# Sonos Question's (looking to buy)



## Steve Burnett (Apr 21, 2009)

I’d like to purchase the Sonos system and would like some advice from those of you that have bought one.
I know I could ask the staff in the shop but to be honest I don’t want a sales explanation/lies

First off, I have BT infinity that has very patchy reception in my house. BT Broadband was fine but infinity is very poor. I can’t print wirelessly downstairs to upstairs anymore (and the printer sits almost directly above me and the infinity router is under the stairs that is about 4M from me when on the laptop)
My point about the above is to question what to expect the coverage to be like if I have a play3/5 in the lounge and a play 1 in the bedroom. I fear the play 1 won’t be picked up. Anyone have advice on this point?
I’ll have a wireless system so will need the bridge.

I’m not a massive music listener but would like to increase this with the flexibility of the Sonos system. I want a good quality sound. Is there much of a difference between the play5 and play3?

Can you place the play1 in any room you choose. Ie making it a portable speaker?

Can the play3/5 be used with the TV or does that have to be the sound bar?

Can multiple iphones and ipads stream the music? Do you just hit play of the phone/pad and select the audio device if connected?

I have a home network set up for my photos. Can I put all my music on the network drive and play from there or does it need to be an itunes account/spotify etc?

Any other information would be great.


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## kings.. (Aug 28, 2007)

The sonos bridge plugs into your router via ethanet bud and creates its own wireless channel so dont worry about their range at all. The only issue you may encounter is your wireless controller i.e you abdroid or apple device. If the range is crap and the controller drops out download wifi analyser on phone or tablet and scan for clear air space; by tgis i am refering to wifi channels. You tend to find your neighbours wifi signals cause conflict with yours, therefore select a clear channel and then you should be fine.

ive had several sonos devices now for a good few years, and i cant fault them. Go treat yourself!


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## kings.. (Aug 28, 2007)

Ps il answer other questions when i get back to my pc!


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## kings.. (Aug 28, 2007)

Steve Burnett said:


> I'd like to purchase the Sonos system and would like some advice from those of you that have bought one.
> I know I could ask the staff in the shop but to be honest I don't want a sales explanation/lies
> 
> First off, I have BT infinity that has very patchy reception in my house. BT Broadband was fine but infinity is very poor. I can't print wirelessly downstairs to upstairs anymore (and the printer sits almost directly above me and the infinity router is under the stairs that is about 4M from me when on the laptop)
> ...


1, Yes the Play one can go anywhere you like, it merely needs a power source.

2, Unsure about play3/5 with tv.. it is possible however not something I haven't tried to be honest. Play3 vs 5 sound, the play 5 imo has the superior sound; as with most things you get what you pay for. Although, two play 1's together in stereo sound awesome tbh and thats similar money to a play 5.

3, You can add as many controllers as you like for the sonos, as soon as the app is open you are able to explore the music library and choose your tracks.

4, All of your music on your computer can be put in any folder/hard drive and as long as you make the folder open to share it will show within the sonos music library. The sonos system gives you step by step for itunes spotify etc too... added to which any music on your phones and tablets can be played directly through your sonos devices too.


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## John-R- (Feb 4, 2007)

The only thing with the Play1 is the lack of Bass IMO.

John


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## Xploit (Nov 16, 2011)

Using two Play:3 with a television would be minimal IMO. The Playbar is infact the same components as x3 Play:3 speakers setup for Left, right and centre, If monies no object then a Playbar and Sub would be a nice setup for any TV.

Play:1 were initially aimed at being used as rear speakers in a surround setup but I think the emphasis has centred more on it being an entry level product to get people started. Its like Apple, if you get one bit and like it you'll get sucked in...

We have the system at work to test on and despite having a range of factory machines on wifi and an entire office network going like the clappers there is no interference with the Bridge etc.


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## shl-kelso (Dec 27, 2012)

The Play1 & Play3 do not have line-in connections so cannot be used with other audio equipment. The Play5 and Connects do have a line-in, but the digitising process adds around a 70ms delay so may cause lip sync issues if connected to your TV. The Playbar has a minimal delay as it was always designed to be used with a TV.

