Determining how many Sonos Connect devices you need for your home audio setup can be confusing. The Sonos Connect allows you to connect existing stereo equipment like amplifiers, CD players, and turntables to your Sonos wireless system so you can play music from streaming services like Spotify, Apple Music, Google Play Music and more through your traditional stereo.
The number of Sonos Connects you need depends on a few key factors:
- How many zones/rooms do you want to have music?
- How many existing stereo systems do you want to connect?
- Do you have any amplified zones (like outdoor speakers) to connect?
In most homes, 1-2 Sonos Connects are sufficient to cover the main living spaces. However if you have a very large home with many rooms and existing stereo equipment, you may need 3-4 or more.
Here’s a quick overview of how many Sonos Connects you’ll likely need for different home configurations:
Small Home/Apartment
For a small home or apartment with just 1-2 rooms you want music, a single Sonos Connect is usually enough. You can easily connect it to a living room stereo system to bring streaming music there. If you also want music in a bedroom, add a second Sonos player like a Sonos One.
Medium Home
For a medium sized home with 3-4 bedrooms, family room and living room, 2 Sonos Connects is usually sufficient. Place one Connect on your main family room/living room stereo and another in a bedroom or office to connect those systems. Use Sonos Ones or Play:1s for any other rooms you want music.
Large Home
For a larger home with 5+ bedrooms and multiple zones, you may need 3-4 Sonos Connects. Have a Connect for each major zone – living room, family room, master bedroom, office, etc. Then fill in other rooms with Sonos speakers.
Home with Outdoor/Patio Speakers
If you have an amplified patio, pool area or outdoor speakers to cover, each of those zones will also need their own Sonos Connect. The Connect easily integrates amplified speakers into your Sonos system.
Do You Need a Connect for Each Stereo?
A common question is whether you need one Sonos Connect for each existing stereo system you want to connect to Sonos.
The answer is yes – each standalone stereo system like those found in your living room, bedroom, office etc. will require its own Sonos Connect.
The Connect has two audio outputs – one analog and one digital. It can only send sound to one stereo system at a time.
So for example:
- Living room stereo – Connect #1
- Bedroom stereo system – Connect #2
- Office stereo – Connect #3
Some key notes on this:
- You do not need a Connect for powered speakers connected to a stereo. For example, if you have an amplifier powering 4 speakers in a room, you just need 1 Connect. The Connect hooks up to the amplifier.
- Passive speakers (those without built-in amplification) will require an amplifier, which can be connected to 1 Connect.
- If you are only using Sonos speakers (One, Play:1, Play:3 etc.), you do not need any Connects since those link wirelessly.
So in summary, you need one Sonos Connect per standalone sound system you want to wire into your Sonos setup. Each zone with an amplifier or powered speakers counts as one system.
Using a Connect:Amp for Larger Zones
If you need to connect audio sources to a larger zone with multiple passive speakers, such as an outdoor patio or whole home audio system, you may want to consider using the Sonos Connect:Amp instead of the basic Sonos Connect.
The advantage of the Connect:Amp is that it contains a built-in amplifier that can power large or multiple speakers, up to 55 watts per channel.
This is perfect for powering whole home audio systems with 8 or more in-ceiling speakers across multiple rooms. Or for driving a 4 or 6 speaker outdoor system.
With the basic Sonos Connect, you’d need an external amplifier to power these types of installations.
So for large zones, the simplicity of the Connect:Amp is recommended over buying a separate amplifier and Connect. The Connect:Amp combines them into one.
When to use Connect:Amp vs Connect
Here’s a quick guide on when to use each:
- Connect:Amp – Large zones with 4+ passive speakers, whole home audio, outdoor speakers.
- Connect – Smaller zones like living room, bedroom with amplifier/powered speakers.
You can have a mix of Connect:Amps and Connects in the same Sonos system without any issues. The setup just depends on your audio sources.
Do I Need a Connect for Each Room?
You do not necessarily need a Sonos Connect for every room where you want music. The great thing is you can wirelessly group Sonos players across different rooms.
So for example, you can group a Connect linked to your living room stereo with a Sonos One speaker in the kitchen and another One in the bedroom. This allows you to sync the music to play across all those rooms simultaneously.
You only need Connects wired into a stereo or speakers for the rooms where you have an existing sound system to link up. For flexibility, you can easily add affordable Sonos speakers like the One or Play:1 to other areas.
Here’s a typical setup example:
- Living room – Connect to stereo
- Kitchen – Sonos One
- Bedroom – Pair of Sonos Play:1 speakers
- Bathroom – Sonos One
- Backyard – Connect:Amp to outdoor speakers
With this configuration, you can group the living room with kitchen, bedroom and patio to play the same music everywhere. Or group just the kitchen and bedroom for a party zone. You have full flexibility while only needing 2 Connect devices for the main stereo and outdoor audio zones.
Adding More Connects Later On
One benefit of the Sonos system is that it’s very easy to expand over time. You can start simple with just 1-2 rooms, and then add additional Sonos players and Connects down the road as needed.
Perhaps you purchase a Connect for your living room stereo initially. A few months later, you can add a second Connect for the bedroom when you are ready to expand the system.
New Sonos devices connect seamlessly to the existing system as long as everything is on the same wireless network. So you can buy just what you need now and build out over time.
Conclusion
To determine how many Sonos Connect devices you need, take into account:
- The number of rooms and zones you want to cover
- Which rooms have an existing amplifier/stereo to link up
- Any large zones like outdoor or whole home audio that need a Connect:Amp
For most homes, 1-2 Sonos Connects are usually sufficient for the main living rooms. Then compliment with Sonos wireless speakers for flexibility in other areas.
Use the following as a general guide on how many Connects you’ll need:
| Home Size | Number of Connects |
|---|---|
| Small home or apartment | 1 |
| Medium home (3-4 bedrooms) | 2 |
| Large home (5+ bedrooms) | 3-4 |
You can always add more Connects down the road as you expand your Sonos system. With proper planning, the Connect provides an easy way to bring existing stereos and speakers into the Sonos eco-system.
