I have an 1800 sq ft optical space where I'm considering bypassing our existing in-ceiling (crappy tinny-sounding) speaker system with Sonos products (speakers themselves, not a Connect or Amp).
My question is what products and how many should I get? Volume levels will be relatively low (quieter then normal speech, I'm guessing max volume will be in the 30-40 dB range at the very most). I'm leading towards multiple (perhaps) 4 Sonos One's for the main room vs. 2 Play:5's (I'm not interested in Play:3's at this time since it's a somewhat non-updated product at this point). What would be better from a sonic standpoint?
I was also considering adding a sub for this large area, however would this just be a waste in this scenario?
I will use other Sonos One's (or perhaps less expensive Play:1's) in other areas of the office where needed.
I am a bit of an audiophile and cost of this small project is not a significant concern.
I have a numerous Sonos products throughout my house including a semi-complex setup with the (nearly) whole-house audio system (all Martin-Logan speakers, it sounds freaking amazing). My network knowledge is better-than-average thus setting up SonosNet/etc is no concern (I'll run one unit off of a wired connection and uses Sonos' mesh-network, and the system will be on our WiFi network not visible to patrons, only staff).
Sonos in commercial environment - High end optical
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It's really hard to say. First off, not really sure what an 'optical space' is. I want to say that since you're thinking it would be lower volumes, I'd go for using play:1/Sonos One in more places vs having the larger play:5s. That said, there is a limit of 32 devices in a single sonos system, and you might end up getting rather close to that for that large a total area.
I'd also ask how many different zones you need. Is that thought that different areas would play different audio or should everything be playing the same at the same time? Do you plan on mounting these units on the wall? That's going to effect costs and feasibility since all the units are going to require power.
I understand that you don't want to use your existing ceiling speakers, but have you considered just upgrading those? Are your amps still good? You could opt to upgrade those speakers, and add a Connect (or multiple Connects) to get Sonos control. I understand that cost isn't an issue, but since you already have the wiring and the amp(s) that may give you the cleanest look and the least complex control.
I'd also ask how many different zones you need. Is that thought that different areas would play different audio or should everything be playing the same at the same time? Do you plan on mounting these units on the wall? That's going to effect costs and feasibility since all the units are going to require power.
I understand that you don't want to use your existing ceiling speakers, but have you considered just upgrading those? Are your amps still good? You could opt to upgrade those speakers, and add a Connect (or multiple Connects) to get Sonos control. I understand that cost isn't an issue, but since you already have the wiring and the amp(s) that may give you the cleanest look and the least complex control.
+22I would start with 4 Sonos Ones. One in each corner. None paired just all grouped together.
I think he means its an opticians office.
I think he means its an opticians office.
+4For only 1800 sq ft? Considering how powerful the Sonos One's are, I'd imagine you should be able to fill the area with around a dozen of them, maybe even less. No?
I don't have any experience with setting up speakers in this kind of situation, but I'm very curious to see what you go with!
Eh, for some reason my brain was thinking it was a larger space. My bad. Agree that 4 Sonos Ones would be good. If it's waiting room, may want to turn off the voice control features. A one in the individual rooms would be good.
You don't tell us the shape of your space but I'll talk about it being 30x60 and you can adjust my thoughts to your actual shape.
A 30 foot wall would be at the limit of what I'd try to cover with a Sonos One, a Play 3 would probably do a better job at that spread but as you said they are a bit dated. A Play 5 in each corner would be very good for the short wall coverage.
With a unit in each corner you are still looking at that 60 foot open space between speakers on the long walls. A Sonos One or Play 5 in the center of the wall would give you reasonably even speaker spacing, all about 30 feet apart. The corner ones would probably have a bit more low end while the center of wall ones would be weaker. I'd definitely run TruePlay to get them all sounding close.
You could try the Sonos Ones just in the corners and see how they sound, add the center of the long wall ones if you find it a bit weak sounding and add two to the long wall if you find it very weak.
What about borrowing a couple units from home and taking them to the office to see how they sound?
If you are shopping don't forget the Speaker Sets page, savings on multi speaker purchases are offered there.
A 30 foot wall would be at the limit of what I'd try to cover with a Sonos One, a Play 3 would probably do a better job at that spread but as you said they are a bit dated. A Play 5 in each corner would be very good for the short wall coverage.
With a unit in each corner you are still looking at that 60 foot open space between speakers on the long walls. A Sonos One or Play 5 in the center of the wall would give you reasonably even speaker spacing, all about 30 feet apart. The corner ones would probably have a bit more low end while the center of wall ones would be weaker. I'd definitely run TruePlay to get them all sounding close.
You could try the Sonos Ones just in the corners and see how they sound, add the center of the long wall ones if you find it a bit weak sounding and add two to the long wall if you find it very weak.
What about borrowing a couple units from home and taking them to the office to see how they sound?
If you are shopping don't forget the Speaker Sets page, savings on multi speaker purchases are offered there.
+4I suppose another piece of info we would need to know is if this is mostly 1 big open space, or broken into several rooms/offices?
In a large, open area I recommend placing speakers ten to fifteen feet from each other. This will give even coverage. In a public space one does not need “imaging” in the audiophile context, one needs even coverage. Placing speakers only at one end or in the corners will require running at a higher level. This will result in “too loud” near the speakers and “not loud enough” in other areas.
