Question

Play 5 and 2 x Play1 for TV

  • 16 May 2016
  • 8 replies
  • 1593 views

Userlevel 1
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I'm new to Sonos, and I've got a Play 5 (gen 2) and 2 x Play 1. I've got the Play 5 wired into the TV using the 3.5mm jack so it's effectively acting as my soundbar. I was using my 2 x 1's elsewhere in the house, but they're barely used so I thought about adding them to the lounge setup most of the time, and just relocating them around the house as I need to.

So what would be the best way of connecting them to the lounge setup? As a stereo pair rear speakers? front with the 5 as a centre channel? Any other suggested configurations? Shame I can't use the 5 as a playbar and get surround from the setup, but I don't think my budget can justify a playbar yet, and that would kind of leave my 5 surplus to requirements!

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8 replies

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Thank you to everybody for your input, looking forward to setting up my Play:5 when it arrives - unfortunately delivery has been delayed due to heavy snow closing a main Motorway close to me - i'm sure you all know what its like waiting for something even when it does arrive on time !!

I'm sure that I do have a pretty good wi-fi signal so would not expect any issues- I will try running uncompressed & see how things go from there.
Userlevel 7
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I can confirm that uncompressed I have never noticed in lip sync issues in testing Play:5 analog in from my cable box. Maybe some people notice lip sync more but the difference to me was not noticeable.

Now - if I were to turn up my TV speakers while the Play:5 connected to TV the TV speakers would of course create a bit of stadium effect being slightly ahead of the Play:5.
Just to confirm... you would set the Play:5 'room' to be your Autoplay room for the line-in and then select to include grouped rooms for the Autoplay. Group the Play:5 and Play:1 stereo pair (start the group from the Play:5).

There will be no sync issues between the 5 and the 1s. The issue (if any) will be between the picture and sound, which will be minimised, as Kumar said, if you can run uncompressed.
If you set the line in on the 5 to uncompressed, and if your WiFi can handle the imposed stress, the sync issue of all Sonos speakers together or singly compared to the TV will probably not be a distraction if you leave the TV speakers muted. In compressed mode, the sync issue becomes unworkable from a lip sync point of view.
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Thanks for the quick reply, I knew it wasn’t going to be s perfect set up but went for the 5 as music was my priority- also price- was stretching things to get a 5 so an extra £200 for Playbar was a no go.
Do you mean the 5 & 1s would be out of sync or all of them out of sync with the TV? I have read about sync issues but my TV(also new) seems to have a sync setting to counter this should it be an issue.
Userlevel 7
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If you want to use the Play 5 to share your TV sounds you can set the 2xPlay 1s as a room(one different form the play 5 room setting) then connect the play 5 to your TV and in the Sonos App you can shre the TV sounds to the Play 1s room. The sound will be in stereo providing the source sound into the play 5 is stereo too. This method may introduce a deleay to the TV sound and maybe even a delay to the sounds between the Play1s and Play 5.

You are using the wrong tool for the job though, best results will be gained using a Playbar or Playbase.
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I know it’s old but a relevant post for me. I’ve had 2x play:1s for 2-3 years now, I have just bought a Play:5 & expecting delivery today- it was between a play5 & soundbar but my priority is music & I will sometimes connect the 5 to my TV, from what I can understand reading so far once the 5 is wired to the TV then I can wirelessly connect the 2 play1s to the 5 for listening to TV, although as stated by Dominique not as a stereo pair. So would I be correct in saying they will all work together, just that everything will be in Mono? many thanks.
Userlevel 5
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Hi James,

You could add the PLAY:1s as a stereo pair in the same room; however, it's not possible to setup the PLAY:5 as a center and the PLAY:1s as a left and right speaker (or surrounds). The PLAY:5 is the only device that has a line-in out of the units that you own, so it would be the best option to be connected directly to the TV.

Also keep in mind that if you add the PLAY:1s to the room, you may experience a lag or echo between them and the PLAY:5. This doesn't happen in all cases but it is a potential.Ultimately it may be best to keep the PLAY:5 as your dedicated TV speaker and then maybe consider migrating to the PLAYBAR in the future. It will give you the best overall setup and seems to achieve the type of sound you are looking for when it comes to a home theater setup. Then, you could also add your PLAY:1s as rear left and right speakers.

Let us know if you have any questions and we'll be happy to assist.