In this review, we will be comparing Sonos Five and Navis ARB-51, two Powered Bookshelf speakers from Sonos and ELAC. 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 ELAC Navis ARB-51 first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
Sonos Five Key Specs
- 2-way Design
- Integrated Amplifier
- 3 x 0.8" Dome Tweeter
- 3 x 2.75" Cone Woofer
- Frequency Response
- 16-bit Max Depth / 44.1kHz Max Sample Rate
- App Control Feature
- Weight:6.40kg
- Dimensions (H x W x D): 201.6" x 14.3125" x 6.875"( 201.6 x 363.5 x 174.6mm )
ELAC Navis ARB-51 Key Specs
- 3-way Design
- 300-watt RMS( 600-watt Peak) Integrated Amplifier
- 1" Soft-Dome Tweeter
- 4" Midrange
- 5.25" Aluminum Woofer
- 4" Midrange
- 44-28k Hz Frequency Response
- Weight:8.10kg
- Dimensions (H x W x D): 350.8" x 7.5625" x 11.3125"( 350.8 x 192.1 x 287.3mm )
In the following sections, we will get into more detail in order to better understand how the Sonos Five and ELAC Navis ARB-51 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 Sonos Five is a 2-way design whereas the Navis ARB-51 is a 3-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 |
Sonos Five |
ELAC Navis ARB-51 |
|
Driver Setup
|
2-way
|
3-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
3 x 0.8-inch
|
1-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
- |
1 x 4-inch |
|
Woofer
|
3 x 2.75-inch
|
1 x 5.25-inch
|
Sonos Five features a 3 x 0.8" Dome Tweeter and 3 x 2.75" Cone Woofer . On the other hand, the Navis ARB-51 features a 1" Fabric Soft-Dome Tweeter , a 4" Midrange and 1 x 5.25" Aluminum Woofer .
Frequency Response
Sonos Five has a frequency range of whereas Navis ARB-51 has a frequency range of 44-28k 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 Navis ARB-51's min frequency of 44Hz.
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
Cabinet Type and Port Position
Sonos Five has a front firing port whereas Navis ARB-51 has a rear firing ports. Sonos Five's front-firing port gives more flexibility in placement in regards to proximity to walls compared to ELAC Navis ARB-51 with its rear-firing port.
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 Sonos Five's and ELAC Navis ARB-51'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 ELAC Navis ARB-51 has external dimensions of 350.8 x 192.1 x 287.3mm ( 13.8125 x 7.5625 x 11.3125inch) .
Sonos Five is 149.2mm shorter and 112.7mm less deeper than ELAC Navis ARB-51 but it is also 171.4mm 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 ELAC Navis ARB-51 is approximately 551.9cm2 / 85.5inch2. The Sonos Five requires 15% more surface area than the Navis ARB-51 which gives it a small disadvantage on placement in tight spaces.