Depending on the size of the room, a single SUB might not be a great idea because sound travels approximately one foot per millisecond. If you follow my ten foot plan and place a single SUB at one end of a 30’ Room (for example), at the far end of the room the bass could be about 30ms out of sync with respect to a nearby speaker. (By the way, Grouped SONOS units will be time aligned within about two milliseconds)
While I can be an over the top audiophile, in public areas I prefer high quality ceiling speakers that offer uniform coverage, even though “imaging” will be terrible.
Depending on the size of the room, a single SUB might not be a great idea because sound travels approximately one foot per millisecond. If you follow my ten foot plan and place a single SUB at one end of a 30’ Room (for example), at the far end of the room the bass could be about 30ms out of sync with respect to a nearby speaker. (By the way, Grouped SONOS units will be time aligned within about two milliseconds)
While I can be an over the top audiophile, in public areas I prefer high quality ceiling speakers that offer uniform coverage, even though “imaging” will be terrible.
Wow, some great replies. Thanks everyone!
the main 1800sq ft space is our optical (yes opticians work there, like where you buy glasses, somewhat high-end). There will be other zones (rear office space, breakroom, etc) but these aren't nearly as important.
We have a main network invisible to the public (which I'll use SonosNet anyway, but for some control purposes it'll obviously still use WiFi).
I'm going to start with 4x Sonos Ones in the main big room and just see where that gets me.
As a note, I was in a really nice new Audi Dealership the other day that was HUGE (maybe 20k sq feet or more?) plus like 20ft+ ceilings and they had maybe 3x Play:3's and 2x Play:5's. While the sound wasn't really "full", it did sound good and better than any audio I've ever noticed in a dealership.
I think there's something to be said about the design of Sonos in a higher end retail environment as well (like an Audi dealership and my office). The people that like Sonos are definitely the type of clients we are trying to attract.
the main 1800sq ft space is our optical (yes opticians work there, like where you buy glasses, somewhat high-end). There will be other zones (rear office space, breakroom, etc) but these aren't nearly as important.
We have a main network invisible to the public (which I'll use SonosNet anyway, but for some control purposes it'll obviously still use WiFi).
I'm going to start with 4x Sonos Ones in the main big room and just see where that gets me.
As a note, I was in a really nice new Audi Dealership the other day that was HUGE (maybe 20k sq feet or more?) plus like 20ft+ ceilings and they had maybe 3x Play:3's and 2x Play:5's. While the sound wasn't really "full", it did sound good and better than any audio I've ever noticed in a dealership.
I think there's something to be said about the design of Sonos in a higher end retail environment as well (like an Audi dealership and my office). The people that like Sonos are definitely the type of clients we are trying to attract.
The Play 3s if they ever come back in stock do offer a lot more sound than Play 1s or Sonos Ones which is why I like mine. I'd be really tempted to use them as your four main speakers and add a single Sonos One at a receptionist desk or such to provide the newer features to all when grouped. Not enough difference in Play 1 cost versus the Sonos Ones for that to be worth it.
As was mentioned you are going to see sound level issues where the space near the speakers will be louder than space further away, starting with your planed four you can decide how much of a problem that is for you and add more as needed.
As to placement I'd try them both in the corners and centered on each wall if you want to compare how they will sound in each situation, TruePlay them before testing in each location. I suggest corners as that will give the low end a boost and with too few speakers for the space that can help some.
Our dermatologist has a Play 1 in each room in the building and two in the waiting area, it makes for a lot better sound than the awful stuff that came with the building. They thought Sonos was a better deal than upgrading the built in stuff. Totally sunk cost versus the Sonos that can just be picked up and relocated, repurposed or resold. They put them on their own WiFi network that only selected staff has access to to avoid the practical joker problems you get with public access to the Sonos system.
As was mentioned you are going to see sound level issues where the space near the speakers will be louder than space further away, starting with your planed four you can decide how much of a problem that is for you and add more as needed.
As to placement I'd try them both in the corners and centered on each wall if you want to compare how they will sound in each situation, TruePlay them before testing in each location. I suggest corners as that will give the low end a boost and with too few speakers for the space that can help some.
Our dermatologist has a Play 1 in each room in the building and two in the waiting area, it makes for a lot better sound than the awful stuff that came with the building. They thought Sonos was a better deal than upgrading the built in stuff. Totally sunk cost versus the Sonos that can just be picked up and relocated, repurposed or resold. They put them on their own WiFi network that only selected staff has access to to avoid the practical joker problems you get with public access to the Sonos system.
I wasn't even considering the Play:3 since it hasn't been updated in a while. I was also unaware that you can't even buy it from Sonos anymore, and there are multiple rumors of an upgraded model possibly coming out soon. I may hold off just a bit longer to wait for this product...
Based on company history, an updated PLAY:3 is not likely this year. Although the product development cycle seems to be accelerating lately, SONOS has been limited to approximately one product per year.
I'm not a huge fan of PLAY:3. I think that PLAY:1 or a SONOS ONE have better midrange, however, the PLAY:3 can hit a little harder in the bass region than PLAY:1. Generally, I prefer PLAY:3 in the vertical orientation, but one should experiment. PLAY:5 s2 is the best sounding (in my opinion).
I'm not a huge fan of PLAY:3. I think that PLAY:1 or a SONOS ONE have better midrange, however, the PLAY:3 can hit a little harder in the bass region than PLAY:1. Generally, I prefer PLAY:3 in the vertical orientation, but one should experiment. PLAY:5 s2 is the best sounding (in my opinion).
I wouldn't wait for the Play 3 either, at this point there is no info on a newer version or about the out of stock issue.
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