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Kdog
Contributor I
July 13, 2018
Answered

Pair two Play 3 with Beam???

Can I pair two play 3s with the new Beam - or does it have to be two play 1s - will it work correctly for surround sound while watching movies?
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Chris
ChrisAnswer
Lead Maestro
July 13, 2018
You can use Play1s, Sonos Ones, Play:3s or Play:5s in pairs with the Beam just like Playbar. That will give you 5.0 sound.
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)
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8 replies

Chris
ChrisAnswer
Lead Maestro
July 13, 2018
You can use Play1s, Sonos Ones, Play:3s or Play:5s in pairs with the Beam just like Playbar. That will give you 5.0 sound.
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)
KdogAuthor
Contributor I
July 13, 2018
Will it sound better than if I pair it with play 1? Current setup is 2 play 3s and only one Play one. The 3s are set up as stereo - would rather not buy another one.
    Chris
    Chris
    Lead Maestro
    July 13, 2018
    I would pair the beam with 2 play:3s you have.
    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)
    Stanley_4
    Stanley_4
    Grand Maestro
    July 13, 2018
    Pairing it with the 3s is the cheaper route and you'll probably notice little audible difference in using a pair of Play 3s, Play 1s or Sonos Ones as surrounds.

    Personally I'd grab another Play 1 to use with your existing Play 1 as surrounds and move the Play 3s to another room where their better sound compared to a Play 1 or Sonos One would be more appreciated.
      Havoc
      Havoc
      Contributor II
      August 28, 2018
      Pairing it with the 3s is the cheaper route and you'll probably notice little audible difference in using a pair of Play 3s, Play 1s or Sonos Ones as surrounds.

      Personally I'd grab another Play 1 to use with your existing Play 1 as surrounds and move the Play 3s to another room where their better sound compared to a Play 1 or Sonos One would be more appreciated.

      Hi Stanley-4 can you pls elaborate why you would think there would be very little audible difference between the 1's and 3's in a surround set up. I'm in the same boat as OP. I currently have a play 1 and play 3 and a Beam. Deciding on whether to buy another Play 1 or Play 3. Mainly to watch TV, Movies.
      vazandrew
      Enthusiast I
      August 28, 2018
      You would have a difference when using it for music, of the surrounds are set to full, however the extra power of the 3's won't really be utilized when watching TV with 5.1 content
      Stanley_4
      Stanley_4
      Grand Maestro
      August 28, 2018
      Buying a new Play 3 is getting iffy, Sonos has discontinued them but you might find some old stock or a used one.

      As vazandrew said, there isn't a lot of sound in the rear channels of a 5.1 setup.

      If you are comparing the Play 1 and Play 3 for normal listening I find the 3 sounds a bit better with a stronger low end so if you are going to have one left over I'd make that the Play 3 a stand-alone speaker and put your Play 1 and a new Play 1 (Not 1 Sonos One) into your 5.1 setup.

      If you look at Sonos's recommendations they seem to be pretty much all saying use Play 1s as surrounds too.
      Havoc
      Havoc
      Contributor II
      August 29, 2018
      Thanks guys for the reply. Off to buy a Play 1:)
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