Sonos Connect:Amp and Airplay 2

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/

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/

Does this mean that the Airport Express firmware is now fixed to let you see Sonos across WiFi? I have to keep mine on 7.6.7 otherwise my Sonos App on the ios devices says it can't see any of my 3 Connects/ZP90s. Also that article shows 7.6.9 in the image (which seems not to be available) but references 7.6.8 (which is very old) in the article . Apple have also discontinued this amazingly handy little device and replaced it with 3rd Party dross in their stores which do not support Airplay. Remarkable.

What is the best way to get AirPlay 2? Get a sonos one and group zones or get an airport express? Pros and cons?

What is the best way to get AirPlay 2? Get a sonos one and group zones or get an airport express? Pros and cons?
An AE will work fine for AirPlay, as long as you have a line-in on one of your existing Sonos Products.

I agree that this is completely frustrating. When choosing my new home audio configuration AND equipment, I made the leap to Sonos, although they are fairly pricey. One reason due to the fact that they are leading edge. If Airport Express can handle this update, I gotta think that there are no hardware challenges. Sonos, get off your butts and pay a programmer to get this fixed. I’m for one going to be seriously shopping for another manufacturer series equipment line if this is the expectation now that they are a public company. Ugh.

If Airport Express can handle this update, I gotta think that there are no hardware challenges.
You may think that, but you'd be wrong.

djpyrax,

And just to add to what pwt is saying, that you need to remember that Sonos Airplay-2 compatible devices don’t just output to themselves, but they can also send the output to dozens of other Sonos speakers grouped with them on the local network and output the stream in perfect sync, sometimes aligned to a playing video stream too on an Apple device... there is no way an Airport Express can achieve that sort of processing capability.

You are perhaps forgetting that Sonos is a multi-room wireless audio system first ...and the Airplay-2 protocol has been adapted to fit in with those overarching Sonos capabilities.

At the moment there are only 5 Sonos devices with the processing power and memory ability to achieve these things...

Sonos One
Beam
PlayBase
Play:5 (Gen 2)
Sonos Amp (when released)

You just need to buy one of those to add AirPlay-2 to all your Sonos devices ... there is just one proviso, the device used cannot Airplay if it’s also being used for HT rear surround sound purposes... otherwise any of these products listed, will happily act as a Sonos system Airplay-2 controller.

This maybe a daft question

If I have a Sonos connect which also has an Airport Express connected can I use tunein radio from the Sonos app and send this out to airport2 speakers or would I need a Sonos speaker with AirPlay support?

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.

Hi,

I'm trying to understand what can and cannot be done:

* 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 ?
- can I use AirPlay to stream to my living room while not playing in my kitchen ?
- 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 ?

Thanks for your insight !
Kevin