Connect Sub to Multiple Groups?
+19
Please add my name to the list as well: I wish to have a TV setup using a Beam and a Sub in the same room as a pure audio setup using 2 x Play 5 and the same Sub? Obviously not playing at the same time. Sounds (pun intended) quite reasonable, right?
I too would love to have the functionality of setting up different scenes. I have a Beam, 2 play 5’s, 2 One’s and the sub. For surround sound TV watching I like the beam, ones for surround and the sub. However, for music listening I like the play 5’s in stereo and the sub. Seeing as I only have 1 sub I’d like to have a choice of it bonding to either setup. Seems like this would be technically feasible for Sonos to do.
Add me to the list. I’m not going to buy the sub based on the fact that it can only be paired with one room. That seems like a waste. If I want the sub to play with my living room setup sometimes and my kitchen setup other times I should be able to do that on the fly. The rooms are right next to each other but still separate rooms. So if I want bass in both you want me to buy 2 subs.
Another vote for this - Want the sub for both my set of speakers (music) and my playbar (Movies).
This should be developed soon. Quite a detraction from what could be a great experience.
I’d love being able to pair the sub to 2 systems in the same room, a stereo pair for music and a soundbar for movies...please Sonos!!!!!
Ken - My Play5s are gen 2, but I don't plan to bond them as surrounds for the Beam since I don't want them in the back of the room. They are my primary stereo music listening speakers, so they need to be up front.
Essentially, I plan to use the stereo Play 5s (maybe plus sub) for music listening and the Beam (maybe plus sub) for TV/movies. Obviously the Play5s cannot be used for TV, and I imagine the Beam is not as good for music as the 2 Play5s?
I'm definitely open to suggestion for a better setup, but that's what I was thinking.
I currently have two Sonos Ones and Sub that I use for music. I was thinking of getting a Beam or Playbase for TV but the fact you can’t switch the sub between them is now putting me off. Please add this feature Sonos!
WHY NOT???
If you had a conventional, wired system where you had a 5.1 home theatre system with sub, and an additional pair of hifi speakers, the same situation would exist. The sub would be wired to one environment or the other - either the home theatre setup or the hifi One. To connect to the other speaker set you’d have to re-wire it.
Sonos speakers are wireless, and configurable, and can be grouped. But there are limitations. If you have a stereo pair, you can’t suddenly decide you want just the “left” speaker running in tandem with a speaker in a different room.
I would speculate this this is analogous to why you can’t suddenly decide to run the Sonos sub with different speakers to the ones you initially bond it to, without first breaking that bond.
Yes, it would be a nice to have feature but I don’t see it happening.
This doesn’t seem like a good argument. Isn’t the point of a “smart speaker” that it can do things a regular speaker can’t…
Sonos doesn’t lay out future plans, if they even exist, so no updates on feasibility from Sonos.
No, the new Sub Mini does not have this functionality, either.
Speaking personally, I wouldn’t expect anyone at Sonos to be excited about implementing this, it would certainly cost them some undefined number of sales.
I have a completely different point of view. I don't buy a Beam or other playbar as long as that's not possible. I'd rather buy a different manufacturer's system before putting a second sub in the living room (one for two Fives and another for home theater)
What manufacturer allows you to use a single wireless sub with two different sound systems? Or are you saying you’d rather have 2 systems from 2 manufacturers rather than 2 systems from 2 different manufacturers.
I agree that Sonos is very unlikely to ever do this (as I’m sure I said before in this thread). There seem to be two use cases. The first is for people who want to move the sub to different rooms regularly.
The second is for people who want 2 Sonos rooms in the same physical room. One Sonos room is for music, and the second for TV, with the sub bonded between them. Lots of reasons why this won’t happen.
- It’s development costs that doesn’t result in increased sales.
- It’s not the right solution technically. It would make more sense to allow customers to set thiis setup as one room, with different speakers playing for music or for home theatre (though still not the best idea)
- It’s not a very good sales pitch. “Or soundbars aren’t good for music, so we made it so you guy 2 more speakers that are good for music!”. While other manufacturers continue to say they soundbars play music well.
- The rumor is that Sonos is working on speakers that are like Five with Atmos upfringing channels. Assuming this is true and works with home theatre, that would be the solution you want, not a hybrid work around solution. So Sonos would be working on a solution, just not the solution you think you want.
So it appears that I owe Sonos an apology. On Sonos controller version 12.0.6, If you select the room that the sub is currently assigned to in settings, and select ‘remove sub’ you can immediately assign the hub to a new speaker group (room) without re-pairing. This accomplishes, at least for me, what I need the system to do and quickly group the sub with the supporting speaker groups based on music or multimedia playback.
