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I recently replaced a 5.1 system with a Beam and was a bit underwhelmed. I added two play 1 speakers and the difference is amazing. Both with music and tv, i feel like i am in an envelope of sound. Great clarity at all volume levels. I wish there was a cheaper alternative for a sub. That would be a nice addition
Hi ken. According to Sonos when I asked the question they stated that you will not get true stereo sound from speakers set as rears on a 5.1 set up. Even with them set to full on music playback. To most people there will be no difference in sound but in a 5.1 setup the playbar/base/beam give the rears a dedicated left and right channel. If you unpair everything and just pair play 5s with sub you can tell the difference all be it a small one but definitely a differenceI assume that’s because of the centre channel in the mix and the fact the two front channels are also lacking in separation, I’m not really an audiophile, so I doubt I would be able to tell, other than the overall separation of the sound. I have 4 (2 x stereo pairs) Sonos speakers in my lounge, two in front and two either side of the sofa and the separation is really apparent, whereas I have a Beam and two Play:1’s in the dining room 5.0 setup, but with no Sub and I’m quite happy to sit in either room and listen to the music from either setup.



I am waiting for the next gen PlayBar and will probably then alter my lounge to a 5.1 setup too, as it’s both great for TV and music without having to change their configuration. I guess it’s each to there own with these things.



My kitchen is 'L' shaped, for example, so I’ve opted for three speakers in there that are simply 'grouped' as that setup sounded better that having a separated stereo pair in the mix.

Hi Ken, interested to know how you have set 4 speakers in the lounge? Two sonos one as surrounds and rest for music? Cheers
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