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Need help designing a setup for my garage

  • November 16, 2025
  • 10 replies
  • 86 views
K

Hello everyone, new here and new to Sonos so please be gentle if I have some things incorrect. I just built a man-cave garage that is 24’ wide x 30’ long with 11’6” ceilings in it. Like an idiot i didnt run any wires for speakers in it when we were building it and now its fully finished and running wires at this point isnt happening. I do have wired internet run out there to an Eero Pro 7 along with a 8 port gigibit switch so internet isnt an issue. I also have a 75” Sony X90L TV hanging on the wall with an old sony soundbar and an Apple TV 4K. Needless to say the soundbar sounds like crap and Im looking to upgrade it. I am a bit of an audiophile as I did high end car audio for about 15 years in my younger days so I do know the difference in good vs bad audio. Im looking to setup something that I can accomplish these things with:

  1. Work with my tv/apple tv so be able to reproduce the sound. Not really looking for “Surround” sound too much. Dont care about Atmos..Looking more for stereo sound for Football games or for listening to music on Youtube, or streaming music from Apple TV. 
  2. Have very good clarity, and good over all sound with good amount of volume.
  3. Use either HDMI or Airplay2 from my Apple TV, I have a powered sub running off an airport express via airplay currently.

Like I said earlier atmos /5.1 /7.1 isnt super priority to me cause I think in a big open space that large its not going to matter all that much. Stereo for music and tv sound is the most important. I do have a receiver and some old yamaha speakers that ive been used to but the lack of wiring is killing that idea. 

The Ideas ive been kicking around are:

  1. Sonos Amp driving 2 of my yamaha speakers mounted to the sides of my TV, cable from Amp to my powered sub, and 2 Sonos Fives for rear and just set everything to stereo output. 
  2. 4 Era 100’s and my powered sub all via Airplay
  3. OG Arc / Arc Ultra/ Beam Gen 2 with Fives or Era 100’s for rear channels with my powered sub
  4. Just a pair of Fives on above my TV and one on the wall directly across from my tv as a stereo pair via Airplay with my powered sub.

But Im certainly open to any ideas anyone else has as I dont currently own any sonos so this is my first time venturing into the space I know you guys have much more knowledge than me. I have heard all the speakers and I was impressed with the Era 100 and the Fives, but the Era 300 didnt sound great on music to me. Im sure they are great for atmos just not sure they are the right speakers for my application. They sounded very hollow for music IMO but that was at the demo board at Best buy so not sure if thats a fair setup for them. The fives sounded amazing but at $600 ea that gets expensive quickly. Even considered 4 homepods just to keep everything Apple but not sure I like how the highs sound on them. Sorry for the long post just wanted to make sure I was explaining myself lol .

 

Keith

Best answer by AjTrek1

I don’t know how familiar you are with Sonos home theater. So, in the interest of providing a thorough recommendation I’ll proceed under the assumption that you’re a novice (no offense intended) 😊

Sonos home theater typically involves a Sonos Soundbar such as an Arc Ultra, Beam 2 or Ray *. Those products are the lynch-pin for peripherals such as surrounds (Era 300’s, Era 100’s or Five’s) and subs (Sub 4 or Sub Mini). **

Those components when Bonded to a soundbar cease to operate as independent speakers. Meaning they can no longer be used separate of the soundbar. All audio information is sent to them via a hidden 5Ghz channel emanating from the soundbar. 

The music setting for surrounds is Ambient or Full Stereo. However, when playing music, the soundbar will play as well. Some like the effect of being in the middle (front to rear).

The other option for home theater without using a Sonos soundbar is a Sonos Amp to drive two speakers flanking the TV; thus creating a “phantom” center channel. IMO, if pure stereo is your preference the setup is better than a Sonos Soundbar for music. I have an Arc Ultra home theater setup; but use two Five’s upfront for stereo music.

There are two options for surround with a Sonos Amp:

  1. Use Era 300’s, Era 100’s or Five’s. They will communicate with the Sonos Amp over the same 5Ghz channel mentioned above.
  2. Use another Sonos Amp to drive two 3rd party speakers that communicate with the main Sonos Amp via 5Ghz channel.
  3. However, as with the soundbar those speakers (in either configuration) cease to be independent and produce audio via the pleasure of the main Sonos Amp.

So, much for the tutorial on Sonos. Let’s talk about your preferred use case:

  • Sonos Amp driving two 3rd party speakers upfront and a wired 3rd party sub.

You mentioned possibly using Era 100’s or Five’s as rears for surround. That’s fine. However, there are considerations

  • You already know that the rears will be governed by the Amp which means the sound for stereo music may be unbalanced versus the Yamaha’s.
  • Surround sound for movies should be OK

My recommendations using the Sonos Amp to drive speakers up front with surrounds in rear are:

  • Use existing Yamaha four speakers
  • Two front
  • Two rear driven by a 2nd Sonos Amp

Another option as the Yamaha’s are 15 years old:

  • Purchase four 3rd party bookshelf speakers (or larger depending upon budget)
  • Purchase 2nd Sonos Amp
  • Use two front driven by 1st Sonos Amp with Wired sub
  • Use two rear driven by the 2nd Sonos Amp.

