Will it be possible to pair a ‘One’ with a Play:1 to create a stereo pair?

Hi everyone, thanks for sharing your feedback and voice. The official answer on this topic is in the thread, but it's a bit buried at this point. To be clear, the Sonos One can be used with all Sonos players. It can control what's playing on itself and other rooms with voice, where available. However, Sonos One will only pair with another Sonos One if you are looking to set it up as a stereo pair or as part of a surround setup, it can't bond with a Play:1.While the Play:1 and Sonos One share a similar appearance and sound, the two are aesthetically and acoustically two different speakers. Stereo pairing the two is not possible through the Sonos app.This comes down to the hardware in the players themselves. You're going to start seeing more differences between the Play:1 and the Sonos One when it comes to features in the future, as new things are added to the system that might not be compatible with older hardware. We strive to keep products working with core functionality for as long as possible. As we add new features, older products may have more limitations. You might have heard recently that we're bringing Airplay 2 to Sonos on a selection of players. The Sonos One will be available as an Airplay 2 target, but the Play:1 will not be. The first Sonos players ever, the ZP100, is still out there rocking today, so don't worry about the life of your Play:1s. That one won't be an Airplay 2 target either, but you'd be able to group a Sonos One with a ZP100 and play Airplay 2 to both, just like with a Play:1. The group is different from stereo bonding.There are some community suggestions for ways to bond a Play:1 with a Sonos One, mentioned in this thread, but they aren't officially recommended. They may work for what you're looking for, but the setup could potentially be unstable.Thanks again everyone for sharing, and we'll make sure the team knows this is still something you'd like to see happen, but there aren't any plans to share on bonding a Play:1 and Sonos One as a pair.

Play:1 stereo pair with Sonos One

How does having the Alexa Mic's built-in to the top of the speaker compare to having a separate Echo Dot when it comes to your voice commands being heard?

Common sense would suggest that it would be easier for an Echo Dot, placed away from the actual speaker, to hear voice commands better than the Mic's built-in to the speaker of the ONE?

Maybe this has been solved by the use of clever Mic's or Algorithms, but as most people don't sit right next to the speakers, then for me at least I'd have thought having a Dot positioned closer to myself than speakers would make voice control more effective?

Not having to tell which speaker to play on after each command is an advantage of the ONE, but if there could be a default speaker/group/pair option that could be configured in the settings of the Sonos app that would remove that issue, as again, I only have one pair of Play 1's and so obviously I'd only ever want the music to be played on those, so having to say "...in the kitchen" at the end of every command is a bit annoying.

I guess I could test this out by putting my Dot on top of one of my speakers and testing out the effectiveness of the voice control! 😃

Another thing I have just noticed, I asked Alexa to "play songs by Elbow in the Kitchen" and then said "Alexa, pause", the music did stop, but then when I said "Alexa, play" it started playing a previous playlist on the actual Echo Dot.

I then realised I have to say "Alexa, resume" if I want to continue listening to songs by Elbow in the kitchen.

I guess that makes sense, but again I wish there was a default setting, to tell Alexa to play all audio via my Sonos speakers, so for example when I'm listening to music on my Sonos speakers and ask Alexa the time, the response will come from the Sonos Speakers not the Echo Dot.

I imagine having to support Alexa voice control on existing speakers caused added complications that delayed the feature, as if Sonos were just having to create a new speaker with Alexa voice control built-in, and not have to worry about backwards compatibility with older Sonos speakers it would have been easier to implement.

As it stands now, the implementation isn't fully consistent, which I guess is unavoidable.

OK, from what I'm reading here, if I want to make my kitchen setup (single Play:1) into a stereo pair I should get a PLAY:1, not a Sonos:One. When the new Sonos:One was announced I was curious if I could benefit from the voice control here, but I guess not. Well, prices seem to be coming down on the PLAY:1 and they are offered used more and more which is the upside to this.

I agree with the majority here. I have a 5.1 setup in my living room and a Play:1 in the bedroom and kitchen. I already have all the speakers I can reasonably use in my place, but I'd be willing buy a One to swap into my 5.1 setup and take the hit (likely ~50% of the original price) selling off a Play:1 in order to get voice control.

However I would not be prepared to replace both my 5.1 surrounds, and as others have mentioned, having two voice control speakers in the same room is pretty pointless. If I was ever to replace a second Play:1 it would be the one in the bedroom.

I'm sure that sonically the Play:1 and the One are close enough to work seamlessly as a mismatched pair. Perhaps just provide a caveat message in the app when setting up that this is not officially supported / won't provide a quite optimal experience / etc when compared to a matched pair.

