Adding a Sonos 5 to two Sonos One SL(s)

Ok, I’ve got some comments, and they’re going to be all over the place.

First, in the Sonos world, there are specific meanings to the words pair, group, and bond. They all are specific states in the Sonos software for speakers.

You pair speakers from mono to stereo, meaning two speakers, left and right signals, intended to be a relatively permanent thing. This survives software updates and power outages, can be split back up using software.

You group rooms, where each room is speaker, or a stereo set of speakers, or some subset of a 5.1 system. This is intended to be more transient, and changed frequently. Will usually survive software updates, but may not survive power outages. Very easy to do in the controller.

You bond speakers to other speakers in a similar permanence to pairing. A SUB gets bonded to a room so that it plays at the same time, and become part of the room. Surround speakers are bonded to a sound bar, so they play in sync, and become part of that room.

Now, if I understand your desire for ‘depth’, and based on where you’re thinking of placing the speaker, under the bench, what you’re really looking for is more bass. While a PLAY:5 may provide you with a bit more depth, it’s still going to be providing the treble, and may muddle your current stereo separation provided by the Sonos Ones. You’d need to set it up as a separate room, and group the two rooms together. 

What I’d suggest instead, is the addition of a Sonos SUB. This would add some depth to the room, alleviate the Sonos Ones from being responsible for the lower frequencies, and I would think give you the depth you’re looking for.

Fortunately, if you purchase directly from Sonos, there’s a ‘trial’ period, so you could test either solution, and return the product if it doesn’t suit your purpose. 

Hi. Thanks so much. That’s the advice I was after. So if I’ve got this right; I’ve paired the two One SLs (left right) and yes, these are intended to be permanent. Get a sub index the bench - but ‘bond’ it to the two One SLs. Brilliant. I presume this option is available on the app once I have the sub (couldn’t readily see just now) when you click ‘add product’? Then I assume is the eq, volume etc is controlled separately from the two One SLs within the app to achieve good balance (I wasn’t too sure of the room tuning outcome - but appreciate that may have been user error waving my phone about..)

Great answer. Thanks for getting back so quick. 
jimmy

‘Under’ the bench...

Heh, my posts are rife with typos, too… ;) 

Yes, the SUB would be added using the “add a product...” process, and it would guide you through the bonding process, connecting it, in your case, to the Sonos One SL pair. 

Once you added it, I’d recommend a TruePlay pass on the room, as under (or index!) the bench probably wouldn't be considered optimal placement. Then you certainly have the option to boost the volume. I’ve got two SUBs connected in a couple of “home theater” rooms, but under furniture as well, a bed and a couch. I first TruePlayed the room, to get the benefits there, and then slightly boosted the SUB to satisfy my listening habits. 

While I appreciate the TruePlay system, it’s designed to get to an “optimal” point, my listening style is slightly off of optimal.  

Thanks so much. Brilliant advice. I’ll try the TruePlay again; then give it another go when I get the sub. One more question. Not sure what version ‘sub’ Sonos are on now, but do you know if older versions (?) are iOS-airplay compatible? I’m mostly using AirPlay for now (Yeah - I know!). Although there’s the ‘check it out’ option you mentioned, I’ll probably hunt on eBay. Cheers. Jimmy

Jimmy,

There’s only a single version of the SUB so far, just a few ‘skins’ which are hard to find, due to small numbers. Essentially, all SUBs are the same . Since they “bond” to your Sonos One SL, they would get any AirPlay 2 signal from it.

A SUB shouldn’t be thought of as a “room” in a Sonos parlance, it’s alway as extension (slave) of the device it is bonded to. 

Excellent. Thanks Bruce. I’ll let you know how I get on. Don’t know why I haven’t gone this route before. All the best. Jimmy.