Skip to main content
J Geelen
Contributor I
February 15, 2021
Answered

Active speakers at line out of Sonos Connect in combination with Sonos Sub.

I have 2 active speakers (so the amp is build in the speaker) connected to the line out of the Sonos Connect. This works great. 
Now I want to add the Sonos Sub 3 to this. Is that possible? If not, is an upgrade to the Sonos Port a solution?

This topic has been closed for further comments. You can use the search bar to find a similar topic, or create a new one by clicking Create Topic at the top of the page.
ratty
rattyAnswer
February 15, 2021

Sonos Sub can’t be bonded with Connect or Port.

The logic behind this is that the equipment downstream of the Sonos unit is an unknown quantity, in terms of level and response, so integrating a Sub would deliver an unpredictable experience.

You could of course connect a third party active subwoofer.

View in thread

8 replies

ratty
rattyAnswer
February 15, 2021

Sonos Sub can’t be bonded with Connect or Port.

The logic behind this is that the equipment downstream of the Sonos unit is an unknown quantity, in terms of level and response, so integrating a Sub would deliver an unpredictable experience.

You could of course connect a third party active subwoofer.

    J GeelenAuthor
    Contributor I
    February 17, 2021

    @ratty Is the following configuration possible?

    1. I connect the Sonos Sub 3 to a Sonos play one.
    2. I group this with the Active speakers connected to Sonos Port. 

    Thx

    ratty
    ratty
    February 17, 2021

    Yes, you could that. However you’d have to mess with two volume controls, one for each room. Also the crossover which manages bass frequencies into the Sub would only affect the Play:1.

    Depending on where you placed the Play:1 you might also experience some loss of stereo from the Port’s speaker, as it would of course be playing in mono itself. Perhaps you could hide it in a different room, leaving just the Sub.

      J GeelenAuthor
      Contributor I
      February 22, 2021

      I have a setup as you suggested and it works great! I connected the play 1 to the sub. Next I have positioned the Sub in the same room as the Sonos port with the (third party) active speakers.:grinning:

      The only draw back is that the "bass” is turned down automatically on the play 1 in the kitchen. 

      Hopefully Sonos will allow pairing the Sonos sub to the Sonos Port port in future. The "true play” feature should easily solve all arguments against this setup. 

      ratty
      ratty
      February 22, 2021

      Hopefully Sonos will allow pairing the Sonos sub to the Sonos Port port in future. The "true play” feature should easily solve all arguments against this setup. 

      Trueplay wouldn’t help. The amplification/speakers downstream of the Port would still be unknown, so the volume level in the amp could vary all over the place and the Port would be none the wiser. 

      J GeelenAuthor
      Contributor I
      February 22, 2021

      Hopefully Sonos will allow pairing the Sonos sub to the Sonos Port port in future. The "true play” feature should easily solve all arguments against this setup. 

      Trueplay wouldn’t help. The amplification/speakers downstream of the Port would still be unknown, so the volume level in the amp could vary all over the place and the Port would be none the wiser. 

      I understand what you are saying but your assumption is incorrect, active speakers are 100% controlled by the Sonos Port, both volume and tone. So these speakers are like any Sonos play speaker with internal amp and behave just like any Sonos Play speaker.
      What I can imagine is that Sonos does not want to promote use of "third party” active speakers as these are a direct substitute for their speakers.

      ratty
      ratty
      February 22, 2021

      Hopefully Sonos will allow pairing the Sonos sub to the Sonos Port port in future. The "true play” feature should easily solve all arguments against this setup. 

      Trueplay wouldn’t help. The amplification/speakers downstream of the Port would still be unknown, so the volume level in the amp could vary all over the place and the Port would be none the wiser. 

      I understand what you are saying but your assumption is incorrect, active speakers are 100% controlled by the Sonos Port, both volume and tone. So these speakers are like any Sonos play speaker with internal amp and behave just like any Sonos Play speaker.

      Yes, of course the active speakers go up and down controlled by the Port’s volume. I’ve used active speakers with Sonos for over 13 years. In fact that was why I bought a Sonos ZP80 in the first place.

      My point was that external amplification almost always has its own level control, which a user can vary entirely independently of the Port’s. As such, any balance Port could strike between the main speakers and a bonded Sub could easily be upset by the user tinkering with the volume control on the external amplification.

       

      J GeelenAuthor
      Contributor I
      February 22, 2021

      I understand your point. My point was that even if my speakers had own level control, Sonos could provide this option at my own risk. I’m pretty sure that “Connect” or “Port” users will understand the implications.

      In fact the whole concept being able to “tinker” with the volume of individual speakers is not uncommon. F.e. even a lot of cars enable features like “Balance”, “Fader” and “Sub”.

      Anyway thanks for your help. 

      Terms & ConditionsAccessibility statement