In this review, we will be comparing Genelec G Three and Sonos Five, two Powered Bookshelf speakers from Genelec 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 Genelec G Three 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 Genelec G Three and Sonos Five compare and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one of these loudspeakers is the better choice for you.
Drivers
Both Genelec G Three and Sonos Five are 2-way speakers.
| Driver |
Genelec G Three |
Sonos Five |
|
Driver Setup
|
2-way
|
2-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
0.75-inch
|
3 x 0.8-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
- |
- |
|
Woofer
|
1 x 5.1-inch
|
3 x 2.75-inch
|
Genelec G Three features a 0.75" Dome Tweeter and 1 x 5.1" Cone Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 3000Hz. On the other hand, the Sonos Five features a 3 x 0.8" Dome Tweeter and 3 x 2.75" Cone Woofer .
Frequency Response
Genelec G Three has a frequency range of 54-20k 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 Genelec G Three's min frequency of 54Hz.
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.
Genelec G Three has a rear firing port whereas Sonos Five has a front firing ports. Sonos Five's front-firing port gives more flexibility in placement in regards to proximity to walls compared to Genelec G Three with its rear-firing port.
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 Genelec G Three's and Sonos Five's external dimensions. Genelec G Three has external dimensions of 299 x 189 x 178 mm ( 11.8 x 7.4 x 7) 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 97.4mm shorter and 3.4mm less deeper than Genelec G Three but it is also 174.5mm 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 Genelec G Three is approximately 336.4cm2 / 52.1inch2 and base area of the Sonos Five is approximately 634.7cm2 / 98.4inch2. The Genelec G Three requires 47% less surface area than the Sonos Five which gives it a small advantage on placement in tight spaces.