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Hello. 
 

first question here and hoping I explain it correctly. 

I have two outdoor speakers that work great for streaming music through pandora and Amazon using the Sonos app. I have them connected to my Sonos (gen 1 - the white one) Amp. 

I recently installed a TV in the same outdoor area and I’d like the TV to output sound through the same speakers. 

I purchased this (J-Tech Digital Optical/Coaxial Digital Audio Extender/Converter Over Single Cat5e/... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07G5NQCK7/ref=cm_sw_r_sms_c_api_i_EnuiEbZ65PEEA) hoping it would solve this for me, but no luck.

I connected the device to the Sonos Amp Analog Audio In. 

here’s the path:

TV optical out to J-tech Receiver optical in and Cat6 out to jtech transmitter Cat6 in and coax audio out to Sonos Analog Audio In.

I also tried the exact reverse/mirror.

Hoping this makes sense and thanks in advance for any help the community can provide.


 

 

That’s a lot of connections.

For what it is worth, your “Sonos (gen 1 - the white one) Amp” is called a CONNECT:AMP.

 Some of the things I’d be looking at are:

  1. check to be sure the optical output from the TV is only sending a stereo signal. While your extender seems to be able to carry more, the analog input on the CONNECT:AMP can only accept a stereo signal.
  2. Oh. That’s why it isn’t working. The output of that device you linked to is a digital signal, not an analog one. In order for the Sonos to be able to read the signal, it needs to be in an analog, not digital format. 

Thanks, Bruce. 
 

that makes sense. Do you know of a device that will make this work with an analog signal?

By the way, it’s probably worth pointing out that the TVs only audio output is optical and rca. All other ports are inputs. 

If your TV has an RCA output, that's the one you should connect to the Connect:amp.

If your TV has an RCA output, that's the one you should connect to the Connect:amp.

I’m sorry. I typed RCA, but meant headphone jack. I guess I could buy a headphone jack to coaxial cable and go that route using the transmitter. Would that work?

 


 

 

I don't think so. The transmitter you bought is for transporting a digital signal (SPDIF/Coax). Since both  the headphone out on the TV and the RCA in on the Connect:amp are analog connections, in my opinion this will not work.

You'd need to transport an analog signal from the TV to the Connect:amp. You have not told us about the length of cable you need, nor about a need to transport the signal via Cat:5 (is this cable already in place?), but normally you'd use an analog cable for this. A long cable would be something like this: https://www.amazon.co.uk/AmazonBasics-3-5mm-2-Male-Adapter-Cable/dp/B01D5H8M18/ref=sr_1_7?qid=1579265902&refinements=p_n_feature_keywords_browse-bin%3A1055633031&s=home-theater&sr=1-7 (25ft, 7,6m).

A warning: Sonos needs to buffer signals, so the TV sound that is sent out from the Connect:amp to the passive speakers will lag a bit behind the image on the TV. Some people will notice this. others won't.

Thanks again for the help. 
 

yes, sorry. Should have mentioned that at the beginning. The TV is outdoors and the Sonos Connect Amp is in a rack in the garage approx 150ft (45-50m) away. 

from the rack we ran two Cat5 to the tv. That’s why I’m using one of the cat5s to transfer sound back to the Sonos. 
 

You make an excellent point however about the lag time. I would definitely noticed that even with the slightest amount of lag. 
 

I wonder if a better solution, is just to buy a cheap sound bar and connected to the TV directly. 
 

I don’t want to put a playbar because it’s outside and the humidity here in Miami would destroy it
 

 

That is the wrong wire; ethernet connection from the tv to Sonos won't work. You need a analog connection from tv audio out to connect amp line in, and set the line in to uncompressed to keep the lag down to what isn't easily noticed.

I doubt that rca cables of that length are available though, and even one that is custom made for this will struggle coping with that distance. 

A warning: Sonos needs to buffer signals, so the TV sound that is sent out from the Connect:amp to the passive speakers will lag a bit behind the image on the TV. Some people will notice this. others won't.

A clarification on this based on my experience with a TV wire connected to the Connect. The lag is not noticed where the line in is set to uncompressed. But it is very noticeable and distracting where this setting is changed to compressed. Further, streaming the TV audio to other speakers around the home results in uncompressed mode causes stuttering, that can only be fixed by ethernet wiring the Connect and the other speakers to the core network, is what I have found; choosing compressed mode to solve this problem, creates the lag problem referred.

In this case, if the sound is needed only from the outdoor speakers, this will not be an issue and uncompressed will work being wired fully - from the TV to the Connect Amp and thence to the speaker pair.

Oh man. Just when I though my decision to add a cheap sound bar was made because of the lag issue. Lol. 
 

So then if I connect to the outdoor speakers (and yes, these are the only speakers I would need the outdoor tv sound on), what kind of device would carry an analog signal over Ethernet to the connect Amp?

 

I found this. Thoughts on if it would work?

Sewell Sound Link Audio over single cat5e or cat6, 3.5mm or RCA, 600m or 2000 ft, ... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01LR420NM/ref=cm_sw_r_sms_c_api_i_5k9jEbEY3DNVZ

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