Question

Mounting the Play3 or Play 5 in the ceiling (attic) or inside the wall

  • 3 December 2016
  • 5 replies
  • 1268 views

We are remodeling our home & we are interested in mounting the Play 3 or Play 5 Sonos speakers in the ceiling or inside the walls. The front of the speaker would show through the ceiling or walls but would be flush with the wall or ceiling. We have the Power and Cat 6 in the ceiling & wall.

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5 replies

My guess is it would kill the sound, but I can't say for sure.
Userlevel 3
Badge +4
any update on this?
Userlevel 7
We are remodeling our home & we are interested in mounting the Play 3 or Play 5 Sonos speakers in the ceiling or inside the walls. The front of the speaker would show through the ceiling or walls but would be flush with the wall or ceiling. We have the Power and Cat 6 in the ceiling & wall.

This is just my opinion. In addition to what John B said consider the fact that Sonos went to a lot of research to design speakers that are meant to be in an open environment. Open environment does not say one can't place a Play 1, Play 3 or Play 5 in a finished wall cavity similar to where one might display a vase or statue. But to completely enclose a Sonos speaker in a wall or ceiling was not IMO one of the intended design uses. I can't find a single piece of information on the Sonos site that speaks positively to mounting the speakers in the manner you would like.

Good in-wall or in-ceiling speakers are designed differently than a Sonos or any outboard speaker. In additino to my Sonos speakers I have Definitive bookshelf speakers but I'd never consider placing them inside a wall or ceiling.

In fact a properly desgned in-wall or in-ceiling spaker has no enclosure as they are designed to use the ceilng or wall as their enclosure.


There are stands, wall brackets and exposed ceiling mounts made for all Sonos speakers with the exception of the Playbase. There are no (to my knowledge) any in-wall or in-ceiling mounting kits.

Not trying to burst your bubble; but if you really want to incorporate Sonos into a wall or ceiling here's my suggestion:

Hire a good AV designer who can integrate a quality designed in wall or in ceiling speaker with a Sonos Connect: Amp. In that way you can make use of the Sonos App to play audio through your in-wall or in-ceiling speaker(s) of your choice. Additionally, you can still use Sonos speakers elsewhere in your home as part of the same system.

Enjoy your newly remodeled home!
Userlevel 7
Badge +22
If you are thinking of putting the Sonos on what is basically a shelf recessed into the wall it might work out for you. I'd think you'd want a few inches of airspace around a Play 5, a bit less for a 3 or 1 and the faceplate outside the wall an inch or so on a 5 or a 3, not sure on a Play one.

You could grab a sheet of 1/2 ply or fiber board, whatever is cheap and rough out something similar to what you are thinking of and see how you think the Sonos sounds recessed versus on a shelf or wall mount. $30 investment in the wood and a few minutes of your time versus expensive regrets.
Userlevel 3
Badge +3
You'll probably fall foul of building regulations to power speakers inside the wall. As mentioned above, the only way to get it flush is to have ceiling speakers and run the cable out to a central location (I have mine in the attic), where it then connects to a Sonos Connect:Amp. It is of course more expensive than just having the Play 1s or 3s. (Depending on your sources for music, you could save a ton of cash by running a Russound Multi Zone amp and just having Google Chromecasts connected)

If you pushed the Play 1 or 3 into the wall you would kill the bass response and have very boom-y, echo-ey sound.