Sonos Five vs Sonos Sub Mini

As a speaker, the Sonos Five is the clear pick: it plays full-range music on its own and supports Alexa, Sonos Voice Control, Google Home, Apple HomeKit and Home Assistant. The Sonos Sub Mini is a bass-only subwoofer with no voice control, though it is the cheaper and higher-rated unit and pairs beautifully with a Five for deeper low end.

The Five is a complete hi-fi speaker with tweeters, woofers, a line-in and voice control, capable of standing in for a stereo system. The Sub Mini is only a wireless subwoofer with no mic and no voice assistant, built to reinforce the bass of a speaker or soundbar you already own, not to play music alone.

No. The Sub Mini reproduces only low frequencies and must be paired with a Sonos speaker or soundbar, so it cannot serve as a standalone speaker. The Sonos Five is a self-contained speaker that streams and plays full-range audio without a partner device.

The Sonos Sub Mini is the more affordable and better-reviewed of the two, which fits its role as a value bass add-on. The Sonos Five costs more but delivers a full-range, room-filling speaker with line-in and voice support that the Sub Mini does not attempt to provide.

Anyone who wants the best-sounding compact standalone speaker in the Sonos lineup, with a line-in for a turntable, Ethernet, and support for Alexa, Google Home and more. It is ideal as a single speaker or a stereo pair replacing a traditional stereo.

Owners who already run a Sonos speaker or soundbar and want deeper, cleaner bass at a lower price than the full Sonos Sub. It is an add-on for an existing system, and it complements a Sonos Five rather than competing with it.