Multiple Echo and Sonos - play everywhere not an option

  • 5 October 2017
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61 replies

Since my earlier post I have now had a chance to try this as well. I mostly have ZP120s but I also had a fair number of little Blue Play1s that I have since replaced with S5s (Play5 Gen1s) so I have line-in jacks to work with. I have found lots of cheap sources for Dots, some as little as $10 when included in bundles so I have lots of them now too. I also have regular Echos and Echo Shows around because that is what the rest of the family prefers to use. I use Alexa grouping of the Dots rather than grouping through Sonos because that gives me persistent groups with unique names that I can use with voice commands. I can play music on any individual Sonos player or group of players by referencing the name of the corresponding Dot or Alexa group in the voice command. The command does not need to be given through the attached Dot but rather through any convenient Echo device so I avoid issues of the music drowning out the command. Also pleased with the way ducking works in this arrangement (I do not have the Sonos skill enabled). This will work fine for me while I wait for the Sonos skill to get out of beta and the missing Alexa features to get implemented through the new Alexa API.
I'm curious if anybody has tried the obvious "brute force" method of combining Echo and Sonos groups?

Plug a Dot into a Play5 or ZP120

Group the Play5 or ZP 120 with some other Sonos players

Create an Echo group including the Dot and some other Echos

Play something on the Echo group.

The music should play on all of the grouped Echos and all of the grouped Sonos players. There would be a little delay between the Sonos and Echo groups but that might not be an issue depending on the length of delay and how much the two areas overlap.

I'll probably try this out for myself but was wondering if somebody already has and has some feedback on how well it worked?

I have set this up; the delay makes this a deal breaker if used in one open space. But in adjacent rooms where sound does not pass across in a significant, this will work. Line in needs to be uncompressed though.

But there is a little feature here from Amazon that makes this very useful; I have a Dot wired to the Line in on a Connect Amp, with an Echo to provide music for casual listening in an adjacent space. When the Dot and Echo are grouped, the Echo can be comfortably used for music play commands just for the Dot + Connect Amp, without having to shout over the sound of the Connect Amp speakers - the Dot in their vicinity struggles to do this while the Echo is many feet away and does not need to be shouted at. Instead of specifying group name to the Echo in the command, the name of the Dot needs be used to get just that to start. I have to check this out, but there also is none of the irritating ducking and waiting for that to happen before uttering the command to the Echo.
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Have read comments with interest. Have a pair of Play 1's in lounge (great!) and have linked them to Alexa/echo dot in kitchen, which I connect to a decent Vita amp/speaker via aux in. I want to play music through all together, and the previously mentioned problem of a combined Echo/Sonos group doesn't work.

However, you can play the radio through both at the same time - not ideal, but a start! I did try Adam's solution of trying to enable 'all rooms' from the Sonos app, but it doesn't work. Is this workaround coming out early 2018 really going to fix this problem? Any other ideas or solutions?
Most dissapointing to me is that even if alexa is part of sonos one, we cant still play audible directly. I have several sonos but im frustrated that after almost 3 years they cant fix this issue, specially now with the integration. If the sonos one and my echos could be be together on the "everywhere" group, i wouldnt mind having to add or group my sonos from the app as long as it still played my content
If you are using the line out into a receiver for your Echo and a Play 5, set that input to have 70 milliseconds delay in your receiver. Some can have the delay different for each input. Some can’t which will ruin any video playback and isn’t worth it. As Amazon develops Amazon Music Unlimited and adds it to the Alexa App, finding the music you want without having to say the right thing to the Echo will be an option. I’ll probably be getting Connects either way but I can’t afford them now and this option connected all of my home theater systems and Sonos together.
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I'm not following how the inability to mix and match echo and sonos speakers means that people would be better served with a google max. You can't mix and match sonos with google speakers, nor do I think google does mutliroom audio (do they? I don't know).


I had Google Home installed before the Sonos 1 was delivered and experimented with controlling Sonos via Chromecast Audio connected to a Connect. It worked but the sound quality in comparison to the Sonos app was very poor and I stopped using it. Google however do support multi room as each Google Home is a Chrome Cast device and so can be grouped but again the Audio quality is not in the same league.
I will say there is a SLIGHT audio delay doing it this way but it works in my situation really well. A bit cumbersome but it is a work around.
Get a Play 5, use line in with an Echo Dot, use Amazon Music Unlimited, voice command your music, group Sonos speakers in the Sonos app and you are set to go.
Alexa and Sonos have made a great first step and i'm waiting to be able to say:
Alexa group sonos kitchen and bathroom and lounge
Alexa play xxto the group
Alexa pause kitchen
Alexa resume kitchen

Ie ceate and modify groupings of sonos devices and sync the sounds comming out. Hen pause and resume one room in the group.
I'm curious if anybody has tried the obvious "brute force" method of combining Echo and Sonos groups?

