I had a nice AV receiver that recently bit the dust. Wondering if I need a new one or if I can simply replace it with Sonos.
I have all all wired speakers in the ceiling.
Any ideas would be super helpful!
Thanks!
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You could use the Connect Amp or Sonos Amp. If your speakers are less than 4 ohms as wired you might need an impedance matching box.
Describe the original system for us. (How many speakers, what sources, etc.) Is the receiver near the TV or off in a closet somewhere? How did this system sound? Were you satisfied with your ability to operate the system? How was the system controlled?
Currently everything is hidden in a cabinet next to the TV with wires passing through the wall. I only have two in ceiling speakers, and I’m hoping to add two more as well as a center channel and a sub.
I also have a second zone in the kitchen with four speakers that are already in the ceiling.
I was moderately happy with how everything worked. The second zone had a lag which was frustrating. And only having two speakers in the tv room obviously isn’t a true surroundsound experience. That’s why I’m trying to build it out and wondering if Sonos is a good solution for that.
Thanks so so much for your help!
I also have a second zone in the kitchen with four speakers that are already in the ceiling.
I was moderately happy with how everything worked. The second zone had a lag which was frustrating. And only having two speakers in the tv room obviously isn’t a true surroundsound experience. That’s why I’m trying to build it out and wondering if Sonos is a good solution for that.
Thanks so so much for your help!
What model TV do you use? Sonos would likely connect in a different way than your receiver does, so it's important to make sure it's compatible. Also, do you typically watch streaming services, cable/sat, blu-rays?
Where are the two ceiling speakers located within the room? If they are in the middle of the room, than you won't be able to use them to get 5.1 surround setup. The front speakers need to be in the front, ideally in/along the wall with the TV, not in the ceiling.
I also have a second zone in the kitchen with four speakers that are already in the ceiling.
These are powered by the same receiver then? With Sonos you'll most likely want a separate Sonos Amp for this. It will be able to operate separately from the TV room or play music in sync. For TV audio, it will lag behind slightly.
I was moderately happy with how everything worked. The second zone had a lag which was frustrating. And only having two speakers in the tv room obviously isn’t a true surroundsound experience. That’s why I’m trying to build it out and wondering if Sonos is a good solution for that.
Thanks so so much for your help!
Our TV is a sharp Aquos.
We do most of our TVs and movies via our Apple TV. And music with Spotify.
The two ceiling speakers in the TV room are in the rear. So I could put two upfront and have a center channel and a sub and get to 5.1 I think. I could potentially throw two middle in-ceiling as well to get to 7.1, but I don’t believe Sonos supports that, right?
As for the speakers in the kitchen, it’s totally fine if they’re on a separate amp. We will almost never run TV audio into the kitchen. Will use that primarily for music
We do most of our TVs and movies via our Apple TV. And music with Spotify.
The two ceiling speakers in the TV room are in the rear. So I could put two upfront and have a center channel and a sub and get to 5.1 I think. I could potentially throw two middle in-ceiling as well to get to 7.1, but I don’t believe Sonos supports that, right?
As for the speakers in the kitchen, it’s totally fine if they’re on a separate amp. We will almost never run TV audio into the kitchen. Will use that primarily for music
We do most of our TVs and movies via our Apple TV. And music with Spotify.
The Sonos products that work with TV use either an optical connection or HDMI-ARC. Your TV most like has one of these, but you should check to be sure. They also only support PCM stereo and Dolby Digiatl 5.1, which should be fine for Apple TV sources.
The two ceiling speakers in the TV room are in the rear. So I could put two upfront and have a center channel and a sub and get to 5.1 I think. I could potentially throw two middle in-ceiling as well to get to 7.1, but I don’t believe Sonos supports that, right?
Sonos doesn't support anything beyond 5.1, that's correct. Also, adding speakers in the middle won't really give you 7.1 audio either, as it's not just the number of speakers, but where they are placed in the room. It should be 3 speakers in the front, 2 in the rear, 2 in the side/rear, plus the sub.
So what I would do for this room is get a Sonos Amp to start. It should connect to your TV and power your existing speakers. If you want 5.1 audio, then you can get a playbar/playbase/beam for front audio with the amp now poewring the ceiling speakers as surround sound. I woudn't get a 2nd Sonos amp for the front speakers, as I don't think they will sound as good if your putting speakers in the ceiling.
As for the speakers in the kitchen, it’s totally fine if they’re on a separate amp. We will almost never run TV audio into the kitchen. Will use that primarily for music
A Sonos Amp will be just fine with that. Read this article on connecting 2 pairs of speakers to a single amp
Thanks!
So I'm thinking I may get a playbar and a sub to create the 5.1 surround in the tv room.
So I'd have the following:
Aquos TV
Sonos Playbar
Sonos Amp (connected to the two rear in-ceiling speakers)
Sonos sub (I do have a wired sub, so I may not need this?)
If I want the 4 kitchen speakers to be in a different zone do I need another amp or just a connect?
Thanks again!
So I'm thinking I may get a playbar and a sub to create the 5.1 surround in the tv room.
So I'd have the following:
Aquos TV
Sonos Playbar
Sonos Amp (connected to the two rear in-ceiling speakers)
Sonos sub (I do have a wired sub, so I may not need this?)
If I want the 4 kitchen speakers to be in a different zone do I need another amp or just a connect?
Thanks again!
Ok - one more question. Can I put a playbar slightly behind/above my tv if there’s a big enough gap? Here’s my situation- pic attached.
It will be muffled by the TV. I'd be tempted to put the TV on as much of a pedastal as you can, and put it in front/under the TV.
I've got a couple of IKEA Lack 1 foot wide shelves underneath the feet of my TV to raise it up enough so the PLAYBAR can sit in front of it. Not sure that would work for you, mine appear to be about 4 inches tall, and it looks like you've got only about 2 inches above the TV.
And I'd also be worried about ventilation of the TV....
There's no reason not to try the concept of putting it behind. I'm just not convinced you'll be happy, due to both the TV being in front of it, and the walls on the left and right altering the left and right speakers.
I've got a couple of IKEA Lack 1 foot wide shelves underneath the feet of my TV to raise it up enough so the PLAYBAR can sit in front of it. Not sure that would work for you, mine appear to be about 4 inches tall, and it looks like you've got only about 2 inches above the TV.
And I'd also be worried about ventilation of the TV....
There's no reason not to try the concept of putting it behind. I'm just not convinced you'll be happy, due to both the TV being in front of it, and the walls on the left and right altering the left and right speakers.
So I'm thinking I may get a playbar and a sub to create the 5.1 surround in the tv room.
So I'd have the following:
Aquos TV
Sonos Playbar
Sonos Amp (connected to the two rear in-ceiling speakers)
Sonos sub (I do have a wired sub, so I may not need this?)
Yes, you would in this room setup. The playbar is only sending the rear channel audio to the Sonos amp, and therefore, the sub conneciton on the amp is turned off, since there's nothing to play.
If I want the 4 kitchen speakers to be in a different zone do I need another amp or just a connect?
The connect can't send power to speakers on it's own. So you can get a Sonos amp, or a connect with a 3rd party amp. Unless you're going with a rather inexpensive amp or a rather expensive amp to power more than 4 speakers, it makes more sense economically to just go with the Sonos amp.
Thanks again!
And as far as where to place the playbar, I agree with Bruce on this. The playbar can be laid down in front, so it would only be abut 3.35 inches tall. There's a good chance it will fit below your screen if you raise the TV up a bit. Hockey pucks make good cheap 'risers'.
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