Have you just bought a new Sonos speaker? Are you in the process of getting to know it better? To ace it initially, here are 37 tips and tricks you should know about Sonos speakers.
Be ready to utter oh that’s so cool multiple times when you read and apply it on your Sonos speakers. You can make most of your Sonos speakers through these tips and tricks. Nonetheless, Sonos speakers are one of the best multiroom smart speakers for a reason.
Further reading: What is Sonos? Here’s Everything You Need to Know About the Wireless Sound System
Sonos Installation Tips And Tricks
Got a new Sonos product? Know your Sonos product better before you start installing. Here are tips and tricks on the same.
Adjust The EQ To Your Personal Preference
Not at all happy with how your Sonos speakers it sounding? It may be too quick to judge. Sonos speakers can adjust according to your surroundings (i.e., the size of your room).
This can be made possible by adjusting the EQ. No, you do not need to have any audio knowledge to do this. You can adjust the EQ in the Sonos app for each Sonos speaker.
To do so, go to app Settings> System> Select Room or Speaker> EQ
Slide the tremble and Bass bars to adjust the sound quality. Every time you slide the bars, you can hear the change is made.
Add Another Speaker Or Sub To Your Sonos System
Do you have more than one Sonos speaker? You can actually add it into your Sonos system to turn them into a multi-room music experience. An audio playing on one Sonos speaker will be played on the rest of the Sonos speakers in the same group.
To add a new speaker or sub, follow in Sonos app, Settings> System> Add speaker. The speaker or sub to be added should be connected to power and turned on. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the process.
Add A Boost To Your Sonos System
Is your Wi-Fi network weak? Do you find audio lagging behind or frequent pauses while playing audio? Instead of changing your Wi-Fi network, you can actually buy Sonos Boost: a wireless extender of Sonos.
These strengthen the Wi-Fi signals and allow different Sonos to play together smoothly. You can add a boost to your Sonos app if you already have one. Follow Settings> System> Add product> Tap on Boost to add it.
Set A Volume Limit For Your Speakers
Did you know you can also set an upper cap for volume on your Sonos speakers? For a good reason, you can restrict the maximum volume limit by using the Sonos app.
To do so, follow in Sonos app, Settings> System> Select Speaker/Room> Sound> Volume limit> Use slider to set the volume limit.
Create A Stereo Pair
A stereo pair means allowing two speakers to throw the same sound at the same time. You can turn them into stereo pairs if you have two same Sonos speakers like Sonos One, Sonos One SL, Play:1, Roam, Play:3, Play:5, Sonos Move, and Sonos Five.
Use them as TV speakers by setting each one on either side. To do so, in the Sonos app, follow: Settings> system> Products> select the speaker> Set Up Stereo Pair/Create Stereo Pair. Follow on-screen instructions after that.
Make Use Of Your Existing Hi-Fi System
Do you have a traditional hi-fi system like a turntable or DAC? Worried they will get redundant after the existence of Sonos speakers at your home? No ways. Get a Sonos Port or Sonos Amp, wireless streamers, and use your existing hi-fi system like never before.
Play Vinyl On Your Sonos System
Do you have a Play:5 or Sonos 5? You can play vinyl on your Sonos system easily then? Play:5 has a line-in that allows you to connect your vinyl to a Sonos speaker. To connect them, use an RCA to 3.5mm cable. Connect 3.5mm side of this cable to Play:5/ Five line in port. Use the other end of cable i.e. the split side to the back of your vinyl, into two jacks Left and Right.
To connect with other Sonos speakers, you need to buy a Sonos amp or Sonos Port.
Turn On Auto-Discovery
Auto-discovery feature automatically lets users discover new Sonos devices nearby if they are turned/powered on. To turn on the auto-discovery feature in the Sonos app, follow, Settings> App Preferences> Allow pop-up messages.
This will turn on pop-up notifications, and when a new sound device is discovered, a setup flashcard will pop up on your screen. This makes adding any new Sonos device to your existing Sonos system easier.
Change A Room Name
This is for people who have multiple Sonos speakers in each room. To differentiate, you would probably have named them under different rooms like living room, kitchen, bedroom, etc., this makes it easier to command “Alexa, play songs in the living room.”
But what if you moved one of your Sonos speakers from the living room to the bedroom. This is when you need to delete and add a new speaker or just change the room name. Changing a room name is easy. In Sonos app, follow, Settings> System> choose the speaker> Room> Room name > Enter new room name and tap Done.
