In this review, we will be comparing A500 and Sonos Five, two Powered Bookshelf speakers from Buchardt and Sonos. Being Powered speakers, they both have built-in amplifiers so you don't need an external power amp or an integrated amp to power them. Let's have a brief look at the main features
of Buchardt A500 and Sonos Five first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
In the following sections, we will get into more detail in order to better understand how the Buchardt A500 and Sonos Five compare and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one of these loudspeakers is the better choice for you.
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Drivers
One of the fundamental differences between these two speakers is that A500 is a 3-way design whereas the Sonos Five is a 2-way speaker. 3-way designs utilize a midrange driver in addition to the tweeter and woofer on 2-way designs. Designing a crossover for a 3-way speaker is a complicated process and generally increases the overall cost of the speaker.
| Driver |
Buchardt A500 |
Sonos Five |
|
Driver Setup
|
3-way
|
2-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
0.74-inch
|
3 x 0.8-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
1 x 6-inch |
- |
|
Woofer
|
1 x 6-inch
|
3 x 2.75-inch
|
A500 features a 0.74" fine weave soft fabric textile aluminum waveguide Tweeter , a 6" Midrange and 1 x 6" paper Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 150Hz and 1800Hz. On the other hand, the Sonos Five features a 3 x 0.8" Dome Tweeter and 3 x 2.75" Cone Woofer .
Frequency Response
A500 has a frequency range of 25-40k Hz whereas Sonos Five has a frequency range of . With a minimum frequency of Hz, the Sonos Five can go significantly deeper on the low side and provide stronger bass compared to the A500's min frequency of 25Hz.
Below graphs depict how these two speakers compare with the max, min and average values of the Min and Max Frequencies of other speakers in the Bookshelf class in our database.
Low Frequency
Bookshelf Speakers
High Frequency
Bookshelf Speakers
Physical Specs
Size of a speaker can sometimes become an important decision factor due to space constraints or in some cases purely for esthetic reasons. In this section, we are going to compare Buchardt A500's and Sonos Five's external dimensions. Buchardt A500 has external dimensions of 365.0 x 180.0 x 280.0mm ( 14.4 x 7 x 11inch) whereas Sonos Five has external dimensions of 201.6 x 363.5 x 174.6mm ( 7.9375 x 14.3125 x 6.875inch) .
Sonos Five is 163.4mm shorter and 105.4mm less deeper than Buchardt A500 but it is also 183.5mm wider.
Base Surface Area Comparison
Base surface area of a loudspeaker may become a determining factor when the space in your room or desk is limited.
The base surface area of the Buchardt A500 is approximately 504.0cm2 / 78.1inch2 and base area of the Sonos Five is approximately 634.7cm2 / 98.4inch2. The A500 requires 21% less surface area than the Sonos Five which gives it a small advantage on placement in tight spaces.
Weight Comparison The weight of a loudspeaker can become an important factor if you need to move and reposition the unit often. Weight of a speaker can also "sometimes" be an indicator of the rigidity of the enclosure and the quality of the internal components used. The Buchardt A500 weighs 9.00kg / 19.8lbs and the Sonos Five weighs 6.40kg / 14.1lbs. This makes the A500 41% heavier than the Sonos Five.
Here is a comparison of how A500 and Sonos Five's weights compare with the average, max and min weights in Powered Bookshelf class.
Weight
All Bookshelf Speakers
What's in the Box of Sonos Five?
Here are the items that come with the Sonos Five:
Wireless audio speaker 6.5-feet AC power cord Quickstart Guide Important Safety Information
 Driver Setup |
3-way
vs
2-way
|
Have a dedicated mid-range driver |
 Woofer Size |
6 inches
vs
2.75 inches
|
Larger woofer |
 High Frequency Response |
40k Hz
vs
k Hz
|
Generates higher frequency |
 Base Surface Area |
504cm2 (180x280mm)
vs
634cm2 (363x174mm)
|
Takes less floor space |
 XLR Connection |
Yes
vs
No
|
Connection via XLR input |
| Number of Woofers |
3
vs
1
|
More woofers |
| Low Frequency Response |
Hz
vs
25 Hz
|
Generates deeper bass |
 App-Based Control |
Apple iOS, Android, Mac, Windows
vs
None
|
Control the speaker via an app |
 Height |
201mm
vs
365mm
|
Easier to fit in smaller spaces |
 Price per pair* |
1098USD
vs
3850USD
|
costs less (*prices may change depending on the seller, location and time) |
 Ethernet Connection |
Yes
vs
No
|
High quality streaming over Ethernet |
 3.5mm Connection |
Yes
vs
No
|
Connection via 3.5mm AUX input |
| General |
Buchardt A500 |
Sonos Five |
| Brand |
Buchardt |
Sonos |
| Speaker Type |
Powered Stereo Speakers |
Powered Stereo Speakers |
| Frequency Response |
25-40k Hz |
|
Amplifier |
|
|
| Watts RMS (Continuous) |
450-watt RMS |
n/a |
| Watts Peak (Max) |
1320-watt RMS |
n/a |
| Max Bit Depth |
24-bit |
16-bit |
| Max Sample Rate |
192kHZ |
44.1kHz |
Drivers |
|
|
| Woofer Quantity |
1 |
3 |
| Woofer Size |
6" |
2.75" |
| Woofer Composition |
paper |
Cone |
| Tweeter Size |
0.74" |
3 x 0.8" |
| Tweeter Type |
aluminum waveguide |
Dome |
| Aimable Tweeter |
No |
No |
| Midrange Driver |
6" |
No |
| Crossover Frequency |
150Hz and 1800Hz |
n/a |
| Firing Direction |
n/a |
front |
| Suggested Break-in Period |
100 hours |
n/a |
Physical Specs |
|
|
| Height |
365.0mm (14.4") |
201.6mm (7.9") |
| Width |
180.0mm (7.1") |
363.5mm (14.3") |
| Depth |
280.0mm (11") |
174.6mm (6.9") |
| Weight |
9.00kg (19.8lbs) |
6.40kg (14.1lbs) |
| Enclosure |
Acoustic Suspension |
Bass Reflex |
| Available Colors |
Black, White, Walnut |
n/a |
| Mounting Bracket |
No |
No |
| Grille |
Yes |
n/a |
| Moisture Resistancy |
No |
No |
Connections |
|
|
| Aux Inputs |
XLR |
3.5mm |
| USB Port |
Service Only |
No |
| Phone Input |
No |
No |
| Subwoofer Output |
n/a |
Optional Wireless |
| Digital Input |
No |
No |
| HDMI Input |
No |
No |
| Headphone Jack |
No |
No |
| Ethernet Port |
No |
Yes |
Other |
|
|
| Parts Warranty |
10 years on speakers / 2 years on electronics (4 years if registered) |
1 Year |
| Labor Warranty |
10 years on speakers / 2 years on electronics (4 years if registered) |
1 Year |