I do not have room for a Playbar with my current TV setup and am considering using line in to connect my TV with a Play 5. Anyone have experience doing this? If so, how have you found the sound quality? Thanks.
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You will experience a sound delay of 70ms which may, or not, annoy the hell out of you. The delay is to allow Sonos speakers to talk to each other nicely for sync purposes.
Also, the Playbar is designed to deal with dialogue in a way that the P:5 isn't. I would advise against it. Have you considered a sound base, like those made by Canton?
Thank you. Can you expand on that please; not exactly sure what you mean. I'm trying to go with a Sonos product because we have a gift card, but the Playbar just doesn't work in our physical setup.
I'll do my best. I'm just saying that Sonos' solution for TV sound is the Playbar. If that is not an option for you then (big Sonos fan though I am) I think you would be better off with another product that is designed for TV than a Sonos product that isn't. If there isn't room for a soundbar then a sound base may be suitable (depending on your situation).
The other issue is that the P:5 has only an analogue line in, so you would need to check that the TV has an analogue audio output, or else you will need a digital analogue converter.
The gift card does rather change the equation, and I can't advise you on that. But I just don't think the P:5 is a great solution for TV. It's a great speaker for music. Others may feel differently regarding the TV..
The other issue is that the P:5 has only an analogue line in, so you would need to check that the TV has an analogue audio output, or else you will need a digital analogue converter.
The gift card does rather change the equation, and I can't advise you on that. But I just don't think the P:5 is a great solution for TV. It's a great speaker for music. Others may feel differently regarding the TV..
Thanks for your informative reply. You're much more experienced in these matters than I am. Hope you don't mind another question. The setup we have now is analog. The TV and speakers (2 older stereo speakers) are in a wall unit. The sound out from the TV (analog connection; speaker cables) runs to an amplifier in a cabinet on the opposite wall (a good 15 feet) and then back to the TV from the amplifier (also analog speaker cables), another good 15 feet. So we are accustomed to the analog connection. One advantage, maybe?, of going to the 5 connected directly to the TV is that the sound will only have to travel a few feet. And this will be a temporary solution as we are planning to move within the next 15 months or so. At that time we will go with a setup that can accommodate a soundbar and use the 5 somewhere else in our new place. Any thoughts? Thanks again.
Hi again. I really wouldn't class myself as an expert in these matters, but my thoughts are:
1. The cable length isn't going to make a significant difference here
2. You would not be running speaker cables to the P:5 (are you sure it's speaker cables going to the amp at the moment?). Does the TV have an RCA stereo audio output (red/white)? Or a digital optical output (which would require a DA converter to link to the P:5)? Or you might be able to run a cable from the headphone socket on the TV to the P:5, but I wouldn't expect good sound quality.
If you can use the P:5 elsewhere longer term, and given that you have a gift card, then there is no harm really in buying the P:5 and seeing if the audio lag (which is pretty small) troubles you or not. If you are not happy with the P:5 as a TV speaker, you can either go back to your current arrangement (are you actually unhappy with this?), or pick up a smaller soundbar or soundbase on eBay as a temporary solution - buying second hand means only a small loss when you come to sell it in 15 months.
Just to emphasise, though - make sure you have a suitable audio out from the TV that could output to the P:5. What make and model is the TV?
1. The cable length isn't going to make a significant difference here
2. You would not be running speaker cables to the P:5 (are you sure it's speaker cables going to the amp at the moment?). Does the TV have an RCA stereo audio output (red/white)? Or a digital optical output (which would require a DA converter to link to the P:5)? Or you might be able to run a cable from the headphone socket on the TV to the P:5, but I wouldn't expect good sound quality.
If you can use the P:5 elsewhere longer term, and given that you have a gift card, then there is no harm really in buying the P:5 and seeing if the audio lag (which is pretty small) troubles you or not. If you are not happy with the P:5 as a TV speaker, you can either go back to your current arrangement (are you actually unhappy with this?), or pick up a smaller soundbar or soundbase on eBay as a temporary solution - buying second hand means only a small loss when you come to sell it in 15 months.
Just to emphasise, though - make sure you have a suitable audio out from the TV that could output to the P:5. What make and model is the TV?
Thank you so much again for your time and informative response. The TV is a Vizio smart TV about two years old. It does have an RCA stereo audio output (red/white). I would use an RCA Y-cable to connect to connect the TV to the 5. We already have some sound lag with our current setup so I don't think that will bother us that much, if at all. If it does, I'll return the 5, buy a Playbar and keep it in the closet until we move. Thanks again for your help. I'll let you know how it works out.
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