Sonos 5 and Marshall Stanmore: Which To Choose?

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Anyone who has used the Sonos Play:5 Gen. 2 from 2015 (or the original Sonos Play:5 from 2009, originally dubbed the S5) will feel right at home with the Sonos Five, which is a good thing given the brilliant, innovative, and long-lasting popularity of the Sonos Play:5 family of speakers.

The Sonos Five, the company’s largest and most powerful wireless home speaker, exceeds our expectations in terms of clarity and musical delight. This flagship model’s future (June 2020) release will include more memory, faster processing, and, um, new wireless radio capabilities. So it’s not much of an improvement?

The Marshall Stanmore II speaker, on the other hand, keeps loyal to the original design of the company’s legendary amplifiers, which were used by guitar greats like Jimi Hendrix in the analogue era and by today’s digital superstars. The Stanmore II keeps its retro appeal because to its wooden box, textured vinyl covering, and manual control knobs, despite the fact that it can now be controlled and personalized via Bluetooth networking and voice commands via Google Assistant.

Marshall’s Stanmore II is a high-quality mid-range wireless speaker that sells for roughly 350 euros and is classified as Advanced by DXOMARK. According to the company, the Stanmore II is the most versatile speaker in the Marshall lineup and can be used in any size room. Because of its high-tech components, it can create crisp, clear sounds even at maximum volume.”

Sonos 5 vs Marshall Stanmore: comparison table

Features	Sonos 5	Marshall Stanmore
Launching Year	2022	2022
Brand	SONO	Marshall
Model Name	Sonos 5	Stanmore 2
Connector Type	Bluetooth	Bluetooth
Available Colors	White, Black	Black
Average Battery Life	12 hours	2 days
Charging Time	1.5 hour	1.5 hour
Compatibility	Smartphone, Tablet, PC, All Bluetooth Devices	Smartphone, Tablet, PC, All Bluetooth Devices
Bluetooth	Version 5.1	Version 5.0v
Connection Distance Range (Bluetooth)	66 feet	10m
Online Price Ranges	Rs.53,999	Rs.29,999
Customer Ratings	4.5/5	4.5/5

ALSO READ: Harman Kardon Aura Vs Marshall Stanmore Comparison!

Sonos 5 and Marshall Stanmore: Detailed Analysis

Design

The Five, like the rest of the Sonos family, has a basic, almost uninspiring appearance that belies its bigger size. The Five is available in black or white, and it has a metal grille that is easy to clean, as well as little icons on the top plate that indicate play/pause and are flanked by two smaller ‘buttons’ that can be covered to change the volume. Swiping over them to skip music is pleasant, although the play/pause button’s location as the only lit element can be difficult in low light.

Anyone who has seen a Marshall amplifier or one of their early speakers will recognize the design of this amp. It appears that a 14 is correct “I wish you could just plug your Strat into it and start playing, but that is not an option. Instead, you get a leather-encased speaker with gold accents. The front has a large Marshall insignia, and while I dislike logos in general, I can’t fault such a venerable firm. I’ll give them a break in this case.

Connectivity

The Stanmore Multi-room speaker, as the name implies, may be linked to multiple Marshall units. I can only confirm that this capability exists due to a shortage of test units. Stanmore is the middle-sized speaker among the three options in the multi-room series. Because this is a WiFi speaker, you’ll need to download an app to set it up and connect to your network. Once connected, you may use the speaker’s Wi-Fi capabilities, which include access to online radio stations that you can save in one of the seven presets.

To begin, the Sonos Five includes three separate ports for different types of connections. The first is for power (the Sonos Five requires constant power to function, so it isn’t ideal for outdoor listening despite its ‘humidity resistant’ rating), the second for Ethernet, and the third is a 3.5mm input for connecting a source such as a turntable with an integrated phono stage; the beauty of this is that your vinyl can be streamed across your network of connected Sonos speakers.

There is no built-in speech assistant, as there is on the Sonos Beam and Sonos Arc. Voice-control services for audio equipment such as Sonos, Google Home, and Alexa do not operate. This is due to the lack of a microphone—a strange omission given Sonos’ recent push for its proprietary Sonos Voice launch, but there you have it.

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High-Quality Audio

The Five, in classic Sonos fashion, isn’t interested in providing a muted, unobtrusive sound; rather, it’s here to bring the bass and make you feel it. Of course, as previously stated, it is critical to highlight that we propose TruePlay tuning, which is not available to everyone.

If you take the time to weave your iPhone through the air around your room (do it purposefully, because the app will alert you if you’re not moving quickly enough), the low-end echoes in a way that other speakers, even those of similar size, cannot. TruePlay makes the leading edges of notes and horns in hip-hop tracks like Lethal Bizzle’s Fester Skank a little more striking, as you’d expect, and there’s a minor improvement to be had through the dynamic rise and fall of each auditory component.

You may expect the Marshall Stanmore to produce the same amount of loudness as a speaker twice its size. At 50% volume, my entire flat could hear it, and at 70%, my neighbours would probably start to dislike me. This speaker, like Marshall amplifiers, features a bass and treble knob for adjusting the volume to your liking.

Sonos 5 vs Marshall Stanmore: Quick Result

Particulars	Sonos 5	Marshall Stanmore	Which one is the best?
Battery Life	Good	Amazing	Any
Deep Bass	Great	Good	Both
Sound Quality	Better	Best	Marshall Stanmore

Sonos 5 and Marshall Stanmore: Final Verdict

In comparison to other speakers and comparable devices in its price range, the Sonos Five produces more thrilling, agile, and boot-shaking music. Go with Bluetooth to save money; upgrade to get Google Cast… Keep in mind that this is a powerful Sonos multi-room speaker.

At the end of the day, I didn’t see anything particularly awful that justified filing a complaint. Even though it hurts my ears just thinking about it, this speaker’s “warm” tone and concentration on low frequencies transport me back to being 16 and strumming a guitar. It offers a more traditional feel than modern audio systems like Sonos. I’m not sure if this is simply how the speaker’s design impacts individuals mentally. Nonetheless, I am not bothered by this. Connecting through WiFi or Bluetooth is straightforward, and the presets are useful, as long as you can remember which ones are which. A small LED panel would be ideal for this purpose, but adding one would raise the price of the speaker.