Skip to main content
Answered

How to use Sonos Five and Sub-mini via bluetooth

  • December 20, 2024
  • 3 replies
  • 1388 views
R

Just got these two components set up via the app and later realized I could not play movies, etc… via bluetooth connection from a laptop. Why? I tried the 3.5mm cable to the Five but the sound was terrible and the lag was nearly three seconds delayed. I found a potential solution online in which I could use a Roam speaker as a bluetooth waypoint and link it to the Five and sub. Have others set this up and been happy with it?

The sound and style of the speakers is great but if I cannot use for bluetooth I’ll jave to return everything. 

Best answer by jgatie

The Sonos Five has no Bluetooth capabilities.  You would need to connect a Bluetooth receiver to the Five’s Line-In, or group the Five with a Bluetooth capable Sonos speaker (Roam, Move 2, Era 100/300).

Note: Either method is not ideal for video sync and will probably cause the audio to lag behind the video.  In short, using a Sonos device for video playback is not optimal, aside from the units meant for TV (and even those aren’t meant for connection to a PC/Mac).  

This topic has been closed for further comments. You can use the search bar to find a similar topic, or create a new one by clicking Create Topic at the top of the page.

3 replies

jgatie
  • jgatie
  • Answer
  • December 20, 2024

The Sonos Five has no Bluetooth capabilities.  You would need to connect a Bluetooth receiver to the Five’s Line-In, or group the Five with a Bluetooth capable Sonos speaker (Roam, Move 2, Era 100/300).

Note: Either method is not ideal for video sync and will probably cause the audio to lag behind the video.  In short, using a Sonos device for video playback is not optimal, aside from the units meant for TV (and even those aren’t meant for connection to a PC/Mac).  

R
  • RockinPDX
  • Author
  • Contributor I
  • December 20, 2024

That’s disappointing. Is there any way to configure the sound to sync via the app? This seems like a big missed opportunity for Sonos. 

jgatie
  • jgatie
  • December 20, 2024

That’s disappointing. Is there any way to configure the sound to sync via the app? This seems like a big missed opportunity for Sonos. 

 

Not unless your video player allows you to delay the video.  Bottom line is, because Sonos is a multi-room system, it must buffer the source in order to maintain reliable sync between rooms/devices.  The TV specific devices use a low latency, one-way 5 GHz direct connection to subs/surrounds to keep that buffer small enough for most people to not notice any lip sync (I can barely see it and I’m very sensitive to lip sync problems).  However, this is only possible in a Home Theater setup, where the signal doesn’t have to pass through walls or ceilings. 

For normal music or Line-In sources (and rooms grouped with a TV source), the buffer has to be larger because the signal is expected to travel a longer distance through walls and ceilings, so you get the detectable delay when trying to sync the signal with any video.  This is why using the Sonos speakers designed for music as video speakers (or any other live performance type stuff) is not recommended.

Terms & ConditionsCookie settingsAccessibility statement