One SUB for Two Rooms
+22
Add your Stereo Plays to the Player as surrounds, then bond the Sub to get a 5.1 set-up. Then change the music setting in that room to "Full"
You mean to tell me that a Sonos sub cannot share two Play speakers and a separate Playbase/Playbar in the same room?!!!
That's totally inane!
And Sonos refuses to address this issue?
Has anyone figured out an easy fix for this? Instructions please.
However, it's disturbing that Sonos can't figure out how allow the sub to work more freely through their software client. The optimal fix would be to have a simple checkbox that activates the sub with any room selected. I am not sure why Sonos tech have not been more active in pursuing something their customers have been asking for.
Sonos,
This is incredibly frustrating there is no resolution to this yet. I too would like a 2.1 system for music and 5.1 for tv. The beam ruins the sound quality of the play 5. We don’t have space for 2 subs. This restriction completely goes against the appeal of your “system”. I want to buy another play 5 and many more one’s but am now hesitating on all of it and thinking of returning. There are a lot of people here that have a lot of money invested in your products and you seem to be ignoring us all without a good reason. If things don’t improve, I can’t recommend this product to friends even though I really want to be able to. When can we expect a resolution?
Andrew Jones Pioneer system + traditional amplifier (undecided).
Certainly, a whole different feature set but a bit more predictable.
What do you mean by predictable? And if you’re considering wired options, then you might want to consider using a Sonos amp to power speakers. It will give you the stereo separation with music you’re looking for and a simulated center for TV/moves. Not sure if that’s acceptable to you. Then you can use a single sub + surrounds if you wish.
I found this thread as i was searching for “ share sub between rooms” . And as i read it is not possible.
Why i want this!
I have 2 plays and a sub. Perfect for music. I bought a beam for better tv quality, but the beam has poor bass.
So i want to share the sub….
TV OFF = SUB WITH THE PLAY’S
MUSIC OFF = BEAM WITH SUB.
NO MORE NO LESS.
I would love this too … according to me it should be possible. Hopefully there will be a solution some day, but this thread is there for 7 years … so I have some doubts 😬
Surround setting is not ideal for me because of different positions for listening to music and watching TV
I would like to share a sub between a Sonos Beam 5.1 room and Sonos Connect system that is outputting fixed via coaxial digital to a proper / traditional hi fi system.
Both of these systems are in the same room but allow me to have a high end stereo music system as well as an easy to place 5.1 system.
Notwithstanding the desire to link a Sub with two rooms (which I very much doubt it's in Sonos' interest to pursue), you can't actually bond Sub with a Connect at all, even within a single 'room'. The reasoning is that the Connect has no control over the final sound experience -- volume, EQ, etc. -- as that depends on the downstream equipment.
I have a Beam under my TV and my desk is sitting in the side room which is not closed by any door. Both rooms could benefit from the sub.
Ugh - I was just researching how to do this exact thing (one sub tied to two “rooms”) and I discovered this very old thread with no solution. I assumed Sonos would support this given how portable the speakers are and the overwhelming cost of the sub. I just want the sub to kick in when I play music in the house, aside from the bar + 1:rear setup.
tl;dr +1
Maybe I’m getting old and just set in my ways.
Anywho I’ve been involved as a consumer in audio and video equipment for well over 40 years since leaving undergrad college. I only mention “college” to let everyone know that I’ve been buying the equipment myself in my own place of residence for that long of a time.
I just don't understand why it’s expected that Sonos do more than a traditional wired setup. There are wired systems costing $30K and up with zone speakers that don’t share a sub between rooms.
As I said earlier...even if the technology exists...to do what is being suggested in this thread I doubt Sonos would do it unless the price point were adjusted. Probably making it beyond the reach of many (including yours truly).
More so than a dual purpose sub I’d like to see Sonos adopt DTS and Dolby Atmos codecs in their soundbars. IMO that would be less cost prohibitive.However, then again licensing fees may be the reason.
Lack of the aforementioned is the main reason Sonos HT is no longer in my main media room. B4 anyone asks...yes...I’ve invested in a high-end 4K player with Dolby Atmos decoding (as well as Apple TV) and a 4K TV to enjoy the experience. I can attest first hand that the listening experience between DD5.1 and Dolby Atmos is night and day. BTW my Dolby Atmos speaker system is wireless..so no loss there.
However, I digress...I just don’t see Sonos granting this wish especially after 6 years. Just as Sonos refuses to bring DTS and Dolby Atmos to their sound bars; for whatever reason. I’m sure there is an equally justifiable reason not to indulge a dual purpose sub. 
Cheers!
I really dont understand your comparison with wired setup. I have a wired set in my living room with an amp that allows me to switch with one-click between preset cinema/tv or music listening profiles. I cant do it in my office at home in which I have a sonos set up with a soundbare 4 ones and a sub. In the first place it is really anoying that I am not allow to hook up more than 2 ones (surround setup), but even worse, I cant use the other two to listen to music using the same sub, because i can only link it to one room at the time.
