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How to connect Sonos Speaker to multiple Groups?

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I recently purchased the Sonos Arc SL and soon after acquired Sonos One SLs to add the surround for home theater. This setup is great for home theater and the lack of speaker wires all over the house is a huge positive. SO approved. Disapproved of my older 5.1 setup.

I want to be able to play music off the Sonos Ones without the Arc when I’m not watching TV. Is this possible? I want to be able to setup the Sonos Ones as a Stereo Pair outside my TV Home Theater setup. Or even play things off my iPad to one of the Sonos Ones that’s sitting on my desk.

Setup description: I have an open kitchen into my living room.
Arc below my TV.
Sonos One on my desk next to the Sofa.
Sonos One on my kitchen Island facing my sofa.

Ungrouping and Regrouping the speakers seem tedious. And will I have to retune the speakers every time I group and regroup?

Best answer by lewisc

You can’t do both.

 

You have 2 setup options. HT setup where they’re permantly grouped as one zone (Arc with the 2x One SLs as surrounds) or setup as 2 seperate zones (the Arc as one, stero pair One SLs as another).

 

The later option will allow you to play the music as desired but won’t be as good for TV audio and the now sudo rears (just 2 zones grouped) will be slightly delayed from the Arc.

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8 replies

lewisc
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  • lewisc
  • Headliner I
  • 136 replies
  • Answer
  • April 11, 2022

You can’t do both.

 

You have 2 setup options. HT setup where they’re permantly grouped as one zone (Arc with the 2x One SLs as surrounds) or setup as 2 seperate zones (the Arc as one, stero pair One SLs as another).

 

The later option will allow you to play the music as desired but won’t be as good for TV audio and the now sudo rears (just 2 zones grouped) will be slightly delayed from the Arc.

Authorised Sonos Installer
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  • eVeiL_
  • Author
  • Contributor I
  • 1 reply
  • April 11, 2022

@lewisc Thanks I’ve searched the Sonos forum and reddit. It doesn’t appear to support the function that I am looking for.

@Sonos if you are listening please add this multi group function for the speakers. 

melvimbe
  • melvimbe
  • 9865 replies
  • April 11, 2022
eVeiL_ wrote:

@lewisc Thanks I’ve searched the Sonos forum and reddit. It doesn’t appear to support the function that I am looking for.

@Sonos if you are listening please add this multi group function for the speakers. 

 

I wouldn’t expect Sonos to do this anytime soon.  It’s been requested for years, and Sonos hasn’t moved on it.  Why would they?  They would have to store the multiple room configurations on the speakers, taking up valuable space.  It would screw up home automation controls.  And it would send a message to customers that their soundbars aren’t good enough for music.  And what would Sonos get out of this?  Customers buying fewer speakers.

Danny
106rallye
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  • 106rallye
  • 6152 replies
  • April 11, 2022

Just to point you to the correct Sonos lingo: homecinema speakers are “bonded” in a ”room”,  stereo speakers are “paired” in a room and rooms can be “grouped”.

You seem to want to make speakers part of different rooms, which isn’t an easy possibility with Sonos. You’d have to unbond or unpair speakers from a room to set them up in separate rooms. In doing that you lose any Trueplay settings every time.

melvimbe
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2 people like this
  • melvimbe
    melvimbe
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    eVeiL_
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  • Steeletool
  • Lyricist III
  • 16 replies
  • April 11, 2022

This limitation is why I will not buy a sub . Would love to enjoy 2.1 with ones and a sub . Then watch a movie with arc /sub /ones . Yes I would have 2 ones in front just for stereo and 2 in rear for surrounds. There’s ways to do this but you will not get true play  

melvimbe
  • melvimbe
  • 9865 replies
  • April 11, 2022
Steeletool wrote:

This limitation is why I will not buy a sub . Would love to enjoy 2.1 with ones and a sub . Then watch a movie with arc /sub /ones . Yes I would have 2 ones in front just for stereo and 2 in rear for surrounds. There’s ways to do this but you will not get true play  

 

By ‘2 ones in front for stereo’, you mean specifically for music sources, right? You wouldn’t be able to use the front 2 speakers for TV sources.

 

 

 

Danny
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    Steeletool
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  • Huntsman180
  • Enthusiast I
  • 56 replies
  • April 11, 2022

Set the music level to +15 for surround audio. You can find the surround audio menu under “system”, then your home theatre room 

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  • Steeletool
  • Lyricist III
  • 16 replies
  • April 11, 2022

To Mel , correct . I’m very proficient on how sonos works . 
 

to Huntsman . Don’t really want music playing behind me . No matter what everyone claims having 2 speakers for stereo is always going to be better than a soundbar . I’m not going to spend $800 for a sub that I can only use while using the arc OR using for a stereo set up . I love my sonos set up just wish it was more in this regard 

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