One SUB for Two Rooms

What do you mean by predictable?  And if you’re considering wired options, then you might want to consider using a Sonos amp to power speakers.   It will give you the stereo separation with music you’re looking for and a simulated center for TV/moves.  Not sure if that’s acceptable to you.  Then you can use a single sub + surrounds if you wish.

Sonos,

This is incredibly frustrating there is no resolution to this yet. I too would like a 2.1 system for music and 5.1 for tv. The beam ruins the sound quality of the play 5. We don’t have space for 2 subs. This restriction completely goes against the appeal of your “system”. I want to buy another play 5 and many more one’s but am now hesitating on all of it and thinking of returning. There are a lot of people here that have a lot of money invested in your products and you seem to be ignoring us all without a good reason. If things don’t improve, I can’t recommend this product to friends even though I really want to be able to. When can we expect a resolution?

Well said Jack.

Sonos listen to requests by customers and prioritise them against other requests and other planned developments.  As it is impossible to do everything, some requests are not going to be actioned and some people will be disappointed.  Unfortunately for you, this request has clearly not made it to the top of the priority list yet.  Maybe it never will. Why should Sonos favour your pet wish over others’?  ‘Resolution’ implies a fault.  There is no fault

Hi Everyone

This thread is 6 years old . I doubt seriously that Sonos is going to attempt a sub design that works for two rooms simultaneously or as a Smart sub.

For the sake of argument lets assume that such a design became reality. Thinking this through the sub would have to be portable to go between rooms unless; you want to physically lug it around. Heaven forbid one of the rooms is up or down stairs.

Let’s take this further...the sub is assigned to the HT setup. Someone wants to listen music in another room. The sub is moved. Later in the day the HT is fired up and after a few minutes you realize the sub is missing. What’s the solution assuming the other party is still listening to music

OK...you might say the HT setup and dedicated stereo pair are in the same room. Therefore the listener could switch the sub between HT and stereo pair and it would be Smart enough to align itself with the correct source. That scenario IMO would be a limited exception and not worth the dollars in R&D to develop the capability and continue to sell the sub at the current price point. Producing two separate subs is not cost-effective either.

However, lets assume that such a Smart sub could be produced for pennies on the dollar. Sonos is in the business to earn revenue’s and I doubt it would give such technology away for free (i.e. same price point as the current sub.) That is just bad business.

However, I do get it. Sometimes the voice of the customer can be a powerful force. In reality such things don’t happen unless there is a compelling reason to so. I guess one can always wish/hope 

Cheers!

For this scenario, I am sure 99% of the people really don’t want two Sonos rooms in the same physical room ideally.  This is just a work around  for the fact that Sonos doesn’t have a single wireless, separated stereo, home theatre solution available ( not counting the Amp as wireless here).  If Sonos had an HT setup where you could use two play:5s as front speakers, with a phantom or real center, I think the need for dual subs in the same room would go away almost completely.

The other requirement, to be able to physically move a single sub between rooms, has more to do with the cost of the sub than anything else.  If the cost was cut in half, for example, I image most of those who ask for this feature would be fine with 2 separate subs.

Maybe I speak for myself, but I’d rather see the above two changes that see Sonos allow a single sub to be used in 2 Sonos rooms.

Maybe I’m getting old and just set in my ways.

Anywho I’ve been involved as a consumer in audio and video equipment for well over 40 years since leaving undergrad college. I only mention “college” to let everyone know that I’ve been buying the equipment myself in my own place of residence for that long of a time.

I just don't understand why it’s expected that Sonos do more than a traditional wired setup. There are wired systems costing $30K and up with zone speakers that don’t share a sub between rooms. 

As I said earlier...even if the technology exists...to do what is being suggested in this thread I doubt Sonos would do it unless the price point were adjusted.  Probably making it beyond the reach of many (including yours truly). 

More so than a dual purpose sub I’d like to see Sonos adopt DTS and Dolby Atmos codecs in their soundbars. IMO that would be less cost prohibitive.However, then again licensing fees may be the reason.

Lack of the aforementioned is the main reason Sonos HT is no longer in my main media room. B4 anyone asks...yes...I’ve invested in a high-end 4K player with Dolby Atmos decoding (as well as Apple TV) and a 4K TV to enjoy the experience. I can attest first hand that the listening experience between DD5.1 and Dolby Atmos is night and day. BTW my Dolby Atmos speaker system is wireless..so no loss there.

However, I digress...I just don’t see Sonos granting this wish especially after 6 years. Just as Sonos refuses to bring DTS and Dolby Atmos to their sound bars; for whatever reason.   I’m sure there is an equally justifiable reason not to indulge a dual purpose sub. 

Cheers!

I really dont understand your comparison with wired setup. I have a wired set in my living room with an amp that allows me to switch with one-click between preset cinema/tv or music listening profiles. I cant do it in my office at home in which I have a sonos set up with a soundbare 4 ones and a sub. In the first place it is really anoying that I am not allow to hook up more  than 2 ones (surround setup), but even worse, I cant use the other two to listen to music using the same sub, because i can only link it to one room at the time.

Basically i am talking about two major differences between a wired system of 100 bucks that allows me to  creat profiles and or hook up multiple speakers which my Sonos gear 2000 bucks doesnt allow me to do. We all know that this its a deliberate choice of Sonos and has nothing to do with software/hardware limitations or their statement regarding the sound quality.

I know this is not your decision and I am free to buy something else, i was just trigger by your remark that we should accept this because its similar as wired setups. Or do is miss something here?

I can’t follow what you are talking about here.  The cinema/tv/music listening profiles you can change in a wired system is not the same thing as being able to have a sub quickly switched between two physical rooms.  I don’t think that’s a good comparison.  

What is “soundbare 4 ones and a sub”?  Are you saying you have 4 Sonos Ones and a sub in a single physical room?    And the comment up using more than 2 Sonos Ones for surround sound..it sounds like you’re wanting Sonos to offer more than the current standard room configurations they offer, correct?    I think part of the limitations is related to trying to keep things simple, using the configurations people will use most often, the current codecs supported, Trueplay capabilities, and maintaining a stable connection (for home theatre setups).  Maybe Sonos will be able to make some of this happen after S2 goes live, not sure, but I don’t think it’s simply just a matter of choosing to offer features, but making sure they are wise options to offer.

While I think Sonos could do more, I don’t think it’s accurate to say it’s just a deliberate choice.  What $100 wired system are you referring to?

Again, it sounds like you’re not specifically talking about dual use subs as you are talking about more configuration options for a single room.

I would settle for and be very happy if i could create multiple profiles with the same (room) set up fi with my surround setup: soundbar, sub, 2 ones. I prefer much more kick (sub) when i watch movies than with music. Each time I switch between music from tv to music or vice versa I have to adjust the sub levels. I cant think of no reason why Sonos does not allow that. If I buy the cheapest wired media surround set, it would allow me to do that. Multiple room profiles  would be even  better, but I can understand why Sonos is hesitant to enable this.