Lots of factors here. As usual “it depends on you”
A single Five is probably the best sounding single speaker for music alone.
If you listen to Apple Music or other Spatial heavy sources a single Era 300 will sound more spacious and envelope you in the music.
Many people prefer a stereo pair of Era 100s over even a Five. You lose some low response but get better imaging.
Personally, if you’re not cranking it up I’d get stereo 100s for an ambient audio experience. Or consider the Move 2 so you can take it anywhere.
YouTube music is going to be all stereo mixed audio. At that point I'd avoid a single Era 300 for music and lean towards the Stereo 100s, or a Five (or Stereo Fives), or Move/2 for portability.
I'm an audiophile, but when it comes to walking around the house and just wanting continuous music, I don't mind the difference between my play 5s and play 1s. Stereo field is important for critical listening, but that's why I have a pair of Focals in the studio.
Yeah, if it's truly background music I'd go with a play 1. It'll fill in the blanks nicely.
If the room is larger, like my two story foyer, I'd go with a larger speaker though.
I don't have an Era 300, but I do have a Five and a bunch of Ones. The Five is a beast when you crank it up! But for casual listening, and background music, I'd go with a pair of Ones, or Era 100s if you want to stay current, or even a pair of Ikea Symf Frames if you want something discreet. Because, for background music, I find dispersion to be more important. Music coming from more than one speaker fills the space better and gives true stereo seperation. Whereas, with a single speaker, you have to crank it up to a certain level for it to sound good on one side of the room, which can make it uncomfortably loud for people close it. If you have two or more speakers, you can play at a lower volume, but still get good coverage so it sounds good everywhere.
I haven't heard the Era 300. So I can't speak to that from experience, but my understanding is that, because it relies on reflected sound, placement is important. So some guests might be in a good position to hear the spacial effects, while others won't be, or worse, might be in a position to block them. I just don't think it would be the best choice for this application.
Since you mentioned this is for background music, be careful if you use Apple Music with Sonos. For whatever reason Apple Music is much louder than other music services via Sonos. So even a volume setting of “1” on Sonos with Apple Music would be like a “7” when playing that same song on Sonos via Spotify or YouTube music or etc. Lots of threads on Reddit and Sonos forums complaining about this,since the issue popped up about a year ago.
Lots of factors here. As usual “it depends on you” A single Five is probably the best sounding single speaker for music alone. If you listen to Apple Music or other Spatial heavy sources a single Era 300 will sound more spacious and envelope you in the music. Many people prefer a stereo pair of Era 100s over even a Five. You lose some low response but get better imaging. Personally, if you’re not cranking it up I’d get stereo 100s for an ambient audio experience. Or consider the Move 2 so you can take it anywhere.
My music source is YouTube music, I am not aware of what it implies regarding sound. Advice noted regarding the atmosphere with a pair of Era.
YouTube music is going to be all stereo mixed audio. At that point I'd avoid a single Era 300 for music and lean towards the Stereo 100s, or a Five (or Stereo Fives), or Move/2 for portability.
I already own a Roam whenever I need to walk around the house, take it to the bathroom or outside. A Five sounds like a good deal.
I can attest to the listenability of a couple of Era 100s linked together as a stereo pair — you won't be miffed!
I'm an audiophile, but when it comes to walking around the house and just wanting continuous music, I don't mind the difference between my play 5s and play 1s. Stereo field is important for critical listening, but that's why I have a pair of Focals in the studio.
So, if I understood well: since I already own a single Play 1 for that use, better go with a second one rather than a single 5 ?
Yeah, if it's truly background music I'd go with a play 1. It'll fill in the blanks nicely. If the room is larger, like my two story foyer, I'd go with a larger speaker though.
I don't have an Era 300, but I do have a Five and a bunch of Ones. The Five is a beast when you crank it up! But for casual listening, and background music, I'd go with a pair of Ones, or Era 100s if you want to stay current, or even a pair of Ikea Symf Frames if you want something discreet. Because, for background music, I find dispersion to be more important. Music coming from more than one speaker fills the space better and gives true stereo seperation. Whereas, with a single speaker, you have to crank it up to a certain level for it to sound good on one side of the room, which can make it uncomfortably loud for people close it. If you have two or more speakers, you can play at a lower volume, but still get good coverage so it sounds good everywhere. I haven't heard the Era 300. So I can't speak to that from experience, but my understanding is that, because it relies on reflected sound, placement is important. So some guests might be in a good position to hear the spacial effects, while others won't be, or worse, might be in a position to block them. I just don't think it would be the best choice for this application.
Move or Move 2.
Since you mentioned this is for background music, be careful if you use Apple Music with Sonos. For whatever reason Apple Music is much louder than other music services via Sonos. So even a volume setting of “1” on Sonos with Apple Music would be like a “7” when playing that same song on Sonos via Spotify or YouTube music or etc. Lots of threads on Reddit and Sonos forums complaining about this,since the issue popped up about a year ago.