How do I get sonos to trigger an external amp

Hi CapnAndre

Welcome to the Community!

Officially you can't , technically the only way you could do it would be to get a bit handy with a soldering iron and obviously we wouldn't recommend or support that.

i.e. you could get a the appropriate relay that switches at a very low level and tap an output from the connect and use this to switch the relay connected to the trigger input to the amp.

I hope this makes some sense!

Matt R, this is a huge missing feature in Sonos. Sonos should offer a sonos branded solution or point to a specific product that solves this. I've been a customer for a long time with a lot of your product and this issue is a huge frustration for people.

I use Indigo Domotics home automation. I set up a trigger that automatically turns on my Denon amp and sets it to the Sonos input, sets the volume to -14 (that number works for me) as soon as the Sonos player goes into a playing state. When the sonos pauses/stops, it waits 60 seconds and then turns off the denon. I added the 60 delay in case I am just changing music sources, so it won't keep turning on and off. Woks great with no issues. I'm sure other home automations systems can do this too.

I used a development board to do the trick. you can see more here...
it is using the ethernet so no need for a soldering iron :)
http://www.adps.dk/DIY/sonosTrigSig/index.php

Samsung Smartthings hub is able to detect when Sonos Connect is "turned on"
I've tested this and it can trigger an action (such as turning on a light). What I'll do next is purchase a Logitech Harmony and create an action that powers on the amp (in this case a Denon Receiver)

Unfortunately this Xantech gear is discontinued but still around. What you need is a SMAUD Audio Sensor Module, CBCSM1 Current Sensor Block and a12volt power supply.

I posted this in another thread, check out the "Bobwire DAT1". This will add a 12v trigger to connect. I bought on Amazon...

Problem with the trigger, Denon doesn’t have a trigger input. Only output.
so even if sonos has the trigger out, it wouldn’t help.

If you don't have a trigger input just pick up a (dumb or smart) switch that does have one.

Sure there are ways to do it, but a real 5.1 solution for external speakers with sonos is long overdue.