If you’re looking to purchase a $500 whole-home audio system and you’ve narrowed your choices down to these two, you can already be sure you’ll make a great decision.
Both the Bose SoundTouch 30 and the Sonos Play:5 are easily tied for the title of the best portable whole-home audio speaker.
Honestly, you can’t go wrong with either of them.
However, these two speakers are by no means identical. That’s why we’d like to use this opportunity to dissect all the ways in which the SoundTouch 30 and the Play:5 speakers differ from one another.
Now, let’s get started.
Bose SoundTouch 30 | Sonos Play:5 | |
Driver Configuration | 1 x 4.4″ woofer 2 x 2″ tweeters | 3 x 4” woofers 1 x 1” + 2 x ¾” tweeters |
Dimensions | 17.1 x 9.7 x 7.1 inches | 14.3 x 8 x 6 inches |
Weight | 18.5 lbs. | 14 lbs |
Connectivity | Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Ethernet | Wi-Fi, Ethernet |
Table of ContentsShow
Design
The first thing we need to look at is the design. After all, judging a book by its cover is in human nature. Sure, both of these speakers sound fantastic, but how do they stack up as articles of domestic décor?
If you’re looking for a stylish yet inconspicuous audio system that can seamlessly blend into a minimalistic background, the Sonos:Play 5 is a godsend.
Its compact footprint, stylish all-black exterior, and touch buttons on the top all come together to make sure the Sonos:Play 5 is a speaker that you can place anywhere; you can even place it vertically if that’s more to your liking.
The white version can give it some additional character, and it pairs nicely with the back grilles without drawing too much attention – a thing of beauty to behold, but not one that screams for attention. Yet while there’s certainly a lot to like here, there’s very little to show off.
If, on the other hand, you want an audio system that can stand front and center in your living room, demanding the attention and admiration of you and your house guests, you’ll love the Bose SoundTouch 30.
It’s a slightly bigger and heavier speaker with a noticeable logo, an OLED display that shows the current song, easily recognizable buttons on the top (missing the Play/Pause button), and grilles that enhance the color palette nicely in a tasteful manner.
There are two shade options available here – black or white – but it has various tones in both choices to become a noticeable attractive item.
Features
Of course, no matter how thrilled a Christmas present can get us, our excitement quickly subsides if the contents of the present aren’t as impressive as the wrapping paper. Luckily for us, both of these speakers provide a wealth of features that will keep you entertained for a long time.
Expandability
If there’s one key feature that truly defines these speakers, it is expandability.
Both the Bose SoundTouch 30 and the Sonos Play:5 can be expanded by installing supplementary speakers respectively and linking them together. This is the feature that makes them whole-home audio systems, regardless of how big your home may be.
However, $500 is no small amount to give for a speaker. So, if you’re looking to make a one-and-done purchase, the SoundTouch 30 is a slightly better choice. This is the larger one of the two speakers, and as you’ll see later on, this makes for a louder speaker. It sounds even better when paired with another SoundTouch 30, but even just the one will be enough for most users.
If, on the other hand, you’re looking to buy the first of many speakers which will make up an expansive audio system, then we have to give the edge to the Sonos Play:5. Once a dedicated sub-woofer is thrown into the mix, the Play:5 manages to sound better than ever as it can channel all of its power on what it does best.
But more on that once we get to the audio section.
App
Still, there’s so much more to these speakers than just expandability.
For example, both audio systems come with their own apps. These apps have some overlapping features (like Alexa and Google Assistant support), but there is a noticeable discrepancy in the overall quality and number of features presented in the apps.
For example, the Bose 30 app does not support AirPlay. So, if you’re a devoted Apple user, this is already a huge red flag.
As far as streaming services are concerned, it supports all the massive names (Spotify, iHeartRadio, Amazon Music, Radioplayer, QPlay, TuneIn, Pandora, Deezer, and SiriusXM), but this list is only a mere fragment of the streaming services that its rival supports and it gets even smaller depending on your location.
