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Hi guys I own an old play:3 and two ones. The ones are in the living room as stereo pair and the sonos 3 is in the kitchen. I don’t want voice control. I have an oled tv that may benefit from a soundbar. Right now I’m somewhat confused on how to expand the system. The main thing for me is being able to listen to music on Spotify but get that rich and crisp sound I sometimes hear in bars or restaurants even at low volume. Can’t describe it any better. 
 

Should I:

1. fill up my living room with sonos ones everywhere? With one sub for bass? this seems to be the closest to the setup I see in bars and restaurants  

  1. get one arc / beam and use the ones as back speakers? How would this setup perform playing music? 
  2. add a second hand play3 and a sub for bass? Maybe use the two ones as tweeters? Wouldn’t I run into legacy problems with the 3?
    4. Just get two fives and use the ones elsewhere in the house (bathroom, attic)?

your input is greatly appreciated  

 

 

 

 

 


 

 

If you want to use Sonos for TV audio,  you need to get an Arc, Beam, or Amp, as they are the only products Sonos currently sells that connect to your TV.  The Arc is obviously better than the Beam, but the choice also depends on the size of the room and your budget.  Both are good music, but won’t give you the same stereo separation you would get from separate speakers.  If you are using surrounds, you can set it to ‘full’ so you get stereo from the rear speakers as well.

Restaurants and bars will often have audio in mono as there is no front stage to the room or dedicated listening area….people all over the room.  If that is the effect you want, then sure, get several smaller speakers setup as single sonos rooms.  In a typical living room there is a front and listening area, so you can take advantage of stereo.

I would not setup the play:1s as just tweeters (not really designed for that), by if you add a sub to the room, you will improve the bass while the 1s will focus more on mid and high range.  It’s a big improvement.

Whatever you do, use trueplay tuning to improve the sound quality.

I personally, have an Arc/Sub/Sonos One setup in my living room for TV, and a pair of Fives for music.  The Arc setup was fine for music, but I wanted more.  I plan on adding a sub with the Fives eventually.  Again though, the best choice depends on your room, budget, and what you want to listen to.

 

Hi @TingyTanga 

Good news your current Sonos products will work on the Sonos S2 app assuming you decide to get a Arc or Beam (Gen2) that require Sonos S2.

If you add a Arc/Beam to your Play 1’s and set them as surrounds they will no longer be selectable as independent speakers. You will be able to set them to play as full for music along with the Arc/Beam and auto switch to surround mode for movies.  In effect for music you’ll hear the tunes coming from all three speakers. The Play 1’s will act as a stereo pair. 

Adding a second Play 3 will only allow you to create a stereo pair with the other Play 3. The Play 1’s will remain as a Stereo pair. You will be able to group the Stereo pairs         to expand coverage. A sub can only be added to one of the pairs. However if both pairs are in the same room (and grouped)  the Low end will appear to enhance both pairs.

Yes you could add a couple of Fives for music and place the Play 1’s elsewhere. 

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