In this review, we will be comparing LSX II and Sonos Five, two Powered Bookshelf speakers from KEF 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 KEF LSX II 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 KEF LSX II 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 LSX II and Sonos Five are 2-way speakers.
| Driver |
KEF LSX II |
Sonos Five |
|
Driver Setup
|
2-way
|
2-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
0.75-inch
|
3 x 0.8-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
- |
- |
|
Woofer
|
1 x 4.5-inch
|
3 x 2.75-inch
|
LSX II features a 0.75" Aluminum Hard-Dome Tweeter and 1 x 4.5" Magnesium/Aluminium alloy Woofer . On the other hand, the Sonos Five features a 3 x 0.8" Dome Tweeter and 3 x 2.75" Cone Woofer .
Frequency Response
LSX II has a frequency range of 54-28k 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 LSX II'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.
LSX II 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 KEF LSX II 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 KEF LSX II's and Sonos Five's external dimensions. KEF LSX II has external dimensions of 240 × 155 × 180 mm ( 9.5 × 6.1 × 7.1 inch) 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 38.4mm shorter and 5.4mm less deeper than KEF LSX II but it is also 208.5mm 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 KEF LSX II is approximately 279.0cm2 / 43.2inch2 and base area of the Sonos Five is approximately 634.7cm2 / 98.4inch2. The LSX II requires 56% less surface area than the Sonos Five which gives it a small advantage on placement in tight spaces.