Contributor I

Need advice on Sonos 5.1 or 7.1 home theater setup.

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So currently in my living room we have a Playbar, Sub, and 2 Play 1's all connected with a Bridge.

I recently just purchased a Samsung 4K QLED TV for my basement and wanted to beef up the sound. I'm mainly looking to achieve a 5.1 or 7.1 surround sound in my basement. What Sonos products should I purchase? I was thinking a Playbar, 2 (Front L & Front R) Play 5's, 2 (Back L & Back R) Ones, and a Sub. I found a good deal on some gently used Playbar and 2 Play: 5's that I might purchase as a bundle, then add the Sub and Play One's. Would these all be compatible with one another to accomplish 5.1 or 7.1? Thanks! Open to all suggestions.

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melvimbe

Sonos doesn't support a 7.1 setup. The front left, right, and center are all covered through the Playbar/Playbase/Beam, so you could not use a Play:5 as front speakers. You can use them as rears, but that is typically though of as overkill for surround speakers.

Danny

G

GPeckham16Author

Contributor I

Sonos doesn't support a 7.1 setup. The front left, right, and center are all covered through the Playbar/Playbase/Beam, so you could not use a Play:5 as front speakers. You can use them as rears, but that is typically though of as overkill for surround speakers.

Would having a Playbar in the front and two Play: 5's in the rear be too much you think? Too much as in the two Play: 5's would overpower the Playbar? Like I mentioned in the post, I have the opportunity to purchase a used Playbar and 2 Play: 5's as a bundle for a pretty good price, so basically I'm just trying to figure out if they would all be compatible with the Sonos 5.1 (Playbar, two Play: 5's, and a Sub)? I'm not too familiar with the Sonos software and a worker at BestBuy told me they wouldn't be compatible/be able to be paired to create 5.1.

Stuart_W

World-Class Superstar

First thing to check would be what generation the Play 5s are. Gen 1 CANNOT be used as surrounds whilst Gen 2 can be.

So if the price is good and they are Gen 2 it may well be worth going for it. Though generally the feedback from the group is that Play 1s are more than enough as surrounds and especially when a Sub is added are excellent for music reproduction.

Arc + Sub (Gen 1) + 2 x Play 1/ Stereo Play 3s/ Era 100 Stereo in Kitchen, One Stereo in Bedroom, Play 1 stereo pair in Study, Play 1in Bathroom, Sonos Move 2

jgatie

Would having a Playbar in the front and two Play: 5's in the rear be too much you think? Too much as in the two Play: 5's would overpower the Playbar? Like I mentioned in the post, I have the opportunity to purchase a used Playbar and 2 Play: 5's as a bundle for a pretty good price, so basically I'm just trying to figure out if they would all be compatible with the Sonos 5.1 (Playbar, two Play: 5's, and a Sub)? I'm not too familiar with the Sonos software and a worker at BestBuy told me they wouldn't be compatible/be able to be paired to create 5.1.

Rear surrounds don't have much intricate or delicate information, they are mostly effects. A pair of Play:1s or Ones would be more than adequate, and far easier to position properly due to size. Save the Play:5s for dedicated music listening.

S

shoturtle

Prodigy III

So currently in my living room we have a Playbar, Sub, and 2 Play 1's all connected with a Bridge.

I recently just purchased a Samsung 4K QLED TV for my basement and wanted to beef up the sound. I'm mainly looking to achieve a 5.1 or 7.1 surround sound in my basement. What Sonos products should I purchase? I was thinking a Playbar, 2 (Front L & Front R) Play 5's, 2 (Back L & Back R) Ones, and a Sub. I found a good deal on some gently used Playbar and 2 Play: 5's that I might purchase as a bundle, then add the Sub and Play One's. Would these all be compatible with one another to accomplish 5.1 or 7.1? Thanks! Open to all suggestions.

Are you planning this to be your home theater room. If so, I would skip simple 7.1 and go 5.1.4 with atmos. Get a nice AVR that support 5.1.4 or 7.2.4 and get a really nice Home Theater in the basement.

melvimbe

I agree with the others regarding play:1s being plenty good enough for surround sound. I would add though that if you are going to use the setup for music playback, you can set it to full stereo so that surrounds now play the audio fully, not just surround. In a larger room, having play:3s or play:5s can have a bigger impact. I have play:3s and really notice them for music.

Danny

G

GPeckham16Author

Contributor I

Okay quick update: quite literally just went to BestBuy a purchased a Beam as a starter for my basement home theater setup. Love its sound quality! Sonos really overdid themselves with this one. Bass is good for the size, but it could definitely use a little boost from a Sonos Sub. I'm thinking to add a Sub and two Sonos One's to the setup to complete the 5.1. Thoughts? Thanks!

S

shoturtle

Prodigy III

Okay quick update: quite literally just went to BestBuy a purchased a Beam as a starter for my basement home theater setup. Love its sound quality! Sonos really overdid themselves with this one. Bass is good for the size, but it could definitely use a little boost from a Sonos Sub. I'm thinking to add a Sub and two Sonos One's to the setup to complete the 5.1. Thoughts? Thanks!

Will you be using it only for HT or music as well? And how big is the room?

Iphish

Trending Lyricist I

Sonos doesn't support a 7.1 setup. The front left, right, and center are all covered through the Playbar/Playbase/Beam, so you could not use a Play:5 as front speakers. You can use them as rears, but that is typically though of as overkill for surround speakers.

Would having a Playbar in the front and two Play: 5's in the rear be too much you think? Too much as in the two Play: 5's would overpower the Playbar? Like I mentioned in the post, I have the opportunity to purchase a used Playbar and 2 Play: 5's as a bundle for a pretty good price, so basically I'm just trying to figure out if they would all be compatible with the Sonos 5.1 (Playbar, two Play: 5's, and a Sub)? I'm not too familiar with the Sonos software and a worker at BestBuy told me they wouldn't be compatible/be able to be paired to create 5.1. Two play ones for the rears should be fine, if they are really fao back or to the side you could go play 3s......fives on the other hand, save your money

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