Enthusiast I

Answered

Can a mini-guitar amplifier with Bluetooth connect to a Sonos system?

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,: Greetings, all. I am a guitarist who recently purchased a “TuneBoy” - A Portable Rechargeable 5W Mini Guitar & Bass Practice Amp with Clean/Distortion Channels & Bluetooth 5.0. I can pair it with my iPhone or iPad. But from there, I have no clue how to pair it with my Sonos system (Arc SL, two One SL’s). Just wondering if anyone knows how to pair a non-Sonos device like this mini-amplifier to one’s Sonos sound system. Any and all ideas and suggestions would be very welcome indeed.

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PodbayAnswer

Enthusiast I

.: OK, so: Problem solved. Which means I verified what you have been telling me. The BT option on the mini-amp is to allow the guitarist to play along with music coming from another source, like an iPhone or iPad, that has BT connectivity and can pair with the TuneBoy. Why is this option there? So that the guitarist can play along with a track through the mini-amp: You end up with the recording and your actual guitar playing both coming through the mini-amp simultaneously.

So sadly, no playing my nice Telecaster through my Sonos system.

Guys, thanks for indulging me as I tried to sort this out. I sincerely appreciate the time and effort you put in to try to help me figure this damn thing out. Peace to all.

Ken_Griffiths

If you are able to pair your iPhone/iPad to the Amps Bluetooth connection and play audio, then that is an RX (Receiver) Bluetooth connection that’s built into your Amp - You would need a Bluetooth TX (Transmitter) to connect to any Sonos product, or speaker. So unless theres a Bluetooth TX also built into the Amp (often there is an RX/TX switch), than I suspect you are perhaps out of luck here.

J

John B

Hi. I am afraid I can't really get my head round.what it would mean to pair a guitar amp to a Sonos system. Do you want the guitar amp to appear as a "room " in the Sonos app?

Although I don't really understand the question, I am pretty sure Ken is right that the answer is "no".

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PodbayAuthor

Enthusiast I

Thank you, Ken and John. What I’d like to be able to do is to play my guitar through my Sonos system using the Bluetooth option on my TuneBoy. But after reading Ken’s response, I suspect I am out of luck in this scenario. I am not Bluetooth-phobic, but I don’t have the greatest grasp of what Bluetooth can and does do. Also, I probably used “pair” incorrectly in my initial post.

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John B

OK. Your Sonos speakers all have amplifiers so you guitar amp is not part of the solution. You need to use BT to send audio from the guitar to your Sonos speakers instead of the amp.

Unfortunately none of your speakers has BT. Your best option would be to buy a Sonos Roam. By grouping it, you could play through any and all of your Sonos speakers.

The Roam might even replace your portable guitar amp!

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John B

Note that I have assumed you are currently using BT to play on the amp. If not then you will also need a BT transmitter

Ken_Griffiths

I should have added to my post that even if the TuneBoy Amp did have a Bluetooth TX (which is likely not the case), then a Sonos product with a Bluetooth RX would also be required anyway. The Sonos products that have Bluetooth connections are…

Roam 1 & 2 (cheapest options)
Move gen 2 (do not consider using a Move gen1 as it cannot be grouped in BT mode)
Era 100
Era 300
Arc Ultra

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PodbayAuthor

Enthusiast I

Note that I have assumed you are currently using BT to play on the amp. If not then you will also need a BT transmitter

Actually, I use a guitar cable that plugs directly irom the guitar nto the mini-amp. Doesn’t require BT. The BT feature is an add-on, so to speak.

The only instructions given on the so-called Owner’s Manual is this:

So I’m left wondering: If I can’t play the guitar through the Sonos system using BT, where the hell else can I use BT on this little amp? 🤔

P

PodbayAuthorAnswer

Enthusiast I

.: OK, so: Problem solved. Which means I verified what you have been telling me. The BT option on the mini-amp is to allow the guitarist to play along with music coming from another source, like an iPhone or iPad, that has BT connectivity and can pair with the TuneBoy. Why is this option there? So that the guitarist can play along with a track through the mini-amp: You end up with the recording and your actual guitar playing both coming through the mini-amp simultaneously.

So sadly, no playing my nice Telecaster through my Sonos system.

Guys, thanks for indulging me as I tried to sort this out. I sincerely appreciate the time and effort you put in to try to help me figure this damn thing out. Peace to all.

P

PodbayAuthor

Enthusiast I

Also, here’s the definitive explanation from Cable Free Guitars:

“Thank you for reaching out! I’m glad to hear you’re enjoying the TuneBoy—it’s a fantastic product.

Regarding the Bluetooth feature, it’s designed to wirelessly connect an incoming source like your phone, tablet, or laptop to stream audio directly through the TuneBoy amp.

Here’s how to set it up:

Activate Bluetooth mode on the TuneBoy: Press the BT button on the amp, and a blue light should appear, indicating it’s ready to pair.
Pair your device: On your iPhone, iPad, or other device, go to the Bluetooth settings and search for devices. Select 'TuneBoy' when it appears.
Start streaming: Once paired, you can play backing tracks, music, or other audio from your device, and it will stream directly through the TuneBoy amp.

The Bluetooth feature is specifically for connecting your device to the TuneBoy, so it won’t integrate with other systems like Sonos.”

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John B

Thanks for posting back. Thinking further, there wuld have been audio lag playing through the Sonos system which would make playing very difficult, I think.

At least everything is clear now.

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