Short answer: the Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin Pro. It ranks #1 of 10 powered desktop speakers by sound quality, rated 4.4/5, at $899. The Sonos Five ranks #4, rated 4.2/5, at $599, $300 cheaper, not enough of a saving to outweigh the sound-quality gap.
The case for the Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin Pro: A stylish wireless home speaker with wide, deep sound and AirPlay and Spotify Connect, for indoor use only. The tradeoff: Same price as the standard Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin for a fairly modest tweeter/DAC upgrade.
What the Sonos Five does well: A big Wi-Fi speaker with deep bass, sound that stays consistent around the room, stereo playback and Trueplay room tuning. It keeps a wired aux input, which the Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin Pro lacks. It links with other speakers (Sonos multi-room, AirPlay 2), which the Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin Pro cannot. The catch: A 4.8dB reference band means the midrange and treble are less even than the best speakers, so tonal balance benefits from EQ.
Buy the Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin Pro. It is rated higher for sound quality, and the $300 you would save on the Sonos Five does not close the gap.
Still deciding? The full Powered Home rankings cover every ranked option.
Prices on this page were last checked November 7, 2026 at 7:34 PM UTC. Product prices and availability are accurate as of that date/time and are subject to change; the price and availability shown on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
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Specifications Side By Side
| Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin Pro | Sonos Five | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $899.00 each | $599.00 each |
| Ranked | #1 of 10 in Large Size Powered Desktop Speakers | #4 of 10 in Large Size Powered Desktop Speakers |
| App | No | Yes (Sonos S2) |
| Aux Input | No | Yes (3.5mm line-in) |
| Battery Life | No Battery | No Battery |
| Bluetooth Codecs | aptX Adaptive, AAC, SBC | - |
| Bluetooth Version | 5.0 | - |
| Dimensions | 25.6” x 8.3” x 7.6” (650 x 210 x 194 mm) | 8”H x 14.3”W x 6.1”D (203 x 364 x 154 mm) |
| Drivers | 150mm woofer, 2x 90mm FST midrange drivers, 2x 25mm Titanium Dome tweeters | 3x mid-woofers, 3x tweeters (2 angled), 6 Class-D amplifiers |
| EQ | Yes (Dynamic EQ) | Yes (Bass/Treble + Trueplay room correction) |
| Frequency Response | 35Hz - 24kHz (Manufacturer specified) | - |
| IP Rating | None | None |
| Party Mode | No | Yes (Sonos multi-room, AirPlay 2) |
| Power Bank | No | No |
| Power Input | AC Power cord | Built-in AC |
| Stereo | Yes | Yes (horizontal orientation) |
| Streaming Services | AirPlay 2, Spotify Connect | Sonos app streaming (Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music and more), AirPlay 2 |
| TWS | No | Yes (stereo pairing via Sonos app) |
| Weight | 14.6 lbs (6.6 kg) | 14 lbs (6.36 kg) |
| Wi-Fi | Yes | Yes |
| Bluetooth | Yes | No |
| DSP | Yes | - |
| Amplifier Power | 240W (80W woofer, 2x 40W midrange, 2x 40W tweeter) | - |
| Inputs | Bluetooth, AirPlay 2, Spotify Connect | Wi-Fi, Ethernet, 3.5mm line-in |
| XLR Input | No | No |
| RCA Input | No | No |
| TRS Input | No | No |
| Optical Input | No | No |
| Coaxial Input | No | No |
| USB Input | No | No |
| HDMI Input | No | No |
| AES Input | No | No |
| Built-in Microphone | - | No |
| Bass Extension (-3dB) | - | 38.5Hz (measured, Audio Science Review data on spinorama.org) |
| Bass Extension (-10dB) | - | about 25.5Hz (measured, Audio Science Review data on spinorama.org) |
| Spinorama Preference Score | - | 3.92 |
| Spinorama Preference Score with Perfect Sub | - | 5.56 |
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