Greetings!
Complete newbie here looking for some guidance. If I lay out my initial needs, can you point me in the right direction?
Firstly, my wife bought me a Crosley turntable for my birthday. I have no existing speakers, and up until this point, the extent of my music listening experience has been through the Pandora app on my Smart TV, or iTunes on my cheap little Bluetooth speaker. I know, I know, but we all have to start somewhere, right? Anyway, I bought a phono preamp for my turntable, so now I just need to figure out my set-up.
The turntable will most probably reside in my home office, which is upstairs away from the rest of the house. I say “probably” because that’s where I’ll get the most use out of it for now, but it’s possible that eventually I’ll want to move it downstairs once my kids get older, and my wife figures out our furniture needs (we only recently moved in to this house, and we don’t have much).
So, the obvious choice appears to be to purchase a Play:5 to hook up to the turntable in my office (via the phono preamp), and then maybe purchase one Play:1 to position downstairs in the living room, and then another Play:1 to position in the sunroom, or occasionally move outside for parties in the backyard.
What concerns me most about going straight to the Play:5, is the fact that my home office (where it will live) is tiny. The space is only approximately 12ft x 10ft, so having such a powerful speaker in that small room seems like somewhat of a waste. I should also say we have quite a small house, at approximately 3,000 square feet overall.
Lastly, when I’m not in my home office, it’s unlikely I’ll be using the turntable. Instead, I’ll probably be using Pandora or Spotify, to have as background music while downstairs cooking/eating with the family, or when I have guests over for a party.
Sorry for the long-winded overview, but does anyone see any other option besides what I’ve suggested with 1xPlay:5, + 2xPlay:1s?
Many thanks!
Question
Excited to get started, but is this what you would do?
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No, because the 5 is the only speaker with the line in jack needed to get the TT to work with Sonos. And I suggest using the 1 units in stereo pair mode in the most often used listening area, breaking it up only when music must be also extended to other places.
The 5 may be a slight overkill, but certainly not a waste for the room.
The 5 may be a slight overkill, but certainly not a waste for the room.
Thanks for the swift response!
Glad to hear I'm on the right track, but what if I were to purchase a Connect to line in to the TT, and then purchase 4xPlay:1s in total?
I could place 2xPlay:1s in my office for the TT (to achieve the stereo pair mode you recommend), and then place the other 2 downstairs.
I'm just curious if that's an alternative direction worth considering?
Glad to hear I'm on the right track, but what if I were to purchase a Connect to line in to the TT, and then purchase 4xPlay:1s in total?
I could place 2xPlay:1s in my office for the TT (to achieve the stereo pair mode you recommend), and then place the other 2 downstairs.
I'm just curious if that's an alternative direction worth considering?
But wouldn't the Connect + 4 Play:1 cost more than the Play:5 + 2 Play:1? Also, aside from the stereo separation (which in a small space would probably be only a slight advantage), the Play:5 sound is definitely better.
Put the turntable downstairs and make it a visually appealing piece of the decor in the living room. Hook it up to a 5. Put the 1 in your office and the other 1 in your sun room or kitchen. After a week or so, you will get two more 1's to make each location a stereo pair which you will sometimes break when you want to move a 1 to the backyard.
Yes, it would cost an extra $250, so I'm not overly concerned with that (the wife will sanction this!). Good to know that the Play:5 will sound better than 2xPlay:1s.
Thanks!
Again, start the way you are planning; in time you will almost certainly add more Sonos kit at which times consider redeploying existing kit as well, in line with your changing needs.
I love the idea of having the TT downstairs as part of the decor, and that was my original plan, but in reality, I don't think it's an option right now. I have three young kids, and when they're home (which is most of the time), I wouldn't get a chance to enjoy the vinyl the way I like to enjoy it.
I've found that owning and playing vinyl records is a great way to learn about the history of the band and the album. I enjoy learning about the nuances of the records, such as where it was recorded, how it was produced, intricate details of the relationships between the band members, etc.
I also like the fact that every 30 minutes or so I have to get out of my chair to go and flip the record over. I doubt I'd go all the way downstairs to do the same 🙂
I would put the turntable and a play5 in the office and then play1 scattered all over the house (as your budget allows) then a connect amp for an outdoor speaker for the backyard (again as the budget allows). - Kris 🙂
Why do you recommend an outdoor speaker as opposed to a couple more Play:1s outside? So the outdoor speakers can be placed permanently? I can see the benefit of that...as opposed to having to move the Play:1s back and forth all summer. Let me know if there's another benefit to this...perhaps more weather resistant?
Also, why the Connect:amp vs. the Connect for this purpose?
Lastly, is there an outdoor speaker you recommend for this set-up? (Why doesn't Sonos make an outdoor speaker?)
Moving any speaker even one as small as a play1 inside and out all the time will get old fast. Another thing is if their is a source of water around ie; pool, garden hose, rain,humidity or even someone who spills a drink you don't need the speaker getting a bath. I said connect amp because I assume you don't have an amp to driver the speaker. I don't know why Sonos does not have an outdoor speaker and for all I know maybe they have one in the works. Who knows? I have and recommend Polk Atrium8 SDI outdoor speakers. They sound terrific and are worthy of being with a Sonos equipped home. - Kris 🙂
I'd say yes to an outdoor set up driven by a Connect Amp inside if you are often out of doors. I use and therefore endorse a Bose 251 pair, but there is a lot of choice; which is why Sonos doesn't make them, it would be a me too product. And making a wireless active powered speaker with outdoor capability is probably too complex a task for the market size and priorities as Sonos has defined them.
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