Ethernet vs Wireless or a combination of the two? Best Route to go

In general, given an ‘ideal’-ish WiFi situation, the design is to be wireless, as a primary, and secondarily wired. For a Home theater room, I always suggest wireless (all radios/wifi on for all speakers), although the soundbar can be wired. This tends to avoid any potential (albeit slight, IMHO) delays between the soundbar and the Sub(s) and surround satellites due to transit through the extra network device. Not all network devices, however, present this as an issue, nor, as near as I can tell, all ears. 

My recommendation is, if you’re happy with your system as is, you shouldn’t change it. There’s no benefit. The system is designed to find the lowest latency connection and use it, as near as I can tell, but there shouldn’t be any ‘benefit’ one way, the other, or even mixed, as you have. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

Just an opinion. 

Have you configured the STP settings on the managed switches?

https://support.sonos.com/en-gb/article/configure-stp-settings-to-work-with-sonos

I’ve been straight Wi-Fi for over 5 years. The new Sonos products are designed for wireless environments, and some will not join a wired Sonos network correctly called “Sonosnet”. Sonos has always had a “love/hate” relationship with switches especially managed switches.

As we don’t know what Sonos products you own, I can’t say which products can be wired and which cannot. I can suggest that if there is a Sonos Bridge involved it should be removed (Click here).

I recommend you review the information in this link to help determine the direction you want to move.

Thanks Bruce for the input.

The reality is that I ‘think’ there is an issue …. well a self generated issue that is. The swapping out of the old switches for new managed ones has created instability that did not exist on the previous 90% wired system.

To be honest my first incorrect assumption was that it was the new app. Whilst I think there are some issues there, the main one does appear be this STP issue. 

It is true that in past we never saw so much as hiccup that I recall. But now? Many issues. 

I think there are discussion threads that go through this Spanning Tree (STP) issue but I have struggled to fine one I can understand and replicate the fix.

The session with Sonos did show (to my surprise) that I was behind on SW updates. I have been doing them but had optioned ‘automatic’ and it seems that had not been happening. So some good news there.

As it goes we will be doing another and I think, the final room within the next few months …. and indeed it will be a home theatre room. After many years of waiting I have the green light to do a complete start to finish HT room! Excited. But also disappointed that the Parkwood TV box seems to be canned … I was hoping do the full fronts, backs and sound bar thing. But of course before going down that road, I was to eliminate this current reliability issue.

Sonos doesn't have a lot the search turns up.

https://support.sonos.com/en-us/article/choose-between-a-wireless-and-wired-sonos-setup

https://support.sonos.com/en-us/article/recommended-settings-for-using-sonos-with-ethernet-networks

Personally, I went from several wired to all wifi a while back and had no issues. It was nice to get the Sonosnet channel back for other uses. I've since added several Sonos that don't use Sonosnet and can't easily be wired and am still quite happy. I only have seven rooms and usually only stream to one at a time so my networking load is pretty low.

I'd recommend anyone try to go all wifi as a first try and only go wired if necessary. You have few options to manage Sonosnet once it is enabled on any device so a nice mesh wifi might prove better in many cases.

Make sure you understand what the "disable wifi" does before activating it as it can be a problem.

https://en.community.sonos.com/tutorials-and-how-to-s-229149/sonos-terminology-6905527#Disable+WiFi

Managed switches can be used, search here for that and Ubiquity and you should find some tips. I decided managed switches were excess hassle for my needs and went back to simple switches Sonos hasn't flagged as problems. 

Nice one …. this is what I need to at least eliminate the mess I have created. 

You sir have planned my near future for me tomorrow. Will give this a crack as wired network has as Bruce mentioned served us very well prior to this problem.

Will report back on impact. Many thanks

As I type slow…

On the TV room, Arc Ultra, a pair of 300s and one or two Subs will not disappoint.

You could go with a multichannel AVR and a bunch of passive speakers fed from the TV and a Port but that sacrifices simplicity and the ability to stream Atmos music, something I find I really like.

We have 5 Amps, an ARC, 2 Play Ones (which have to be wireless to the ARC), an older Connect:Amp, two Ports, 5 3rd Gen Sub Woofers, a Five and a Roam presently. Looking to do an HT room early next year as mentioned earlier. 

These have to date all been wired par the Play Ones. No Bridges.

Many thanks for that link. I have to confess I’ve never seen that and went RJ45 for everything years back a bit out of instinct rather than science and research.

We do have a decent wifi system as it goes. a Netgear Orbi RBS853 with an extra 3 satellites added over time….5 in total. The house whilst only a 4 bed semi is made of Staffordshire blue engineering brick so we overdid the wifi spec a bit even though the vast majority of devices are wired….TV’s cameras, etc

Great advice. Appreciated. Unfortunately I didn’t do the research as well as you and spent a slightly stupid amount on the two managed switches assuming (yes I know :-) ) that they would improve my options rather than complicate them. 

I do in fact have a very top end (for the early 2000’s) B&W and Pioneer AVR HT set up which does not disappoint but is looking a little late 90’s and very large and not integrating of course into the considerable Sonos commitment in the rest of the house. 

The set up you describe is where I think we will be but the thought of ERA300 rears and that TV box still pulls me. I’m taking the logic route to says to plan for that and assume it will lands in a couple more years. But that does not negate your recommendation which I think will be the model.