Sonos Amp with 2 or 4 speakers

  • 17 March 2021
  • 5 replies
  • 535 views
T

Hello, I am looking to add outdoor rock speakers around my pool area and power them with the Sonos Amp. I am still undecided if I want to go with two or four speakers. From what I am reading 8 ohm speakers are the best option with Sonos amp, but I don’t know how the Amp is going to handle the speaker wattage.

Here are the three options I am looking at going with:

Option 1:

  • One Sonos Amp
  • Two OSD Audio RS670 6.5” Rock speakers
    • Power Handling: 150W
    • Frequency Response: 39Hz - 22kHz
    • Sensitivity & Impedence: 91 dB, 8 ohms

Option 2:

  • One Sonos Amp
  • Four OSD Audio RS670 6.5” Rock speakers
    • Power Handling: 150W
    • Frequency Response: 39Hz - 22kHz
    • Sensitivity & Impedence: 91 dB, 8 ohms

Option 3:

  • One Sonos Amp
  • Two OSD Audio 8” Omni Rock Speakers 
    • Power Handling: 200W
    • Frequency Response: 30Hz - 18kHz
    • Sensitivity & Impedence: 87 dB, 8 ohms

Will either of these options work? Are the speakers I have chosen too much for the amp to handle? Do I need to explore other options? Does the speaker wattage even matter as long as I don’t choose a speaker with a wattage that is less than what the Amp outputs?   

Any guidance will be appreciated.

Thanks

 

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5 replies

G
Userlevel 7

From the Sonos Amp FAQ:

Is the 125 W/channel a peak rating or rms/continuous?

Amp provides 125W continuous average power sine wave, into an 8 Ohm load, both channels driven.


Based on this information, I would go with Option 1.

"Receive with simplicity everything that happens to you." - Rashi
jgatie

They will work fine.  Of the three options, going with 2) is probably best.  The slightly broader Frequency Response of 3) isn’t going to matter outdoors, and 2) are more sensitive, so they’ll play louder using less wattage. 

And by the way, of those three specs (Freq. Resp, Sensitivity, and Power Handling), Power Handling wattage is the least useful.  Which is funny, because it’s the one everybody knows, but it really means nothing unless you are using way too much amp.

Stanley_4
Userlevel 7
Badge +22

The sensitivity is the most important spec unless you have a huge (1000 W) amplifier.

Outdoors where you get little or no room reinforcement it is even more important.

 

Dig up an article on speaker sensitivity, amp power and actual sound levels for a better understanding of the issues. I would for you but the spouse is waiting on me to finish the last two posts...

buzz

I vote for option #2 because there are more speakers. That outside “room” is rather large and a higher speaker count will give you more even coverage without needing to drive a given speaker at a higher level. For example, if you place a single pair of speakers at one end of the venue, listeners close to the speakers will be unhappy because the speakers will be “loud” while listeners at the other end of the area will be unhappy because the speakers will not be “loud” enough. Two pairs will give more uniform coverage for everyone. Everyone will be aware of the music at more reasonable levels. And, option #2 will be less likely to annoy the neighbors.

Option #3 will require more amplifier power for the same acoustic output as option #1.

melvimbe

I vote for option #2 because there are more speakers. That outside “room” is rather large and a higher speaker count will give you more even coverage without needing to drive a given speaker at a higher level. For example, if you place a single pair of speakers at one end of the venue, listeners close to the speakers will be unhappy because the speakers will be “loud” while listeners at the other end of the area will be unhappy because the speakers will not be “loud” enough. Two pairs will give more uniform coverage for everyone. Everyone will be aware of the music at more reasonable levels. And, option #2 will be less likely to annoy the neighbors.

Option #3 will require more amplifier power for the same acoustic output as option #1.

 

Agree with all this, but wanted to add a few more comments.  First. you didn’t mention how big the overall space is.  For most, 4 will be good, but if you have a larger pool area, perhaps with multiple seating areas, or areas where you expect people to congregate, then perhaps more than 4 is the way to go. And speaking of seating areas, if you’re putting in a spa/hot tub, then it makes sense to use a pair of speakers centered around that area, if you suspect that you’ll actually use it a lot.

The third point, that’s still really related to the other points, is that the problem with rock speakers, IMO, is that they aren’t that great at directing the audio where you want it.  People use them because they get  the speakers away from the house pointed where they send audio into the neighbors yard...which is good idea, yes.  However, I didn’t use them for my yard because I didn’t want the audio coming from the ground, nor really felt the need to hide my speakers.  So instead, I got normal outdoor speakers and mounted them on fence posts placed about 4 feet off the ground in the locations I wanted them, pointed in towards the house so as not to disturb neighbors.  Again, not sure how ‘scientific’ that plan is, but I was happy with the results.

Danny
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