I've seen hundreds of references to the Sonos speakers that will and will not support Airplay 2, but I haven't seen a definitive word as to whether the Connect:Amp will directly support Airplay 2. By directly, I mean *without* piggybacking it on a new generation Sonos speaker.
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My house is entirely connected with ConnectAmps that I purchased just 2 years ago (version 9: build44254230, hardware version 1.17.3.1-1, series ID: c100)
It is very disappointing that this equipment that cost over $5,000 for all the zones in my house would not be able to support what should be an easy software update.
It is very disappointing that this equipment that cost over $5,000 for all the zones in my house would not be able to support what should be an easy software update.
If you have an airport express hooked to connect that is an airplay method for you. Group any speakers you want to send airplay to with the connect and it will play.
* I have a connect:amp in my living room
* I have a single Play:1 in my kitchen
* If I add a Sonos:One in my kitchen to act as a stereo pair with my Play:1:
- first : is that combination possible Sonos One + Play:1 = 1 stereo pair ?
Only unofficially, and not via the Sonos app. However, you can use SonoSequencr on iOS to do this [1].
- can I use AirPlay to stream to my living room while not playing in my kitchen?
Yes, by grouping the kitchen and living room, and turning down the volume on the kitchen speakers.
- can I use AirPlay to stream to my living room while playing something else in my kitchen?
- can I use AirPlay to stream "music A" to my living room and use AirPlay to stream "music B" to my kitchen at the same time?
No to both of these.
[1] https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/sonosequencr/id967043604
I agree. I was expecting AirPlay to present as a kind of Line-In when the audio is being sent to other players. There must be technical reasons why this was not feasible.
In connection with AirPlay, I usually mention that it's possible to add AirPlay v1 to any Sonos player by running AirConnect [1], although it requires a little technical know-how. All of my Sonos devices, even the old ones, work perfectly as normal, direct AirPlay targets.
[1] https://github.com/philippe44/AirConnect
Or at a Minimum, if Sonos won't support us who bought these claimed "older units", why don't they do a buyback program like Apple and at least buy this stuff back they won't support so we can upgrade. Your stuff isn't cheap and shouldn't be like cheap Amazon throw away stuff they at least support better (for the record, I bought this connect:amp LAST year for 400 bucks or whatever) and the Play:3 a few years back
It’s limited by memory and processor which you should know if you know the airplay 2 sdk as well as you claim. It actually sound like you are referencing the 1st version of airpay. Comparing it to an iPhone etc makes no sense for something that was designed 10 years ago. There is very likely a technical reason it won’t work that being processor and memory. It doesn’t need much but lots of older audio hardware can’t do airplay 2.
Its not an "easy software update" when the Airplay 2 codec requires a large memory buffer and a 64 bit processor, neither of which the Connect:Amp has.
No I don’t think the Connect Amp will support AirPlay-2, by itself ... these two links below seem to clarify that:
Sonos have made these recent announcements:
https://www.sonos.com/en-gb/airplay
https://blog.sonos.com/en-gb/airplay2-coming
Sonos have made these recent announcements:
https://www.sonos.com/en-gb/airplay
https://blog.sonos.com/en-gb/airplay2-coming
Since there is no new model of the Connect Amp or announced new model.....I think they should incorporate a firmware update to allow Airplay 2 to work with the connect amp also. Unfortunately I purchased the majority of my system (play 5s and 3s) few years back, so they are all previous generation. I held off the last year adding a connect amp waiting to see if it would get an updated model also. Finally purchased it a few weeks ago only to now read it may not be able to get this latest feature.....very disappointing.
It's not an issue of firmware for the connect:amp, otherwise it would be updated like the other units. The amp doesn't have hardware required to support airplay 2.
sprgoat400,
If you were to add just one single AirPlay-2 compatible device to your Sonos system, like a Sonos One, for example, then it is understood that you can play an AirPlay source to that player and also group it with older legacy players/rooms, like a Sonos Connect amp or Play:3 etc. and then the audio will play on the entire group... so you could get AirPlay audio on your Connect Amp that way, by grouping it with one of the newer players.
There are currently four AirPlay-2 compatible players...
Sonos One
Sonos Playbase
Sonos Beam
Sonos Play:5 (gen 2)
'Group' your Connect Amp with one of these devices to get AirPlay when the Airpkay-2 update is released by Sonos.
If you were to add just one single AirPlay-2 compatible device to your Sonos system, like a Sonos One, for example, then it is understood that you can play an AirPlay source to that player and also group it with older legacy players/rooms, like a Sonos Connect amp or Play:3 etc. and then the audio will play on the entire group... so you could get AirPlay audio on your Connect Amp that way, by grouping it with one of the newer players.
There are currently four AirPlay-2 compatible players...
Sonos One
Sonos Playbase
Sonos Beam
Sonos Play:5 (gen 2)
'Group' your Connect Amp with one of these devices to get AirPlay when the Airpkay-2 update is released by Sonos.
If you were to add just one single AirPlay-2 compatible device to your Sonos system, like a Sonos One, for example, then it is understood that you can play an AirPlay source to that player and also group it with older legacy players/rooms, like a Sonos Connect amp or Play:3 etc. and then the audio will play on the entire group... so you could get AirPlay audio on your Connect Amp that way, by grouping it with one of the newer players.
There are currently four AirPlay-2 compatible players...
Sonos One
Sonos Playbase
Sonos Beam
Sonos Play:5 (gen 2)
'Group' your Connect Amp with one of these devices to get AirPlay when the Airpkay-2 update is released by Sonos.
