Did you get a Boost with that? After spending hours reading the Sonos site I still can't determine when that is necessary or not. The Playbar docs don't mention it, but the Sub docs say you have to use it to get 5.1.
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Apple Music Coming to Sonos Home Audio Systems by End of 2015
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Did you get a Boost with that? After spending hours reading the Sonos site I still can't determine when that is necessary or not. The Playbar docs don't mention it, but the Sub docs say you have to use it to get 5.1.
I did end up purchasing a boost, but I think I'm going to give it to my dad, we bought him a sonos speaker (no connected speaker to the router at their home) for fathers day. The reason being, I plan on connecting the playbar to the router as this seems to be the best method (their wifi setup). I emailed SONOS and informed them of the speaker and setup I planned on doing and SONOS responded right away. Basically, I think that if I wanted to setup the 5.1 surround sound, then it would be a good idea to keep the boost, but at this time I'm not planning on doing that. So I'll test it out without the boost and then with the boost and decide based off of that, but it really doesn't seem like I need the boost if I have a speaker connected to the router, at least based off what people are commenting on their forum. I posted SONOS response below to my question about whether I actually needed the boost. Their customer support is incredible.
Thank you for contacting Sonos Customer Care.
The setup you're suggesting will work in place of the BOOST. In fact, my own system operates just as you've described yours will be set up and I can attest that it does indeed work as good or nearly as good as a BOOST in the PLAYBAR's place. However, there are a lot of variables that go into this kind of setup, such as placement, interference and other environmental factors (e.g. Wood tabletop vs Concrete vs Brick, etc).
Additionally, wiring up the PLAYBAR creates the scenario necessary for a 5.1 setup either way, just in case this is a desire of yours down the line. Let me know if you have any additional questions or concerns and I will be happy to assist you further.
I have an old Hafler Amp in the basement, as well as a Nakamichi 680ZX and 592 cassette players, and a Linn Sondek LP12! The sub is added to the system as another device, tied to the Connect:Amp used for the Rogers. Great combo! So you can tie the sub to any Sonos device, but just one at a time.
You have the Linn! I'm jealous! I passed up on an Axis back in the day, and I still kick myself. What cartridge are you using?
I had the DH220 amp myself, but sold it when I had a great opportunity on a modded GFA555. My go to for two channel anything.
You likely do NOT need a Boost. You definitely do not need a Bridge anymore (Sonos had a firmware update about 8 months ago that negated the need for a Bridge). There are 2 basic setups for Sonos systems:
1) Wifi - All of your Sonos speakers are running off of your home's wifi network, just like any other wifi device.
2) SonosNet - Sort of an "overlay" network that is layered onto your home's wifi network. To create a SonosNet setup you simply plug any 1 of your Sonos speakers via ethernet cable to your router. It does not matter which speaker is plugged into the router. Once 1 device is wired, the SonosNet is created as a "mesh network" for all of your Sonos speakers.
SonosNet is required to use their 5.1 setup (Playbar, Sub, and surrounds). I believe, but am not positive, that it is also required to "bond" any of their speakers with the subwoofer.
Beyond being simple to setup, it is also the recommended method. By having 1 hardwired unit, you are not going to interfere with your normal wifi traffic. And, each Sonos device sort of "extends" the mesh network, offering a more stable connection.
Boost is not necessary with Soundbar, which creates a network for you. With Sonos you can use their network or a standard Wifi network. Soundbar acts as an access point for the Sonos network. No boost needed. If you want help try calling if you haven't. They have good support and can help with configuration questions.
Geoff
It was my uncle's....it's got a grado teak wood arm and cartridge. Sadly, it's sitting in a closet. All of my vinyl...including vintage versions of the first Genesis album (global sales: 600 copies), Zappa's Freakout, and Tull Stand Up (with the pop-up center) were destroyed in a flood...I was not upset, as it happened a few days after 9/11...perspective.
