Skip to main content

I’m considering whether Sonos amp will be the correct solution for my setup. I have playbar and sub in my living room. I also have in ceiling surround speakers that I would like to use rather than my play 1’s. I also have in ceiling speakers on my patio. I have a selector switch in the wall to toggle between the indoor and outdoor ceiling speakers. Is it possible to setup Sonos amp so that I can use the living room ceiling speakers as surround when watching tv, but disconnect from home theater and operate as stereo pair when I only want to listen to music outside on my patio without having all of the theater speakers on inside?

In my personal opinion, the PLAY:1s are better as surround speakers anyway, as surround speakers should be at head height, not coming from the ceiling. That being said, I understand the spousal approval factor regarding in ceiling vs floor stands. 

Sorry there’s not a perfect solution for you. 


Not easily. You’d need to change the setup on the Amp from surround to standard, and back again every time you wanted to use the separate speakers. 
 

It would be better if you didn’t want to disconnect them, and just used the ‘full’ setting for music for the surrounds, but you might still run in to impedance matching issues. I think you’d really be better off with two separate Sonos Amps, one for the surrounds, one for the outside speakers. 


Thanks for the advice Bruce, I was afraid that was the answer and it’s what I was trying to avoid. I can’t really justify the price of the amp just to power surround speakers when I already have the play 1’s doing the same job. I also can’t justify the price of an amp for the patio speakers when it’s easy enough to just take my Move outside.