Skip to main content
Contributor II
Dec 28, 2015 2:49 PM UTC

Wireless Headphones & Sonos

I realise this is a bit of an "old chestnut" topic, but thought my experience may be of interest to anyone going this route.
Had a rather nice Xmas present of Sennheiser RS 175 wireless phones.
These have a digital optical input (cable supplied) as well as the usual analog inputs. Wired this to my Sonos Connect optical output (the Connect is powering my conventional Hi Fi system)
The result is very pleasing, works a treat with Sonos. The sound quality is all I could wish for & the range seems more than adequate for our 3 bed house.
    This topic has been closed for further comments. You can use the search bar to find a similar topic, or create a new one by clicking Create Topic at the top of the page.

    15 replies

    Mohammed H
    Retired Sonos Staff
    Jan 12, 2016 3:54 PM UTC
    Should be useful to others looking for the same thing here. We appreciate you taking your time to share this Pete, many thanks.
    Translate
    Help others find useful content by clicking the like button and selecting the best answer to your question
    Contributor I
    Jan 12, 2016 6:51 PM UTC
    thanks, as I'm looking as well for a workaround (hopefully until Sonos will finally offer a proper headphone solution) this seems like a feasible solution. A quick question: is it possible to play the music with the HiFi system by analog output and the headphones by optical cable in parallel?

    thanks again!
    Translate
    ratty
    Jan 12, 2016 7:34 PM UTC
    is it possible to play the music with the HiFi system by analog output and the headphones by optical cable in parallel?
    Yes. All CONNECT outputs are always active, analog and digital. Note however that there's only a single volume control for all outputs.
    Translate
    Contributor I
    Apr 14, 2016 7:55 PM UTC
    But what can I do without an expensive Connect? It must be possible to make a simple analog output on a Sonos 5 parallel to the amplifier. So you can hear the same music on both.
    Translate
    Lyricist I
    Nov 11, 2016 7:10 AM UTC
    Appreciate this thread as it exactly addresses my issue. I have Playbar + Sub + two play 1 speakers. All is well except wife wants headphones for late night TV w/o disturbing the kids. I will purchase Sonos Connect + Sennheiser RS 175 and connect the headphones base via digital audio from the Connect. From reading the posts above, I believe that to be the best and correct approach, thank you.
    Translate
    ratty
    Nov 11, 2016 7:40 AM UTC
    I have Playbar + Sub + two play 1 speakers. All is well except wife wants headphones for late night TV w/o disturbing the kids. I will purchase Sonos Connect + Sennheiser RS 175 and connect the headphones base via digital audio from the Connect. From reading the posts above, I believe that to be the best and correct approach, thank you.
    Do bear in mind that a player grouped with the PLAYBAR doesn't play in sync for the TV input. The delay though the CONNECT will be of the order of 70ms.
    Translate
    Lyricist I
    Nov 11, 2016 7:43 AM UTC
    Thanks for the heads up Ratty.
    Do you have an alternative recommendation on using wireless headphones with a Sonos solution?
    (again thanks for the advice)
    Translate
    ratty
    Nov 11, 2016 8:13 AM UTC
    Do you have an alternative recommendation on using wireless headphones with a Sonos solution?
    It comes down to how sensitive you are to lip-sync errors with respect to the TV picture. (Personally I like to get the audio within ~10ms, so even PLAYBAR's 30ms delay I avoid by sending the audio directly to the PLAYBAR, bypassing the TV.)

    Like all digital wireless headphones the Sennheisers add a small delay of their own, but I don't know offhand how much. The total delay through the CONNECT would therefore be more than 70ms, possibly of the order of 100ms.

    Frankly, I think you should bypass the Sonos system for this situation. Wire the Sennheiser base unit directly to the TV or set-top box.
    Translate
    Prodigy II
    Nov 11, 2016 4:34 PM UTC
    Use an optical switch to selct the headphones when you want to use them.
    Translate
    Avid Contributor I
    Nov 23, 2016 9:58 PM UTC
    Follow-on to the OP's reference to Sennheiser RS 175 wireless headphones. I use a Connect:Amp to send music through a selector box (buttons pressed to play music thru outdoor speaker pair, or to a pair in my basement workshop, or both). If I'm interpreting correctly the Sennheiser device can be plugged into the Analog sockets (red and black) on the Connect:Amp to receive the SONOS signal. I'm in the market for a wireless headphone solution and this sounds interesting to me. If this scenario works, I assume I'd need to deselect the wired speakers while using the Sennheiser headphones? Anything else I should be considering?

    Thanks
    Translate