In this review, we will be comparing Sonos Five and A5+N, two Powered Bookshelf speakers from Sonos and Audioengine. 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 Sonos Five and Audioengine A5+N 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 Sonos Five and Audioengine A5+N compare and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one of these loudspeakers is the better choice for you.
Drivers
Both Sonos Five and A5+N are 2-way speakers.
| Driver |
Sonos Five |
Audioengine A5+N |
|
Driver Setup
|
2-way
|
2-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
3 x 0.8-inch
|
0.75-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
- |
- |
|
Woofer
|
3 x 2.75-inch
|
1 x 5-inch
|
Sonos Five features a 3 x 0.8" Dome Tweeter and 3 x 2.75" Cone Woofer . On the other hand, the A5+N features a 0.75" Silk Soft-Dome Tweeter and 1 x 5" Kevlar Woofer .
Frequency Response
Sonos Five has a frequency range of whereas A5+N has a frequency range of 50-22k Hz. With a minimum frequency of Hz, the Sonos Five can go significantly deeper on the low side and provide stronger bass compared to the A5+N's min frequency of 50Hz.
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.
Sonos Five has a front firing port whereas A5+N has a rear firing ports. Sonos Five's front-firing port gives more flexibility in placement in regards to proximity to walls compared to Audioengine A5+N 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 Sonos Five's and Audioengine A5+N's external dimensions. Sonos Five has external dimensions of 201.6 x 363.5 x 174.6mm ( 7.9375 x 14.3125 x 6.875inch) whereas Audioengine A5+N has external dimensions of 276.2 x 182.6 x 247.6mm ( 10.875 x 7.1888 x 9.75inch) .
Sonos Five is 74.6mm shorter and 73mm less deeper than Audioengine A5+N but it is also 180.9mm 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 Sonos Five is approximately 634.7cm2 / 98.4inch2 and base area of the Audioengine A5+N is approximately 452.1cm2 / 70.1inch2. The Sonos Five requires 40% more surface area than the A5+N which gives it a small disadvantage on placement in tight spaces.