Here’s another option with positives and negatives

  • Use Yamaha’s or newer 3rd party speakers up front
  • Use Yamaha’s or newer 3rd party speakers in rear as stereo pair driven by 2nd Sonos Amp. 
  • Era 100’s or Fives’s as stereo pair (2nd Amp is not required)

Positive:

  • Rear speakers can be used independently or Grouped with the front speakers for music

Negative:

  • Rear speakers Grouped with front speakers for TV audio creates an echo effect caused by a 75ms delay.
  • Rear speakers cannot be easily used as surrounds as a reconfiguration is required and the reverse to get them back as a stereo pair. Very tedious and time consuming.

Other:

  • All connections to TV will be HDMI that includes Sonos and boxes like AppleTV, Game consoles etc. 
  • Airplay is only to send audio from an Airplay capable device (Phone or Tablet) to a Sonos speaker. No audio frequency can be directly sent to a sub.

Well, that’s all I have. I hope it helps you make an informed cost-effective decision. 

 

* Ray not recommended as it’s too small and only has optical connection

 ** A 3rd party sub wired to a Sonos Amp or a Sonos sub Bonded to Sonos Amp, soundbar, single speaker or stereo pair cannot be used to supplement audio originating from other Sonos  sources.

10 replies

Stanley_4
  • Stanley_4
  • Lead Maestro
  • November 16, 2025

1. The Amp would be good for right and left stereo. Bonding the Fives to it limits your options a bit for stereo music listening but does let you use them as surrounds in either Full (mirror right and left) or ambient (fake surround) modes. Grouping the Fives is probably better for music but does introduce aan echo, 75ms delay, for TV use.

3. No place to connect the sub to the Sonos in this setup, as with 1 above, surround or Grouping both are options.

2 and 4. Can't help with airplay, as with 3 above, nowhere to connect your sub to the Sonos.

The sub might work with airplay but don't know.

AjTrek1
  • AjTrek1
  • November 16, 2025

Would like to help. However before I speak… how many of the Yamaha speakers do you have as you said you could use two of them up front. Also what model and do you like the sound they deliver?

Together Everyone Achieves More = T.E.A.M.
K
  • KeithSS
  • Author
  • Contributor I
  • November 16, 2025

The Yamaha speakers I have are about 15 years old. They are an old HTIB setup that came with a receivers and 5 speakers. 2 fronts, 2 rears and a center channel. I know they arent wonderful speakers but them seem to work ok. I was fairly happy with them but if im being honest they have been in a storage bin for a few years now so its been a while since ive heard them. My memory might be making them be better in my mind than they actually are lol. 

AjTrek1
  • AjTrek1
  • November 16, 2025

Thanks for the response. I have some recommendations but can’t prothem until later when I get back to my later today. 👍

Together Everyone Achieves More = T.E.A.M.
K
  • KeithSS
  • Author
  • Contributor I
  • November 16, 2025

I appreciate the help!

AjTrek1
  • AjTrek1
  • Answer
  • November 16, 2025

I don’t know how familiar you are with Sonos home theater. So, in the interest of providing a thorough recommendation I’ll proceed under the assumption that you’re a novice (no offense intended) 😊

Sonos home theater typically involves a Sonos Soundbar such as an Arc Ultra, Beam 2 or Ray *. Those products are the lynch-pin for peripherals such as surrounds (Era 300’s, Era 100’s or Five’s) and subs (Sub 4 or Sub Mini). **

Those components when Bonded to a soundbar cease to operate as independent speakers. Meaning they can no longer be used separate of the soundbar. All audio information is sent to them via a hidden 5Ghz channel emanating from the soundbar. 

The music setting for surrounds is Ambient or Full Stereo. However, when playing music, the soundbar will play as well. Some like the effect of being in the middle (front to rear).

The other option for home theater without using a Sonos soundbar is a Sonos Amp to drive two speakers flanking the TV; thus creating a “phantom” center channel. IMO, if pure stereo is your preference the setup is better than a Sonos Soundbar for music. I have an Arc Ultra home theater setup; but use two Five’s upfront for stereo music.

There are two options for surround with a Sonos Amp:

  1. Use Era 300’s, Era 100’s or Five’s. They will communicate with the Sonos Amp over the same 5Ghz channel mentioned above.
  2. Use another Sonos Amp to drive two 3rd party speakers that communicate with the main Sonos Amp via 5Ghz channel.
  3. However, as with the soundbar those speakers (in either configuration) cease to be independent and produce audio via the pleasure of the main Sonos Amp.

So, much for the tutorial on Sonos. Let’s talk about your preferred use case:

  • Sonos Amp driving two 3rd party speakers upfront and a wired 3rd party sub.

