Simple enough question but I can’t find the answer in other threads. I just purchased a Sonos Amp with the intention of running two sets of speakers in different rooms. When speaking with the sales people, somehow this intention was lost. The sales folks say I can run the two pairs of speakers into the same banana plugs to drive both sets. However, they noted to check impedance of the speakers. One set is 8 ohms and the other 6 ohms. Is it safe to run these two sets of speakers on the Amp?
Userlevel 7
+22
Probably not directly, the limit is two 8 Ohm or one lower Ohm speaker per channel.
You could buy an impedance matching speaker selector/splitter and then your two sets should work.
Thanks! Sounds like a hassle so I’ll probably look for something that will work out of the box.
Thanks! Sounds like a hassle so I’ll probably look for something that will work out of the box.
I would be interested to learn what you buy instead of Sonos
A switch would also give you independent volume control for the two sets of speakers. And then your Sonos Amp would "work out of the box"
#cutoffmynosetospitemyface.
Well, I’m primarily looking for simplicity. I will look into a splitter but what I really want is decent sound quality and ease of use.I have floor speakers and a sub woofer in my living room and a cheaper pair of speakers mounted in my kitchen. I want to be able to drive them both separately or together. And I want the ability to control everything from my iPhone. I have looked at the Denon DRA-800H which seems to have everything I want and is less expensive.
Userlevel 7
+22
I’d say look at the support lifetime of any other brand you are considering. Also compatibility between releases as some orphan products all too soon. I was quite unhappy with a brand that stopped support and updates on some gear I felt was fairly fresh.
Sonos is still supporting and updating stuff I bought in the early 2000’s.
It also depends on what other speakers you want around the home, if any. The Sonos Amp will synch with Sonos speakers in every room in the house. But if all you want is a standalone amp then Sonos may well not be the best option for you
Thanks John. That’s what I’m thinking. I’m new to the Sonos ecosystem and the Amp seems like an odd piece of gear for them since it’s an old school wired system. Sounds good though!
Thanks John. That’s what I’m thinking. I’m new to the Sonos ecosystem and the Amp seems like an odd piece of gear for them since it’s an old school wired system. Sounds good though!
A version of the amp existed long before Sonos made speakers, so you are correct in that regard for it being old school. It does have a lot of purpose today as well though. Some folks don’t want to part with their existing speakers, like you, so the amp is a good choice. And Sonos speakers shouldn’t be used outside, so the amp makes sense there. And some people really want to have in wall/ceiling speakers, so there is that use case as well.
You mention that your kitchen has a chaper pair of speakers. Would it make sense to get an amp for the living and replace the kitchen with Sonos Ones? That would cost more, but would give you a lot more flexibility and control than trying to run two rooms/zones off of one receiver/amp.
Is your Livingroom subwoofer powered or passive?
While external switches and controllers will satisfy your requirement for individual room control using a single AMP, you will not have individual room control using a phone/pad/computer and both rooms will always play the same music.
It seems that you are replacing a conventional A/V receiver. For only two rooms, there are a number of receivers that can satisfy your needs. You could simply swap boxes and the new receiver will probably allow phone/pad/computer control of individual rooms and play different music in each room (be sure to check this). Beyond two such rooms, in terms of flexibility and ease of use, SONOS is a significant system. Other systems may support a handful of music services, SONOS supports dozens.
In terms of cost, some of the speaker control “boxes” will cost a significant fraction of the cost of a pair of SONOS ONE SL’s. Depending on location in the room and speaker quality, the ONE SL’s may sound better. And, you could easily move the ONE SL’s into another room for a special occasion -- all you need is power.
If the Livingroom speakers would fall into the “high end” class, I would not want to run these through a “box”, but everyone’s sensitivity to this sort of thing varies.
Thanks for all the ideas! I went and exchanged the Amp for a Denon DRA800. The guys at the store were super cool about it. The Denon is way more complicated and kind of a pain! Still can’t figure out how to turn the 2nd set of speakers on! But I will later today. I might be just driving myself crazy but I think the Amp sounded better. I’m thinking of talking to the guys at the store and purchasing some (relatively inexpensive … $300-400 ) small wired 8 ohm speakers to replace the 6 ohm ones I have in the second room. Then I could use the Amp! What a great idea! Wish I thought of it sooner. We will see!
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