Get The Best Out Of Your Sonos Speakers
You can get the best of your Sonos speakers by setting them up with Trueplay. This free feature allows speakers to tune in according to their surroundings. For instance, a speaker inside a cupboard should sound differently when placed in a big room.
However, the only downside it Trueplay is only available on the Sonos app downloaded on iOS devices. The company is yet to make it available for Android users. However, users can always borrow their friend’s iOS device to Trueplay their Sonos products.
Trueplay Room Calibration
Firstly, to calibrate your Sonos speakers with Trueplay, you need an iPhone or iPad. Trueplay uses the microphone of your iPhone or iPad to test how the sound is traveling and bouncing off with the nearby distractions like furniture, walls, etc.
To calibrate Trueplay, in the Sonos app on an iOS device, go to Settings> system> Select room> Trueplay> Trueplay tuning. The app will then instruct you to move around the room with your iOS device. Follow the instructions as directed thereafter.
Add External DAC
Do you have a Sonos Amp or Sonos Port at your home? You can make the most of it by adding an external DAC to it. A Digital to analog converter is a device that allows you to convert your digital content into analog and play it through the speakers.
Wireless streamers like Sonos amp and Sonos port have ports that have allowed users to connect their external DAC to it and increase its functionality.
Talk To Sonos
Finding a smart speaker, you can talk to just like Echo smart speakers? Sonos and its line of speakers are all smart and allow you to talk to them using your favorite voice assistants like Alexa or Google Assistant. All Sonos speakers have inbuilt voice assistants that allow users to talk to them. Such Sonos speakers are Sonos one, Sonos Move and Sonos Beam. Other Sonos speakers require Amazon Echo or Google Home to talk to Sonos.
To enable voice assistant on Sonos speakers, follow Settings> Services & Voice> Add a service under voice in the Sonos app. Choose the voice assistant you like.
Just Add Fire
If you want to control your OTT watching experience through voice, you can add Fire TV or Fire Stick to your Sonos system. Make sure it only works with Sonos Beam, and you can only watch shows on a streaming platform that is compatible with Fire i.e., Netflix.
If you have all these devices at your home already, make the best use of them through this setup.
Height Speakers
Do you want to turn your Sonos system into a surround sound experience? You can easily do so as Sonos speakers support surround sound. You can also place them at various heights to make the setup work.
This is possible as Sonos speakers can be kept both horizontally and vertically. Not only this, there are various Sonos speaker stands in the market that allows you to place at various heights.
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Sonos Setup Tips And Tricks
Are you setting up your new Sonos product? Here are some of the tips and tricks that can help you set up Sonos speakers perfectly and make the most of them.
Setup Sonos Wireless
Though Sonos can connect to your home router for its need internet to back, it also works wirelessly. If your Wi-Fi network is up to mark, you can set up your Sonos system wirelessly without any need for wires and cables whatsoever. Just the power adapter cable, though as it always needs the power to work (just like Echo).
To set up Sonos wirelessly, follow Settings> System> Network> Network> Wireless Set Up in the Sonos app. Follow the on-screen instructions thereafter. It will prompt you to enter your Wi-Fi password at some stage. Replace your Sonos product if the connection is not made instantly. Also, try removing any objects between your home Wi-Fi router and the Sonos device.
Setup Sonos In Stereo
Sonos speakers can also be set up in stereo and be used as TV speakers or computer speakers.
How To Use Sonos Speakers As Computer Speakers
Though not made for computer speakers, Sonos speakers can act like computer speakers with a workaround. The two Sonos speakers that can do the job are Play:1 and Sonos One.
So, the workaround needs you to have one of the Sonos wireless streamers, Sonos Port or Sonos roam. If you have Sonos Port, here is how you can use it to make Sonos speakers work as computer speakers:
- Connect your computer/laptop to Sonos Port using line-in input. This connects your computer’s audio to the Sonos app.
- Now, in the Sonos app, go to Settings> Room Settings> choose the Sonos speakers you want as computer speakers.
- Choose Autoplay Room. This will allow the Sonos app to automatically play the speakers when a line in detects a signal, i.e., as the audio is played on desktop/computer.
Alternatively, you can also use Sonos Roam. Since Sonos Roam is a Bluetooth smart speaker, it can connect to a computer directly via Bluetooth. Group Sonos roam with other Sonos speakers you want to use as computer speakers via Bluetooth as well and enjoy.
How To Get Off The Audio Delay When Connected To A Turntable
Is your turntable connected to the Sonos system via either Port or AMP or directly to speakers like Play:5 or Sonos Play? Either way, if it’s lagging behind in audio sync, here is how you can fix it using the Sonos app:
- Make sure the turntable is connected to the Sonos device using the right line-in connection.
