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Newbie - Home Theater / Kitchen Setup. Ideas Welcomed

  • 30 March 2022
  • 6 replies
  • 334 views

Hello - I am about to start with the Sonos System. Debating how I should go about setting it up. Open kitchen / living room concept house. Going w/ Arc, sub, amp (2 ceiling speakers for rears).

I would like to setup a kitchen speaker so I'm not blasting the volume all the time. I have read on here that putting 2 Ones or a single Five in the kitchen would be delayed when grouped to the TV audio...Is that true? How do I eliminate the delay? 

 

Also, go with 2 Ones for the kitchen or 1 Five? TV audio most of the time but also music. Could also do  Moves right?

6 replies

G
Userlevel 7

Yes, you will experience a slight delay from the speaker in the kitchen when it is grouped with the Arc setup and you are listening to TV audio. There isn’t a way to eliminate the delay. Although it is possible the delay will not be noticeable depending on how far the speaker in the kitchen is from the Arc.

If you have the space, I would personally go with the Five in the kitchen. But a pair of Ones or a pair of Moves would sound great too and give you better stereo separation when listening to music.

"Receive with simplicity everything that happens to you." - Rashi
lewisc
Userlevel 4
Badge +9

My question would be what will be your primary audio source when you are in the kitchen?

  1. Synced audio from living room TV
  1. Other sources such as streaming

 

If your answer is (A), my suggestion would be to go with your choice of the Sonos Arc, Amp (+2 in-ceilings) and Sub. Then I’d suggest you add another 2 in-ceilings or 1 DT in-ceiling in the kitchen. You would do this with the addition of a speaker switch box which would allow you to disable the Kitchen speakers for when you don’t want them playing. The only draw back to this is that your Kitchen speakers wouldn’t have independant control as they are powered by the one same Amp.

 

If your answer is (B), then have x2 One SLs (stereo paired) as the Kitchen zone. When you want to listen to TV you can group the Living Room and Kitchen together; although you run the risk of audio delay.

 

If it was me I’d go with B (I basically have the same setup but with 2x Play:3), from experience there isn’t a noticable delay.

Authorised Sonos Installer
S

Paying for more ceiling speakers to be wired for the kitchen sounds like a nightmare. Probably will go with x2 Ones for the kitchen and cross my fingers I don't notice the delay. 

 

If it comes to it ill move them to another room and then get ceiling speakers… 

 

Appreciate the help!

melvimbe

Paying for more ceiling speakers to be wired for the kitchen sounds like a nightmare. Probably will go with x2 Ones for the kitchen and cross my fingers I don't notice the delay. 

 

If it comes to it ill move them to another room and then get ceiling speakers… 

 

Appreciate the help!

 

What’s are the dimensions of the kitchen and living room?  Is the kitchen located behind  the living room (so that the Arc is pointed at the kitchen)?   I have a open kitchen/living space (about 25’x25’), and although I do have a pair of play 3s in the kitchen, they aren’t really needed.  They are only there because every other room is covered.

 

Another option, if your kitchen is behind the living room, is to just place the surround sound speakers in the kitchen themselves.  Had that setup for a while.

edit:  And I wouldn’t recommend ceiling speakers for rears if it can be avoided.  The rear audio is supposed to come from behind not above, and somewhat interferes with the atmos audio that comes from above.

Danny
S

The TV and Arc will be hung on the wall 40ft from the center of the kitchen. So pretty far. Setup is living room...breakfast table and nook and then kitchen…The TV looks directly straight at the kitchen.

My priority is to hear the TV while cooking. Second to listening to music.

 

As far as the ceiling speakers as rears go, the living room setup with wired speakers won't work aesthetically. At least that is what the wife says. So ceiling speakers it is...

melvimbe

The TV and Arc will be hung on the wall 40ft from the center of the kitchen. So pretty far. Setup is living room...breakfast table and nook and then kitchen…The TV looks directly straight at the kitchen.

My priority is to hear the TV while cooking. Second to listening to music.

 

As far as the ceiling speakers as rears go, the living room setup with wired speakers won't work aesthetically. At least that is what the wife says. So ceiling speakers it is...

 

Here’s an idea, Put a TV in the kitchen that can play the same source as the main TV.  You can use an HDMI splitter or matrix to get that done.  Since you can put in ceiling speakers, hopefully you can put an HDMI cable up there too.  Then connect an amp for kitchen speakers to the HDMI-ARC on the kitchen TV.  Essentially, you have two HT setups that happen to be playing the same thing at the same time.  Not perfect sync, but pretty good I think.  I actually do this between inside and outside TVs, and they do seem to be in close sync, but I can’t 100% confirm since they are in completely different spaces.

I do have the sync-ed TV in my kitchen, but with no sound since I didn’t need it.  Seems odd perhaps, but I found that was constantly stopping what I was doing in the kitchen to turn around and look at the TV, or just not starting dinner or whatever till I was done with TV.  This way, I can see a TV in the kitchen no matter which direction I’m facing.   A luxury, but 20”-32” TVs + cable aren’t that expensive.

Danny

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