Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
I've not heard the play5, but I have a decent collection of ones, play1s and a beam.
I'm not a "shake the walls with my music" kinda person, but a friend is, and he loves his play:1s
the ones and play1s have the same speaker setup, the newer "one" just adds a mic and airplay 2
They ones have really good bass, not quite as much as the HomePod, but close
They sound really amazing, and I'm sure going up in size only makes them sound better.
I've never heard the 5s in person.
they both have airplay 2 so no difference there.
For me, the sonos system is much better,
-you're not limited to Apple Music for local playback on the speaker.
-Control is easier, just launch the sonos app (Mac, iOS, windows, or android) (You can also use Alexa/google if you get a compatible sonos speaker, or you can also control any sonos from stand alone Alexa/google devices)
HomePod
-Siri (not sure if that's a pro or con, she can be annoyingly not helpful)
- homekit hub (if you have homekit devices, it will allow access when you're away from home, nothing changes when you're in your house, and an appleTV, or iPad can also do the same thing)
I've seen people having issues with stereo home pods, more so with airplay, but haven't really looked too closely, since I'm not going to be getting another. so something you should research.
If this is something you're buying, you can get 3 Play:1s for the same price (or 2 play:1 and a One)
a couple things to note.
Stereo pairs must be same type (play1 & play1 or One & One)
if you have a One you can airplay to that speaker and connect all your other sonos speakers to that one, even if they don't support airplay directly.
I'm not a "shake the walls with my music" kinda person, but a friend is, and he loves his play:1s
the ones and play1s have the same speaker setup, the newer "one" just adds a mic and airplay 2
They ones have really good bass, not quite as much as the HomePod, but close
They sound really amazing, and I'm sure going up in size only makes them sound better.
I've never heard the 5s in person.
they both have airplay 2 so no difference there.
For me, the sonos system is much better,
-you're not limited to Apple Music for local playback on the speaker.
-Control is easier, just launch the sonos app (Mac, iOS, windows, or android) (You can also use Alexa/google if you get a compatible sonos speaker, or you can also control any sonos from stand alone Alexa/google devices)
(for HomePod, you have to use iOS or siri to choose music, and it's a little fiddly to choose playback on phone and then airplay to HomePod, or playing directly on hompod)
-the 5 has a line in jack, so if you ever expand your sonos system, you can send that audio to any of the other speakers.HomePod
-Siri (not sure if that's a pro or con, she can be annoyingly not helpful)
- homekit hub (if you have homekit devices, it will allow access when you're away from home, nothing changes when you're in your house, and an appleTV, or iPad can also do the same thing)
I've seen people having issues with stereo home pods, more so with airplay, but haven't really looked too closely, since I'm not going to be getting another. so something you should research.
If this is something you're buying, you can get 3 Play:1s for the same price (or 2 play:1 and a One)
a couple things to note.
Stereo pairs must be same type (play1 & play1 or One & One)
if you have a One you can airplay to that speaker and connect all your other sonos speakers to that one, even if they don't support airplay directly.
Do you use Siri and/or HomeKit? If you do I would recommend the HomePod. Either way you're going to be getting a great sounding speaker(s). Something else to consider is how your room is setup and where you want to put the speaker(s). In my office I don't really have anywhere for the Play 5 to fit, but my HomePod fits nicely on my desk. I also have their "5.1" setup using a Beam, 2 Ones, and their Subwoofer. I can't say a bad thing about them, they work great. I have a HomePod stereo setup in my kitchen and it sounds fantastic. I'd say just get whatever fits best in your space. I don't think you'll be disappointed in either of them.
eBay is running some deals on sonos.
and in the article there's a link to units refurbed from sonos themselves.
https://kinjadeals.theinventory.com...tire-line-of-speakers-and-accessor-1836272615
and in the article there's a link to units refurbed from sonos themselves.
https://kinjadeals.theinventory.com...tire-line-of-speakers-and-accessor-1836272615
I have the SONOS Play 5 Generation 2, SONOS Beam, SONOS ONE, Gen 1 and several Play 1's. I also have two HomePods for my office. Without question the Play 5 beats anything two HomePods can produce as far as sound quality. Even the SONOS Beam has better sound than my HomePods. I would personally choose a pair of SONOS One's, gen 1 or 2, over one HomePod if I had to choose as another option to the expensive Play 5. SONOS is getting more integration functionality and will now play Apple Music on voice commands. Keep in mind the Play 5 is not a smart speaker on its own. Don't get me wrong, I love my HomePods as a stereo pair in my office, but SONOS is the best in this market space right now....its all they do and they do it well.
