in both and I'm not sure theres much of a difference.
There is a group of audiophile who will insist that using a green marker to line the edges of your CDs make them sound a lot petter. Another gang told me putting a brick on top of the CD player makes it less jittery. That said, tweeters facing inwards vs outwards sounds more believable that there is a difference. But I believe the difference to be as small a what moving the speakers 2 inches brings about.
Hi peter all your help is fantastic. I already own the sonos arc, sub and one sl's for my theatre room but after watching your videos on the fives, i feel myself veering towards that rabbit hole. My only problem being the positioning of a pair of fives. I was hoping to place them in my kitchen on top of the fridge, but that means less than a foot between eachother. Is it important to have them 4-6 feet apart? And should they both be front facing or angled outwards preferably? I know every set up is different due to room differences but your opinion on this would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.
I feel that one foot between the rear speakers will compromise on the surround sound stage. But otherwise, the fives will raise the volume of the surround and overall system volume. So you’ll still get benefits out of it. But if you can place the one sl apart further then that might be the advantage you’re losing.
@@PeterPee no sorry peter you misunderstood my situation. I want to create a seperate music system in my kitchen with just a pair of fives on their own as a stereo pair (not used as surrounds). But if i have the pair on top of the fridge they will be within a foot of one another. On your video you pointed out to have a stereo pair sound their best they should be 4-6 feet apart from each other. How will they sound right next to each other as a stereo pair? And will it make a big difference if i can move them 6 foot away from each other? Thanks.
Ah. I see. Ok. They won’t be useful in stereo pair 1 foot apart. They need to be at least 4 feet apart to create a proper stereo image. If it’s going to be just one foot apart, then 1 speaker will work similarly.
Peter I have an Arc, Sub3, and a pair of ones in my living room. In the other room I have a beam. I just bought two fives. Should I pair with the arc and sub and move the ones with the beam.?Or pair thr fives with the beam? My living room is an open floor 20 X 20 and my other room is 12x14. And should place them vertical or horizontal? Thx
Fo your living room, keep the arc and sub and put the fives as rear surround. It's a big room and you get the ultimate setup. For the Beam in the other room, it's smallish, so beam + pair of Ones will do just fine. Horizontal placement for a room that is big.
Good morning ,,, Greetings from Colombia ,,,,, the Denon Home 350 is better than Sonos Play 5 and Bose Soundtouch 30? or what can be the best option for quality and power within this segment? Thank you
Peter, I have questions about how the orientation affects a stereo pair. My assumption is that once placed in a Stereo pair that the orientation does not make a difference. The same would go for how they are used in a surround setup. Were you able to replicate this test in a Stereo Pair?
In a stereo setup, the differences are going to be very minute. I would say to the point that the placement doesn’t matter as much as where you are actually placing the speakers. How far apart, how they are toed in, how near the back wall, how close to the corners of the room.
Hi Peter, I posted a question on reddit with regards to Sonos in the gen 2 showing tweeters faced outwards in vertical orientation. I see the gen 3 marketing shows tweeters inwards. Is there a big difference to you on if tweeters should be faced outwards, or inwards in vertical orientation when listening in stereo? Thanks.
The difference is very very subtle. I hand it to those who can tell the difference. I tried that ever since I had the Play:5 gen 2s. My mind will probably be tricked to think that the soundstage is wider but I really don’t think there is an appreciable difference. The only practical reason I have is to have the controls on the outside of the speakers. So that it’s more natural to reach for them. Right side facing right for the right hand and left side facing left for the left hand.
I have a standard 5.1 with the Arc, Sub gen 3, One SL rears. When listening to music I hear the rears predominately as I’m closer to them. Should it sound more balanced and not know what direction sound is coming from?
A few weeks ago I bought my first Sonos speaker, the Beam and I really like it! Now I was wondering if it is worth to buy 2 five's as rear speakers or go for 2 one's and a sub. Maybe some one here can tell me ;)
Hi peter, I might get 1 pair of play 5 for my kitchen (20x20) on a wall mount, should the speakers face me or more on each corner, and how far apart for best sound, tks
Nice big space. Put them on one wall, both on the same wall. Some distance from the corners if you can help it. Like maybe 4 feet out from the corners. That will mean they are 12 feet apart. Very wide but comfortable distance for a decent stereo image given the size of your kitchen.
The placement when it comes to surround is less critical. I have used them both horizontally and vertically depending on whether they are on the floor or elevated. I am happy with both results and differences are small. Noting that the bass response is reduced when the fives are used in surround mode and playing TV/movie material.
Haha. So you’re thinking of the second one already? I haven’t done a turntable video. I sold my turntable a while back and have no more records to my name. :(
Peter Pee I just discovered something very interesting. I put my Five on my retired old sound bar sub... it turns out that it give out sound just like a passive radiator. So I can hear super low now without any power to my old sub. I could feel some wind gust from the sub big port and I can also fell the cone was moving!
@@PeterPee yeah... the partner is finally here with a huge discount, thanks to 3.3... I stereo paired them up and ......🤯🤯🤯🤯 can even hear the difference between Tidal Connect(1411kbps) and Spotify Connect(320kbps)
My Sonos Move in stereo pair sound better than my Sonos Five!!! I wash shocked how good the Moves are and disappointed by the solo Five. I just ordered second Five.
No audiophile worth his salt focuses on the frequency response of a speaker. Audiophiles use their ears. To listen to equipment replicating the sound of a real instrument recording in a real space. Measurement are not the proper tool for determining sound. Go to a classical music concert and listen to un-amplified instruments. Then listen to a recording of the same instrument or instruments in the real space. No knowledgeable person would buy one speaker to listen to music. It amazes me how music listening standards have dropped during the 1960s. As I teenager I understood this because I had seen and played acoustic music. All of my life.
Hi John, I do appreciate a live performance and I have regularly been to live performances as both my children are involved in music from a young age. You get to hear everything live and the scale is impressive. But we are talking about how things are in the world today. I can't get Taylor Swift to perform in front of me in my home. And I can't get a band to come in every time I want to listen to something. And I sure as hell can't get Michael Jackson to come in to sing for me. Not that I have the means to in the first place. So the only way that anyone is going to listen to any music today, is to have them be reproduced from speakers. Not live. I mean, I am pretty sure you'd love to listen to this video and watch me live but I can't be there with you right? So you will have to depend on speakers and headphones and other forms of recording. That said, I do agree that charts and measurements do no make music. But they are proxies to ensuring that what we are hearing are as accurate as our resources allow. And this is more of a hobby in any case.
