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Contributor I
March 16, 2016

Play:5 5.1

I'm looking to create a 5.1 setup with a soundbar, sub, and the largest speakers possible for the side/rears. My supplier hasn't come back with any info, and all of the sonos systems I work with are unfortunately not set up for 5.1 systems for me to test.

Do the new Play:5s now offer the option to make a 5.1 system, or am I stuck with getting the Play:3/1s? If a Play:5 5.1 setup is not an option, when will it be?
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    31 replies

    Enthusiast I
    February 1, 2019
    Actually it is you who has an inability to understand these basic concepts. Had you done proper research you you would have realized your needs and bought a traditional system, or looked into the Sonos amp.
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    Trending Lyricist I
    February 2, 2019
    Actually it is you who has an inability to understand these basic concepts. Had you done proper research you you would have realized your needs and bought a traditional system, or looked into the Sonos amp.

    And who are you?

    Either way, thanks for being another Sonos fanatic/user that confirms that the Sonos system is inadequate for users with standards beyond entry level expectations - yes, I will buy other products and no longer waste my money with mediocre and overpriced Sonos gear. I wish I knew earlier that the price vs. value proposition was this weak and purchased products form a competitor.
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    To be honest, not a very happy customer. But hoping Sonos gets better eventually.
    Enthusiast I
    February 2, 2019
    I am someone who knows how to actually research a product instead of blindly buying something and then complaining about it when it doesn't meet your unrealistic expectations. Generalizing everyone who disagrees with you as a Sonos fanatic only goes to show how ignorant and juvenile you really are.

    FYI: There is no competitor that would have what you're looking for because that is how all soundbar systems work. As I already said, had you bothered to do the research you would have seen this fact and bought a traditional receiver based system
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    Trending Lyricist I
    February 2, 2019
    I am someone who knows how to actually research a product instead of blindly buying something and then complaining about it when it doesn't meet your unrealistic expectations. Generalizing everyone who disagrees with you as a Sonos fanatic only goes to show how ignorant and juvenile you really are.

    FYI: There is no competitor that would have what you're looking for because that is how all soundbar systems work. As I already said, had you bothered to do the research you would have seen this fact and bought a traditional receiver based system


    As with your other post, I'm happy for you that you have low expectations and are happy with what, I think, any experienced listener will consider mediocrity at this price point. Why can't Sonos be better? And not as flawed and limited as its competitors?

    I still can't believe that you don't understand that stating that if I "had done better research I would have realized that the system is bad" and not purchased it, actually supports my view that the value proposition is not there at this price point.
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    To be honest, not a very happy customer. But hoping Sonos gets better eventually.
    Trending Lyricist I
    February 2, 2019
    ...
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    To be honest, not a very happy customer. But hoping Sonos gets better eventually.
    Prodigy I
    February 2, 2019
    I don’t think anyone is questioning whether or not you are happy with the sound your setup produces. You have made it very clear that you are not.

    The issue seems to be your insistence that a sound bar be a center channel speaker. A soundbar, regardless of the brand, is probably not going to be what you want. Soundbars contain center, as well as right and left speakers. There is nothing virtual about it. The separate channels are actually there, just closer together than in a wired system. This is fine for those that want to have a simple setup, but maybe not for those that want that full theater experience. I for one love Sonos, but keep my wired receiver and speaker separates for movies.

    The fact remains, however, that no soundbar, by any manufacturer functions in the way that your original complaint focuses on. A soundbar is not designed to be a center channel speaker, they are designed to be a more compact, and wireless solution. The only way to create the setup you describe is to purchase a surround receiver and separate wired speakers.
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    Enthusiast I
    February 2, 2019
    Hardly the case, but I’m not going to indulge your nonsensical posts any longer.

    I guess you also have an issue with reading comprehension because I clearly stated that if you had done research you would know that a Soundbar would not give you that function. That is irrespective of quality, but purely based on the stereo separation of the front channels.
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    Trending Lyricist I
    February 2, 2019
    A soundbar is not designed to be a center channel speaker, they are designed to be a more compact, and wireless solution. The only way to create the setup you describe is to purchase a surround receiver and separate wired speakers.

    You're all missing the point. Sonos has designed a wireless, modular system and is not constrained by connections to a receiver. This is great and has potential to grow into an even better system given that the Sub is "too good" for the soundbars. For some reason, there is a refusal to acknowledge that in 2019, with excellent WIFI networks and amazing computing power built into things like speakers and watches, we can have better solutions than we were previously limited to. Why not have the option to augment the front L/R channels with dedicated speakers in 5.1 setups, and then use those speakers in stereo pairs for music - all in the same room, and with better sound.

    It's really not that hard to imagine that a customer would buy a soundbar, then a Sub, then some rears and say now I'd like to add some more speakers for the front L/R. That person would not have half-a-brain, or be juvenile, or be "entitled". In fact, I think they could be rational and reasonable, and might be willing to defend that position.
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    To be honest, not a very happy customer. But hoping Sonos gets better eventually.
    Prodigy I
    February 2, 2019
    You have great ideas! You are selling yourself short by sharing them publicly instead of filing a patent and making millions. However, the system does provide a 5.1 solution with a sub and rear satellites. A “phantom” or virtual solution would require the sound bar to only have one speaker that simulates directional sound. Most gaming headphones use this method through software such as Creative CMSS or Dolby Headpone, which uses single-driver speakers and clever volume mixing to simulate directional audio. The Sonos system, in contrast, has three separate channels, one for center, one for left, one for right. They are closer together than a manually placed analog system, but they are still separate physical channels.
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    Trending Lyricist I
    February 2, 2019
    You have great ideas! You are selling yourself short by shearing them publicly instead of filing a patent and making millions.

    Thanks, I agree that what I'm saying makes a lot of sense.
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    To be honest, not a very happy customer. But hoping Sonos gets better eventually.