Google Assistant is my voice ecosystem of choice anyway, so I'm holding off until Sonos add this in 2018. Hopefully by then they'll have caved in to pressure and allowed us to mix Play:1s and Ones!

Hopefully by then they'll have caved in to pressure and allowed us to mix Play:1s and Ones!

I doubt that very much; IMO a safer bet is that they will stop making play 1s in time.

I can't see why not being able to mix should be such a big matter seeing how easily and cheaply voice control can be obtained just as well by a Dot if there isn't the space/need for a Sonos One either singly or as a pair. I also believe that speculating from the outside about why there should be no trouble pairing a 1 and a One is based on vastly incomplete information about the internals/architecture of the two products.

I too would like to see the Sonos One be able to be bonded with the original Play:1. I have 8 Play:1’s and would love to stereo pair them with ones and have Alexa in more places around the house! PLEASE make this possible!!

However I would not be prepared to replace both my 5.1 surrounds, and as others have mentioned, having two voice control speakers in the same room is pretty pointless. If I was ever to replace a second Play:1 it would be the one in the bedroom

Are you sure it's pointless? For larger rooms, having one mic location can get a little difficult. I can see where having 2 can be useful. I haven't tired it yet, but I wouldn't be too surprised if I have a better experience.

I'm sure that sonically the Play:1 and the One are close enough to work seamlessly as a mismatched pair.

Based on what information? The fact that they are around the same size?

Perhaps just provide a caveat message in the app when setting up that this is not officially supported / won't provide a quite optimal experience / etc when compared to a matched pair.

Sonos doesn't really like doing that kind of thing. They don't seem to want to allow the customers to setup the system in a way they know will not sound good. Probably a big reason why they don't do bluetooth.

Personally, I'm hugely disappointed that a One can't be stereo paired with a Play 1, especially given today's press reviews that just about all confirm that both are sonically indistinguishably identical! It also makes no sense that both models have the same RRP. Surely the One should cost more (ignoring current retail discounts)? Here's hoping for something special on Black Friday.

Are you sure it's pointless? For larger rooms, having one mic location can get a little difficult. I can see where having 2 can be useful. I haven't tired it yet, but I wouldn't be too surprised if I have a better experience.

Maybe if your room is really large, but my surrounds sit about 2 metres either side of my central TV watching position. I am going to pick up a Google Home mini and an Echo Dot to mess about with shortly though, so I'll reserve judgement on how well far-field mics work in my particular environment.

Based on what information? The fact that they are around the same size?

Based on the specs sheet and a bunch of early impressions saying it sounds basically the same.

https://www.engadget.com/2017/10/18/sonos-one-review/

The Sonos One uses the same audio components and speakers as those found in the Play:1, but the internal layout had to be completely redesigned in order to fit the microphones.

So yeah, it might not be sonically identical due to the 'internal layout being redesigned' but if the hardware is the same a mismatched pair should be able to be sent exactly the same audio signal as a matched pair. Any differences would be purely acoustic, akin to having one of your pair on a bookshelf and one on a table, for example.

Sonos doesn't really like doing that kind of thing. They don't seem to want to allow the customers to setup the system in a way they know will not sound good. Probably a big reason why they don't do bluetooth.

True, which is a very Apple-ish 'we know better than you' approach and kinda frustrating for a die-hard Android user and tech tinkerer. Luckily AirAudio allows you to stream any system audio source from a rooted Android to Sonos 🙂

Would love to pair a Sonos One and Play:1 in my bedroom. It's not a big enough room that I need two speakers with microphones...

Exactly my thoughts Perhaps SONOS have shot themselves in the foot by making a device that looks like a Play1 and have called it a One.... so its understandable why people want to pair them. If you had called them a Play2 and made them look different there wouldn't be this hastle. Your focus groups must of missed this. So I assume that both the Play 1 and the One will both be available for some time - so that I can finish of pairs with matching speakers....

Are you sure it's pointless? For larger rooms, having one mic location can get a little difficult. I can see where having 2 can be useful. I haven't tired it yet, but I wouldn't be too surprised if I have a better experience.

Maybe if your room is really large, but my surrounds sit about 2 metres either side of my central TV watching position. I am going to pick up a Google Home mini and an Echo Dot to mess about with shortly though, so I'll reserve judgement on how well far-field mics work in my particular environment.

Based on what information? The fact that they are around the same size?

Based on the specs sheet and a bunch of early impressions saying it sounds basically the same.

https://www.engadget.com/2017/10/18/sonos-one-review/

The Sonos One uses the same audio components and speakers as those found in the Play:1, but the internal layout had to be completely redesigned in order to fit the microphones.

