Click on image to enlarge. 2 pieces of One's and 1 piece of Five.
#Note: Find full Sonos review list at the bottom.
There's no doubt that when comparing a single piece of Sonos One vs Five; the Five comes forward as it's louder, sounds better and provides better lower frequency response (higher bass) than the One.
So the Five outperforms the One in each and every department - as you can also see in Sonos speaker recommender tool at sonos.com.
But by how much?
A tiny bit? A huge amount? How would two pieces of Sonos One would compare to a single piece of Five?
Even in that case, Five is still nearly 100 USD more expensive. Would it still pay off?
Quick links:
By the way, One Gen 1 is also still being offered in sonos.com/en/shop/certified-refurbished. Just leaving this here in case you want to check that out, too:
Maybe also check out my write up on Sonos One Gen 1 vs One Gen 2.
- As long as you'll be using them in your average-sized bedroom and/or living room...
- Get two One's if you'll mostly be listening to acoustic, jazz, country, alternative rock, etc because stereo pairing becomes a higher priority in that case.
- Get the Five if you'll mostly be listening to rap, electronic (mainly techno), metal etc because lower frequency response and higher bass becomes a higher priority in this case.
- For smaller living spaces with less ideal acoustics, such as kitchens and bathrooms; DO NOT GET TWO ONE'S. Five is mostly a better option although can be overkill other times, so the alternative is a single piece of One.
- For larger living spaces, I'd recommend the Five again.
Well I researched the hell out of this condition as well as consulted some experts and laid out all my findings here in this post.
PS: Five is formerly known as Play:5. Keep that in mind as you surf through the internet. I've laid out their differences here in this post - which aren't all that much at all.
- Also see: My Best Sonos Speakers post
Sonos One Exploded View. Click on image to enlarge.
Sound quality
Let me tell you something right off the bat.
Room acoustics, particularly room dimensions and speaker positioning, will have an immense effect on sound quality.
The impact of the combination of these two is actually so strong that in most cases, it doesn't even make sense to utter a single word on sound quality without speaking of them.
This is why I'd hiiiiiiighly recommend you to check out this simple, 2D, online speaker placement calculator.
It's GOOOOLLLDDDDD. I've had an Acoustics & Audio PhD build this tool specifically for this purpose:
Default values:
- Ceiling height: 106 inches or 8 feet 10 inches or 2.70 meters
- Most standard ceiling height
- Listener's height: 32 inches or 2 feet 8 inches or 0.80 meters
- Average height of a sitting person
Central heights of speakers (measured from the ground) and examples to them:
- Soundbars: 30 inches or 2 feet 6 inches or 0.75 meters
- 8", 10" or 12" Subwoofers: 8 inches or 0.20 meters
- 360 degree speakers: 32 inches or 2 feet 8 inches or 0.80 meters
- Horizontal speakers: 32 inches or 2 feet 8 inches or 0.80 meters
- Floor standing speakers: 20 inches or 1 feet 8 inches or 0.50 meters
- Bookshelf speakers: 32 inches or 2 feet 8 inches or 0.80 meters
- Center speakers: 32 inches or 2 feet 8 inches or 0.80 meters
Side note: This tool can and will return inaccurate results for small, portable Bluetooth speakers such as JBL's Go Series. It will, however, deliver just fine for more powerful, packed bluetooth speakers such as this one.
ASAP Science made a video on the loudest and quietest rooms in the world. A mind blowing example of the importance of acoustics (time adjusted video).
Other parameters such as the age/materials of the building, the furniture & carpets in place, etc can and will, of course, have an effect on room acoustics, too. But much less.
Also...
Did you know you could also virtually hear any speaker online?
Crutchfield had recently created a tool that virtually simulates the sounds of many different speakers; such as those of SVS, Klipsch, KEF and B&W. Nothing will, of course, beat hearing the speakers in reality. But I'd still recommend you to give it a shot.
While you're at it, blast my Hidden Electronic Gems list to test them:
Anyways...
This is what I'd recommend you to base your decision primarily on - which comes down to the type of room you'll be using your new speakers.
If you're looking to get only a single piece of Sonos One, Sonos generally recommends using them in kitchens and bathrooms (source at sonos.com).
Because, Sonos One isn't a powerful speaker by itself by any means. It's equipped with only one tweeter and one mid-woofer. Even some portable speakers (like Marshall's Kilburn I reviewed here) are stronger than that.
This is why it's looked at as mostly suitable for kitchens and bathrooms - relatively smaller spaces.
Sonos Five Exploded View. Click on image to enlarge.
