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tiago
Producer I
November 20, 2015
Question

[HELP] What’s the best setup for SONOS Surround 5.1? And Couple beginner questions!

  • November 20, 2015
  • 28 replies
  • 30837 views
Hi guys,

I’ve recentely heard about SONOS I wouldn’t say that I am an audiophile but I love music and speakers setup. It was very nice to see that SONOS has a very active community and I am think about building a home theater setup with SONOS speakers. So I would like to clarify couple doubts, and check whats the best setup possible, that the community would recommend.

I was thinking about using the Playbar as Center Speaker purchase to new PLAY:5 and use as left and right speaker, and two PLAY:3 or PLAY:1 as surround speakers at the back.

1 - Is this the best setup? Do I need to buy anything else? For what I read I don’t need the BRIDGE or CONNECT to make this work right, just plug an Ethernet caple to the playbar?

2 – I want to use those speakers with my TV LG 55EG9600 and I would hate having to go to the cellphone app to turn volume up and down. I will be able to control all speakers volume with the magic remote ? Anyone had any trouble doing that with NEW LG tvs?

3 – Is there a complicated setup to avoid the delays? I read that there would be a delay of 50ms with the home theater setup, that’s true? Is it easy to fix?

4 – I use AirPlay on daily basis, since I don’t know SONUS app, I am not sure I will adapt having to go to SONUS app to play Spotify or any music on my cellphone, I already have an airport express. If I plug the 3.5mm cable on any of the PLAY:5 speakers would that work on all speakers including the sound bar? What will happen if the TV is on and I do that it will play both audios, until I mute the tv, or it will do that automatically?

Sorry for all the question guys. It is a big investment and I would really appreciate any help, to understand if SONOS fits my needs.

Thanks in advance!

Tiago
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    28 replies

    Show previous replies
    Ryan S
    Ryan S
    Retired Sonos Staff
    January 15, 2016
    Nevertheless, you guys *are* developing something that will bring a better home theater / music system together beyond requiring a PLAYBAR, right? RIGHT???

    We'll never tell 🙂 As soon as there's anything to share publicly for any new development we make sure everyone knows, but until then there's no news. Always a good question to ask though.
    Mark good posts by pressing the like button, and select the best answer on questions you've asked to help others find solutions.
      dustin91
      Lyricist III
      January 15, 2016
      I'll say this, while being a new owner of only a week, I do know that if I go in on some speakers now that do a little of what I want, I know I'll be able to use them in whatever new system you guys develop that would give us the ability to make whatever HT setup we want... 5:1, 7:1, whatever. There's a lot to be said for instilling that kind of confidence in your customers!
      Stephen_46
      December 17, 2016
      ...
      jamis0n
      Contributor I
      May 14, 2017


      During TV audio playback from the PLAYBAR there may be a slight sync difference between the PLAY:5s grouped with it and the 5.1 setup. It could be about 70ms which might be noticeable at times.



      Would connecting the additional Front L/R speakers in this scenario via Ethernet instead of wireless reduce the delay at all? (Assuming the playbar was connected via Ethernet too)
      Kumar
      May 14, 2017

      During TV audio playback from the PLAYBAR there may be a slight sync difference between the PLAY:5s grouped with it and the 5.1 setup. It could be about 70ms which might be noticeable at times.


      I notice this via the preceding post and I was very surprised to read this.

      Ryan, are you saying that the Sonos Playbar based zone and other Sonos units in other zones wherever located in the home will NOT be in perfect sync when played in grouped mode? I thought that perfect sync grouping across all Sonos units was a Sonos USP.

      Will the play bar based zone and any other zone grouped with it be in perfect sync for music being played from a NAS or from the net? Is this out of sync just a TV issue then?

      And to the preceding posted question - if this delay does exist, there is nothing you can do to reduce it.
      Airgetlam
      Airgetlam
      May 15, 2017
      Kumar,

      Since the grouped speakers to a Playbar would have to be on the 2.4 Ghz band, wouldn't that imply that there's the "buffering" delay involved, in order to make sure that the stream is appropriate for all the rest of the ecosystem?
      Bruce
      jgatie
      jgatie
      May 15, 2017
      The TV source is slightly delayed when grouped with other speakers due to the 2.4 GHz buffering required.
      Ryan S
      Ryan S
      Retired Sonos Staff
      May 16, 2017
      @Kumar, looks like jgatie and Bruce beat me to the answers here. They're correct. Music and all music sources will be in sync, it's just the TV input that's slightly off. The PLAYBAR is designed to play that line-in from the TV as quick as possible so that it's in sync with the video. The surrounds bonded with it also will be in sync, as the 5GHz has a fast enough transfer to be constantly up to date with the sound. The issue of syncing can be a problem with grouped rooms, not bonded speakers. The grouped rooms are on that 2.4GHz and therefore have a bit of a delay and buffer built into the transfer.
      Mark good posts by pressing the like button, and select the best answer on questions you've asked to help others find solutions.
      Kumar
      May 16, 2017
      @Kumar, looks like jgatie and Bruce beat me to the answers here. They're correct.
      Understood, thanks all.
      I suppose that this delay of the TV audio would not be obtrusive except when the grouped speakers are in the same room. But which does rule out the use of any additional grouped Sonos speakers for the HT application beyond the standard Sonos configuration? I don't seem to recall this as an issue whenever that subject has been discussed here, but that would then be the case. The delay would be more noticeable/obtrusive than a lip-sync one, being in the form of an echo, I would think.
        Contemplative
        Prominent Collaborator II
        May 19, 2017
        While testing grouping a play bar and 5 gen 2 while watching TV, there was a very slight sync issue but rather than negatively affecting the experience, it resulted in very subtle echo effect similar to what you would experience in a large cinema and the additional bass the 5 provided was awesome.
        Ever since I tend to group them when I want to watch a move with loads of explosions and bangs at high volumes.
        It create a very immersive experience which I love.
        Show more replies
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