- Now, on the Sonos app, go to Settings> System
- Select the Sonos product i.e., either the speaker or wireless amp/port
- Scroll down to select audio Delay and further select low (75ms).
By default, the delay speed is set to 2000miliseconds i.e., around 2 seconds. Selecting it to 75ms will make it negligible that it is still delayed but isn’t noticeable.
How To Regroup Your Sonos Speakers Without The App
Do you have several Sonos speakers at home and have them grouped all together? But wait, why is one of the Sonos speakers not playing like the rest? This is when you need to regroup that left-out Sonos speaker again. You can do so with the Sonos S2 app as well.
But if you do not have your mobile device nearby, you can regroup your ungrouped speaker without the app through the speaker’s control panel. For this, on your speaker’s control panel, press and hold down the play/pause button for three seconds. That’s it. It will be regrouped automatically with the rest of the speakers.
However, make sure all your Sonos speakers (grouped and ungrouped) are connected to the same Wi-Fi network for it to work.
Sonos Speaker Placement (Standing Up Or Lying Down)
If you have a Play:3 or Play:5, you can place them both ways, i.e., either vertically or horizontally. The inbuilt subwoofers are placed so artistically that the speakers can adjust to the sound as they are kept.
Sonos Your Existing System
Worried your existing system will become obsolete after the Sonos speakers? There are no such issues if you have a Sonos amplifier or wireless streamers like Sonos Port or Amp. You can connect your old turntable, vinyl, or other hi-fi systems through a line-in connection to them.
If you have Sonos connect or Sonos Connect: Amp (now discontinued), it can work as well.
Mute A Single Speaker
Do you want to mute a particular Sonos speaker in a group? On an urgent call and want to turn off the audio playing? No worries, just press and hold the mute button on your speaker’s control panel to mute a single speaker.
A mute button is also used to skip the track or play/pause the current track.
Disable The Swipe Functionality
This feature is enabled in Sonos speakers like Sonos Five, Play:5 second-gen, subs like Beam, Arc, Move; Sonos One, Sonos one SL, and Sonos Move.
According to this feature, you can prevent the speaker from responding when touched accidentally, or your kid or cat just did it purposely.
To disable swipe functionality, on the speaker’s control panel, hold down the pair button (usually at the back) for 10 seconds. Do this after the speaker is fully booted. Press it once again and leave it.
Enable Volume Control On Your Home Screen
Want to control your Sonos speaker’s volume from the home screen of your mobile screen? Yes, that’s possible. For this, on your Sonos app on an Android mobile device, go to Settings> Advanced Settings> Allow volume control on Home Screen.
For the iOS Sonos app, go to Settings> App Preferences> Toggle on lock screen controls.
Find Your Sonos Account Information
Want to know more about your Sonos account? What if you want to check the privacy policy or may your Sonos username? Sonos account information is also useful when setting voice control on your Sonos products.
Whatever be the reason, you can find your Sonos account information, well you know through the Sonos app. Go to Settings> system> About My system.
Make Sure Your Sonos System Is Always Running The Latest Software
If you are ever stuck where your Sonos system is not responding well, make sure it is updated to the latest software. In other cases, you may need to update it if Spotify Connect is finally made available in your region or voice assistant capabilities are updated.
There could be many other reasons. Nevertheless, keeping your Sonos system on the latest software will make it function better.
The best way is to keep on auto-updates. For this, in the Sonos app, follow, Settings> System> System Updates> Update automatically.
Override Audio Compression Settings
Sonos, by default, sets the audio compression settings for Sonos Dock (now discontinued) and player line-in. However, users can override such settings to be compressed or uncompressed.
To do this, in the Sonos app, follow, Settings> System> Scroll down to Audio Compression> choose desired settings
Double-Tap To Skip
Want to control your current song playing through the control panel of your Sonos speakers? Besides the normal play/pause, increase or decrease the volume or mute, you can also skip the current track.
Double tapping the play/pause button skips the current song playing.
Also, if you have other Sonos speakers like Sonos one, One SL, Move, Five, Arc, Playbase, Sonos Play:5 (2nd gen), or Sonos Beam, you can swipe left on the control panel to play a previous track and swipe right to play the next track.
If you have Sonos Roam, you can go to the previous track by triple-clicking the play/pause button.
