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premium junkie
Contributor I
January 10, 2019
Answered

sonos amp: airplay connectivity when added as surround speakers to an existing Playbar + Sub

I have a Playbar, Sub and just added the Sonos amp so I could use my in ceiling speakers to create 5.1 surround sound. When I added the ceiling speakers to my setup I chose to add them as surround speakers.

I was under the impression that with the new Sonos amp, I would be able to use the Airplay function. I tried to send music from my iTunes library via airplay to the Sonos amp and Playbar + Sub, however I don't see that as an option under Airplay. Why? Do the speakers via the Sonos amp need to stand alone and be incorporated as music speakers vs. surround?

Additionally, if I use an old iPod via analog line in on the Sonos Amp, will the music make use of the Playbar and Sub and the ceiling speakers?
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    Ryan S
    Ryan SAnswer
    Retired Sonos Staff
    January 10, 2019
    Hi, There's a similar discussion here and in other threads around the community regarding using Sonos Ones with the Playbar for Airplay 2. It's the main speaker in the home theater room that determines Airplay 2 compatibility, in this case, the Playbar, which is not available as a target for the Airplay 2 stream. The reason for this is because the main speaker is the one that does all the heavy lifting and handles controlling what audio is sent to the other players in the room. If you had a Sonos One, you could send the Airplay 2 signal to it and group (not bond as surround speakers) the Sonos One with your Playbar, and they'd play the same audio at the same time.

    The Amp you have, when used as a surround player, doesn't make the Playbar compatible with being sent an Airplay 2 signal.

    Also, you can always set up a music library share from a computer or NAS drive with Sonos, then you can play those tracks using the Sonos app without having to use Airplay 2 at all. That would work on any Sonos player.
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    1 reply

    Ryan S
    Ryan SAnswer
    Retired Sonos Staff
    January 10, 2019
    Hi, There's a similar discussion here and in other threads around the community regarding using Sonos Ones with the Playbar for Airplay 2. It's the main speaker in the home theater room that determines Airplay 2 compatibility, in this case, the Playbar, which is not available as a target for the Airplay 2 stream. The reason for this is because the main speaker is the one that does all the heavy lifting and handles controlling what audio is sent to the other players in the room. If you had a Sonos One, you could send the Airplay 2 signal to it and group (not bond as surround speakers) the Sonos One with your Playbar, and they'd play the same audio at the same time.

    The Amp you have, when used as a surround player, doesn't make the Playbar compatible with being sent an Airplay 2 signal.

    Also, you can always set up a music library share from a computer or NAS drive with Sonos, then you can play those tracks using the Sonos app without having to use Airplay 2 at all. That would work on any Sonos player.
    Mark good posts by pressing the like button, and select the best answer on questions you've asked to help others find solutions.
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