Sonos is well known for its Wi-Fi connected, multi-room sound systems and virtually every new speaker it introduces is a variation on its theme of room-filling, connected audio. The redesigned Play:5 fits that mold, but arrives with some secret sauce, the new Trueplay home audio tuning system. The combination is interesting, though not yet too impressive.
IMAGE: MASHABLE, LILI SAMS
At $499, Play:5 is the most expensive and impressive of the Sonos Play line, which includes Play:1 (my personal favorite) and Play:3. It has double the number of drivers found in the Play:3, as well as three woofers and three tweeters, and can produce intense, clear and thumping office-filling sound. Unlike most of Sonos’ other speakers that you can easily lift with one hand, the Play:5 is a 14 pound, 14-inch-by-8-inch-by-6-inch deep device that will easily fill a bookshelf or demand attention on a hutch.
Set-up
One of the reasons I love Sonos devices is because they are so easy to set up and Play:5 is no exception. The toughest part might be removing it from the many layers of protective packaging. It arrived in my office in a large black box, which contained the commercial Play:5 packaging. To open it, I had to literally unlock the box — there are two sliding orange plastic locks, one on each side of the box. Inside, the Play:5 was nestled tightly in rigid black foam, its body inside a loose-fitting, clear plastic bag. I took off the bag and found that the speaker was shrink-wrapped. After removing that, there was yet one more clear layer of plastic wrapped around the outside edge of the speaker.
IMAGE: MASHABLE, LILI SAMS
The speaker ships with a plug and an Ethernet jack if you want to wire it directly into your network. I downloaded the free Sonos iPhone app, which instantly noticed that there was a Sonos device in the room and offered to add it to my Wi-Fi network. I never had to add Wi-Fi credentials. It also asked if I wanted to add it to an existing Sonos system (network of speakers) or start a new one. I started a new one.
For those unfamiliar with Sonos, this system setup is one of the chief benefits of a Sonos system. All the speakers are Wi-Fi connected and, using the app, you can run them together to create house-filling music, or play different audio in different rooms. You can group a couple of speakers to control the volume as one, or adjust the volume individually on each speaker while still playing the same tune.
The best sound for the space
Once the Play:5 is on your network and part of your Sonos set-up, the next step — and one that is brand new — is Trueplay. It's a sonic adjustment utility that actually reads your room environment to adjust the Play:5's audio output. At least that's the promise.
IMAGE: MASHABLE, LILI SAMS
Trueplay is automatically part of your initial setup, but you can always go back and "retune" the speaker, which is something you would do if you move it from room to room. As of now, there is no way to save the profile for one room or another. Fortunately, the whole process takes less than a minute.
IMAGE: SONOS
The Sonos app starts by taking a quiet room reading — if you talk over it, it will stop and make you do it again. Then it shows you a video to train you on how to use your iPhone to read the ambient sounds bouncing off the walls. It even has you turn the phone around so the microphone (on the bottom of your iPhone) is facing outward. You will look a little ridiculous waving your phone up and down as you walk around the perimeter of your room, but it only last for 45 seconds.
More disconcerting, though is the sound the speaker makes during this process. It's loud and annoying, but all in the service of splendid sound.
Great sound
Here's the good news: The Sonos Play:5 is a fantastic sounding speaker with far more audio power than you can use in an office or even a full-sized cafeteria. Unfortunately, in two separate test rooms of significantly different dimensions and configurations, Trueplay reported that my speaker’s placement in the room "had little effect on the sound." As a result it only made subtle adjustments to the speaker sound, ones that I’m sure I'd have a hard time hearing. I am not an audiophile, after all.
IMAGE: MASHABLE, LILI SAMS
So, Trueplay may not be the reason you buy Play:5, not that you really need others. It's an extremely well-crafted device, with sensitive, touch buttons on top for controlling play, pause, volume and skipping back and forth over tracks. It has downward-firing woofers that will turn off automatically when you switch the speaker from horizontal to vertical mode. It marries perfectly with Sonos' excellent app, which gives you access to virtually every music service you can think of, as well as your networked music library, music on your iPhone and Sonos' own radio stations. I defy you to run out of things to listen to.
If you already own a Sonos speaker or two, this could be the culminating device. If you do not own one, it may be a great place to start. Is it cheap? No. Is it worth it? Yes.
Play:5 is now on pre-order and available in white or the black matte I tested.
Sonos Play:5
The Good
Great looks • Easy setup • Excellent audio • Big sound
The Bad
Trueplay is not life-changing
The Bottom Line
Sonos Play:5 is another excellent Sonos connected audio device that could be the sound system for the entire floor of a house or even a hall. We just wish Trueplay, which is easy to use, was a bit more impressive.
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