Will Airplay 2 ever be supported via Surround with Playbar and Ones?

That is incorrect. It very much has to do with the protocol as it is a hardware limitation that prevents the playbar from being compatible based on the further memory required by AP2. In a HT setup the playbar is the main component so it won’t work. The main speaker needs to be compatible as that is what will be taking care of airplay and then it will be grouped with other speakers, which will in turn send airplay to those older speakers. It is not something that Sonos has control over to fix.

As a true Sonos fan I've also been waiting on the arrival of AP2. Love Sonos for updating and renewing things. Now I have my $3,000 set and I'm not able to use AP2. I've just asked Sonos to come with a minimum priced solution for a Sonos One, but reading these messages... not even that will be a satisfying solution at this moment. It's a pity!

Everyone clearly understands that vazandrew, thanks for stating the obvious. We're talking about a software fix where it can easily switch between grouping and surround setups, where when I'm playing through my tv, it goes back to a surround setup vica versa. Anyways, i'd rather hear from a Sonos rep.

Actually no, it was not clearly stated that everyone understood it. If that is what you are looking for then that is more reasonable.

I agree with 'azizk' - it will be up to Sonos and maybe Apple to solve this. Let's see what the future will bring!

It must be very difficult for Sonos to fix this, as the bonded surrounds are just mere 'Slaves' to the PlayBar 'Master' device and Apple AirPlay cannot even see the slaves at the moment. The Sonos System just sees, displays and talks to the main Playbar Room which in turn sends out the L/R audio channels to its slaves.

What happens if someone is watching a film on a TV in 5.1 'bonded' surround sound... and another household member has the ability to break the bond by simply playing an AirPlay audio source via one of the bonded surrounds, which in turn then needs to 'group' with another room in the house to play the AirPlay audio, notwithstanding the fact the surround (airplay) speaker may also have to switch from a 5ghz WiFi connection over to the 2.4ghz band in order to do this.

I can’t see the Sonos One being capable either, of staying bonded to a PlayBar and playing a TV audio channel, whilst, at the same time, also then acting as an AirPlay (Master) controller device.

My money is on the fact that Sonos can’t easily fix this issue and it’s probably not really cost effective to do so.

The best alternative is to add another Sonos One to a users network for them to use for 'grouping' with the PlayBar Room. That’s the easiest solution in my book.

I reckon it won’t be too long before we see the next generation PlayBar anyway, which will have improved hardware and capable of playing an AirPlay source, many community users thought that was going to happen this year, so it can’t be too far away, perhaps?

I think Sonos will keep moving forward, rather than choosing to go back and fix this, but I know also that’s not what some 'PlayBar with bonded Sonos Ones' owners will want to hear.

I just ordered a Playbar and SUB (eBay, so no returns) - and just got two Play Ones for a 5.1 setup. Is the grouping / re-grouping really a hassle? Can I have a 5.1 group for TV and also a "Living Room" group for music?

I also have a Play:5 (separate room), so can I use that as the "Airplay Source" and group it with the 5.1 group?

I've really become a fan of Sonos since setting up my first Connect:AMP, but their home theater product line up is so confusing and weird. I think they should have re-released the Playbar and Playbase with the Beam so it would all be apples to apples.

I just ordered a Playbar and SUB (eBay, so no returns) - and just got two Play Ones for a 5.1 setup. Is the grouping / re-grouping really a hassle? Can I have a 5.1 group for TV and also a "Living Room" group for music?


'Hassle' is a subjective word, but I think most people would say yes. I'd also say that it's unnecessary. You can set it up so the surround speakers play full stereo when playing for a music and surround for tv.

sidenote: Technically, that's not 'grouping', that's 'bonding' in Sonos terms. Your 5.1 setup isn't a 'group', it's a 'room'...or zone. Temporarily playing two rooms together is a group, and that is not a hassle. I know it's semantics, but is very easy to get confused about what you can and can't do without Sonos if you aren't careful with the terminology.


I also have a Play:5 (separate room), so can I use that as the "Airplay Source" and group it with the 5.1 group?


Yes, you can group your Play:5 room with your 5.1 room. :-)


I've really become a fan of Sonos since setting up my first Connect:AMP, but their home theater product line up is so confusing and weird. I think they should have re-released the Playbar and Playbase with the Beam so it would all be apples to apples.

Yes, it can be. It's sort of a necessary evil though, if you want old units to work with new units AND try and get all the latest features possible in your system. I'd really hate to have a multiroom system where you can't expand with new products and it quickly becomes obsolete.

The playbase is pretty much 'up to date'. The only thing it's missing is direct voice control, and that's easily fixed by using a echo dot nearby or sonos ones as surrounds. The playbar can get voice control the same way, it just lacks the ability to do airplay. A new playbar would be nice, but I don't know how quickly Sonos can spin up updated products. Not the same scenario, but I read the Beam was in development for 2 years.

Technically, that's not 'grouping', that's 'bonding' in Sonos terms. Your 5.1 setup isn't a 'group', it's a 'room'...or zone. Temporarily playing two rooms together is a group, and that is not a hassle. I know it's semantics, but is very easy to get confused about what you can and can't do without Sonos if you aren't careful with the terminology.

Thanks - that was really my question. So I'll have a 5.1 Living Room room, and I can Airplay 2 to another room and then group that room with the Living Room.

I do appreciate the long lifespan of Sonos devices; I just wish the higher end products were updated before or at the same time as the lower end ones.

I see the Sonos Airplay 2 FAQ is now super clear about Playbar compatibility; it's the second question: https://www.sonos.com/en-us/airplay

Make no mistake... not supporting Airplay 2 in a 5.1 setup with a Playbar and two rear Play Ones is a strategic decision. One that I believe they will regret in time as more affordable, Atmos/AirPlay 2 compatible soundbars hit the market. Sonos should be doing all they can to retain their existing customers as the market becomes democratised. Instead, their focus is on customer acquisition (e.g. Beam), which won’t be sustainable for long.