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Through the years I have seen a few ways people have customized their Sonos setups and thought it would be great to start a discussion on the best DIY hacks and tweaks you've all come up with. Whether it's improving sound quality, integrating with other systems, or just making your setup more aesthetically pleasing, I'd love to hear your experiences and ideas!

That being said, we have to say this. Be aware that certain activities such as opening your Sonos device may void the warranty. Please see the terms of use for additional detail.

Some of you may wonder how some of our products come into production, instead of telling you, I thought I would show you two of the prototypes I have seen. These did after all start out as “hacks” one way or another.

 

When I was visiting the Boston office I got to walk along the rows of products being tested and spotted this jenga tower with a cardboard box on top of it. Anyone able to guess what this cardboard box would end up turning into?

How many other products can you spot which the prototype is standing on top of?

 

You most likely all were able to guess it was a Sonos Beam, so what about this one:

If you guessed anything but the Sonos Ace then you would be incorrect. Here is what one of our firmware engineers Harrison said about the picture:

“More of a fun look at the history of development, but this was the first iteration of Ace. Lovingly called P(-1) because our P0 development boards wouldn't arrive for another month, this one atrocity was the most fleshed-out platform for Ace development at the time (early-mid July 2022).

The blue board was a dev board for the BT chip, green boards were for ANC chips, red board was made in our lab and held an IO expander/proximity sensor/level shifter/IMU chip, and the breadboards had mics and other wire nonsense. And yes, we transported it around on a piece of cardboard lol”

Here are a few hacks I've come across browsing Reddit and the community over the years:

  1. Custom Enclosures and Mounts:
    • 3D Printed Brackets: Some users have created custom 3D printed brackets to mount their Sonos speakers on walls or ceilings, optimizing sound distribution and saving space.
    • Custom Enclosures: Building custom enclosures for Sonos components can help integrate them seamlessly into your home decor.
  2. Enhanced Audio Connections:
    • Subwoofer Integration: Hacking a Sonos speaker to connect it to any powered subwoofer can significantly improve bass performance.
  3. Software Tweaks:
  4. Creative Uses:
    • Smart Home Integration: Integrating Sonos with smart home systems like Home Assistant or SmartThings can automate and enhance your audio experience.

Did any of you do any “hack” to your Sonos, or did you have an idea for one you never got around to?

Show it off in the thread below, and let’s see who has the coolest one. Maybe it will even inspire some of us to create that perfect mount for our speaker, or finally get around to setting up a raspberry pi with Home Assistant.

 

Ladies and Gentlemen,

May I present to you a Sonos One mounted on a Play:1 stand, with a little help from a 500mm cable tie:

It’s possible I’ll try an Era 100 in the future.

Possibly the least hackiest hack you will see here 😂


I'm rather fond of my homemade version of a SoundSkin for my Subs.

One is pretty much a clone of the Soundskin using standard speaker grill cloth. It looks quite nice and wasn't hard to sew up by hand.

The second is out of sight so I just made a simple circle of the cloth and slipped it over the Sub. Two cuts, one hand stitched seam and about 10 minutes. Grandkid, dust and critter-proof.

I'll try to remember to post a picture later.


No longer available but making your own is a possibility.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08JCD91D1/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

My TV stand has a large base and the TV cabinet is small. The stand and Arc have to be stacked, making the Arc wobble since the stand isn't flat.

I originally used a couple wood blocks to support the Arc but then saw these. Today I'd get a friend to print something.


Not my hack at all, but I loved ​@chicks custom controller.  I never got the drive to learn and try and build it myself but very cool.

 


No longer available but making your own is a possibility.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08JCD91D1/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

My TV stand has a large base and the TV cabinet is small. The stand and Arc have to be stacked, making the Arc wobble since the stand isn't flat.

I originally used a couple wood blocks to support the Arc but then saw these. Today I'd get a friend to print something.

Good point. I had a friend of mine print a pair of adapters to make my Play:3s sit on a pair of Play:1 stands. A bit more seamless of a hack than ​@Corry Ps zip tie solution. But if it works it works 😉

 

Not my hack at all, but I loved ​@chicks custom controller.  I never got the drive to learn and try and build it myself but very cool.

 

I always wanted to dive into the different controllers you can set up with a pie. The opportunities seem almost endless… But similar to you ​@melvimbe I don’t have the drive to tinker with it. 


Floating Playbar under TV stand on two home made fittings...

 


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