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Hi all

Can I just check I am correct?

My son nicked a couple of old Play 1s we werent using and added them into his bedroom… fine for playing music from the Sonos app.

He wants to be able to have the sound from his gaming and any movies he watches from his Mac Mini to come out of the speakers as the monitor speakers are poor… this means we need speakers enabled with Airplay right?

So if I pciked up a couple of Sonos Ones (Gen 1 or 2), a Beam (Gen 1 or 2) on ebay that would work? Is there anything I need to be aware of?

Thanks

Hi @GilesHicks 

Welcome to the Sonos Community! And, apologies for the delay.

Yes, your son could AirPlay to a compatible speaker (like Sonos One) and either use it alone, or group-in the Play:1s too.

I would recommend a Beam over Ones though - AirPlay is restricted to stereo when playing to non-Apple devices, and a soundbar is better-equipped to play computer audio anyway, due to it having an input socket. Although AirPlay works to keep the audio and picture in sync, it’s not always successful, so having a direct connection can improve matters.

Please be aware that you cannot connect a Beam directly to a source device with HDMI - it must connect to a device (usually a TV) that supplies HDMI-ARC (or eARC in the case of Beam (Gen 2)), or use a (supplied) optical adaptor. With optical, the source device must have an optical output (which only older versions of Mac Mini have). You may be able to find a macOS-compatible USB sound device that supplies optical output if the Mac Mini your son has does not have the port.

The good news is that if you get a Beam, your son could bond the Play:1s he already has to it, resulting in a 5.0 surround sound system at no additional cost other than the Beam itself.

A Beam (Gen 2) is recommended over a Beam (Gen 1). The second generation supports Atmos, will support Ace, and is slightly improved overall with extra RAM and CPU resources and a newer look. Note that Atmos is not available when using optical.

I recommend a visit to our official eBay stores - all devices are refurbished and come with full warranties!

I hope this helps.

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