Sonos Play 5 2015 Review | 130 Data compared

The Trusted Reviews evaluation of the 2015 Sonos Play:5 praises its fantastic, distortion-free sound quality, powered by six custom drivers with impressive, detailed low-end performance and the innovative Trueplay room-calibration feature. While the speaker offers high-fidelity audio, the review notes that the Trueplay feature lacks Android support and the bass response, though powerful, may not satisfy strict audiophile standards for speed.

The 2015 Expert Reviews analysis of the redesigned Sonos Play:5 praises its exceptional, room-filling sound and rich bass, driven by six drivers and amplifiers, alongside smart design features like auto-orienting touch controls and Trueplay acoustic calibration. While delivering bright, crisp audio, the review notes drawbacks including the lack of Bluetooth or AirPlay support, a bulky footprint, and a high price tag.

The AU Review's 9.0/10 rating for the 2015 Sonos Play:5 highlights a top-performing, redesigned flagship speaker praised for its incredible sound, sleek design, and effective Trueplay room tuning. While delivering premium audio, the review notes the high AU$749 (US$499) price tag and a steep learning curve for the app's playlist management as primary drawbacks.

The Huffington Post UK review praises the second-generation Sonos Play:5 for its advanced software, powerful six-speaker acoustics, and intuitive Trueplay room-calibration. While the design is modern, key drawbacks include its steep price point, heavy construction, and lack of Bluetooth or AirPlay support, locking users into the proprietary app ecosystem.

The At Home in the Future review praises the Sonos Play:5 (2nd Gen) as a premium, minimalist Wi-Fi speaker featuring intuitive app control, robust build quality with an integrated handle, and responsive top-mounted capacitive touch, although it restricts users to the proprietary Sonos app. While the initial ecosystem lock-in felt restrictive, the review indicates the speaker delivers exceptional performance, ultimately overcoming this limitation through a polished user experience.

The Audiophile.no review characterizes the Sonos Play:5 as a significant, "adult" upgrade over smaller units, delivering a full soundstage and rich, deep bass without unnatural boosting. While the Trueplay room-correction application is lauded for enhancing acoustic control, the review notes that the speaker struggles at maximum volume, requiring a slight reduction to maintain optimal sound quality.

The Guardian's 2016 review designates the Sonos Play:5 as an elite wireless speaker, praising its exceptional sound quality, immense volume, and intuitive app-based control, including Trueplay room-tuning. While offering versatile setup options like stereo pairing, the speaker's drawbacks include its high price point, difficulty with wall-mounting, and lack of Bluetooth or AirPlay support, restricting streaming solely to Wi-Fi.

The second-generation Sonos Play:5 is a premium wireless speaker featuring a sophisticated, modern design with exceptional sound quality driven by six drivers and Class-D amplifiers. The review highlights its brilliant audio performance, easy multi-room setup, and effective Trueplay tuning as top features, while noting its high price, significant weight, and initial, bass-heavy sound signature as potential drawbacks.

The What Hi-Fi? review awards the second-generation Sonos Play:5 (2015) a five-star rating, highlighting its sleek design and, most notably, a sealed acoustic architecture that delivers deep, powerful, and clean bass. While the speaker is praised for its rhythmic precision and the effective, app-based Trueplay tuning, the review notes the lack of high-resolution audio support and the absence of Bluetooth as key limitations.

CNET rated the 2015 second-generation Sonos Play:5 an 8.0/10, identifying it as the company's best-sounding wireless speaker at the time with rich, powerful sound, great design, and extensive streaming service compatibility. While highly praised, the speaker's drawbacks include its $500 price point, limited appeal to hardcore audiophiles, and a lack of Bluetooth or high-res audio support.

The 2015 Wired review gives the redesigned, $499 second-generation Sonos Play:5 an 8/10 rating for its open, bright sound, superior Trueplay room calibration, and responsive touch controls. While the speaker offers high-end audio quality and a modern aesthetic, it sacrifices user convenience by omitting Bluetooth connectivity and removing the headphone jack and secondary Ethernet port found on the previous model.

The Sonos Play:5 ($499.95) is an Editors' Choice wireless speaker that delivers powerful, room-filling audio with deep bass and accurate highs, featuring a sleek design, intuitive touch controls, and seamless multi-room integration. While praised for its performance, the high-priced unit lacks Bluetooth connectivity, relying solely on Wi-Fi or a 3.5mm input, and is heavy and non-portable.

The Tech Advisor review of the second-generation Sonos Play:5 (2015) highlights its role as a premium, easy-to-setup multi-room audio centerpiece with immense streaming versatility, local music support, and a functional line-in 3.5mm jack. While praised for its, performance, specific cons noted in the review include the lack of Bluetooth and high-res audio support, alongside the removal of the previous model's secondary Ethernet port and headphone jack.

The Sound & Vision review of the second-generation Sonos PLAY:5 highlights its significant sonic improvements, open, bright sound, and deeper bass, solidifying its place as a top-tier multi-room speaker. Key features include Trueplay room correction software and touch-sensitive controls that adapt to the speaker’s orientation, though pros are tempered by the lack of Bluetooth, Apple AirPlay, and Google Cast support at launch, requiring the Sonos app or 3.5mm input. Additionally, the redesign dropped the built-in headphone jack and the second Ethernet port found on the original model.

The Geekometry review gives a "Highly Recommended" verdict to the second-generation Sonos Play:5 (2015), praising its outstanding sound quality, simple setup, and seamless integration with streaming platforms. While the speaker offers an improved user experience, notable cons include its expensive price tag and the necessity of pairing it with other Sonos products for the best experience.

The TIME review of the Sonos Play:5 characterizes it as a powerful stationary hi-fi system designed for home audio, highlighting features like six digital amplifiers, three tweeters, two mid-woofers, and Trueplay tuning for customized sound. While it offers excellent sound quality and the option to pair a second unit for stereo, the review notes the significant limitation of having no Bluetooth capabilities or portability, relying entirely on a Wi-Fi network.