Wireless headphones

  • 10 October 2018
  • 15 replies
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Compatible headphones for Sonos.

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When my wife is tired after work I have to stop the music.....Thats one reason to use wireless headphones.
Are you asking Sonos to make wireless headphones?

It's been asked before, but many are doubtful it will ever happen. There is little need to have headphones play in sync with a multi room audio system, so there is little advantage to have headphones as part of the system. You can get pretty much the same result with Bluetooth headphones connected to a phone or tablet.

There are needs to have headphones connected with TV audio as well, and Bluetooth headphones seem to handle that well too. Although it does seem that some TVs don't handle connected to Sonos and Bluetooth at the same time well.
Userlevel 7
When my wife is tired after work I have to stop the music.....Thats one reason to use wireless headphones.

Hi Patricmedce'

I can see your need :8 You can use wireless headphones but it will also involve purchasing a Sonos Connect. See it here: https://www.sonos.com/en-us/shop/connect.html

To make it work:
1. Setup the Connect as a room (i.e. Headphones)
2. In the Sonos App set the Line-Out to Auto
3. Plug the headphones wireless transmitter into the Audio-Out (RCA or Optical) of the Connect
4. Select the room "Headphones" as the speaker
5. Select your favorite tunes or streaming service from the Sonos App an enjoy!
6. Don't forget to put on your headphones 🆒

Note: I might add that this solution only makes complete sense if you don’t want your listening to be interrupted by incoming text messages or calls if the source is a cell phone which sometimes occurs with BT phones connected. Otherwise using BT phones is a less expensive option.

It also makes sense if you incorporate a switch to toggle between a set of powered speakers and the phones.

Cheers!
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Super duper man! ?
Spaciba!
10-4 .....over and out.... ?
Neat solution!
The suggestion that headphones are of little use with “multi-room audio” needs to be completely refuted. Of course there are multiple scenarios where it would be desirable. One would be where the TV audio going to Sonos Playbar and other Sonos speakers may be of inadequate fidelity for one viewer who prefers closed headphones to enjoy pristine audio, while other viewers may be fine with the Sonos audio coming out of Play Ones. How could they create the Sonos AMP without Bluetooth capability, someone please tell me? They want me to shell out $600 for an amp without the ability to bypass the Sonos speakers in favor of higher end Headphones? Sonos fanboys please don’t reply. If someone can guide me to a good solution for my need to utilize wireless headphones simultaneously with Sonos (and Sonos AMP).
Well I have a solution for you, but I happen to be a Sonos fanboy, so as requested, I'll not reply.

I have age-appropriate hearing deficits. I’m almost 71.  I have very expensive hearing aids (Phonak). They’re good for certain uses (e.g., meetings.) They suck otherwise. I have an investment in Sonos in my summer place (Playbar, 2 Play 5’s, 3 Play 1’s) and one Play 1 in my condo in the city. The best audio I get is from my Bose Quiet Comfort II-35’s (wireless) connected to my iPad watching the show (e.g., Prime Video Modern Love.) I want to watch these dramas on my large screen TV and listen to them with my Bose headphones because the dialog is clearest. Everything else (including music and football) is just fine over my Sonos gear. 

Oh, and my wife might want to listen to the same dialog as me but without headphones.

So what the heck do I need to buy to get the best of both worlds?

Many thanks in advance!

[I’m listening to WBGO live over the one Sonos 1 in my condo right now and Sonos sounds just great! But the Jazz isn’t dialog and dialog isn’t (usually) Jazz...]

I am sorry if I am misunderstanding something but I don't see how this is anything to do with Sonos. Sonos make liudspeakers. If you want to listen to TV sound using headphones then you probably need a set of Bluetooth headphones to use with your TV.

What are you trying to achieve?

I am trying to integrate bluetooth headphones into my sound setup. My sound setup is all Sonos. I want to use both, sometimes simultaneously (e.g., with me on my headset and my wife listening to the speakers.)

If you want to do that  for TV sound then that is entirely a matter of whether your TV will output theough headphones and optical simultaneously. That would be in the TV audio settings.

Do you also want to do this for music sources? There would seem to be less point in that but you would probably need to link BT headphones to the output on a Connect if you did want that.

Further thought.  If the TV doesn't allow simultaneous output then you could use the BT headphones with  Connect and then group the Playbar and Connect. There would be a small audio lag on the Connect and therefore the headphones. 

Edit: for Connect you could also read Port.

If the TV doesn’t have decent Bluetooth built in then simply get an optical splitter -- ideally a powered/active one -- and send an optical signal to a separate Bluetooth transmitter. Unfortunately Bose don’t appear to support the aptX Low Latency codec, which would deliver sound with approximately the same delay as the Playbar (i.e. decent lip-sync with the video).

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I hooked my Phonak hearing aids to their Bluetooth transmitter (free form Costco) and hooked that to my ZP-80 optical out with no issues. Got all my Sonos music with no hassles. For TV I picked up an optical splitter and switch so I could pick which to listen to. The stuff is pretty cheap.

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B074W8DG3P/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00HQ2R314/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

https://www.phonak.com/us/en/hearing-aids/accessories/phonak-tv-link.html (various models for different aids)

Well I have a solution for you, but I happen to be a Sonos fanboy, so as requested, I'll not reply.


This blog is not just a dialog between two people, others also follow the blog.  The topic of headphones with Sonos is of particular interest to many sonos users; therefore, references to Sonos fanboy is undesirable; if you have some information that would greatly benefit multiple readers of this website, please contribute that important information.  I for one have not been able to make sense of the information in this blog.  I rely on direct precise clear information that answers the question what headphones work with sonos wirelessly and best method to attach to sonos system.   It would be in the best interest of sonos to give this clear and precise answer as there is a definite need for the use of headphones.   Please don’t drag it out any more than it is.  One of sonos claim to fame was to introduce this great music technology.  Why not stay ahead of the pack, continue to be a leader and give us easy to attach and configure headphone capability.