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Can't play iMac (osx 10.12.6) to Sonos Era:100

  • 26 October 2023
  • 5 replies
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I have a Sonus Port hooked up to a vintage amp and a stereo pair of Era:100 speakers elsewhere in the house; all is working fine. 

There's an old unused iMac in the house running OSX Sierra 10.12.6 (it won't update beyond that) and I can see the rooms with Sonos gear under the iMac's speaker options (Internal Speakers, Kitchen, Living Room).

I haven't been able to get iMac sound through the Era pair ("Kitchen") nor the Port ("Living Room") whether that's local audio files, or a webstream (Internet Archive; BBC sounds). 

I have installed iTunes and the sample library file doesn't play to the Sonos gear either. 

Everything on the iMac plays through its internal speakers.

I'd be grateful for any suggestions for any tweaks or configuration settings that might allow me to get the iMac running as a Sonos interface -- essentially a Spotify player -- as an alternative to the Sonos app for sig oth.

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Best answer by GuitarSuperstar 26 October 2023, 19:33

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5 replies

G
Userlevel 7

Connect your iMac to the Port or Era 100s using AirPlay. You could also connect the iMac to the Era 100s using Bluetooth.

"Receive with simplicity everything that happens to you." - Rashi
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Connect your iMac to the Port or Era 100s using AirPlay.

Is that Mac-speak for select "kitchen" from the iMac's speaker options? 

I've tried that, but get no sound through the Sonos.

Fully Mac-ignorant, I have to ask, what's the difference between playing via Airplay and connecting with Bluetooth? 

G
Userlevel 7

Look at the icons on the top right corner of the iMac screen and you will see the Bluetooth and AirPlay icons. Click on the icons and you will see a dropdown menu to select your Sonos devices.

 

Read more about how to use AirPlay on Sonos:

https://support.sonos.com/en-us/article/stream-airplay-audio-to-sonos


Read more about how to use Bluetooth on Sonos:

https://support.sonos.com/en-us/article/pair-sonos-era-100-with-bluetooth

 

Read about the difference between AirPlay and Bluetooth:

https://www.cambridgeaudio.com/usa/en/blog/difference-between-airplay-bluetooth

"Receive with simplicity everything that happens to you." - Rashi
D
Badge

Look at the icons on the top right corner of the iMac screen and you will see the Bluetooth and AirPlay icons. Click on the icons and you will see a dropdown menu to select your Sonos devices.

 

Read more about how to use AirPlay on Sonos:

https://support.sonos.com/en-us/article/stream-airplay-audio-to-sonos


Read more about how to use Bluetooth on Sonos:

https://support.sonos.com/en-us/article/pair-sonos-era-100-with-bluetooth

 

Read about the difference between AirPlay and Bluetooth:

https://www.cambridgeaudio.com/usa/en/blog/difference-between-airplay-bluetooth

 

Thanks for the info and the links! 

I've tried Airplay, and nothing happens. 

Attempting Bluetooth, my Era won't go into pairing mode. 

Pressing the Bluetooth button does nothing, but if I disconnect the power and restart the Era, a slow white light flashes.

Pressing the Bluetooth button then starts a slow red/white flash which, after a short while, changes to a slow green flash. 

I don't get the blue light or the chime. 

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After a bit of fiddling -- the critical step was updating the network connection for each individual Sonos component, which enabled Bluetooth mode on the Era:100s -- everything worked as it should, via both Bluetooth and Airplay.

However, the following day and after a re-boot, airplay has stopped working again (the Sonos rooms are visible on the iMac, but there is no sound). 

Bluetooth mode works though and I'm happy enough with that, but if anyone with Mac/airplay knowledge can suggest what I'm doing wrong or might have overlooked or need to reset/re-enable with airplay, I'd be grateful for any pointers so that everything works everywhere, all at once. 

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