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I would like to connect to my Play 1 as my main computer speaker however I don’t see it in my Sound Preferences. 

I have 2 Play 1s, a Connect and a Beam. I have all devices connected on my iPhone and can see them in the Sonos app and through Airplay. However I can’t see the Play 1 in my Preferences, only the Connect and Beam. However, I can connect to the Play 1 in certain apps, like Spotify, through Airplay (on the desktop/MBP, the phone is fine). It shows up on the Spotify app, but not in my System Preferences as a sound source. 

Is something wrong with my set-up or is it not designed to connect this way? 

I’m running Monterey 12.1

It may have something to do with the Play:1 not being compatible with AirPlay. Because of this, you cannot AirPlay directly to the Play:1, but you can AirPlay to an AirPlay-compatible Sonos speaker and group the Play:1 with that speaker.

Read more here:
https://support.sonos.com/s/article/1230?language=en_US

Hi GuitarSuperstar, thanks for the reply.

But I’m able to connect directly to the Play:1 on the computer, using the Spotify app. Are you saying I’m not actually connecting directly, I’m actually connecting to my Connect and it’s routing it to the Play:1? Something like that? 

Hi GuitarSuperstar, thanks for the reply.

But I’m able to connect directly to the Play:1 on the computer, using the Spotify app. Are you saying I’m not actually connecting directly, I’m actually connecting to my Connect and it’s routing it to the Play:1? Something like that? 

The Spotify app uses Spotify Connect to play music to your Sonos speakers over WiFi. It’s not the same as AirPlay. The Play:1 is compatible with Spotify Connect.

I’m not sure why you can see the Connect as an AirPlay speaker since it is not compatible with AirPlay either. Are you using a Port instead of a Connect?

Oh I see, Spotify has it’s own way of connecting. 

Looking more closely in the Sound preferences, I think what I’m seeing is actually the Beam (I need to do a better job of naming my devices). I guess that is Airplay compatible. The other devices I see are Apple TVs. 

So why isn’t the Play:1 compatible? My Spotify can connect on the same computer where the OS can’t? That’s insane. 

So why isn’t the Play:1 compatible? My Spotify can connect on the same computer where the OS can’t? That’s insane. 

The Play:1 is an older generation Sonos speaker that came out in October 2013, long before Sonos began supporting AirPlay in July 2018.

You might consider taking advantage of the Sonos Upgrade Program and getting a discount on a newer, AirPlay-compatible Sonos speaker: https://www.sonos.com/en-us/upgrade

Well, I understand that it’s an older gen device, but there are ways, I’d imagine. It does work on my computer, though with Spotify. Does it mean that the Spotify connect was designed before 2013? Or is this more on the Mac side of things? Doesn’t Sonos upgrade the firmware? 

Anyway, I appreciate your input, thanks a lot.

As for upgrading, I don’t think I’d go that far. I only purchased these a few years ago. 

No, Sonos does not upgrade the electrical chips inside the speakers once they’re manufactured. They do update, when possible, the software that runs on those chipsets. This is why there are two different versions of the Sonos software, S1 which runs on speakers that have limited memory inside them, and S2, which runs on newer devices with more RAM and faster CPUs. 

Not sure when the Spotify Connect system was written, but it uses a completely different software path than AirPlay 2 does, and the chipsets on the older devices just don’t have the speed/memory needed to run the AirPlay 2 signal. 

OK got it. I knew the devices were being updated, I didn’t realize the limitations of the older devices. Thanks guys. 

 

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