With the Five, on the other hand, Sonos went all in with a whooping 3 tweeters and 3 mid-woofers of equipment.
This does not only make the Five a well-equipped, complete speaker in Sonos' own line-up but out in the ENTIRE speaker market.
It's an absolute unit.
I wouldn't say that the Five is one class ahead the One. But at least two classes ahead. They're incomparable.
Now the part I covered until now is clear and there's pretty much no doubt about that - as you probably already knew. Where things get tricky is when you compare TWO pieces of Sonos One to Five. Because...
Enter stereo pairing.
Sonos offers stereo pairing set-up for multiple products - which, in our case, is two Sonos One's. You can read more about this here: https://support.sonos.com/s/article/1066?language=en_US
Stereo pairing refers to splitting the left and right channels in the source and assigning each of them to each One.
If I were to recommend a single speaker to a random person, it'd probably be the Sonos Five. Huge fan of it.
This makes a huge difference in sound propagation when two sound sources (One's) are placed separately from one another.
When the room size and acoustics are on point (which is the case for living rooms and bathrooms in most cases); it almost feels like a band is playing inside the very room you're at.
Now, no matter how many drivers and amplifiers you pack into a speaker, no mater how good a speaker sounds, you simply not going to get equally stereo sound from a single cabinet.
It's impossible.
This obviously is a strong advantage for two One's - although it doesn't mean it's going to be the better option over Five in every condition.
Because, two (or insert any number here) pieces of One still will not be able to offer high bass due to weaker woofers. Five is clearly ahead in the bass department.
Loudness
Another advantage you get with rich and powerful equipment of Five is the loudness department.
A single piece of Sonos One is mostly for kitchens and bathrooms.
In short, a Five is going to out-sound (if that's a word) two pieces of One's.
The difference isn't small or negligible either. You can go drunk party level loud and beyond with the Five.
If you're living in a regular apartment flat with average sound proofing and wall thickness, then Sonos One's would still fill the bill - but unlike Five, they won't be drunk party level loud.
Voice assistants
Unlike Five, One offers voice assistants, which is important to many.
And if you don't need voice assistants, check out One SL.
It's identical to the One with the exception that it isn't equipped with any mics or voice assistants. Everything else stays the same.
You can still pair two One SL's together, or a One with One SL. You can control One SL using other (preferably Sonos) speakers as well.
Plus, Google Assistant and Alexa come in one package, unlike other merchants like Marshall who tend to manufacture two different models of speakers for each assistant. Such as Marshall Stanmore II Voice: Alexa and Marshall Stanmore II Voice: Google Assistant.
AUX input
The Five is equipped with an AUX input, whereas the One's aren't. It's an input that allows using the speaker with turntables, vinyl, etc.
What about [3x One's] VS [1x Five + 1x One]?
This is usually the case for extremely large living spaces, and in most cases, I'd recommend the latter.
Conclusion
In summary...
- As long as you'll looking for speakers to use in your average-sized bedroom and/or living room...
- Get two One's if you'll mostly be listening to acoustic, jazz, country, alternative rock, etc because stereo pairing becomes a higher priority in that case.
- Get the Five if you'll mostly be listening to rap, electronic (mainly techno), metal etc because lower frequency response and higher bass becomes a higher priority in this case.
- For smaller living spaces with less ideal acoustics, such as kitchens and bathrooms; Five can mostly be a better option.
- For larger living spaces, again I'd recommend the Five over two pieces of One's.
Some good video reviews that helped me:
Sonos One Review
Sonos Five Review
Owner response
I also talked to someone who owns many Sonos products, including two Sonos One's and one Five. Here's his response about this comparison:
Hi!
I have a pair of stereo Play 1's from a few years ago in my living room. A Five in my kitchen, and just added a Playbase with Sonos One's as surrounds.
I had a second Five in my kitchen, it was by far the best setup with incredible volume, bass and stereo separation, but it looked too crowded on the counter.
The Play:1's have great stereo separation and detail, they sound great for everything except for bass heavy rap / electronic music, especially when you turn the volume up beyond half way.
For anything acoustic, jazz, country, etc., they're perfect. The Five has much more low end bass, and can easily reach the lowest notes. The single speaker doesn't quite sound like a sub-woofer, but when I had them as a pair they would shake the house!
It has some greater detail and clarity of instruments compared to the Play:1's, and I took the suggestion from someone else on here, that if you're going to be listening closer to the speaker, it's the better option.
I'm usually within a few feet of it when cooking in the kitchen. If you have a mid-size space, the One's are great, but anything bigger or more open concept, the Five has more power to easily fill the space.