I've been reading up on their forums. Theres several threads about this very thing. Evidently - and this is what they don't explain very well - plugging the first speaker in via a wired connection is what creates Sonos Net. The only reason to use a Boost is if you want that to be the beginning of the Net and not one of the speakers.
If I might take a break from the Sonos vs. Airplay discussion 
- what are my options as a current Beats subscriber and Sonos user starting tomorrow, June 30?
1) Keep Beats Music and decline the transition to Apple Music. Downsides - miss out on 3 month free trial, likely smaller music selection vs. Apple Music, and lose out on any integration in IOS Music App (useful for plugging into a car, for instance)
2) Transition to Apple Music. Downside - Will not be able to use streaming music service for Sonos system for SIX months (??).
Any other choices/alternatives that I'm missing?
- what are my options as a current Beats subscriber and Sonos user starting tomorrow, June 30? 1) Keep Beats Music and decline the transition to Apple Music. Downsides - miss out on 3 month free trial, likely smaller music selection vs. Apple Music, and lose out on any integration in IOS Music App (useful for plugging into a car, for instance)
2) Transition to Apple Music. Downside - Will not be able to use streaming music service for Sonos system for SIX months (??).
Any other choices/alternatives that I'm missing?
Yes - which would likely happen if your router was not close to one of the speaker locations. If you can do that, no need for the boost.
I had some killer accessories that would go nice with the Linn... the Nagaoka record care kit and static killer wand, the VPI record cleaner, and I had a center weight that I think came from Thorens. I miss that stuff. What I really wanted was a quality simple table like the AR EB-101. No controls, just a rocker switch for on/off.
If I might take a break from the Sonos vs. Airplay discussion
1) Keep Beats Music and decline the transition to Apple Music. Downsides - miss out on 3 month free trial, likely smaller music selection vs. Apple Music, and lose out on any integration in IOS Music App (useful for plugging into a car, for instance)
2) Transition to Apple Music. Downside - Will not be able to use streaming music service for Sonos system for SIX months (??).
Any other choices/alternatives that I'm missing?
Any reason why you couldn't do both? I didn't see anything in the Apple Music docs that said you HAD to move over from Beats, only that you COULD when you were ready. Seems legit.
The Boost can be used to "boost" the signal around the home as well, even if another Sonos device is used as the bridge. It works very well.
Hmm - Will have to test..
I know you can play multiple devices to different rooms on airplay.
i.e - iPhone 1 to Kitchen - iPad1 to office etc.
Not sure if that would work from a single shared library via multiple devices using the remote app.
What I do want is multi room/zone Airplay amp. Like 4-8 Zones. Instead of multi amps. So speakers can be all wired from one central place.
That's possible. You'll spend major $$$ on the 4+ multi zone amp. And, if you've ever tried to control a multi-zone amp, even one with just 2 zones, you quickly realized that it is cumbersome at best. Not to mention you'll have to wire your home. If you truly want 4-8 separate locations:
1) Seriously explore Sonos or one of the other whole-home solutions such as Denon HEOS, Bose SoundTouch, etc. It is precisely what they are designed for, and they work painlessly.
2) Just get a bunch of portable AirPlay (or Bluetooth) speakers, there are tons of options from $5 and up.
3) Construct a "whole-home AirPlay system" by purchasing a bunch of AirPort Express or AppleTV units, put them throughout your house, and directly connect your choice of speakers to each AirPort Express or AppleTV. You can use powered speakers or passive speakers with a small T-Amp in each room. This would likely exceed the complexity and cost of going with an established whole-home system like Sonos, Bose, Denon, etc.
While the app is not perfect by any stretch, it really is about as simple to use as possible. Group rooms together, separate them, adjust volume of the whole group or individual rooms, link to your iTunes library, use Pandora, etc.
