Skip to main content

Hey all,

We have just finished our retirement home build and I am looking to install a Sonos system.

The builder pre-wired 2 Ceiling speakers and 2 exterior speakers on our lanai all the speaker wires run to a utility closet in our front hallway.

I am determining everything I need to buy and wanted to get some advice on that.

For the exterior, there will be a TV there eventually, but I initial thought is that I just want to play music through those speakers - so I am thinking I just need an amp and the 2 Sonance exterior speakers.  Is that right and does that limit me in any way if I want to add the exterior TV to the sound in the future?

For the interior, I assume a need an additional amp, a sound bar, two passive ceiling speakers and a subwoofer to get surround sound.  Am I missing anything there?

For reference, the utility closet is within 50 feet of both the interior and exterior TVs and speakers and all TV locations have ethernet cables pulled to the closet. 

Thanks in advance for any and all advice you can provide.

 

John

 

 

 

Hey all,

We have just finished our retirement home build and I am looking to install a Sonos system.

The builder pre-wired 2 Ceiling speakers and 2 exterior speakers on our lanai all the speaker wires run to a utility closet in our front hallway.

I am determining everything I need to buy and wanted to get some advice on that.

For the exterior, there will be a TV there eventually, but I initial thought is that I just want to play music through those speakers - so I am thinking I just need an amp and the 2 Sonance exterior speakers.  Is that right and does that limit me in any way if I want to add the exterior TV to the sound in the future?

 

 

If you want the speakers to play TV audio, then you should have an HDMI cable prewired from the TV location to the location of your amp.  There isn’t a good way to wirelessly send that audio from the TV to the amp.  If you can’t do that, then perhaps you just want to add a sounbar to the exterior TV.  They won’t be rated for outdoor use, but if the area is covered and not subject to temperature extremes, maybe that’s the best option.

 

For the interior, I assume a need an additional amp, a sound bar, two passive ceiling speakers and a subwoofer to get surround sound.  Am I missing anything there?

 

 

For a home theatre setup, Sonos does not really use ceiling speakers. They do have the option of setting up surround speaker with ceiling speakers (with a separate amp), but it is not ideal and not really the location where rear surround sound should be coming from.  But if this is the route you want to go, yes, add a Sonos soundbar and Sub to ‘complete’ the room.