Question

sonos and microphone

  • 19 March 2014
  • 9 replies
  • 7981 views

I have a shure wireless microphone. I want to play it through a wireless speaker. I do not have any amp yet or other peripherals. Can I and what do I need to be able to play a microphone through your speakers? Thanks. Also, what is the size of room spec for the 2 larger speakers? 15 by 20? etc. If you buy one of the largest ones, how big of a room could it cover? My family room is 20 by 30? Do I need 2 speakers? or more? thanks.

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9 replies

Userlevel 7
Badge +26
Hello Opapower6805,

For a room that size a PLAY:5 will work just fine, but for a broader range of stereo separation, two PLAY:5s would be better. It is possible to connect a microphone via line-in to a PLAY:5CONNECT or CONNECT:AMP however we don't recommend it.

To use a microphone with Sonos you'll need a pre-amplifier between the microphone and Sonos to increase the volume gain across the system.

I also suggest that you test the system before a live event as the conversion from analog to digital will produce a small delay as the audio is converted to play across your system. This thread on our forums has some customer talking about using a microphone with Sonos.

Thanks 
Userlevel 7
Badge +22
Once you hook up the wireless microphone to one Sonos input it will be available to play on all Sonos units you have.
Hi there

I have 4 x Play 3 speakers around my restaurant (1 in each corner) and would like to hook a microphone up for announcements or even some karaoke and music nights. Is this possible and easy for me to do. I would consider swapping 2 speakers for play 5's but for now can't afford it so would like the option of a microphone through the play 3's.

Any help really appreciated

Regards

Joe
There is no way to do this with an external microphone. However, there are a couple third party apps that allow you to use a phone as an intercom. In other words, the app allows you to speak into the mic on the phone and it is broadcast to the Sonos units. Search the App/Play store for "Sonos intercom".

Note, these are third party apps and are not supported by Sonos in any way.
Thanks...

How about if I bought a play 5, does that have an option to plug in a mic and will the rest of the speakers tie in to it fine?
Also I thought I read somewhere that you could buy an amplifier that would connect a mic to any sonos speakers wirelessly???
The Play:5 has a line-in connection for line-level signals, not for a microphone. You would need a microphone pre-amp to amplify the weak mic signal. But that is not the big problem. The line-in has a buffering delay of 75 ms, which would make it difficult to use a microphone for PA type announcements, and downright impossible for Karaoke.

As to your second question, I know of no way to connect a microphone to Sonos wirelessly, outside of the a fore mentioned third party apps.
Ok... last question then i promise to leave you alone. Can sonos be used to sing through e.g. for karaoke or live music events?

I do really apprecitte you taking time to help

Joe
Live music, Karaoke, PA, DJ'ing, etc. are not really possible with Sonos due to the delay in the line-in connection mentioned above. There will be 3/4 of a second between when the sound goes in until the sound comes out of the Sonos speakers, causing it to lag behind any accompaniment or causing the DJ to not be able to mix properly.

You are better off with a dedicated PA system for these types of things.