In this review, we will be comparing Sonos Five and LS50 Wireless II, two Powered Bookshelf speakers from Sonos and KEF. 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 KEF LS50 Wireless II 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 KEF LS50 Wireless II 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 LS50 Wireless II are 2-way speakers.
| Driver |
Sonos Five |
KEF LS50 Wireless II |
|
Driver Setup
|
2-way
|
2-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
3 x 0.8-inch
|
1-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
- |
- |
|
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 LS50 Wireless II features a 1" Aluminum Hard-Dome Tweeter and 1 x 5.25" Aluminum Woofer .
Frequency Response
Sonos Five has a frequency range of whereas LS50 Wireless II has a frequency range of 45-28k 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 LS50 Wireless II's min frequency of 45Hz.
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 LS50 Wireless II has a rear firing ports. Sonos Five's front-firing port gives more flexibility in placement in regards to proximity to walls compared to KEF LS50 Wireless 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 Sonos Five's and KEF LS50 Wireless II'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 KEF LS50 Wireless II has external dimensions of 277.8 x 200.0 x 322.3mm ( 10.9375 x 7.875 x 12.6875inch) .
Sonos Five is 76.2mm shorter and 147.7mm less deeper than KEF LS50 Wireless II but it is also 163.5mm 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 Sonos Five is approximately 634.7cm2 / 98.4inch2 and base area of the KEF LS50 Wireless II is approximately 644.6cm2 / 99.9inch2. The Sonos Five requires 2% less surface area than the LS50 Wireless II which gives it a small advantage on placement in tight spaces.