Regarding wireless range, Sonos operates primarily in the same 2.4GHz range as wifi, so if you have range issues right now (either due to house construction or due to major congestion with lots of competing local wifi networks) then Sonos will not be significantly better. However you can add low-cost bridges to boost the Sonos network, thereby making the Sonos network more robust (assuming you do not have the ability to run Ethernet cabling).

you will have control issues if you use the Desktop controller software or IOS app if there is no wifi signal, so this needs to be considered too. If you have a Android devices then you can link these direct to the Sonosnet wireless signal from the Sonos devices so wifi is not so important in these cases.

Have you looked into the issue with wireless range with your router? Unless the unit is faulty it should not be significantly different to how it was before unless there are now many more competing wifi networks from neighbours.

Finally, carry out a wifi survey using software such as Iinsider, this will givea lot of info about your wifi environment. You need to look at the channel spread as reliable Sonos wireless operation means planning and setting up your wifi and Sonos to not interfere with each other.


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## shl-kelso (Dec 27, 2012)

kings.. said:


> 3, You can add as many controllers as you like for the sonos, as soon as the app is open you are able to explore the music library and choose your track.


There is a limit of 32 zones and 32 controllers, although I don't know of many people who get close 

We're more than half way there with the controller limit due to ipod touches, iPhones, iPads, laptops, pcs etc all having controllers linked to the system.


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## Rob_Quads (Jul 17, 2006)

Xploit said:


> , If monies no object then a Playbar and Sub would be a nice setup for any TV..


Just a shame about the lack of DTS support!:wall:


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## Xploit (Nov 16, 2011)

Rob_Quads said:


> Just a shame about the lack of DTS support!:wall:


Yep, only works with Sony right?


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## PaulN (Jan 17, 2008)

Can i just double check this that you can play any music from your iphone or ipad to your sonos via wifi?

I thought the music needed to be on a pc or NAS drive and the iphone/ipad was simply the controller?

I looked at the sonos system when moving into my new house. At the time it was costing about £500 for what i wanted but the main disadvantage for me was there was no main system that could be on show. Maybe the advantage for most but i was after a peice of furntiure too.


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## shl-kelso (Dec 27, 2012)

Rob_Quads said:


> Just a shame about the lack of DTS support!:wall:


Which Sonos has now said it will not be addressing in an official update on their review of the issue.

They've retreated to their stance that the only supported method of connection is direct optical cable between TV and Playbar.

Any method of connecting sources direct to the Playbar will require the user to be aware of the technical issues required to ensure the Playbar is not supplied with an unsupported audio format which leads to no sound from the Playbar.


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## shl-kelso (Dec 27, 2012)

Xploit said:


> Yep, only works with Sony right?


Not sure what you mean, DTS is a digital audio format like Dolby Digital, opso not related to any specific manufacturer.

This is an issue as BluRay discs mostly use DTS Master Audio format for their audio (which is down mixed to regular DTS from their digital audio output) and have no Dolby Digital track as an alternative. This creates issues for Playbar users who directly connect their BluRay player direct to their Playbar to ensure it provides full 5.1 surround output. They either have to use a player that can re-encode the audio to Dolby Digital (which is not a common feature on the majority of players) or add an extra piece of electronics on the HDMI output to extract audio as Dolby Digital from the HDMI signal.


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## shl-kelso (Dec 27, 2012)

PaulN said:


> Can i just double check this that you can play any music from your iphone or ipad to your sonos via wifi?
> 
> I thought the music needed to be on a pc or NAS drive and the iphone/ipad was simply the controller?
> 
> I looked at the sonos system when moving into my new house. At the time it was costing about £500 for what i wanted but the main disadvantage for me was there was no main system that could be on show. Maybe the advantage for most but i was after a peice of furntiure too.


You can play tracks from your IOS device via wifi that have been transferred to the device via iTunes (so are in the iTunes music App). When using your iDevice as the controller you have an extra option in the Music Menu called "This iDevice" from which you can add music to the queue. You cannot add tracks from any other device that might also being used as another controller (so you cannot browse music from your iPad via your iPhone) but once the music is in the queue it can be controlled like any other track from any other source.

