Skip to main content
matthew.poell
Contributor I
February 15, 2019
Answered

Beam or Playbar as center channel between two Play:5 Gen 2's as (L+R)?

I'm looking to build a 5.1 channel surround system around my two Play:5 Gen 2's. I want to keep the Play:5's as L+R, add two One's for rear (L+R), a subwoofer, and a center channel (beam or playbar).
My question is, does SONOS provide functionality to use sound bars as a center channel between two speakers for L+R?
    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.
    Chris
    ChrisAnswer
    Lead Maestro
    February 15, 2019
    No you can't use Play:5s as L+R. For surround your only option is Playbar,Playbase,Beam as your L/C/R all in one. Or Amp to be your L/R/simulated C.

    Those are only options.
    Respect the Queue (2)Move (3)Beam (1) Era100 (2)ARC (1)SonosOne (1)Playbar (4)Play5 (4)Play1 (3)Play3 (1)Port (2)Connect (1) Roam (2) Ace (1)Connect:Amp (4)Sonos Amp (1)Sub + (9) Echo + Smartthings; (2)Play)
    View in thread

    7 replies

    Chris
    ChrisAnswer
    Lead Maestro
    February 15, 2019
    No you can't use Play:5s as L+R. For surround your only option is Playbar,Playbase,Beam as your L/C/R all in one. Or Amp to be your L/R/simulated C.

    Those are only options.
    Respect the Queue (2)Move (3)Beam (1) Era100 (2)ARC (1)SonosOne (1)Playbar (4)Play5 (4)Play1 (3)Play3 (1)Port (2)Connect (1) Roam (2) Ace (1)Connect:Amp (4)Sonos Amp (1)Sub + (9) Echo + Smartthings; (2)Play)
    PigMan9080
    Lyricist I
    March 6, 2019
    I have managed to get my Beam as center speaker and 2 Play1 as L+R. The trick is to separate Beam and 2 Play1 as separate rooms. You can then group them back together and even manage the volumes separately. TV, music, all works with this grouped.

    There might be some delay with the 2x Play1 because of network. What I did was adjust the Beam delay to match the Play1 and everything sounds great.
    vazandrew
    Enthusiast I
    March 7, 2019
    The beam is already a 3.0 speaker. It is not possible to have it be a centre speaker. You are merely grouping it with an extra stereo pair. If one wants better separation then it's best to use an amp, which can be paired with a L + R speaker and gives a phantom centre channel.
    Airgetlam
    Airgetlam
    March 7, 2019
    Agreed, what you have is a L+L+C+R+R setup. And I suspect a significant delay with the video on the screen.
    Bruce
    spydrwebb
    spydrwebb
    Prodigy I
    March 13, 2019
    Attempted what Pigman claimed and there was significant separation, so my results were very different (even after adjusting delay).
    Beam, Sub, 2 x P:1 -- 5.1 (video) / 2 x P:3 (music) / 2 x gen1 One (music) ----> ever evolving setup, as they say...
    vazandrew
    Enthusiast I
    March 13, 2019
    If you mean that there was significant delay then that is to be expected as it is not meant to be in that configuration. There may be more stereo separation, but it won't turn the beam into a centre speaker and it won't be an overall great experience. As above, an amp would be better suited for one that wants that type of setup.
    spydrwebb
    spydrwebb
    Prodigy I
    March 13, 2019
    Agreed. Yes, that's what I meant. Was just testing because it's the first I'd heard of anyone receiving favorable results.
    Beam, Sub, 2 x P:1 -- 5.1 (video) / 2 x P:3 (music) / 2 x gen1 One (music) ----> ever evolving setup, as they say...
    Terms & ConditionsAccessibility statement