Basically i am talking about two major differences between a wired system of 100 bucks that allows me to creat profiles and or hook up multiple speakers which my Sonos gear 2000 bucks doesnt allow me to do. We all know that this its a deliberate choice of Sonos and has nothing to do with software/hardware limitations or their statement regarding the sound quality.
I know this is not your decision and I am free to buy something else, i was just trigger by your remark that we should accept this because its similar as wired setups. Or do is miss something here?
I really dont understand your comparison with wired setup. I have a wired set in my living room with an amp that allows me to switch with one-click between preset cinema/tv or music listening profiles. I cant do it in my office at home in which I have a sonos set up with a soundbare 4 ones and a sub. In the first place it is really anoying that I am not allow to hook up more than 2 ones (surround setup), but even worse, I cant use the other two to listen to music using the same sub, because i can only link it to one room at the time.
I can’t follow what you are talking about here. The cinema/tv/music listening profiles you can change in a wired system is not the same thing as being able to have a sub quickly switched between two physical rooms. I don’t think that’s a good comparison.
What is “soundbare 4 ones and a sub”? Are you saying you have 4 Sonos Ones and a sub in a single physical room? And the comment up using more than 2 Sonos Ones for surround sound..it sounds like you’re wanting Sonos to offer more than the current standard room configurations they offer, correct? I think part of the limitations is related to trying to keep things simple, using the configurations people will use most often, the current codecs supported, Trueplay capabilities, and maintaining a stable connection (for home theatre setups). Maybe Sonos will be able to make some of this happen after S2 goes live, not sure, but I don’t think it’s simply just a matter of choosing to offer features, but making sure they are wise options to offer.
Basically i am talking about two major differences between a wired system of 100 bucks that allows me to creat profiles and or hook up multiple speakers which my Sonos gear 2000 bucks doesnt allow me to do. We all know that this its a deliberate choice of Sonos and has nothing to do with software/hardware limitations or their statement regarding the sound quality.
While I think Sonos could do more, I don’t think it’s accurate to say it’s just a deliberate choice. What $100 wired system are you referring to?
I know this is not your decision and I am free to buy something else, i was just trigger by your remark that we should accept this because its similar as wired setups. Or do is miss something here?
Again, it sounds like you’re not specifically talking about dual use subs as you are talking about more configuration options for a single room.
I really dont understand your comparison with wired setup. I have a wired set in my living room with an amp that allows me to switch with one-click between preset cinema/tv or music listening profiles. I cant do it in my office at home in which I have a sonos set up with a soundbare 4 ones and a sub. In the first place it is really anoying that I am not allow to hook up more than 2 ones (surround setup), but even worse, I cant use the other two to listen to music using the same sub, because i can only link it to one room at the time.
I can’t follow what you are talking about here. The cinema/tv/music listening profiles you can change in a wired system is not the same thing as being able to have a sub quickly switched between two physical rooms. I don’t think that’s a good comparison.
What is “soundbare 4 ones and a sub”? Are you saying you have 4 Sonos Ones and a sub in a single physical room? And the comment up using more than 2 Sonos Ones for surround sound..it sounds like you’re wanting Sonos to offer more than the current standard room configurations they offer, correct? I think part of the limitations is related to trying to keep things simple, using the configurations people will use most often, the current codecs supported, Trueplay capabilities, and maintaining a stable connection (for home theatre setups). Maybe Sonos will be able to make some of this happen after S2 goes live, not sure, but I don’t think it’s simply just a matter of choosing to offer features, but making sure they are wise options to offer.
Basically i am talking about two major differences between a wired system of 100 bucks that allows me to creat profiles and or hook up multiple speakers which my Sonos gear 2000 bucks doesnt allow me to do. We all know that this its a deliberate choice of Sonos and has nothing to do with software/hardware limitations or their statement regarding the sound quality.
While I think Sonos could do more, I don’t think it’s accurate to say it’s just a deliberate choice. What $100 wired system are you referring to?
I know this is not your decision and I am free to buy something else, i was just trigger by your remark that we should accept this because its similar as wired setups. Or do is miss something here?
Again, it sounds like you’re not specifically talking about dual use subs as you are talking about more configuration options for a single room.
I would settle for and be very happy if i could create multiple profiles with the same (room) set up fi with my surround setup: soundbar, sub, 2 ones. I prefer much more kick (sub) when i watch movies than with music. Each time I switch between music from tv to music or vice versa I have to adjust the sub levels. I cant think of no reason why Sonos does not allow that. If I buy the cheapest wired media surround set, it would allow me to do that. Multiple room profiles would be even better, but I can understand why Sonos is hesitant to enable this.