You mentioned possibly using Era 100’s or Five’s as rears for surround. That’s fine. However, there are considerations

  • You already know that the rears will be governed by the Amp which means the sound for stereo music may be unbalanced versus the Yamaha’s.
  • Surround sound for movies should be OK

My recommendations using the Sonos Amp to drive speakers up front with surrounds in rear are:

  • Use existing Yamaha four speakers
  • Two front
  • Two rear driven by a 2nd Sonos Amp

Another option as the Yamaha’s are 15 years old:

  • Purchase four 3rd party bookshelf speakers (or larger depending upon budget)
  • Purchase 2nd Sonos Amp
  • Use two front driven by 1st Sonos Amp with Wired sub
  • Use two rear driven by the 2nd Sonos Amp.

Here’s another option with positives and negatives

  • Use Yamaha’s or newer 3rd party speakers up front
  • Use Yamaha’s or newer 3rd party speakers in rear as stereo pair driven by 2nd Sonos Amp. 
  • Era 100’s or Fives’s as stereo pair (2nd Amp is not required)

Positive:

  • Rear speakers can be used independently or Grouped with the front speakers for music

Negative:

  • Rear speakers Grouped with front speakers for TV audio creates an echo effect caused by a 75ms delay.
  • Rear speakers cannot be easily used as surrounds as a reconfiguration is required and the reverse to get them back as a stereo pair. Very tedious and time consuming.

Other:

  • All connections to TV will be HDMI that includes Sonos and boxes like AppleTV, Game consoles etc. 
  • Airplay is only to send audio from an Airplay capable device (Phone or Tablet) to a Sonos speaker. No audio frequency can be directly sent to a sub.

Well, that’s all I have. I hope it helps you make an informed cost-effective decision. 

 

* Ray not recommended as it’s too small and only has optical connection

 ** A 3rd party sub wired to a Sonos Amp or a Sonos sub Bonded to Sonos Amp, soundbar, single speaker or stereo pair cannot be used to supplement audio originating from other Sonos  sources.

Together Everyone Achieves More = T.E.A.M.
Airgetlam
K
Triticale
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  • Triticale
  • Prominent Collaborator I
  • November 16, 2025

I don’t know the Yamaha speakers you’re talking about, but if they are coming from a 5.1 setup, usually they are 2 ways ones. In my experience, this kind of devices sound great for films but not so good for music. I don’t notice that till I compare both sets, in my case it was an Onkyo AV with Harmon Kardon speakers and a Sonos system with Arc + Sub + 2 Era 300.

For me, it makes no sense to have as main speakers two old 2ways devices coming from a 5.1 setup. Because even the Era 100 are going to perform much better and you’re using them as surround!

What I did is to use the old 5.1 in other place and create a new Sonos Setup for my living room. 

Now, when I start listening to the old system, it sounds like a can, at least at the beginning, compared to the Sonos equipment.

K
  • KeithSS
  • Author
  • Contributor I
  • November 21, 2025

Well after taking all of your recommendations into account as well as going to multiple stores to listen to a bunch of different setups, I have come to determine that none of the sonos wireless speakers are gonna do it for me. I just think they dont sound nearly as good as hardwired setups that cost even half as much as the wireless speakers do. So as much as i was trying to avoid it, I have purchased some Sonance MAG8R speakers on a black friday sale for $250/pair and Im going to but them into the ceiling and hardwire everything as well as use my powered polk sub. I have also purchased a Denon AVR-X970H and a Sonos Amp to see which setup sounds better. Im assuming the the Denon may actually sound better for this setup as I can use their Audyssey room correction, where I cant with the AMP. Seems almost like the sonos best attribute in my use case is the small size. But at the cost of being almost twice as much $$ as the Denon ( I got an open box excellent condition Denon for $425). Im hoping this will give me the best bang for my buck even if it comes at the cost of time/effort to cut holes in the ceiling and run wires everywhere. I just didnt want to not be happy after dropping alot of coin on the wireless setup for all that $$. Hoping I didnt make a wrong decision lol 

106rallye
Forum|alt.badge.img+18
  • 106rallye
  • November 21, 2025

Can you tell us what you did not like about the Sonos speakers?

AjTrek1
  • AjTrek1
  • November 21, 2025

​@KeithSS 

I think you made a wise decision to use the Denon. Sonos isn’t always the best solution. BTW, I believe it’s the Denon S970H as that what shows on a Google search?

The Denon is a full featured unit. However I don’t understand what the Sonance MAG8R speakers will be used for nor the Sonos Amp.

The Denon will allow you use a wired home theater system with dedicated Left/Center/Right channels, surrounds and sub. 

If your intent is to use the Sonance MAG8R speakers (driven by the Sonos Amp) for TV audio you may be disappointed as there will possibly be a lip-sync issue with sound coming from overhead. Speakers for TV audio should either flank the TV (left/right) or use a a dedicated center channel (as with the Denon) or a soundbar mounted below the TV. 

If you are concerned about wires there is the option to run them along the base of the walls enclosed in a covering (too many options to name) for the rears. 

My suggestions are just that “suggestions” as I’m not sure of your plan. However, good luck with your project.

 

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