Sonos Five vs Bowers & Wilkins Formation Wedge

Which Speaker Is Better?

Products

Sonos Five
Bowers & Wilkins Formation Wedge

Tested using Methodology v0.8

Updated Aug 14, 2024 02:05 PM

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Amazon.com

Tested using Methodology v0.8

Updated Oct 17, 2023 04:16 PM

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Amazon.com

Our Verdict

Sonos Five

Bowers & Wilkins Formation Wedge

The Sonos Five is better than the Bowers & Wilkins Formation Wedge. Both of these wired home speakers have high-end price tags, and while the Bowers & Wilkins has a stand-out design, the Sonos is more likely to blend into your home decor. When it comes to sound, the Sonos brings more low-bass, too. However, it doesn't offer Bluetooth connectivity like the Bowers & Wilkins.

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Variants

  • Five (Black)
  • Five (White)
  • Formation Wedge (Black)
  • Formation Wedge (Silver)

Check Price

Black
Formation Wedge
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Silver
Formation Wedge
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Amazon.com

Main Differences for
Music

Threshold 

0.10

Music 
 

7.5
7.3

Frequency Response Accuracy 
 

8.2
7.1

Dynamics 
 

5.0
7.4

Soundstage 
 

7.5
8.2

Full Comparison

Design

Style  

Style Photo 
 

Compare High-Res
Sonos Five Style Photo
Compare High-Res
Bowers & Wilkins Formation Wedge Style Photo

RGB Lights  

No
No
Show Text 

Portability 
 

3.6
3.1

Dimensions Photo 
 

Compare High-Res
Sonos Five Dimensions Photo
Compare High-Res
Bowers & Wilkins Formation Wedge Dimensions Photo

Volume 
 

671 in³ (10,996 cm³)
1,480 in³ (24,252 cm³)

Weight 
 

13.9 lbs (6.3 kg)
14.1 lbs (6.4 kg)

Power Source 
 

AC Only
AC Only

One-Hand Carry 
 

No
No
Show Text 

Build Quality 
 

6.4
6.4

Build Quality Photo 
 

Compare High-Res
Sonos Five Build Quality Photo
Compare High-Res
Bowers & Wilkins Formation Wedge Build Quality Photo

Material Quality 
 

Good
Good

Water Resistance 
 

No
No

Dust Resistance 
 

Unspecified
No

Impact Resistance 
 

No
Unspecified

Floats In Water 
 

No
No
Show Text 

Controls 
 

7.0
5.9

Controls Photo 
 

Compare High-Res
Sonos Five Controls Photo
Compare High-Res
Bowers & Wilkins Formation Wedge Controls Photo

Controls Photo 2 
 

Compare High-Res
Sonos Five Controls Photo 2
Compare High-Res
Bowers & Wilkins Formation Wedge Controls Photo 2

Ease Of Use 
 

Great
Great

Feedback 
 

Great
Good

Music Play/Pause 
 

Yes (Tactile)
Yes (Tactile)

Call Answer/End 
 

No
No

Volume Up/Down 
 

Yes (Tactile)
Yes (Tactile)

Track Next/Previous 
 

Yes (Tactile)
No

Microphone On/Off 
 

No
No

Additional Controls 
 

Yes
Yes
Show Text 

In The Box 
 

In The Box Photo 
 

Compare High-Res
Sonos Five In The Box Photo
Compare High-Res
Bowers & Wilkins Formation Wedge In The Box Photo
Show Text 
Sound

Frequency Response Accuracy 
 

8.2
7.1

Frequency Response Graph  

 Preview Graph
Sonos Five Frequency Response Graph
 Preview Graph
Bowers & Wilkins Formation Wedge Frequency Response Graph

Slope 
 

1.16
0.41

Std. Err. 
 

3.96 dB
3.11 dB

Low-Frequency Extension 
 

23.4 Hz
55.0 Hz

High-Frequency Extension 
 

18.8 kHz
19.6 kHz
Show Text 

Raw Frequency Response 
 

Raw Frequency Response Graph  

 Preview Graph
Sonos Five Raw Frequency Response Graph
 Preview Graph
Bowers & Wilkins Formation Wedge Raw Frequency Response Graph

Binaural Recording @ 1m 
 

Binaural Recording @ 2m 
 

Soundstage 
 

7.5
8.2

Directivity Graph  

 Preview Graph
Sonos Five Directivity Graph
 Preview Graph
Bowers & Wilkins Formation Wedge Directivity Graph

Directivity Index 
 

4.17 dB
3.38 dB

Stereo 
 

Yes (when horizontal)
Yes
Show Text 

Dynamics 
 

5.0
7.4

Dynamic Range Compression  

 Preview Graph
Sonos Five Dynamic Range Compression
 Preview Graph
Bowers & Wilkins Formation Wedge Dynamic Range Compression

SPL @ Max Volume 
 

94.0 dB SPL
96.6 dB SPL

DRC @ Max Volume 
 

7.30 dB
3.13 dB
Show Text 
Active Features

Battery 
 

0.0
0.0

Battery Life 
 

N/A
N/A

Charge Time 
 

N/A
N/A

Power Saving 
 

No
No

Charging Port 
 

No Battery
No Battery

Battery Powered 
 

No
No

Voice Assistant 
 

0.0
0.0

Alexa 
 

No
No

Google Assistant 
 

No
No

Speakerphone 
 

No
No

Siri 
 

No
No

Voice Assistant 
 

No
No

Voice Activation 
 

No
No

Microphone Mute 
 

No Microphone
No Microphone

Far-Field Performance 
 

No Microphone
No Microphone

Ambient Noise Performance 
 

No Microphone
No Microphone
Show Text 

App 
 

9.3
6.1

App Picture 
 

Compare High-Res
Sonos Five App Picture
Compare High-Res
Bowers & Wilkins Formation Wedge App Picture

App Name 
 

Sonos S2
Bowers & Wilkins Music

iOS 
 

Yes
Yes

Android 
 

Yes
Yes

EQ 
 

Bass/Treble
Bass/Treble

Stereo Pair Mode 
 

Yes
No

Party Mode 
 

Yes
No

Multi-Room 
 

Yes
Yes
Show Text 
Connectivity

Wired 
 

Aux Input 
 

Yes
No

USB Audio 
 

No
No

Other Ports 
 

Yes
Yes
Show Text 

Bluetooth 
 

0.0
7.3

Bluetooth 
 

No
Yes

Bluetooth Version 
 

No Bluetooth
4.1

Bluetooth iOS Latency 
 

N/A
216 ms

Bluetooth Android Latency 
 

N/A
112 ms

Bluetooth Range 
 

N/A
334.6 ft (102.0 m)

Multi-Device Pairing 
 

No
No
Show Text 

Wi-Fi 
 

7.6
7.5

Wi-Fi Version 
 

Wi-Fi 3
Unspecified

Wi-Fi Frequency Band 
 

2.4GHz
2.4GHz

Wi-Fi 
 

Yes
Yes

Apple AirPlay 
 

Yes
Yes

AirPlay Latency 
 

15 ms
23 ms

Google Chromecast 
 

No
No

Chromecast Latency 
 

N/A
N/A
Show Text 

Check Price

Black
Formation Wedge
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Silver
Formation Wedge
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com

Sonos Five

Bowers & Wilkins Formation Wedge

Comments

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Sonos Five vs Bowers & Wilkins Formation Wedge: Main Discussion

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