Using surround speakers independently by creating a new group.


How can I create different groups with the surround speakers in my living room? It seems that because they are already in the "living room" group, I cannot create a new group with the play 1 speakers. I would love to be able to use them independently as well, not just a supplement to my playbar and sub.

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41 replies

Userlevel 5
Badge +3
Hello Juan,

You can separate them from the 5.1 setup and use them as their own rooms or as a stereo pair. 

To do this from a controller go into: Settings > Room Settings > PLAYBAR > Remove Surrounds

Then when you wish to use them as surround sound speakers you can re-add them back to the setup. 
Is it possible to re-add them as surround sound speakers quickly? Without having to go through the entire click on two buttons process for each speaker?
Userlevel 5
Badge +3
Is it possible to re-add them as surround sound speakers quickly? Without having to go through the entire click on two buttons process for each speaker?
Hello User146257, 

If you remove the surround sound speakers they will have to be manually re-added by doing the button press association process. There is no other way to associate them to as rears to the system. 
Is this something that Sonos is working on? The ability to be able to change the grouping on a 5.1 setup so that you can use if for 5.1 through TV and at other times use the surrounds and sub to form a stereo pair for playing music would be really useful.
Userlevel 7
Badge +22
It's not really necessary as in the Advanced settings you can set Music playback to "Full" which will use the Sub and surrounds in Full stereowhich would be virtually the same thing as removing surrounds and setting up a new stereo group with sub
But doesn't this also play through the playbar?
Userlevel 7
Badge +22
Yes. But it doesn't detract from the Surrounds playing full awesome music goodness stereo.
Hmmm I'm not sure that was the answer I was looking for. Referring to my first question, is this perhaps something Sonos could be working on? I'm assuming this could be done technically?
Userlevel 7
Badge +22
1) you can ungroup the surrounds ans Sub from the Playbar and then join them as a group. You can then regroup them as surrounds and do this to your hearts content

2) That would soon become a huge pita if you did it regularly

3) Why would you was to to do what you say.

4) Due to my previous response, and the fact Sonos won't confirm developments, it seems vanishingly unlikely you will get what you are asking for
Userlevel 5
Badge +11
I assume you've tried what Stuart suggested and don't like the result?

As pairing is acheived by button pressing I'm sure it could be done by pressing a different button somewhere else - like on a controller perhaps- rather than the tedious chore of having to press a button somewhere else, but that then makes the rest of the Sonos system inconsistent in its operation.
Thanks Stuart. I appreciate your solution but to have to push buttons manually every time you want to change the speaker setup seems to defeat the purpose of the adaptive Sonos system. The two play 1s I'm using as surrounds would work perfectly in stereo for music on their own and if this could be changed through grouping on the app and not have to be done manually then this would make the whole setup far more flexible and adaptable. I didn't necessarily buy the play 1s to be used exclusively as surround speakers so it would just be very handy to be able to change the configuration on the fly through the app. I'm not sure why this seems like such an odd request as it appears to be consistent with the way you are able to group and ungroup all of the speakers through the app. Maybe I'm missing something here?
Userlevel 7
Badge +22
Yes Oozwa. I believe you are.

Sonos recognised that users might feel using a pair of Play 1s or others as surrounds might be overkill as the way they used to be bonded meant if you played music through them you got what they call an ambient. Now, however, they added a Full music setting so that the surrounds work as surrounds in TV listening but operate in Full Stereo if music played through them. Ie exactly as they would if you unbonded them as surrounded and grouped them as a stereo pair.

It seems the current way it works is EXACTLY what you need
Userlevel 1
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I have the same issue. Surprised to see the status to be "answered". Manual pressing buttons (and also going through the trueplay calibration again) does not seem a solution to this problem. I'm thinking about buying additional play 1s but only when I can pair them with one of my surround play 1s without the above mentioned hassle.
I have the same issue. Surprised to see the status to be "answered". Manual pressing buttons (and also going through the trueplay calibration again) does not seem a solution to this problem. I'm thinking about buying additional play 1s but only when I can pair them with one of my surround play 1s without the above mentioned hassle.The technical nature of how a surround system works in Sonos is completely different from when speakers are grouped. You simply don't understand what you are asking for. You will have to keep your money in your pocket.
Userlevel 1
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Config file A and config file B.
Problem solved 😃
Dang! So obvious. Why didn't the Sonos engineers think of that? You should offer your services as a consultant to Sonos.
Userlevel 1
I also think this would be a great feature... and I'm surprised it does not exist. It's not just a case of wanting to use the Play 1s as a music stereo pair (which the Full music setting allows), its a case of wanting to not have the music also playing through the playbar... and possibly having the TV (via the playbar) and music playing (via the play 1s) at the same time. When you remove and re-add the surrounds you have to go through the manual setup and trueplay again, so this isn't really a solution, it's a workaround at best. I would have thought that Sonos could find a way to store the configuration, so you could just reapply when joining them back into surround mode, rather than having to setup again. Sonos, if you are listening... this is definitely a feature quite a few people are after... 😃
Userlevel 1
Is it possible to re-add them as surround sound speakers quickly? Without having to go through the entire click on two buttons process for each speaker?
Hello User146257, 

If you remove the surround sound speakers they will have to be manually re-added by doing the button press association process. There is no other way to associate them to as rears to the system. 
See above - would be great to have this as a new feature...??
I need to do this too!! 2 x Play3 up on top of kitchen cupboards, TV and Playbar behind foldout cabinet doors at other side of kitchen and I want to watch TV with the Playbar & Play3s as rear surrounds while often wanting to listen to radio / streaming music on the Play3s with the TV cabinet door closed. I'll be climbing up onto the work-surfaces to press the buttons or listening to muffled music from the Playbar inside the cabinet??!!

I was sold on sonos because, as the salesman said, "you can listen to anything on any speakers in any part of the house - it is SO flexible". Well obviously not! :(

PLEASE make app / firmware changes SONOS!!
I have the same setup as JOMK and find it frustrating that speakers need to be added and removed all the time. Can SONOS not look at allowing speakers to belong to more than one group.
In the above example Lounge would be playbar with 2 play 3's to provide surround sound.
Kitchen would be 2 play 3's for stereo.
The user is then in control of how he wants the speakers to perform by selecting the relevant group. If Lounge is playing then Kitchen would be unavailable for selection. If Kitchen is selected then Lounge is unavailable.
This should stop the requirement of removing and adding all the time. Grouping is nice but does not give correct surround sound.
Userlevel 1
No idea if these old threads get looked at, even though the updates are recent... Sonos??
No idea if these old threads get looked at, even though the updates are recent... Sonos??

Every thread gets looked at. Not all get commented on. Assume that no comment means not possible or not planned.
Userlevel 1
No idea if these old threads get looked at, even though the updates are recent... Sonos??

Every thread gets looked at. Not all get commented on. Assume that no comment means not possible or not planned.


Technically anything is possible! :D

Great that every thread gets looked at - hopefully Sonos will confirm if likely to be on the future roadmap or not.
Userlevel 7
Badge +26
No idea if these old threads get looked at, even though the updates are recent... Sonos??
I can confirm, every thread is looked at and feedback passed to the development teams too.

I don't have any news on this particular feature as to if or when, but it's on the list of your requests.

Thanks for reaching out!
Userlevel 1

I can confirm, every thread is looked at and feedback passed to the development teams too.

I don't have any news on this particular feature as to if or when, but it's on the list of your requests.

Thanks for reaching out!


Thanks for confirming.... keeping my fingers crossed for the feature soon...