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Hello:

I am purchasing a new construction home that has an extensive amount of wiring for smart home capabilities without any existing equipment. There are 48 in-ceiling speaker holes with audio wire ran to the tech room. I have purchased all Sonos products for my previous homes, and love the product, but I haven’t had a need for this many speakers in a home.  

 

1). I have read you can have 32 Sonos products in one system.  Will there be any performance issues for connecting 48 speakers to 24 amps on 1 system in a 10k square foot home?  The speakers will all be wired to one place, and all of the AMPs will be located in the tech room.  I also planned on using Playbars for 4 TVs, which would put me at 29 connected products.

 

2). Is it possible to connect more than 2 speakers to 1 amp?  The living room, for example, has 4 in-ceiling speakers.

 

Thank you!

1 - I don’t think you’ll have any problem with all the amps in that space, assuming it’s got proper ventilation and such.  The problem you might have is WiFi coverage covering 10k sqft.   I would look at using a mesh system that allows for many satellites without using AP and extenders.

I assume you plan on wiring your amps rather than using WiFi.  I would also plan on wiring the playbars, just because you aren’t going to have the best distribution for Sonosnet with most devices in one place, and 4 others spread through the home.

 

2 - Yes, if the speakers are 8 ohms, you can connect 2 pairs.  If you use the Sonance speakers on this site, you can connect 3 pairs.  You can connect more if you use a speaker switch.  Note though that each amp is still it’s own zone with one audio source and volume.  You can also connect the Amp to TVs with the HDMI-ARC connection.  The rear audio channels would need to be a second amp or set of Sonos speakers.

Another option, if it makes sense is to get use a Port with a 3rd party amp that can power several pairs of speakers.

 

Honestly, I would be cautious about trying to fit the entire house in one system.  You haven’t even mention the use of subs, which seems somewhat of a waste to not have one sub in such a large home.  I might see if there is a logical way to divide the home into two systems.  Perhaps one covering the living areas you will use most of the time, and another one to cover the areas you will use rarely or for guests.


Thanks for the fast reply, Danny!

 

Considering your answer to number 2, I can get by with only 12 - 14 amps npw.  The guest rooms also have speakers in their connecting bathrooms, so I’m fine with those being 1 combined zone per suite.  I also just reviewed what a port is, and that makes complete sense. If it’s possible to combine even more speakers to 1 zone, that will further lessen the number of amps I need.

 

Yes, I plan on wiring the amps since they’ll be centralized. 

 

Thank you for mentioning sub woofers. I plan on putting one in the theater and one in living room.

 

With that being said, do you think I can now get away with one system?  It looks like I would be connecting a total of 18-20 products.  I’m going between a Sonos system coupled with a few other smart home products (like Lutron Caseta) or getting a full service home automation system, such as Savant.


Thanks for the fast reply, Danny!

 

Considering your answer to number 2, I can get by with only 12 - 14 amps npw.  The guest rooms also have speakers in their connecting bathrooms, so I’m fine with those being 1 combined zone per suite.  I also just reviewed what a port is, and that makes complete sense. If it’s possible to combine even more speakers to 1 zone, that will further lessen the number of amps I need.

 

 

Do the bathroom have a single speaker hole or two?  If single, then you’ll want to use a ‘stereo speaker’ there, which would connecting to both left and right channels of the amp.  Otherwise, you’ll only have one side of the stereo.  or you could place the amp in mono mode, meaning all speakers connecting will play in mono.

 

I also want to caution a little bit on using one amp for a bedroom and attached bath.  You won’t have volume control the two, which could be a problem.  For the master suite for example, you definitely want it separate.  You don’t want to be unable to use your bathroom speaker because the spouse is still sleeping.  That said, I will say my bedroom and bathroom are on together most of the time, although rarely same volume.

 

 

 

Yes, I plan on wiring the amps since they’ll be centralized. 

 

Thank you for mentioning sub woofers. I plan on putting one in the theater and one in living room.

