@EASJD15 

The following support document should help. 
https://support.sonos.com/en-ie/article/saved-groups#

I guess I need a better definition of what is the difference between a Group and a Zone in relation to Sonos.  

Thanks, I did try the Group option but it doesn’t work for what I’m trying to do. I have a CD player where with the old app I could make 1 speaker a slave master per se and then tie in the other speakers that way using zones. I could do that with the old app. That way be selecting 1 speaker I could get all of them to play. Now I don’t see how to do it.

@EASJD15 

Not sure, if I really got it what youre intention is, but in autoplay option for the cd input source you can select „include grouped rooms“ next to the selected destination room. 
Btw a room is what in the past was called a zone. And severel rooms/zones playing in sync together is a group. A group can be temporary set up manually or be selected by presets. 

Thank you. Would the Sonos Port be another consideration to possibly simplify?

There is no difference in usability of the analogue input on different Sonos devices. The Era speakers and the Move2 just need the additional Sonos audio to usb c adapter. But functionality is exactly the same. 
To what device with analogue input is your vd player connected actually?

Another device like Port or something else imo just makes sense, if you have the need of its primary suppose besides the analogue input. 
But let me say again… if you were satisfied with input functionality in the past, it should be the same with the new app because Sonos hasn’t changed anything there. 

On the term Zone, Sonos marketing decided to replace that with Room to the confusion of many users. They are directly interchangeable terms, but Zone is slowly fading from use.

If you select your CD player as the source for the device it is connected to (call it Zone or Room) and get it playing you can then add others to it using the Group tool. You must start your Group from the Sonos that is playing your source ot you’ll get what the device you used is playing.

From the new web controller:

Hi, thanks for your reply and clarification. I think what you describe will work but can’t confirm due to internet connection issues with the player, not the Sonos. Will work on that to try to confirm a solution.   

Got the wifi connection figured out.  And hallelujah I got them all to play in sync now! Thank you! It is just super confusing because my speakers already were named after the rooms they were in, so trying to add additional speakers to a Room/Zone is a mess. The key is that as you said going the Group route you can’t add any additional speakers to a Group unless the “source” speaker is already playing. At least I couldn’t. This made my day.