Plug a Dot into a Play5 or ZP120

Group the Play5 or ZP 120 with some other Sonos players

Create an Echo group including the Dot and some other Echos

Play something on the Echo group.

The music should play on all of the grouped Echos and all of the grouped Sonos players. There would be a little delay between the Sonos and Echo groups but that might not be an issue depending on the length of delay and how much the two areas overlap.

I'll probably try this out for myself but was wondering if somebody already has and has some feedback on how well it worked?
Huh?
Sonos connection is not a trade secret. It connects to each speaker through its own wifi network
Grouping all your speakers and controlling them with Alexa can actually be done but requires a Harmony hub and remote (at least it’s the only way I know of). I have a Harmony activity set up with my 5 Play1’s and Soundbar and when I tell Alexa to “play Sonos” my last playlist plays on all my speakers. If you have different playlists set up in harmony you can control them with Alexa well. I also have the Sonos skill set up so once the music is playing I can control my speakers using the Sonos voice commands. This is not perfect and commands are limitedso I am really looking forward to Sonos’s ultimate solution but it’s better than nothing.
I received my Sonos one today and can confirm you cannot add it to the Everywhere group in Alexa app. Very disappointed and will likely return the One.

It's not possible with any 3rd party speakers until Amazon releases the SDK with this functionality early next year. Nothing Sonos can do about it till then.
I received my Sonos one today and can confirm you cannot add it to the Everywhere group in Alexa app. Very disappointed and will likely return the One.
I am in the same boat as rlreif. Not having the ability to put the Sonos One and the Echos into the same group is a deal breaker. I was looking forward to having the Sonos sound quality in the room I'm in the most often with the Echos providing it in other rooms. Sonos should quickly state their intention to provide having the One and Echos in the same group. If they don't I'm returning the unit.

I feel Sonos was dishonest in their advertising of the One. Saying the One has Alexa implies it will work like Alexa on the Echo. With Amazon just recently adding the multi-room music made it likely people will assume the One can go into a group.
Agree on this. If sound quality isn't that important to you, and whole house audio on a budget is your priority, then going all echo's is probably the right choice for you.

And that completely makes sense regarding wanting to maintain your existing system. I find myself with a lot of interest in the Sonos One and in some of the new echo products. However, my house is filled with both already, and I would either need to replace products that work fine already, or create new needs in my house....somehow.
Understandable. But the audio quality of the Sonos really is far superior, if that matters to you. I personally never listen to music on my Echo; compared to even the smallest Sonos, the sound is terrible.
Keeping all my existing echos and maybe adding another. I already have my house full of them, and was hoping the new Sonos could be added to that group to give me great sound there, but I’m not going to add an incompatible device to the mix, or trash what I have and go all in on Sonos. Maybe in the future if this is resolved I will reorder, but for now it doesn’t meet my needs unfortunately.
Disappointed.
Canceling.


In favor of what?
Disappointed.
Canceling.
Whether that functionality will be available in the future is not known, though it most definitely is not possible now, and that is not Sonos' doing. The Amazon SDK for that type of functionality is not available till next year:

Alexa Voice Service (AVS) Multi-Room Music SDK

Amazon is introducing new tools that enable AVS device makers to integrate with Amazon Alexa Multi-Room Music. Doing so will allow customers to play their music across supported Echo and AVS devices—for example, a customer with three Echo devices and two standalone AVS speakers can play synchronized music across all five devices. These tools will be available early next year.


http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=176060&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=2297100
@Adam, I don't think that's a solution to what other's wanted, which was to have their echo speakers and Sonos speakes all play in sync.

@rlreif Sonos One is an Alexa Enabled device, it's not an echo. Only echo's will play music insync. Firetv's and Fire tablets are also Alexa enabled devices, and they will not play in sync with your echo's, even though they are all Amazon products. That could change, but that's the way it is right now.
Currently the integration is disappointing, it basically makes your echo redundant as a speaker. Would be great to have full intergration, and be able to sync Sonos and echo speakers.
I was excited to receive my Sonos One on the 24th, but if I can’t do multiroom audio with it AND my existing echos together it’s getting returned. I have never had a Sonos speaker before and was excited but this is a dal breaker. Some info from the company would be helpful.