Use Apple’s 3D Touch To Haptic Touch To Play The Last Song Or Radio Station
Do you own an iPhone 6s or newer, or iPhone XR or newer? You can then enjoy Apple’s 3D and Haptic Touch feature on Sonos. This feature will allow you to present a shortcut menu to control your tracks on long pressing the Sonos app icon.
You can play/pause the current track by long-pressing the Sonos app icon without opening the app. You can also launch Favourites or Search by doing so.
Make A Playlist From Multiple Sources
Sonos supports multiple musics streaming services like Spotify, Tidal, Apple Music, Amazon Music, and a lot more. See which music streaming services are available in your region. You can then create a playlist from your favorite source. Add songs from different playlists to form a new playlist on the Sonos app.
Sonos allows you to create playlists from your local music library. To create new playlist on Sonos, follow, My Sonos> Edit> Playlists> New Playlists > Name playlist.
Curate Custom Sonos Playlists
Is it one of those days when you like to hear songs curated from your own playlists? If you reknot in the mood to listen to something new, Sonos lets you create custom playlists from your own playlists only.
And for times when you like to listen to the collection of random songs or an already curated playlist by someone else, you can use the Queue. If you find any particular song or queue good enough, add such a song to your Queue.
For this, on the now playing screen, tap on the Queue button on the top right corner. Click on Save. The current song will be saved and added to the Queue.
Hear Speech More Easily, And Respect The Neighbours
Are you one of those users who are more worried if their neighbors are disturbed by loud music? Sonos got you covered such that you do not compromise on your fun. There are two Sonos features i.e., Night Sound and Speech Enhancement, that works.
These features are available on soundbars and can be accessed from the Now Playing Screen in the Sonos app. As per Night Sounds, it adjusts the sound loudness according to the calmness and reduces noise leakage. Click on the Crescent Moon icon to enable it. Speech Enhancement especially makes dialogues clearer when the background music is too loud. Enable it by clicking the speech bubble icon.
Play Straight From Spotify
Do you consider Spotify as your favorite music streaming service? You can play songs straight from your Spotify account.
To link Spotify to your Sonos app, follow, Settings> Services & Voice> Add a Service> Select Spotify from the list> Add to Sonos> sign into your Spotify account.
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Tips And Tricks Turn Off Sonos
Here are some of the tips and tricks you can use to turn off various settings of your Sonos speakers using the Sonos app.
Turn Your Sonos Speaker Into An Alarm Clock
You can also turn your Sonos speaker into an alarm clock. It can wake you up to your favorite tunes, shut up when you need it to, and even set the alarm through voice controls.
To set the alarm from the Sonos app, follow, Settings> System> Alarms> Set Alarm> Set the Time, music room, etc> Save. You can set up to 32 alarms on the Sonos app.
To set the alarm from voice control, say “Alexa, set the alarm for every weekday at 6 am” or “Alexa, set the alarm for tomorrow at 7 am”.
You can also command “Alexa, stop” when you want to cancel the playing alarm or “Alexa, snooze”. To turn off the alarm clock on the Sonos speaker, follow, Rooms tab> alarm> Disable alarm in the Sonos app.
Turn The LED Light Off
You can actually turn off the LED light on the Sonos speakers control panel. This is especially when you like to sleep in the pitch dark.
To turn it off, in the Sonos app, follow, Settings> System> Select the room> Go to Status Light and toggle or untick it. It will turn off the LED light on the Sonos speaker.
Turn Off Touch Controls
Many Sonos speakers have touch controls like the swipe functionality and other touch controls. You can turn it off if you have naughty kids or pets at your home.
The couch controls are available in Sonos speakers like Play:5, Move, Sonos One, One SL, Move, Sonos Arc, Sonos five, Beam, and Playbase.
To turn off the touch controls, in the Sonos app, follow, Settings> System> Select the Room> Touch Control (toggle off or untick the feature).
Conclusion
These were the 37 tips and tricks to using your Sonos products. The best part is these are not all. The Sonos products still have many tips and tricks that you will discover the more you use them.
Look out for other fun Sonos features like Airplay 2 compatibility, setting parental controls, turning off microphone, Sonos Radio, sleep timer, Crossfade, and many more.
References:
- Sonos tips and tricks: Get the most out of your multi-room speaker system from www.pocket-lint.com
- 32 Sonos tips, tricks, and features from www.whathifi.com
- Sonos tips and tricks: Get more out of your speakers with these secrets from www.the-ambient.com
- 6 Tricks All Sonos Owners Should Know from www.gearpatrol.com
- 10 Tips and Tricks to Make You a Sonos Master from gizmodo.com