SONOS 5.1 Home Theatre System Bundle setup

  • 9 November 2018
  • 11 replies
  • 537 views

The image is my living room, I have a small rented flat and I was wondering with this layout if there is any point to have a 5.1 setup (consisting of 2 of SONOS PLAY:1, 1 of SONOS PLAYBAR , 1 of SONOS SUB and set of floor stands)

I know it’s odd but I mainly use my beanbag (I really don’t care for a sofa lol). I don’t have much room but I was wondering if it can be connect wirelessly (speakers, sub and sound bar) i really don’t want to bother with wires unless it’s for the power.

Would I need anything else like a sono bridge? My wi fi is in the kitchen (stupid place I know) and i have a sonos up stares to play my radio stations on my hi fi in my bedroom.

I will be getting an Xbox one (which model I’m not sure??) to play 4k too.

Kind regards

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11 replies

Userlevel 7
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You are posting to a community forum, user to user for the most part with visits from Sonos staff from time to time so getting a response just depends on who is visiting and if they are interested in your issue. I'll try but I am no Sonos surround expert, using mine strictly for music.

Wireless is no problem, just hook to your existing system and add the PlayBar (maybe consider a Beam given the room size?) and then the Sub and surrounds.

As to the 5.1 I don't really know how it would work out given your seating position. Maybe just a Beam and Sub to see how 3.1 works out and add a pair of Play 1s for 5.1 if you think it will be better.

You don't say which Sonos you have upstairs but if it is a Play 1 you might move it, replacing it with a Sonos One for the added functions and just buy one Play 1 for the surround setup.
Userlevel 7
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Since you don't have a Play 1 available it is a moot point... But if you did have a Play 1 upstairs:

The Play 1 is an older generation of Sonos device and is missing many features of the newer Sonos One (the Sonos name picker should be beaten and locked in a closet until he picks less confusing names) so moving a Play 1 to a surround position accomplishes two things.

-- First you can only Pair like Sonos speakers so buying a Sonos One for a surround means buying two, a bit expensive for the surround option where most of the new features go unused.

-- Second having the additional features the Sonos One offers available in another room is something many appreciate. By moving the Play 1 you can re-purpose it reducing the cost of getting the new features.

You could just buy two Play 1s for surrounds if you didn't want the additional features the Sonos One offers.
Userlevel 7
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Put the Sub about anywhere, location is not important for the frequencies it produces. I'd stuff it next to the TV, in the corner without the door in your drawing.
Userlevel 7
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You can tame some of the vibration issues from a Sub by putting an absorbent base under it. An old typewriter pad would be a good start if you can still find one. If not do some looking and you should find something.
Do i need to provide more info?
You don't say which Sonos you have upstairs but if it is a Play 1 you might move it, replacing it with a Sonos One for the added functions and just buy one Play 1 for the surround setup.

I have a Sonos Connect Zone Player upstairs, its only an audio hi fi setup. I only watch tv down stairs. Kinda lost me on the last part. regards
Since you don't have a Play 1 available it is a moot point... But if you did have a Play 1 upstairs:

The Play 1 is an older generation of Sonos device and is missing many features of the newer Sonos One (the Sonos name picker should be beaten and locked in a closet until he picks less confusing names) so moving a Play 1 to a surround position accomplishes two things.

-- First you can only Pair like Sonos speakers so buying a Sonos One for a surround means buying two, a bit expensive for the surround option where most of the new features go unused.

-- Second having the additional features the Sonos One offers available in another room is something many appreciate. By moving the Play 1 you can re-purpose it reducing the cost of getting the new features.

You could just buy two Play 1s for surrounds if you didn't want the additional features the Sonos One offers.


One thing where would i place the sub,as I cant put it in center of the floor of the Tv cupboard (its big chunky thing and it would be in the way of the doors of the cupboard).
Put the Sub about anywhere, location is not important for the frequencies it produces. I'd stuff it next to the TV, in the corner without the door in your drawing. Ok thank you for the help.
Userlevel 7
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I recall someone that put the Sub under one of his chairs/couch, wouldn't work with the beanbag but you might wake up a friend sitting in one of the other chairs.
I recall someone that put the Sub under one of his chairs/couch, wouldn't work with the beanbag but you might wake up a friend sitting in one of the other chairs. I think the biggest issue for me is that my flat is on top of a hairdresser, they gonna hear lots of vibrations lol (not sure how powerful it is though)
I'm the one with the SUB under my couch (perhaps amongst others). And another one under my bed. Both are lying on their sides so that they fit, and fire upwards. Most impressive, but I live in a house, and on concrete slab floors, so I don't have any experience / opinion about sound transmission to floors below.

As Stanley suggests, placement of a SUB is less important that most other speakers, as bass is rather non-directional. And the nice thing about the Sonos SUB is that it is wireless, so as long as it's not too far away (20 feet? 50 feet?) from the soundbar, which uses a 5Ghz signal to communicate with it (when bonded with regular Sonos speakers, it uses 2.4Ghz), it can be placed pretty much anywhere in the room. And then moved, to try any of the multitude of places it might fit, so that you can hear the difference. If you can, you should TruePlay your system each time, which requires an iOS device, but "tunes" the system so that it's optimal based on a sound engineer's best guess of a baseline. That would give you a roughly equal testing point when trying it in different locations.