 

 

In my opinion, Sonos isn’t the best choice for a dedicated theatre room, particularly one where you can wire all the speakers.  Other brands can cover a wider range of options (dolby atmos, DTS, 7.1, 9.1, etc) and it seems like you won’t have as big of a need for that room to play audio in sync with the rest of the house.  Perhaps a Port is a good option so that you can do multiroom if you need to, but you’re limiting yourself a bit by using Sonos when you don’t need it to be wireless, or need to control by phone/tablet.

 

I would look at putting a sub in your main listening areas, like the master bedroom, living room, etc. 

 

 

With that being said, do you think I can now get away with one system?  It looks like I would be connecting a total of 18-20 products.  I’m going between a Sonos system coupled with a few other smart home products (like Lutron Caseta) or getting a full service home automation system, such as Savant.

I have 20 something products, with no issues, so likely yes.   Although I do wish I had a split sometimes just to separate the rooms that don’t get used much.  My kids rooms and the game room have only been grouped with other speakers in the home maybe once or twice just for the novelty of it more than anything useful.

 

And I absolutely love Lutron Caseta.  Not sure you have expereince with them, but you can not just control your lights, but setup up alarms/schedules that involve Sonos speakers as well.  My weekday morning alarm is music playing in 3 different zones with lights coming on in the same zones, automatically turning off a bit after I’ve left for work.

Are you planning on doing anything for outdoors?  Are you going to use voice control at all?


I’m recently single, so a spouse isn’t even in my thought process. LOL  But that is a good point in the master bedroom.

 

I live alone, so I’m not worried about separating the guest rooms from their attached bathroom since they’ll only be used by guests.

 

Thanks for the tip on the theater speakers.

 

I love Caseta too!  I used it in my last house, and I love that the shades and thermostat integrate too.  This is why it’s been such a touch pill to swallow for $80k-$100k in home automation with companies like Crestron when something like Caseta is available for a fraction of the cost.

 

I use the Bose speakers that go in the landscaping outside.  I also had a Sonance set in the pool house of the last house that used a CONNECT:Amp, but I don’t think I need that in the new house.

 

Yes, I almost always use voice control.  I wouldn’t consider products that weren’t able to be controlled Alexa and Siri.


I’m recently single, so a spouse isn’t even in my thought process. LOL  But that is a good point in the master bedroom.

 

 

Welcome to the club?  Single as well, though not recent.

 

I live alone, so I’m not worried about separating the guest rooms from their attached bathroom since they’ll only be used by guests.

 

Thanks for the tip on the theater speakers.

 

I love Caseta too!  I used it in my last house, and I love that the shades and thermostat integrate too.  This is why it’s been such a touch pill to swallow for $80k-$100k in home automation with companies like Crestron when something like Caseta is available for a fraction of the cost.

 

 

I’ve been wanting to do the shades for a while, but it keeps getting pushed back on the wish list.  They work well?  I

 

 

I use the Bose speakers that go in the landscaping outside.  I also had a Sonance set in the pool house of the last house that used a CONNECT:Amp, but I don’t think I need that in the new house.

 

 

I run 4 speakers off a Sonos amp, but I imagine your space is a bit bigger than mine.  Going to use a Port with that system? 

 

 

Yes, I almost always use voice control.  I wouldn’t consider products that weren’t able to be controlled Alexa and Siri.

 

So you are you going to place echo dots throughtout the home, or do you have something else planned?   I’m finding myself really curious to how you’re going to get this all setup.  Sounds like fun.


LOL Thanks!

 

The Serena shades work incredibly well.  They also make a great alarm clock to have the sun wake you up rather than an obnoxious alarm clock.  Serena has 20% off 2-3 times a year, so I’d wait for one of those sales if you’re looking to purchase them.

 

I’m not sure if I’ll need the port outside.  In my totals above, there are two pre-wired outdoor in-ceiling speakers under the veranda, and then I figured I’d place 4 of the Bose speakers around the pool with 1 amp. 

 

If I’m sticking to Sonos and Caseta, I plan on using these switches (link below). They have Alexa built-in, and they just look incredibly cool. They can also control other home automation features and work as a video intercom.  They’re pricey, but they also easily put a control hub wherever you need it without running electrical.

 

https://www.brilliant.tech/products/brilliant-control-single-switch-smart-lighting-smart-home-control?variant=white