I would settle for and be very happy if i could create multiple profiles with the same (room) set up fi with my surround setup: soundbar, sub, 2 ones. I prefer much more kick (sub) when i watch movies than with music. Each time I switch between music from tv to music or vice versa I have to adjust the sub levels. I cant think of no reason why Sonos does not allow that. If I buy the cheapest wired media surround set, it would allow me to do that. Multiple room profiles would be even better, but I can understand why Sonos is hesitant to enable this.
I agree that it would be a good addition to allow different profiles for groupings and volume levels, including sub level and other equalization. It would be a nice feature.
Since it was my comments that “triggered” your post then it’s only appropriate that I respond. Thanks
IMO (no offense intended) you injected your concerns or frustrations in the wrong thread. The topic of this thread was “One Sub for Two Rooms” not about adjusting the sub sonics for movies versus music.
The original poster wanted to be able to (for example) setup a stereo pair in room “A” and a stereo pair in room “B”. Then subsequently without breaking the Sub’s Bond in room “A” pick it up and move it to room “B” and have it work by merely indicating in the Sonos app that the Sub is now in room “B” and work accordingly. The same would apply (according to the original poster) if the rooms were in close proximity not requiring a physical move of the sub. (i.e. no Bonding, un-Bonding, re-Bonding etcetera between the two rooms). Therefore my comment that Zone capable AVR systems costing much more did not allow a single Sub to operate in a Zoned area vs the Main area of the original setup.
Regarding adding two more surrounds to a Sonos HT setup. Here you saying that Sonos should have designed the system to support DD7.1 vs DD5.1. Could Sonos have done that ...probably so...but (IMO) at a cost increase. That’s not to say that one would be forced to acquire 4 surround speakers upon initial purchase. To the contrary...the system could have been expandable. However, baking that expandability in to the system would still have come at a consumer cost. Why force an option that the consumer may not want? As I hear the demand in this forum DD7.1 is not it..more so it’s DTS and Dolby Atmos.
More direct to what I believe was the original intent of your post “Cinematic Profiles” would be a nice option. However, you’re adding yet another dimension to a “Wireless” system which requires more sophistication in design to employ than with a wired system. Here again cost has to be a consideration.
I think that we may see some of what you are asking if the demand dictates a design change. Sonos is a company for profit and now even more so as it is publicly traded. However, I don’t believe those features will become a reality in the current Sonos HT system. More likely a Sonos II speaker system.
Company’s don’t change design or introduce new products until the market research has been done to prove such a move as viable and sustainable for profitability. Think Apple...they are typically late with a lot of DEMAND technology. However, when they introduce it (or more aptly adopt it) profits are assured. Has Apple made mistakes...yes...anyone remember “Newton”.
apologies, you are absolutely right. Even if it would have been in the right thread, I think I went a bit over the top. Thanks anyway for letting me blow my steam off even it was in wrong place against the wrong person :)
Hi
I see some suggestions to make 3 "rooms"
1. Beam tv room
2. Play stereo room
3. Sub room
And then put them together (1+3 or 2+3) depending on what you are listening to. Anyone tried this? Does the Beam/Play recognize the sub and cut of the bas, leaving it to the sub as if you made a regular 2+1 system?
Thanks
Kim
+17
The Sub can't have it's own room. It aways needs to be bonded to another speaker. You can't group it stand alone with another speaker (that also would have to adjust it's settings when the Sub-room would be grouped).
To use the sub on all of this units when in group-mode; would be great!
+22
The Sub can't have it's own room. It aways needs to be bonded to another speaker. You can't group it stand alone with another speaker (that also would have to adjust it's settings when the Sub-room would be grouped).
Yes, the Sub has to be bonded to either the sound bar or the stereo speakers. I go back and forth from time to time and it's a bit of a pain.
The other problem is that if you try to group the Sub separately from the sound bar it will suffer from a delay
How about an option to "transfer" or "move" a SUB's bonding from one room to another? This would eliminate some fuss.
The application might be specific to the sub / playbar combination. I *only* use the playbar when watching movies / tv and never as a general music room source. I would like to be able to use the sub with my Play:5 stereo pair in the same room which I use *only* as a music source and never when I'm watching TV with the playbar. Right now switching has enough of a effort barrier that I don't like switching the sub using the current protocol.
It can be easily moved from zone to zone. Takes more clicks than i care it too but once you get the hang of it takes all of 5-10 seconds to do. Simultaneous will never be an option because that would mean the sub could get 2 different music streams at the same time.
The application might be specific to the sub / playbar combination. I *only* use the playbar when watching movies / tv and never as a general music room source. I would like to be able to use the sub with my Play:5 stereo pair in the same room which I use *only* as a music source and never when I'm watching TV with the playbar. Right now switching has enough of a effort barrier that I don't like switching the sub using the current protocol.
Exactly what willryu said - excellent clarification. We're not asking for simultaneous - just an easy way to reconfigure the sub between TV watching and music in nearby physical space with different "rooms".
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