+1
I have a Ray as a PC monitor and would like to change “scenes” from when I use my TV with Arc.
Two Subs is not an option + I have a handful of other sonos speakers that also wants to be shared.
I wouldn't plan on this ever coming to fruition. It's been requested since the first Sub a decade ago, and there's never been an inkling it is even possible, never mind in the works.
Sonos doesn't implement it because it's not possible. The connection to a Sub or surrounds is a special ad hoc one way 5GHz direct connection. Which is why it takes time to reconfigure the radio and perform the handshake necessary for this special connection. Also, it's simply not possible to have two of these direct connections at once to a single sub.
But go ahead and search for a wireless multi-room home audio system which does allow you to assign a sub to more than one room. Let us know what you find.
I just ordered the in ceiling speakers with the sonos amp. I plan on using it for music. I’m going to see how it sounds for tv speakers paired with the sub. If not ideal I’d plan on getting a sound bar and with the feature of pairing the sub to multiple groups would have me consider getting the beam over another sound bar.
I too would like to be added the the list for notification when this feature is available.
I want this feature too (so badly)!
Hello,
For me it is also difficult to understand that SONOS is not willing to implement this function. I currently also use a stereo pair Play5:2 together with a sub as a stereo system in the living room and am considering buying an Arc together with a new TV. It cannot be that this constellation should then only be feasible with two Sub.
For example, if a analogue turntable is connected to the analog input of a Play5:2, the system automatically changes the input to analogue when the turntable is activated.
It would be pretty much the same if the television is switched on while connected to a beam or an Arc. This means that the existing sub should then automatically be assigned to the Beam or to the Arc. If music is switched on again (for example with the stereo pair Play5:2), the sub should then be reassigned to the stereo pair. You rarely get the idea of listening to music and watching TV in the same room at the same time.
In this case, it is not about different rooms, but about a room with two zones.
Before I put two sub in my living room, I buy a soundbar from another manufacturer together with a subwoofer for less money than an Arc without a Sub alone.
My constellation is also comparable. In our living room a pair of Play5 are operated together with a sub. I would buy a beam if it would be possible to group the Sub in different scenes in one room. I don't think this should be rocket science. In a room, the source is also changed automatically if, for example, a signal is present at an analog input. Then there is also output via Play5 and Sub.
As long as this option is not available, the beam will remain in the shop window at the dealer 👎
I read the thread, I just don’t buy that explanation. Maybe I’m wrong, but I work professionally in tv and film, and it just seems like it should be doable.
Like, if a mixer is mixing a video, they definitely have the flexibility to play back audio either as 5.1 or 2.0 and still make use of a sub in both scenarios while using all the same speakers. There’s definitely less flexibility in the sonos system.
Maybe there’s a hardware limitation, but it seems like more of a software/programming limitation to me. It shouldn’t be that complicated.
It seems like a feature they’d be able to build if they wanted to.
You don’t buy objective facts? As stated before: The connection to a Sub or surrounds is a special ad hoc one way 5GHz direct connection. Which is why it takes time to reconfigure the radio and perform the handshake necessary for this special connection. Also, it's simply not possible to have two of these direct connections at once to a single sub.
These are facts, not an “explanation”. Disagreeing with them is like disagreeing water is wet. Also, comparing them to a fully wired system isn’t apples and oranges, it’s apples and satellite dishes.
In addition, I find it telling that the Sonoseqncer app does all sorts of things the Sonos app doesn’t - pair unlike models, set levels across groups, set levels across all speakers, etc. One thing it does not do is quickly and easily switch a Sub from one configuration to another, or have it bonded to more than one room at once. If it is “more of a software/programming limitation” the rule breaking people behind the Sonoseqncer app probably would have done it by now.
Another +1 here. This would be massive bonus. I have outdoor speakers, that lack bass, if these could be added to the sub in the inside room would be huge improvement. Sonos please consider this. Happy to beta test.
Can’t agree more!!
I have the HT setup as well as a BEAM and another pair of Play 1 for music. It’s not about the money for another SUB, but actually my living room is not big enough and has no additional space for it.
+3
I decided that being able to use my sub gen2 both connected to my stereo pair fives and also my beam (which is in same physical room to my fives) was never going to happen. So I purchased a sub mini for the beam and another sub mini for my ray. Costly solution but happy with the results across the board.
Ross.
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