You cannot stream audio from other apps via wifi. If you have an older IOS device with 30 pin connector then you can use the Sonos Dock (withdrawn by Sonos when the Lightning connector was introduced) to stream other audio from your device over the Sonis mesh network. Otherwise you have to use the line-in connection on a suitable device to play non-iTunes audio.


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## Rob_Quads (Jul 17, 2006)

Xploit said:


> Yep, only works with Sony right?


Not sure I quite understand that reply. The PlayBar only supports DolbyDigital as the main surround codec. Unfortunately the prefered codec for most BluRays etc is now a DTS standard (beit DTS or DTS-HD etc)

This means that you might be stuck with the stereo audio feed and relying on the soundbar to attempt to make it sound surround like.

Never understood why it does not include DTS. Not like they can't afford the licensing with the price of Sonus gear


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## Xploit (Nov 16, 2011)

Because Sony outputs DTS over optical, pre launch of the Playbar I was at the distributors tech showcase and next to the SONOS stand (bit pathetic for such a big firm) and he was telling me at the time it was only really compatible with Sony, maybe I misheard him...


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## Rob_Quads (Jul 17, 2006)

Ah - didn't know the Sony could do that. First I have heard of someone using DTS over optical


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## shl-kelso (Dec 27, 2012)

Xploit said:


> Because Sony outputs DTS over optical, pre launch of the Playbar I was at the distributors tech showcase and next to the SONOS stand (bit pathetic for such a big firm) and he was telling me at the time it was only really compatible with Sony, maybe I misheard him...


Either mis-heard, the distributor did not know what he was talking about, or maybe the distributor was aware of the issue and was describing the feature in a limited range of BluRay players where they can convert DTS to Dolby Digital via their digital output.


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## winrya (Aug 4, 2006)

Great choice of equipment. I have a 1, 3 and 5 and love them to bits. I use my play 5 connected to my tv in the lounge with a good quality line in cable and it sounds superb. Goes nice and loud and has a great quality sound. I have no issues with and lag but you can compensate if there is any through the tv in my case so assume it's the same with other tvs.

It's quite handy that whatever is input to the 5 you can there share across the system so you could plug your phone into it and output it to every speaker. Quite useful when the f1 practice is on where I'm listening rather than watching. I'll stick the play 1 outside when washing the car and still enjoy listening to the f1 channel.

Play 5 has a significant quality improvement over the 1 and 3 although id say at max volume they are all a similar volume level.

I would say that if you are running the volume below 50% then the play 1 has the best low volume sound and bass. I'd struggle to justify the cost of the play 3 in future, I really can't say its any better than the play 1. I think I'd spend a little more and have 2 play 1's and run them in 1 room for the best setup. I suspect 2 play 1's would sound better than a single play 5


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## aerodynamic18 (Feb 12, 2011)

i have 2 play 1's in 1 room as a stereo pair and the sound is brilliant


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## Steve Burnett (Apr 21, 2009)

After reading all this I am wanting a Play 5 and a play 1, then in the future another play 1.

Next question, who wants to help fund this??????????


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## Xploit (Nov 16, 2011)

shl-kelso said:


> Either mis-heard, the distributor did not know what he was talking about, or maybe the distributor was aware of the issue and was describing the feature in a limited range of BluRay players where they can convert DTS to Dolby Digital via their digital output.


No this guy was from SONOS, the show was put on by the UK/European distributor for SONOS (and other brands). Maybe there is some assumption in there but he said at the time (Mar 2013) that it only worked in full with Sony.

Like I said in another thread, its a great idea but each product is flawed in some way or another, for us as accessory manufacturers its because they have limited hardware to properly mount the speakers specifically.


