Bose or the new SONOS/Sonance In-Ceiling speakers?

  • 18 February 2019
  • 3 replies
  • 6459 views

Hi everybody 🙂

Question#1:
I need help to pick the right speaker set..
I buiding a new extension (50 m2/550 ft2) to my house and I'm planning to use 2 SONOS Connect:Amp (probably going to switch those for 1 or 2 SONOS Amp later) for 2 pair of in-ceiling speakers to create 2 listening zones.

What will be the best speaker set for me? BOSE Virutally Invisible 791 or the new speakers from SONOS/Sonance? I'm going to pair the Connect:Amp with a Sub for a richer sound 🙂

Or do you recommend a different type of speakers?

Question#2:
I'm considering connect the Connect:Amp to a TV, and I've heard of some kind of delay.
Is this a issue?
If I switch the Connect:Amp that will be connected to a TV with a Sonos Amp instead, and use the 2nd Connect:Amp for a listening zone that's about 5 meters from the TV - and then connect those 2 (Connect:Amp and the new Amp): Will there be delay between the 2 zones?

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.

3 replies

Anything but Bose.

The new Amp is designed for use with TV and eliminates the noticeable lag that you would get with the line-in on a C:A. Personally, I think the Amp is the only sensible choice if TV sound is required.

Any combination of C:As and Amps will sync perfectly for music.

For TV sound, two C:As will sync perfectly with each other, but with a slight lag on the video. Two Amps or an Amp and C:A will have a small lag between the two units - the Amp connected by HDMI will sync with video, the other unit will lag. (You might be able to delay the audio on the connected Amp to sync it with the other unit, although that would then not sync with video.)

Further thought... I wonder if an HDMI splitter would allow you to connect two Amps by HDMI and eliminate the noticeable lag completely? Perhaps another Community member can shed light on that? Cable length is an obvious possible constraint.

:
Anything but Bose.

The new Amp is designed for use with TV and eliminates the noticeable lag that you would get with the line-in on a C:A. Personally, I think the Amp is the only sensible choice if TV sound is required.

Any combination of C:As and Amps will sync perfectly for music.

For TV sound, two C:As will sync perfectly with each other, but with a slight lag on the video. Two Amps or an Amp and C:A will have a small lag between the two units - the Amp connected by HDMI will sync with video, the other unit will lag. (You might be able to delay the audio on the connected Amp to sync it with the other unit, although that would then not sync with video.)

Further thought... I wonder if an HDMI splitter would allow you to connect two Amps by HDMI and eliminate the noticeable lag completely? Perhaps another Community member can shed light on that? Cable length is an obvious possible constraint.

:


Thank you so much John for your answer. This was my first post here, and I really appreciate your reply 🙂

Ok. I will probably go for the SONOS/Sonance in-ceiling speakers, and not Bose.
BTW, do you know anything about the Bowers&Wilkins CCM683s?

Sounds like a good solution is to purchase one Amp and connect all of the 4 in-ceiling speakers to that one.
Or purchase 2 Amps and try the solution with the HDMI splitter? I can use the 2 other C:As that I've already bought in other rooms in my home.
Your initial post said that you wanted to create 2 listening zones. If you connect all four speakers to a single Amp you will be playing the same stream for all four speakers. They may (or may not) be located in two different physical rooms but they would be a single control item in the Sonos app. Just so that you are clear what you would get.

I am not confident about the HDMI splitter idea working so please don't rely on that. I would just get one Amp to start with, see how you get on with any audio lag, and whether you can adjust it away. It is a very small lag - about 70ms - but enough to create an annoying lip sync issue (for me, anyway) or an echo effect, depending on how you are using the units.

I am not really qualified to comment on the merits of ceiling speakers, and that really includes Bose. It is perhaps just a personal preference / prejudice, but I am yet to hear a Bose speaker that I like. There are certainly advantages to using the Sonance speakers, for example being able to Trueplay tune the system.