Sonos’ new Play:5 is louder, bigger, better, sleeker

Sonos today announced that it will release a new and improved Play:5 flagship wireless multi-room speaker in time for the holiday season. The existing Play:5 sits at the top of Sonos' multi-room pyramid, but hasn't seen a hardware upgrade in in six years.

While Sonos' philosophy is to make speakers that will last 10 to 15 years alone thanks to software updates, Marketing and Brand Manager Mark Sehler told CyberShack that software alone can't capture the visceral and physical characteristics of sound.

In addition to featuring what Sonos hopes will be a timeless design, Sehler says the new Play:5 is "way more powerful" than the original. The speaker utilises six synchronised drivers, three side-firing tweeters, and three mid-woofers, each powered by individual amplifiers. The new internal configuration not only results in a louder, more accurate sound, it also provides improved stereo separation.

Of course, for true stereo sound, Sonos suggests pairing two of the new Play:5s in a left and right channel setup.