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## aerodynamic18 (Feb 12, 2011)

Steve Burnett said:


> After reading all this I am wanting a Play 5 and a play 1, then in the future another play 1.
> 
> Next question, who wants to help fund this??????????


just get 2 play ones instead of the 5. Then make them a stereo pair. You won't regret it and its cheaper too


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## Rob_Quads (Jul 17, 2006)

Having just read the following link it confirms that Sony or not it 100% does not support DTS and will not (as planned)

https://ask.sonos.com/sonos/topics/please_add_support_for_dts_for_the_sonos_playbar?topic-reply-list[settings][filter_by]=company_promoted

They are going for a very specific market and sticking to it.


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## organisys (Jan 3, 2012)

Sonos is awesome, do it!!


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## TTS-Dave (Jun 19, 2012)

SONOS for cinema sound just doesn't cut it. Get a real AV amp and pick the best speakers and sub. 

SONOS is great for what it does multi room audio - I've got a play 5 on right now and love the products but no way would i go for a cinema setup or a play bar. 

But mainly because i have a separate AV cinema sound setup and have invested in that setup.


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## Xploit (Nov 16, 2011)

TTS-Dave said:


> SONOS for cinema sound just doesn't cut it. Get a real AV amp and pick the best speakers and sub.
> 
> SONOS is great for what it does multi room audio - I've got a play 5 on right now and love the products but no way would i go for a cinema setup or a play bar.
> 
> But mainly because i have a separate AV cinema sound setup and have invested in that setup.


Agree 100%, if you enjoy a film get a specific set up.


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## Steve Burnett (Apr 21, 2009)

I'm thinking of going for a Cambridge Audio minx TV and later in the year going for the Sonos Play 5 as a stereo.

http://www.whathifi.com/review/minx-tv


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## Steve Burnett (Apr 21, 2009)

After looking at dimension etc. I have been left pissed off. I can't fit a play 5 in the space, nor can I fit the Audio minx TV.
My next thought is to buy two play 1's and use them as a sort of 2.1 stereo.
Can this be done and connected to the TV?


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## Kirkyworld (Jan 12, 2014)

I love mine. I have bought a 1 and a 5 plus the bridge. So far I can only say it is excellent.


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## Kirkyworld (Jan 12, 2014)

Steve Burnett said:


> After looking at dimension etc. I have been left pissed off. I can't fit a play 5 in the space, nor can I fit the Audio minx TV.
> My next thought is to buy two play 1's and use them as a sort of 2.1 stereo.
> Can this be done and connected to the TV?


Yes it can and combined with a play bar is awesome :thumb:


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## Steve Burnett (Apr 21, 2009)

Not going for the playbar, not yet anyway. The current set up means my only option is a single play 3 or two pay 1's.


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## aerodynamic18 (Feb 12, 2011)

i love my two play ones. They are in my living room and its quite large and the sound from them is brilliant


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## Steve Burnett (Apr 21, 2009)

aerodynamic18 said:


> i love my two play ones. They are in my living room and its quite large and the sound from them is brilliant


Do you have them linked to your TV?


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## aerodynamic18 (Feb 12, 2011)

no just for my music and radio


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## shl-kelso (Dec 27, 2012)

Steve Burnett said:


> Do you have them linked to your TV?


Unless you use more Sonos kit there is no way to link Play1s to your TV as they don't have their own audio inputs.


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## Steve Burnett (Apr 21, 2009)

Would a Play 5 in the corner of the room and two Play 1's work then?


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## shl-kelso (Dec 27, 2012)

As long as you can get analogue stereo audio from your TV to the 3.5mm line-in connection on the Play:5 it will work fine.


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## Steve Burnett (Apr 21, 2009)

argh! Another problem then.


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## shl-kelso (Dec 27, 2012)

Is the issue the need for audio to be analogue for connection to the Play5 or the location of the Play5 and TV?

There are relatively low cost optical audio to analogue converters (DACs) that operate off 5v supplied via a USB port on the TV, useful for TVs with only optical digital outputs.


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## Steve Burnett (Apr 21, 2009)

Location of the play 5.
Seems our TV unit is unable to accomodate anything in the slots provided. Looking to freshen up the living room this year so this all might have to go on hold until we buy a TV unit that works for us.


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