If your hearing is sensitive to these things you may want to consider alternatives. Maybe opt for passive speakers perhaps? This hissing/white noise happens with HDMI inputs, line-in inputs and streaming via the S2 app, Spotify Connect, Tidal Connect and Roon (Roon to Five, with Five Stereo as an endpoint and also a endpoint via line-in). I have adjusted various settings. Disconnected line-ins and HDMI’s and tried different power cables and also power conditioner extension cables. The issue remains. See those little feet –on the side?! It can be positioned upright too, you see, to create a stereo pair comprising two Fives or as part of a home theater system with a Sonos Arc, say. (Image credit: TechRadar) Sonos Five review: Sound quality I would have to put my ear right up close to a speaker to hear any such hissing. I was wondering if it maybe one of the symptoms of the tinnitus condition mentioned, perhaps? It’s worth perhaps exploring that too, but that’s not something I know too much about either. I also have a separated hi-fi of high end equipment and I get a small amount of hiss/white noise from the speakers but nowhere as bad as Sonos.

Featuring BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy), increased memory and an updated processor, the Sonos One is more capable than ever. BLE simplifies first-time set-up by temporarily communicating with your smartphone or tablet (note, BLE does not support audio streaming). The new processor and increased memory give the latest version of the Sonos One greater potential for exciting future updates. The Sonos Five is a hefty beast with a smart, slightly curved grille on the front. (Image credit: TechRadar)For yet another year, the Sonos multi-room system remains the best all-rounder.” ’What Hi-Fi?’ 2023 award-winner. However, for similar size, stature and features, the Braun LE01, Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin or Sonus Faber Omnia are considerably pricier – so depending on your priorities, the Sonos Five does still represent value. Prices valid in stores (all including VAT) until close of business on 2nd November 2023. (Some of these web prices are cheaper than in-store, so please mention that you've seen these offers online.) I’m not sure how your tinnitus factors into this issue. It might be possible that the tinnitus results in you being more sensitive to this hiss. With AirPlay, stream directly from your Apple devices or ask Siri to play your favourites from Apple Music throughout your home.

I can’t (hand on heart) say I’ve noticed any excessive hiss from any of my Sonos products and it’s not something I’ve seen complained about before. The more components you add, the stronger the dedicated wireless mesh becomes. Best of all, because it runs independently from your Wi-Fi, the reliability and strength of the signal is unaffected by Wi-Fi dropouts. For sound quality, the Sonos Five actually isn't just good value, it's absolutely great value. But it's a case of different strokes for different folks; if Bluetooth streaming is important to you and you own an Android phone, you should look elsewhere. The name-plate is positioned so that when you flip it to it's upright orientation, it still reads. (Image credit: TechRadar) Sonos Five review: DesignI am a current Sonos product user. I have two Five’s in stereo. I’ve previously had a 1st Gen Beam, two One SL’s and a 1st Gen Play:5.

In traditional Sonos style, the Five is not interested in a shy, retiring sound – it's here to bring the bass and make you feel it, and we're not complaining. However (and we've said this before) it's important to note that we like it more if you can use TruePlay tuning, and not everyone is granted that privilege.So why did it even refresh the product? Well, you're also getting an upgraded processor here, which is key – it signifies that Sonos is likely future-proofing this speaker for potential firmware upgrades, ie. the oft-rumored addition of hi-res music support. So, there's that. The rear of the Sonos Five reveals its power cable, Ethernet and 3.5mm ports –so your turntable is catered for too. (Image credit: TechRadar) Sonos Five review: Features

My issue of hissing/white noise was first noticed with my Beam. It was replaced under warranty for a different reason but the hissing remained. All of my previous and also current Sonos equipment experience the same issue. I don’t recall the Play:5 being as bad though.I can only imagine that once you can hear these things though, that it’s then difficult to not notice them often, as I too would always be listening out for such unwanted sounds. Anyhow I am personally not noticing such sounds, thankfully🙏 One more consideration and we'll move on, we promise. It's just that if you were looking to buy a second Sonos Five to create a stereo pair, the KEF LSX stereo speaker system (and brand new LSX II) is closely priced and boasts a more comprehensive connectivity spec-sheet and hi-res capabilities out the box. Under the hood, the speaker array remains exactly the same as its Play:5 predecessor –and Sonos actually makes no bones about this. You're getting the same six custom-designed drivers driven by six class D amplifiers for a combined power output of 120W: three high excursion 10cm mid-woofers across the bottom of the unit and three tweeters above them, two of which are angled outwards. That's not to say it's bass-heavy overall though. Listen to Fontaines D.C.'s Skinty Fia and you'll hear a low-end that, while impactful and unwavering, never bloats or muddies other musical passages such as accordions, drum riffs, angered vocals and keys. You don't get any built-in voice assistant here, unlike the Sonos Beam or Sonos Arc. No Alexa, no Google Assistant, and no Sonos Voice Control. That is because there's no mic at all, which seems a little bizarre given Sonos' recent focus on its proprietary Sonos Voice rollout, but there we are.