So yeah, it might not be sonically identical due to the 'internal layout being redesigned' but if the hardware is the same a mismatched pair should be able to be sent exactly the same audio signal as a matched pair. Any differences would be purely acoustic, akin to having one of your pair on a bookshelf and one on a table, for example.

Sonos doesn't really like doing that kind of thing. They don't seem to want to allow the customers to setup the system in a way they know will not sound good. Probably a big reason why they don't do bluetooth.

True, which is a very Apple-ish 'we know better than you' approach and kinda frustrating for a die-hard Android user and tech tinkerer. Luckily AirAudio allows you to stream any system audio source from a rooted Android to Sonos :)

Sonos said in one of the announcements here that the new One is revamped with only the base and power input the same so expecting to pair the 1 and One is not realistic. The play 1 has been around a while so it would be likely that they would update the player.

Agree with the majority here - I have been waiting for this product to stereo pair with my existing Sonos. Will sell it now and go all in on Google home because I don't want to wait for a year for a Google smart speaker that I can't even pair with my old one.

Waiting for this product? Were you psychic? Because the product wasn't announced until two weeks ago, and it was stated shortly after launch it could not be paired with a Play:1. And now because their speakers can only be paired with the same model, you are dumping Sonos for Google? Uh, you do realise that Google can't pair any of their speakers at all?

Another vote for the Sonos One be able to be bonded with the original Play:1. I was disappointed today when I discovered this was not possible.

according to the verge, "Sonos says it might change this with a future update if enough customers want it"

https://www.theverge.com/circuitbreaker/2017/10/18/16490866/sonos-one-speaker-review-alexa

I definitely want to link to an existing play:1 in my kitchen due to the layout I only need one mic.

Exactly. I really only need one speaker with mic and Alexa/GH/Siri...and the rest can be Play:1. I hope you do Sonos! I see the same sentiment being echoed in other Sonos forums on the innerweb.

I have to agree as well. I already have a Play:1 and had been holding off buying a second in hopes that Sonos would release either an Airplay compatible or voice-enabled speaker. Not being able to pair this with my existing Play:1 or my Play:5 is disappointing.

I can almost see pairing with a Play:1 because they sort of look alike, despite having different hardware, but what makes one think it would pair with a Play:5 that is 4 times the size with a completely different sound?

Are you talking about grouping? Grouping is different from pairing. Pairing is bonding the two together as one room, with each unit playing the right or left channel of the stereo signal. Grouping is just grouping rooms together to play in sync. All Sonos devices can be grouped, including the oldest models all the way to the new One.

I got my Sonos One today and have been taking very careful notice of how it sounds. It is nearly identical in size and shape to the Play:1, and to my untrained ear, it sounds identical. I attempted to pair them into a stereo pair, but we are not allowed to as they are different devices.

However, because these speakers are so close to each other, it make absolute sense to do this. In fact, such a pair would necessarily be in somewhat close proximity to each other. To have two Alexa devices in the same location makes no sense whatsoever. Having one Alexa enabled and one not Alexa enabled makes a lot of sense.

Please provide the ability to stereo pair Play 1 and Sonos One devices.

Make it so Sonos. I own 7 play 1's and would buy more Play One's if they paired with Play 1's. Everyone clear on this? Good.

Lol. Beam me up as well, to a world where this happens instantly.

I would love to be able to make a stereo pair out of Play:One and Sonos:One. I already own two Play1s (in a stero pair). If I could buy two Sonos:One's then I could make mixed stereo pairs and have voice control in two rooms instead of just one. Please make it so, Sonos! Without the ability to mix them, I'm sticking with just one new speaker instead of two, which sadly won't be in stereo but I'm still looking forward to getting voice control in one room.

I don’t understand why this can’t directly replace a play one in a pair or surround scenario. I don’t need more than one Alexa in the room but would LOVE to have the voice command integration as part of my primary listening space and port to the surround setup. As far as I can tell, the acoustics aren’t so different that it would sound wrong if there were even any changes to the audio components at all that is.

Was just about to buy two Play Ones but after realising they can’t be paired with Play 1s I have changed my mind. More lost sales for Sonos..

As mentioned in another thread, customer desire for this capability has reached the top within Sonos. Sonos' CEO tweeted the other day that they are considering allowing the Play:1 and Sonos One speakers to be paired with each other, and to "stay tuned". That's not confirmation that it will happen, but it's at least promising to know that our voices are being heard on this matter. 🙂

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