Slightly old thread, but compared to the previous poster, I thought a different view may be of interest. I had a play 5 1st Gen, and 3 play 1’s, before Apple launched HomePod. Clearly this is subjective as the previous poster feels different, but I felt based on my experience that one HomePod sounds better than a single play 1. One play 5 sounds better than one HomePod, but two linked Homepods blow a single Play 5 out of the water. I sold all 4 Sonos, and bought 4 Homepods to replace them.
However Homepods only make sense if you subscribe to Apple Music, if not Sonos would be a more sensible choice.
However Homepods only make sense if you subscribe to Apple Music, if not Sonos would be a more sensible choice.
Play:5 Gen2 sound great I own 4, 2 homepods will sound better than 1x Play5, two play5 sound more directional that two home pods for sure but I think the home pods in stereo (no stereo mac support!!!) maybe envelop the room more, two play5 with SUB and no contest, in late August there is a Sonos update across the non- voice assistant line and that'll include Play:5 soon to become Play Five so I'd hold off for a week buying, homepods are awesome competitors to Sonos and I used to think the bonus with sonos was the great app but HomePod is getting better and I'm torn whether I'll hang on to my Play5's now, I have 3 homepods...
I own two HomePods that are configured as a stereo pair and, based on in-store comparisons to the various Sonos offerings, I'd agree with much of what's already been said. In other words, my ears tell me that two HomePods in a stereo pair sound better than one Play:5.
I've been really, really impressed by the audio quality of the HomePods in stereo and love their diminutive size. I've also become a big-time user of HomeKit, and "Hey Siri" is a million times better via the HomePods as compared to my iPhone.
That said, I'm really close to biting the bullet and transitioning over to a Sonos-based system. The reason being that the HomePods are just too limiting. If you know that you're only ever going to play music via digital sources, and don't expect to ever move away from iOS and Apple Music, HomePods are perfect. But, in my case, I'd very much like to be able to play vinyl through my HomePods and, short of dedicating a Mac to this purpose, there's no way to achieve this today.
By contrast, Sonos offers multiple products that would enable me to do exactly what I want to do. Plus, Sonos would give me the flexibility to build up a system over time. For example, I could start with one Play:5, but then, down the road, add a second Play:5, a Sub, a Beam in our TV room, which could then be expanded to a 5.1 system, etc. Of course, I'd end up paying a lot more for this Sonos system, but it's the difference between actually being able to do what I want to do and having to live within the narrow constraints set out by Apple for HomePod.
To me, the bottom line is, if HomePod meets your needs today and you don't expect those needs to change much over time, I believe HomePods are actually a fantastic value for people who care about audio quality, but don't want to deal with wiring and the complexity of conventional audio systems. But, if you think your needs might evolve over time, Sonos is a much better choice because it gives you the flexibility to deliver against a wide range of use-cases.
Hope this helps!
There is no way a Play 5 is better than a HomePod and its is completely laughable to say the Beam sounds better than a HomePod. I have or have had all of them and high end audiophile equipment besides. My only issue with the HomePod is they have too much bass.
Ohh boy, since you are asking on the HomePod forum, and I am a big fan of my HomePods I'll go ahead and answer HomePods!
SONOS has it figured out and Apple knows it.....and thats OK. Apple doesn't have to be the best in every category. The HomePod is legit. Two HomePods are great in a stereo pair. SONOS is just better. I will end up getting their new bluetooth speaker(MOVE) at some point in 2020 as well. Based on tests they say its almost as good as the Play 5.
That's amusing. Blind tests. I can find a blind test that will say anything.
I have three stereo paired sets of Home Pods and two stereo paired sets of Play 5's plus a complete Sonos home theater setup. Plus higher end stuff like Kef LS50w's and traditional amp and passive speakers.
[automerge]1593020847[/automerge]
The Move is very mono and not remotely like a Play 5 and grossly overpriced to boot.
I have three stereo paired sets of Home Pods and two stereo paired sets of Play 5's plus a complete Sonos home theater setup. Plus higher end stuff like Kef LS50w's and traditional amp and passive speakers.
[automerge]1593020847[/automerge]
The Move is very mono and not remotely like a Play 5 and grossly overpriced to boot.
I know this is an older post, but I was finally able to try this out. I currently have a Play 5, but really wanted to try the HomePods as a stereo pair, especially since they were on sale. Bottom line, I was disappointed with the HomePods. To me they didn’t sound as rich as the Play 5. I found them to sound hollow, I was expecting this room immersing sonic experience, but that was far from the case. I also thought the bass was lacking as well. I tried different EQ settings and was still not impressed. I thought the HomePods were supposed to adapt to whatever room they were in to provide the best listening experience. I did not find this to be the case. I’ll be sticking with my Play 5. Again this was my experience. Some of you may prefer the sound of the HomePods, I didn’t.