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I have an outdoor/patio TV setup. Wondering the best way to arrange this system. Someone suggested the SONOS outdoor speaker set for my patio TV setup paired with a AMP. I was about to purchase and realized I have TWO first Gen/Older AMPS in my closet that I replaced with the newer (gen 2) ones to use in my house. 

  • My patio is positioned in a way that WiFi simply isn't possible. I have power out there but you have to walk probably 50 feet past other units to get to my private patio. Theres no outets to run extenders and its much to far. So lets just assume NO wifi. 
  • To watch movies I connect my TV to my wireless hotspot on phone and stream (works great)
  • I live in a very noisy area (city) next to an airport - so its Noisy. I need pretty loud system
  • TV is a pretty basic TCL I got on Amazon (I didn’t want to spend big bucks for something I was leaving outside). TV has a waterproof cover. 
  • If I set up a system with an AMP I’d need to likely install the AMP in my shed. So was really hoping for another option. 

Here are my questions:

  • Could I just buy any outdoor speakers and plug into my (1st Gen) Amp and have it play via Line-IN?
  • How would I set this system up (on the APP) if I don’t have Wifi? Do I need Wifi for this? Could my Hotspot somehow be used (I think I could connect my IPAD and Sonos both to hotspot for setup)
  • Is there a better option for an Amplifier that is more water resistant/waterproof than Sonos (Am I allowed to ask that here?). Like a Marine Amp? 
  • Any ideas for an enclosure for the AMP unit to keep water off it? If I installed on side of building under roof underhang it could work in some time of enclosed box.
  • Which output on TV would I connect to? “Audio Out” or “HDMI ARC” ?

Thank you in advance - open to any possibility. Finally got my patio furniture set up and went to watch a movie and could barely hear it so I wanted to get something installed ASAP so I can use for whatever is left of summer. 

If your speakers+ amp are in an environment without WiFi, there really isn’t an advantage to using Sonos gear over regular audio gear.  You could use Sonos gear, but you wouldn’t be able to use any of the functionality that Sonos brings.

 

Here are my questions:

  • Could I just buy any outdoor speakers and plug into my (1st Gen) Amp and have it play via Line-IN?

 

 

Not well.  The line-in on the older amp models has a delay and will not be in sync with your TV audio.  

  • How would I set this system up (on the APP) if I don’t have Wifi? Do I need Wifi for this? Could my Hotspot somehow be used (I think I could connect my IPAD and Sonos both to hotspot for setup)

 

You would likely set it (the new amp) up inside and then bring it outside after setup.  It should connect to your TV automatically and you would then control volume through the TV remote.

 

if your ipad is the hotspot, the Sonos app would need to be on a different device connected to that iPad hotspot.

 

  • Is there a better option for an Amplifier that is more water resistant/waterproof than Sonos (Am I allowed to ask that here?). Like a Marine Amp? 

 

 

I’m not familiar with water proof amps,  but they surely exist.  You can also get enclosure that help protect amps placed outdoor.   As I said before though Sonos amps don’t have any advantage over other amps for your scenario.

 

  • Any ideas for an enclosure for the AMP unit to keep water off it? If I installed on side of building under roof underhang it could work in some time of enclosed box.

 

 

Google “Sonos Amp Enclosure”.  There are only a couple options, and I haven’t heard anything bad about any of them.

 

  • Which output on TV would I connect to? “Audio Out” or “HDMI ARC” ?

 

HDMI-ARC, as that will be the connection without any delay.

Thank you in advance - open to any possibility. Finally got my patio furniture set up and went to watch a movie and could barely hear it so I wanted to get something installed ASAP so I can use for whatever is left of summer. 

 

One option to try is to get a Sonos Move and connect it to the TV via bluetooth.  It’s not design for this use and you may notice a delay, but some don’t notice a delay.  You can also easily bring it in and out to the space, plus it’s IP rated, and you can use it on the go as well.

I honestly would be tempted to just get a cheap soundbar for this case, one that maybe fits under your TV cover, is loud enough for your needs, and you don’t really care much if it gets damaged.


Could this be a “connect for the evening” arrangement or do you need this to be seasonal? Is the old CONNECT:AMP compatible with the SONOS controller that you are using? (New controller needs a CONNECT:AMP with a date code of 2015 or later.)

With some effort you could extend WiFi range, but do you need an operating SONOS system out there? If not, a 3rd party amplifier in an appropriate enclosure would be a reasonable approach. Does your TV have an analog audio output?


So I bought a Sony HTS 100 Sound bar and I can barely hear it. I messed with all the Audio settings and it just isnt loud enough. 

Is there a big soundbar that may work ? 

I really love Sonos stuff but am worried its going to be a huge headache using without any Wifi…. 


Could this be a “connect for the evening” arrangement or do you need this to be seasonal? Is the old CONNECT:AMP compatible with the SONOS controller that you are using? (New controller needs a CONNECT:AMP with a date code of 2015 or later.)

With some effort you could extend WiFi range, but do you need an operating SONOS system out there? If not, a 3rd party amplifier in an appropriate enclosure would be a reasonable approach. Does your TV have an analog audio output?

TV has a headphone jack output, HDMI, and Optical Out 


With a 3rd party amplifier, voice sync will be OK unless the TV’s audio output has timing issues. Headphone jacks sometimes compromise audio quality a bit, but in your noisy environment this will not be the dominant issue. An optical to analog converter is relatively inexpensive, will maintain audio quality, but it is another “box” to deal with. With SONOS AMP you’ll have best voice sync with the HDMI-ARC connection. A benefit of using the headphone output is that the TV’s Volume control will work, the other outputs will assume that the follow-on audio system will control Volume.


Could this be a “connect for the evening” arrangement or do you need this to be seasonal? Is the old CONNECT:AMP compatible with the SONOS controller that you are using? (New controller needs a CONNECT:AMP with a date code of 2015 or later.)

With some effort you could extend WiFi range, but do you need an operating SONOS system out there? If not, a 3rd party amplifier in an appropriate enclosure would be a reasonable approach. Does your TV have an analog audio output?

TV has a headphone jack output, HDMI, and Optical Out 

 

Does it have bluetooth?  If so you could use headphones or any bluetooth speaker.  You can place the speaker close to you if you’re looking to improve volume.