In this review, we will be comparing Sonos Five and LSX, 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 LSX 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 LSX 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 LSX are 2-way speakers.
| Driver |
Sonos Five |
KEF LSX |
|
Driver Setup
|
2-way
|
2-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
3 x 0.8-inch
|
0.75-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
- |
- |
|
Woofer
|
3 x 2.75-inch
|
1 x 4.5-inch
|
Sonos Five features a 3 x 0.8" Dome Tweeter and 3 x 2.75" Cone Woofer . On the other hand, the LSX features a 0.75" Aluminum Hard-Dome Tweeter and 1 x 4.5" Magnesium/Aluminium alloy Woofer .
Frequency Response
Sonos Five has a frequency range of whereas LSX has a frequency range of 59-28k 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 LSX's min frequency of 59Hz.
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 LSX 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 LSX 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 LSX'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 LSX has external dimensions of 239.7 x 155.6 x 180mm ( 9.4375 x 6.125 x 7.1inch) .
Sonos Five is 38.1mm shorter and 5.4mm less deeper than KEF LSX but it is also 207.9mm 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 KEF LSX is approximately 365.7cm2 / 56.7inch2. The Sonos Five requires 74% more surface area than the LSX which gives it a small disadvantage on placement in tight spaces.