SONOS AMP - which surrounds?

Hi RDTitus, the short answer is that both will work for Airplay 2 and Spotify, assuming you're using them bonded with the Amp as surround speakers, not as a separate room grouped with the Amp. The Sonos Amp is Airplay 2 compatible, so any surrounds bonded with it will also play that audio.

That said, if you're using the Sonos Ones you'll also be able to take advantage of the voice control with Alexa, and later with Google Assistant, if you're interested in having the capabilities in the future.

Hmm. so you are saying that The surrounds and the amp (which has my B&W towers and sub connected) will all work as a single room in a multi room setup.. but I'd need Sonos one's if I wanted Alexa.

That's correct. The Play:1 doesn't have Alexa or Airplay 2 compatibility, so if bonded with an Amp as the rear channels, you'd be fine with Airplay 2, but you'd need to use a Sonos One for the voice control.

Ok. but I can control it via another Alexa device. yes?

Ok. but I can control it via another Alexa device. yes?
Yes.

What he said about the Sonos Ones but I also prefer them because I think they look better and are more flexible if you want to use them for something else. Get the Flexson not Sanus stands. They are better made, look better, and fit the speaker in a more stable way.
I turn off the surrounds for 2.1 music.

Recently purchased our first Sonos components; a Playbase and Play:1x2 for a sweet surround set-up in our bedroom. We are very pleased with the performance/sound of Sonos.

I am now considering the Sonos Amp, sub and surrounds (Play:5) for our main large open living area. After reading the user guide for the Sonos Amp I was under the impression that if I used the Sonos Amp with my current B&W speakers I could not use Play:5 speakers for surrounds. After reading this post it looks like I can.

So, just to confirm. I could add a Sonos Amp to use with my speakers as front L&R and then add a Sonos Sub (or third party sub) plus Play:5x2 as surrounds with all the Sonos benefits such as TruePlay etc.. Is this correct? If so (and I cannot overstate this) that would be outstanding!

Also, does the Sonos Amp have an active crossover built in? Would it send the frequencies below the crossover to the sub and not to the main speakers. If so, this is also outstanding.

Thanks for any help and guidance. It is appreciated.:)

Cheers,

Scott

So, just to confirm. I could add a Sonos Amp to use with my speakers as front L&R and then add a Sonos Sub (or third party sub) plus Play:5x2 as surrounds with all the Sonos benefits such as TruePlay etc.. Is this correct? If so (and I cannot overstate this) that would be outstanding!
Yes to all, except TruePlay. Only the new Sonance/Sonos (indoor) speakers support TruePlay with the Amp. (For what it's worth, I think the P:5s are overkill for surrounds. I'd just get P:1s, which are good value now.)

Also, does the Sonos Amp have an active crossover built in? Would it send the frequencies below the crossover to the sub and not to the main speakers. If so, this is also outstanding.

Yes, with an adjustable crossover frequency.

Thanks for the quick reply, pwt. I'm sure you're right about the P:1s. We have such a large open area (W28'xL26'xH12') I was worried that the P:1s might get "lost" if we wanted to use them at times for full music playback.

So, if I add P:1s or P:5s as surrounds I won't be able to use TruePlay? Should I be concerned about this? Thanks for your help. It's great getting advice from veteran users.

Cheers,

Scott

So, if I add P:1s or P:5s as surrounds I won't be able to use TruePlay? Should I be concerned about this?
That's my understanding, but I'll defer to others on this, because I don't currently use Sonos for any home theatre applications. The extent of the changes TruePlay makes will depend on the space and how much audio tuning it would benefit from. For my usage I've always thought of it as a modest 'nice-to-have' rather than anything essential.

Great information, pwt. I really appreciate you taking them time. I am very excited about the possibilities.

Cheers,

Scott

This is an excellent community, Sonos. As I continued to explored the forum I found the Sonos Amp post under
announcements and it answered all my questions. I'll believe I'll soon try an Amp, Play:1 or Play:5 for surrounds and a Sub with my current L+R front speakers in a 4.1 configuration. We've watched movies now for years with a stereo set-up and the phantom center created has been very satisfying. So I don't believe we will miss a center channel.

I'm also leaning towards the Play:5s for surrounds. I would like to try them as a stereo pair with the Sub and see if they might be preferred to my passive front speakers. If so I may just end up with all Play:5s in a 4.1 set-up. Interesting and fun times ahead, indeed.:)

Cheers,

Scott

So I took the plunge and got the AMP - it sounds fantastic. I haven't made a surround decision as I'm debating the same thing as Sam. Play One, play:1 or Play:5 v2 - I have a rather large living room with an odd shape so this is a difficult decision...

Any more feedback?

Thanks for the quick reply, pwt. I'm sure you're right about the P:1s. We have such a large open area (W28'xL26'xH12') I was worried that the P:1s might get "lost" if we wanted to use them at times for full music playback.

So, if I add P:1s or P:5s as surrounds I won't be able to use TruePlay? Should I be concerned about this? Thanks for your help. It's great getting advice from veteran users.

Cheers,

Scott