Having a multi-room, wireless speaker system throughout your house is more crucial now than ever. Lately, we have found ourselves spending more time alone and with others at our homes, so why not invest in some crisp, clear, speakers to place in your office, your bedroom, living room, hallway, bathroom, anywhere you like!

With so many options to choose from, and at so many different price points, why choose Sonos?

Since there are gobs of speakers to weed through when deciding on your multi-room speaker system, it becomes tempting to look at only one aspect: price. The problem with only looking for the least expensive, or even the middle-of-the-road cost, is you pay for what you get. This is why we recommend Sonos speakers – the leader of in-home speakers. They cost a little bit more than the average speaker (they are on price point with Bose, JBL) but that’s for good reason: every year they come with new updates free-of-charge, they come as wireless, and they are considered to produce superior sound (again, on par with the likes of Bose and JBL). They invented the category of wireless streaming speakers that keeps them able to stay ahead in quality and ease of use across the product line up.

Using Sonos Speakers in Your Home

In a typical media room, the audio system is created by a combination of an AV (audio-video) receiver, five speakers, and a subwoofer. These are the building blocks for any effective home theater setup. The key to a home theater is the receiver. The receiver controls everything, starting with the five speakers. And, like the speakers, the satellite or cable box, the gaming system, DVD player, etc. are also connected to the receiver. All you have to do is choose the one you want to control and go!

Through the receiver you can also control the volume and adjust the balance of volume flowing between the five speakers. This may seem complicated, but Audio Video can help you make it simple. And since you are not confining your sound to one room, like you would when creating a home theater, you don’t have to worry about wires and receivers and selecting systems, none of that. You simply connect with your speaker and tell it what to play. It’s that easy.

In order to connect to your Sonos speakers, you first need to get the Sonos app on your phone or computer. This will be your hub, or it will act as your receiver—controlling all aspects of your speakers no matter how many or where they are placed throughout the house. Once you have the app downloaded, and you have set up a user account, add your speakers by tapping the “Settings” tab at the bottom right-hand corner of the app (once it is opened). From there, choose “System” and click “Add Product” then follow the instructions. Once you have added all your speakers (more on speaker placement in a minute), you are ready for the next step: Trueplay.

To make sure you are getting the very best sound in each room of your house Sonos has what’s called “Trueplay.” This is a program that runs, once activated by you, through each speaker adjusting its sound to perfectly fit its surrounding. To do this, go back to the “Settings” tab and click “System” at the bottom right. Select which speaker to begin with and choose Trueplay.

We recommend, for the clearest sound, tuning all your Sonos speakers with Trueplay once, and if you move them—even within the same room—tuning them again. (If you purchase the Sonos Move speaker, you do not need to worry about recalibrating the sound after you move it since it Trueplays on its own.

After you have your speakers tuned and ready, if you find there is a sound quality you would like adjusted (for instance if the bass is too high or too low), you can go into the settings and adjust individual speaker’s EQ settings. (To do this, go to “Settings,” choose “System” then “Select Your Room” to pull up a queue of possible sound adjustments.

Placement of Your Sonos Speakers
Having an in-home speaker system means you must have quality audio, but it doesn’t mean you have to hang big box speakers on the walls or from the ceiling. The days of tripping over speaker wires and hitting your head on a big rig are over. You have Sonos now and there are no big rigs or wires—only big, awesome sound! Audio Video will find the perfect place for your Sonos speakers to fit and hide just about any place inside (or out, for that matter) of your home. Here are a few examples with prices (all speakers come in black or white):

• This is a standard speaker that can be placed anywhere, and due to its long cylinder shape, it is super easy to hide. $169
• The Move is a little squattier, a bit more durable than the Roam. It’s made to withstand a few drops and dings (good for a room with a lot of activity), and it has great, full sound. $399
• This small speaker comes with voice control built right in and it produces tons of sound. This is a great one to place in a large room with another speaker or even on its own. $199
• ONE SL. Just like the One, only the SL comes microphone-free for your music and more. (The One SL and One are the same size.) $179
• If you need something a bit bigger in size and sound, the Five is the perfect high-fidelity speaker with superior sound. (We suggest placing this one high on a book shelf or cabinet so the rich sound encapsulates the entire room.) $499

There are even more Sonos speakers—ones that fit in your ceiling (permanently or temporarily), and there are also varying package deals where you can pair certain speakers into a discount bundle.

Keep Your Sonos Up to Date

Once Audio Video has your speakers strategically placed throughout your house, and you have them perfectly tuned, the only responsibility you have—beyond rocking out!—is making sure your speakers are running on the latest software.

Luckily, this task is an easy one. To enable your Sonos system to regularly receive updates on its own, simply go to the “Settings” tab on your Sonos app, click “System,” then “System Updates,” and turn on Automatic Updates. From here, you can choose all sorts of preferences. For instance, you can decide what time of day you would like the updates to take place, so if you are having a party or if you generally use your speakers at the same time each day, you can schedule for any and all updates to take place outside of when your speakers are operating.

You can also make small adjustments, like turning off the LED light on a speaker. Under “Settings” there is a “Status Light” on/off switch, so if you have a Sonos in your bedroom, and you want it perfectly dark, no problem.

The premium sound, the capabilities of the speakers and the system itself, you just can’t get any better than Sonos. If you are thinking of creating a multi-room, wireless speaker system in your home, call us today. We can share with you the types of Sonos speakers we think would work best in certain rooms, we’ll even come out and help you set your new system up. Call us today and Audio Video Charlotte and get your home set up for some major sound.