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Playbar + Connect AMP to power 2 bookshelf and powered amp


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I considered adding Connect AMP in surround mode with bookshelf speakers to Playbar. But I learned that disables the 2V sub output signal to a third party powered sub. If I keep the AMP and bookshelves in stereo mode, and hence use the sub, and then combine the two zones (Playbar+AMP), will the two combined zones work well for watching TV?
I moved to a larger space, I would like to add two bookshelf speakers to compliment the sound from Playbar, since I already have the Connect amp and powered sub. I know this works well for music, not sure about theater/movie.

Best answer by Jeff S

Ivanhoe wrote:
I considered adding Connect AMP in surround mode with bookshelf speakers to Playbar. But I learned that disables the 2V sub output signal to a third party powered sub. If I keep the AMP and bookshelves in stereo mode, and hence use the sub, and then combine the two zones (Playbar+AMP), will the two combined zones work well for watching TV?
I moved to a larger space, I would like to add two bookshelf speakers to compliment the sound from Playbar, since I already have the Connect amp and powered sub. I know this works well for music, not sure about theater/movie.


Hi Ivanhoe,

You could certainly group together the CONNECT:AMP and PLAYBAR. They'll work great for music, but when listening to TV audio, there may be a slight delay in the CONNECT:AMP's audio. This is because the PLAYBAR usually uses a 5 ghz antenna to send low-latency audio from the TV, and the CONNECT:AMP doesn't have a 5 ghz antenna.

There is another option though. You can actually set up the CONNECT:AMP such that it acts as rear speakers for the PLAYBAR in a surround setup. To do so, you'd need to either connect the CONNECT:AMP to the PLAYBAR with an ethernet cable, or wire both the units into your network with an ethernet cable. This allows the PLAYBAR to send the low-latency TV audio to the CONNECT:AMP in lieu of a 5 ghz antenna. Here's some more information on this setup.
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6 replies

Jeff S
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  • Retired Sonos Staff
  • 7088 replies
  • Answer
  • August 16, 2018
Ivanhoe wrote:
I considered adding Connect AMP in surround mode with bookshelf speakers to Playbar. But I learned that disables the 2V sub output signal to a third party powered sub. If I keep the AMP and bookshelves in stereo mode, and hence use the sub, and then combine the two zones (Playbar+AMP), will the two combined zones work well for watching TV?
I moved to a larger space, I would like to add two bookshelf speakers to compliment the sound from Playbar, since I already have the Connect amp and powered sub. I know this works well for music, not sure about theater/movie.


Hi Ivanhoe,

You could certainly group together the CONNECT:AMP and PLAYBAR. They'll work great for music, but when listening to TV audio, there may be a slight delay in the CONNECT:AMP's audio. This is because the PLAYBAR usually uses a 5 ghz antenna to send low-latency audio from the TV, and the CONNECT:AMP doesn't have a 5 ghz antenna.

There is another option though. You can actually set up the CONNECT:AMP such that it acts as rear speakers for the PLAYBAR in a surround setup. To do so, you'd need to either connect the CONNECT:AMP to the PLAYBAR with an ethernet cable, or wire both the units into your network with an ethernet cable. This allows the PLAYBAR to send the low-latency TV audio to the CONNECT:AMP in lieu of a 5 ghz antenna. Here's some more information on this setup.

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  • Trending Lyricist I
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  • August 16, 2018
Hi Jeff, in my original question, I did not want to lose the subwoofer output. By adding Connect Amp as rears, "The Subwoofer output and Line-In connections are disabled when using the Connect:Amp in this configuration."

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  • Author
  • Trending Lyricist I
  • 12 replies
  • August 16, 2018
and yes, the connect amp will be wired with Network cable to Playbar

Jeff S
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  • Retired Sonos Staff
  • 7088 replies
  • August 16, 2018
Ivanhoe wrote:
Hi Jeff, in my original question, I did not want to lose the subwoofer output. By adding Connect Amp as rears, "The Subwoofer output and Line-In connections are disabled when using the Connect:Amp in this configuration."


That's correct. When set up to act as rear speakers, the subwoofer output is disabled in order to prioritize the low-latency TV audio stream.

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  • Author
  • Trending Lyricist I
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  • August 16, 2018
And for music playback, will the connect amp revert back to stereo and send subwoofer signal?

Jeff S
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  • Retired Sonos Staff
  • 7088 replies
  • August 16, 2018
Ivanhoe wrote:
And for music playback, will the connect amp revert back to stereo and send subwoofer signal?


Not while set up as rear speakers. There's an option for full playback from rear speakers when listening to music, but the sub output will still be disabled unless the CONNECT:AMP is removed from the rear speaker configuration.

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