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"I have a large living room (72 m²) with challenging acoustics, and I need the best Sonos setup for optimal sound (audio only, no TV). Here are the room details:"

📐 Room dimensions:

  • Length: 10 meters
  • Width: 7 meters
  • Ceiling height:
    • 4 meters in most of the space
    • 7 meters in the right short wall and the bottom long wall (meters 7 to 10)

🏡 Room materials:

  • Floor: Full stone (granite).
  • Walls: Stone with wooden beams.
  • Right short wall: Full glass (7 meters high, 7 meters wide).

🚪 Doors & Openings:

  • Main door: Left short wall, between meters 2.5 and 4.5.
  • Glass door: Right short wall, between meters 2.5 and 4.5.

🔊 Acoustic challenges:

  • A lot of hard surfaces → High risk of sound reflections and echoes.
  • Large glass wall → Less sound absorption, potential reverberation.
  • High ceilings in some areas → Bass frequencies might get lost.

❓ What is the best Sonos speaker placement to achieve optimal sound quality in this room?

  • Which speakers should I use (Era 300, Sonos Five, Era 100, Sub, etc.)? (Audio only, I don’t watch TV)
  • Where should I position them for the best sound experience?
  • Additionnaly: How can I minimize echo and sound issues caused by my room’s materials?

For critical listening?  A pair of Sonos Fives spaced equidistant and at a 45 to 60 degree angle to the main listening seat, plus a Sub-Mini or Sub.  

Rugs, heavy drapes, tapestry. If you hang a tapestry, include a nice fat absorber behind.

You could define a localized listening area and place stereo speakers on stands in that focused area.

Another approach would be multiple speakers such that you would always be near a L/R pair. You would not have the traditional sound image, but because you would always be relatively close to a pair and you could operate at a relatively lower Volume, minimizing the energy in the multiple reflections. This strategy works reasonably well in live commercial spaces where the goal is ambience.

I asked the Sonos helpdesk and ChatGPT. Here's what they suggested:

 

ChatGPT:

  • 2x Era 300 at the longest wall right, left and right from the fireplace 
  • 4x 100’s at the longest wall left
  • 2x Five in the corners on the shortest wall left 
  • 2x Sub in the middle of each longest wall 

Sonos Helpdesk:

  • 4x Five in each corner 
  • 1x Sub 

So I'm confused 😊 Any Sonos audio expert here to help me decide? 🙏

What is your goal? Focused stereo in a favorite spot or ambience?

​@buzz My goal is to have the best possible ambient sound in the whole room, with the best audio being on the coach 

This is the room, currently there are 4x One SL at the left, 2x Play 3 in the back, and 2x Era 300 and Sub gen 3 on the right. The sound is okay, but not good enough, it lacks power and detail.

This is a tough room for “detail” because it is so live. The bookcase full of record albums is a big help for your couch listening position and the DJ area.

While unconventional, try moving a pair of players to the DJ table, focused toward the couch, when listening on the couch.

Subwoofers are very sensitive to placement in the room. Here is a decent discussion about subwoofer placement. None of your speakers support a second subwoofer. I assume that SUB is bonded with the 300’s. You could add additional SUB(s) to other speakers. This would probably be fun when you are operating in DJ mode.

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