Spot on and in my case also use airplay 2 to two homepods with it as well! In terms of airplay itself (not 2) a good workaround with the amp is just to connect an airport express (i use the plug version) to the line in on the Sonos if you don't want to buy newer hardware (I did this so I could listen to podcasts before I moved to pocket cast) Airplay 2 is nice but it isn't hat much better then 1 from my usage so far.
I understand if I have a newer device and group older devices I can use airplay 2, however, I have six zones all with connect amps so I assume I would need a newer device per zone? Is there any word on an updated amp coming out.
Ummm. Not sure that's correct, depending on what you mean. :)
You could group any number of the six zones with the AirPlay 2 receiving devices. However, if you wanted 6 different simultaneous streams, then yes, you'd need 6 different devices.
You could group any number of the six zones with the AirPlay 2 receiving devices. However, if you wanted 6 different simultaneous streams, then yes, you'd need 6 different devices.
Why do you need Airplay in six zones in the first place? Wiring an AEX to one of the plenty of line in jacks that you have on your Connect Amps should meet any requirement of streaming directly from a iDevice or Mac.
I want airplay just because i use Apple Music and prefer to simply send the audio from that app versus the sonos app. It isn’t a huge deal but when I tried Spotify I liked how I could stream to my zones from within their own app. Again not a huge issue but would be nice.
I guess I just have high expectations when I am paying $650 per connect amp that Sonos would be thinking far enough ahead that it would have anticipated the need for this and already had it built in. This equipment is, after all, just 2 years old.
But the design is 10 years old, going back to the ZP120.
Your equipment is 2 years old, but the hardware specs are what, 10 years old now? Sonos does leave room for expansion and does expand features where it's physically possible (other companies won't), but they can only anticipate so far into the future.
I'd say the CONNECT:AMP is due for an upgrade, but I have no idea what the costs for that are or what kind of sales it would generate.
Shame on me, I guess, for not researching my purchase better. I thought I was buying an industry leading platform when I made my purchase. It is disappointing to now learn that I actually bought 10 year old technology packaged in a spiffy new box.
There was nothing at all wrong with your decision to purchase a Connect:Amp. It does all that it was advertised to do at that point and then some. What's wrong is the expectation that Sonos can predict the hardware requirements for features that do not yet exist and they have no control over. To me, expecting Sonos products to automatically be airplay 2 compliant isn't that different than expecting them to have voice control already built in to existing products. People don't complain about this though as microphones are physically visible, while the memory and processor of a unit are not.
Actually, the box isn't that spiffy either. It's the same exact box as the ZP120 came in 10 years ago. The name change was a simple rebranding. However, melvimbe is correct, it does all it claimed to do when you bought it, and there is no way Sonos can predict the hardware requirements of future functionality. Even if they could, building the ability to keep up with processing requirements for years into the future would require cutting edge processors; thus pricing themselves out of the market.
Unfortunately the fact that Sonos attempts to keep older units still functioning long after a forced obsolescence model would have abandoned them and made you buy a new replacement, is also the reason why eventually the older models are not going to be capable of all of the new functionality.
I'm super disappointed those of us early Sonos adopters and huge fans, now get screwed. Honestly, I built an AirPlay driver for a music company (you've all heard of) and I know the protocol. It isn't limited by hardware, if an iPhone can support Airplay, a Connect:AMP and Play:3 at least will do it. It's super lame Sonos isn't investing in us who love the product. I'm only connect:amp and one Play:3 and can't see myself going down the Sonos path any longer if they don't start innovating and supporting products evenly. There's no technical reason it won't work, and I challenge them to be more transparent on that claim.
Or at a Minimum, if Sonos won't support us who bought these claimed "older units", why don't they do a buyback program like Apple and at least buy this stuff back they won't support so we can upgrade. Your stuff isn't cheap and shouldn't be like cheap Amazon throw away stuff they at least support better (for the record, I bought this connect:amp LAST year for 400 bucks or whatever) and the Play:3 a few years back
Or at a Minimum, if Sonos won't support us who bought these claimed "older units", why don't they do a buyback program like Apple and at least buy this stuff back they won't support so we can upgrade. Your stuff isn't cheap and shouldn't be like cheap Amazon throw away stuff they at least support better (for the record, I bought this connect:amp LAST year for 400 bucks or whatever) and the Play:3 a few years back
Early adopters - us users with older equipment are not early adapters its a vary mature platfrom …. that never bought their speaker ever thinking you would get Airplay support. You didn't buy your speakers for airplay support - - we are lucky enough that the newer ones can do it and that they keep supporting all older equipment with every update they can push to it (like you didn't buy those speakers ever expecting Alexa support either - but Sonos gave it as a free update).
Fact is Sonos is giving free updates as much as they can and you can't expect them to keep being able to give every feature to every unit they ever made over the past decade. They are trying to support mature devices the best they can.
Heck - HEOS is only a few years old and they are now going to their 3rd generation to get airplay support. That is an example of early adapters were pretty let down.
Fact is Sonos is giving free updates as much as they can and you can't expect them to keep being able to give every feature to every unit they ever made over the past decade. They are trying to support mature devices the best they can.
Heck - HEOS is only a few years old and they are now going to their 3rd generation to get airplay support. That is an example of early adapters were pretty let down.
It is very disappointing that this equipment that cost over $5,000 for all the zones in my house would not be able to support what should be an easy software update.
Well well well..... looks like Apple has updated the good ol' Airport Express with Airplay 2 support. So all you gotta do is connect the audio output from the Airport Express to your Connect:Amp, and you'll be all set for Airplay 2 playback. No need to spend extra money for the newer Sonos speakers to group with your Amp.
https://9to5mac.com/2018/08/28/airport-express-airplay-2-homekit/
https://9to5mac.com/2018/08/28/airport-express-airplay-2-homekit/
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