As far as sound customization is concerned, you’re only given free rein over the bass.
Overall, the Bose app is serviceable but nothing more.
The Sonos app, however, has one of the top control apps in the industry – it’s easy to use, it looks great, and, importantly, it has many extra features. For instance, besides the numerous streaming services we’ve talked about, this app also allows you to stream straight from YouTube.
If you like to stream most of your music, then you’ll likely want to lean on the side of the Play:5. Not only does it support AirPlay, but if you use the iOS version of the app, there’s a TruePlay feature that automatically adjusts the tone to fit the environment. You can also mess with the sound options however you see fit – the app places no restrictions on you.
Connectivity
It’s vital to remember that you’re not buying just the app. It so happens that the SoundTouch 30 has more to offer in terms of other features.
For starters, it makes up for its okay app with the physical remote. Some of the many buttons on the speaker are programmable and can be synced to your favorite stations (although it still bothers us how they managed to omit the Play/Pause button).
As far as connectivity options are concerned, the Bose speaker has Sonos beat.
The Sonos Play:5 is a Wi-Fi speaker through and through, whereas the Bose SoundTouch 30 also supports Bluetooth connectivity. Granted, you’re much more likely to use the Wi-Fi connection, but having Bluetooth support for those rare occasions when you do need it is certainly a big advantage.
The only downside here is that you will be forced to use Bluetooth connectivity if you want to play downloaded music from your phone, which is a real shame.
Both speakers also feature 3.5mm inputs and Ethernet ports on the back, just in case you want to put these speakers someplace where your Wi-Fi signal may not be able to reach all that well.
Sound
So far, things have been tilting more in Sonos’ favor, but inconveniences like the SoundTouch 30 only being able to stream downloaded music from your phone via Bluetooth can be overlooked for the sake of enhanced sound quality.
So how do the SoundTouch 30 and the Play:5 compare to each other regarding sound?
Well, we have to start off by saying that both speakers perform great. These are $500 systems, after all, and the sound quality isn’t south of what you’d expect for this kind of cash. In fact, even though these are stereo speakers, they can hold their own against many 2.1 wireless configurations.
As far as the volume is concerned, we have to give it up for the Bose SoundTouch 30. In terms of raw decibels, the SoundTouch 30 has the Play:5 beat; it even outperforms it in terms of distortion (or lack thereof). The frequencies do get a bit jangled up when you crank the volume up to eleven, but the sound doesn’t distort.
The bass, however, is the real MVP here, offering a truly tangible listening experience that goes beyond what most 2.0 speakers are capable of.
This isn’t to say that the Sonos Play:5 has a feeble bass – it’s admirable, but it just doesn’t have the sheer power that the SoundTouch 30 has.
Overall, we’d recommend the Sonos Play:5 to those of you who prefer a more relaxed listening experience, with great driver separation (courtesy of the six drivers stacked inside this speaker) and a rich sound that makes vocals sound incredible.
Conclusion
As you can see, it all depends on your preferences. There isn’t really one clear winner here. Both of these audio systems do certain things better.
The Sonos Play:5 is a lightweight, inconspicuous speaker that offers great sound customizability and supports a plethora of streaming services. It’s not a speaker you should pass up lightly, especially if you’re an Apple user that can take advantage of the remarkable TruePlay feature.
But if you’re looking for a one-and-done kind of deal, then there’s a lot to adore about the SoundTouch 30. It’s louder and has a splendid bass response, considering what it manages to accomplish without a dedicated sub-woofer. Most importantly, the mids are still very intelligible, despite the heavily emphasized bass.
In either case, you can’t do better if $500 wireless whole-home audio systems are the name of the game.
However, if you’re looking for something a bit more portable (and more affordable), check out this comparison article of the Studio 2 and Studio 3 wireless speakers by Harman Kardon.