Large kitchen/living room - mapped out thoughts - what would you change?

I have done it both ways... some rooms video sound and Sonos are separate systems. Others I use a Connect to feed an A/V receiver. It's all a balance of "ease of use" vs. clutter vs. cost. You are thinking about the right things to get to the answer that is best for your situation.

I still think you have too many speakers for that size space. How about eliminating positions 2 and 7? The sub could be bonded to the 3/6 pair and placed near position 6. You can always add more if that is not enough but I think it would be.

If you are happy with the sound you get for TV, keeping things separate is the way to go.

My suggestions:
1. Position 4 and 5 - a 1 pair if you can find a place for position 4 given the sound bar that is kept there.
2. Position 1 and 8 - a 1 pair with a Sub placed between the two, or, a 5 pair
3. One 5 unit - in the centre of positions 6 and 7, facing the dining area

Note that Sonos speakers play clearer at loud volumes that what their sizes suggest.

This is why I suggested starting with 6 play 1 and adding from there. I would add in pairs though. I would definitely start with 4 in the kitchen and go from there towards the family room. I would put a sub in the kitchen facing towards the dining room. 40ft is a long room. - Kris 🙂

Thanks guys!

Thanks guys!

Forgot that fridge blocking Position 8 (bottom left corner).

Updated map (revision 3):

Thinking of setting up three zones.
Zone 1 (top-upper-left Play 1s)
Zone 2 (bottom-middle Play 5 - used for bass support)
Zone 3 (right-side Play 1s)

That way..
When in kitchen group: Zone 1 & Zone 2
When in dining area group: Zone 1 & Zone 2 & Zone 3... or just use Zone 2
When in family room area group: Zone 2 + Zone 3

... or...

Can do this map (revision 4):

What do you guys thinks?

Also, only place can put dedicated Sonos sub would be Position 4 (upper right corner).
Would you suggest worth it to put sub there, or skip?

Thank you!

My vote is revision 3 and skip the Sub. Note that the 5 will not really provide bass support across the entire space, but will do so in zones 1 and 2. I think you should be fine with this. If a basshead, you can think of Sub later, but the place you have for it isn't ideal. Cross that bridge if it comes.

Well, the only other thing I can think of is put a play1 on top of the fridge. I did this in my kitchen. Sounds great. And then put a sub on the left side of your diagram facing the dining room. Then 2 play1 instead of the play5 in the dining room. Put them across the room from each and not on the same side. Other than that I agree with Kumar and vote for revision 3. -Kris

You mentioned 70 year old parents...is this their home or yours? What are they currently comfortable with as far as controlling the audio in your 5.1 system?

Just some thoughts...
- You may want to look into getting a connect AMP that can utilize your ceiling speakers. You can probably get a switch so that your ceiling speakers can switch between sourcing from the AMP or the JVC. If you don't really care about tv sound through the speakers, then you won't need to worry about it.
- You could get a connect linked to your JVC, but that's going to require input switching on your JVC. Maybe too complicated for your parents.
- I think a playbar/playbase would be a pretty good option. Switching between tv sound and music is pretty seamless. If your parents can select the music source for sonos, then there should be no issue with this. Additionally, you'd be able to play tv sound across all the zones. The downside is that you wouldn't be using your ceiling speakers.
- You mentioned 2 glass doors, is that to a private backyard? If so, you could get a connect AMP to power outdoor speakers. Perhaps you try the first setup I mentioned, then switch to outdoor speakers if it doesn't work out.

I would agree though, it's better to start small and build up. That's probably the most important thing you can do. If you are new to sonos, it might be good just to buy a pair of play 1s for the kitchen and see how you like it, how your parents handle it. You'll also get a better idea of where you need more sound in the dining area.

Revision 3 looks like it will work nicely for what you need. Makes sense to hold off on the sub for now. You can always add it to position 4 at a later time if you feel you need it.