I said this earlier in this thread. If you have not really used Sonos (and I presume Bose, Denon, etc.), do it, and not just in a store. Sonos has a 45 day trial period and they pay for shipping in both directions, so nothing to lose. BB caries Sonos and alternates too.
I don't have any need for it since all my sources feed into the switch, but I don't see any mention of it in the manual. I don't really find it any uglier than the average cable box or Bluray player, honestly. The LEDs on it are blindingly bright, though, so I fixed that by covering them with a strip of electrical tape. You could always get a cheap IR blaster and put it all in a cabinet.
I absolutely love the sub. I personally think it would be too much for most people in any room but the living/family room/man cave, but maybe not if you like a ton of bass in other places. I think the tech in the sub is likely how you describe it with reverse polarity, but I can't confirm that or anything. It's quite amazing to me that no matter how loud you crank the bass (the sub can be independently controlled via the app), the thing just doesn't vibrate. I've had things sitting on top of mine for a long time that haven't moved an inch. I can go out in the front yard and leave something playing on the living room system and crank it and the bass literally rattles the walls and my front door, but you still cannot feel that thing vibrate itself. It's pretty crazy. I don't think I could ever go back to just TV speakers now. I have one of these Vizio sound "stands" in my bedroom that I really enjoy, too. Just enough bass for me in that scenario. Obviously it's not part of my Sonos network, though. http://www.amazon.com/VIZIO-S2121w-D0-Sound-Integrated-Subwoofer/dp/B00KONCCW2
People frequently posted the Oktava switch you have on the Sonos forums. At 5 times the price of the Monoprice option, though, I went for the latter. Same amount of inputs, just has the annoyance of the 1 on the front of the box if that bothers you. I was one of the rare folks whose TV passed 5.1 from the optical out, but came to realize that it only passed 5.1 that came from the HDMI 1 input and none of the others. Guess that's where TV makers are cutting corners nowadays.
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I don't have time to go over every inaccurate statement about airplay right now, but the limitation is with iTunes not Airplay. In other words, if your iTunes library is on a Synology NAS you can stream different or the same audio over multiple Airplay receivers using their DS Audio app. iTunes will only send the same stream to multiple receivers.
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Been using this neat project to send Apple Music to my Sonos systems via AirPlay in the interim.
https://github.com/stephen/airsonos
https://github.com/stephen/airsonos
I had loads of issues with Airplay (dropouts, etc) so moved to Sonos a few years ago and haven't looked back. I was disappointed that Apple Music isn't available yet on Sonos, but dug out an old AirPort express base station and plugged it into a Sonos Play:5 so now I have AirPlay support integrated with my sonos system and can play Apple Music via that. The Airport Express is wired via Ethernet so hopefully I won't get any of the dropouts that used to plague me with AirPlay in the past
I guess I could have done it years ago, but this is the first time I've really needed AirPlay since installing my Sonos system
I guess I could have done it years ago, but this is the first time I've really needed AirPlay since installing my Sonos system
I had loads of issues with Airplay (dropouts, etc) so moved to Sonos a few years ago and haven't looked back. I was disappointed that Apple Music isn't available yet on Sonos, but dug out an old AirPort express base station and plugged it into a Sonos Play:5 so now I have AirPlay support integrated with my sonos system and can play Apple Music via that. The Airport Express is wired via Ethernet so hopefully I won't get any of the dropouts that used to plague me with AirPlay in the past
I guess I could have done it years ago, but this is the first time I've really needed AirPlay since installing my Sonos system
I actually think that your statement "...but this is the first time I've really needed AirPlay since installing my Sonos..." is telling.
While I am absolutely not dismissing that having AirPlay built into Sonos would be a welcomed benefit, once you become accustomed to the Sonos ecosystem you may not really miss AirPlay too much.
I also see a lot of complaints from people that the Sonos Play:1 and Play:3 speakers lack an Aux input option. Again, likely something that a non-user might see as a negative, but once in place you likely won't miss it much if at all.