Integrating Wiim with Sonos Options

[mhatch]

I've been remodeling a house for a while and am wanting to do whole home audio throughout. I already purchased a Sonos arc, sub, and 2 Era 100s for TV watching, and a sonos beam, sonos amp+2 outdoor passive speakers for our outdoor TV. I have in-ceiling passive speakers installed in the Kitchen, family room (where TV is), Living Room, Master bedroom, office, and outdoor patio (just outside family room and separate from the outdoor TV). I went with Sonos for the TVs because at the time there were no problems and it seemed like the simplest solution to not have to deal with any lip sync issues. With Sonos' issues as of late and the cost of their amps I'm still trying to decide if I just bite the bullet and go with Sonos or if I mix and match and do Sonos for TVs and Wiim for music. Below are the options I'm considering.

1. All-in on Sonos - What I was probably going to do a year ago until they had their issues and before discovering Wiim.
2. Keep Sonos for TVs, add Wiim for Music
   1. Would I be able to use any of the Sonos speakers for the Tv (era 100s and the outdoor passive speakers) for music as well? This would be ideal. From what I've read there would probably be sync issues though? Would getting mini's help to link to the eras?
   2. Would I be able to send TV audio to other zones like Kitchen or dining room in this mixed situation? Audio sync isn't as important here given the distance from the TV to those zones
3. Sell current Sonos stuff (still in boxes/never used but too late to return) and go all-in on Wiim for TV and Music
   1. TV audio is important to me, I don't want sync issues. Is there an alternative similar to my current proposed Sonos TV setup?

My preference would be for #2 if it can work seamlessly. Also, I will have Home Assistant / Music Assistant so if there's anything I could do there to help integrate I could do something there. Is there anything else I'm not thinking of? I've already purchased a Wiim amp on a black friday sale (haven't used it yet) and an Audio pro Wiim edition speaker. Figured i could just use the Wiim amp for the master even if I went all-in on Sonos as the master doesn't need to do group play with downstairs.

 

[dtc]

No answer, but some information.

I have a Sonos soundbar and 2 Sonos speakers for rears to give me 5.1 That setup works well and is always in sync. You can also play music through that setup from the Sonos app. You just play to the soundbar and the rears also play. You can also connect other Sonos speakers in the app and everything will be in sync. That is the magic of the Sonos system.

You can connect a Wiim Mini/Pro/Plus to the analog input of an Era speaker. I can set them to be in sync using the Wiim app to do the syncing, but if I stopping playing for a while I sometimes have to resync the Wiim with the Sonos. You would need to experiment with that. Once you connect a Wiim streamer to Sonos you can use the Wiim app for selecting music and the Sonos app to control which Sonos speakers are playing and to adjust their volumes.

Wiim has a beta for using a Wiim device to stream to a DLNA device such as the Sonos speakers. Users have reported that they can stream from Wiim device to their Sonos system. You would stream to one Sonos speaker and then use the Sonos app to select what other Sonos speakers to play. I do not believe the DLNA feature has been released yet and it is unclear when it will be out. It has been in beta for a while.

For the passive speakers, consider using a impedance matching speaker control box if you want 1 amp to drive multiple speakers. Some come with volume controls so you could adjust the relative volumes and even turn some off.

Some people here have had success using Fosi amps with passive speakers. They are quite affordable.

 

[mhatch]

Thanks, that was very helpful. So it seems like no matter what, to use the Sonos speakers I'd have to use the Sonos app to select them (even with the DLNA beta)? That's not the end of the world though I'd prefer (really my family would) to use just one app if possible but I wonder if that's what Home Assistant could come into play (I'll ask around there).

Do you know of a good way to setup TV audio with Wiim for my backyard setup (soundbar or other front speakers and 2 rear speakers)? I have in-ceiling speakers in my family room that are not used for TV audio which I could use for just music, thus bypassing the Sonos speakers there easily for music. The outside would be a little harder So I'm thinking I could just ditch the outside Sonos TV setup for a Wiim alternative, that way I can easily do TV/music out there (which i would do music a lot I think). Main concern is lip sync audio.

 

[dtc]

I do not use Wiim for my TV sound, I use Sonos. The Wiim solution involves having separate Wiim devices but does not support a center channel. I would search this site for more information. For me, there does not seem to be a real 5.1 Wiim solution at this time.

DLNA without Sonos will not stay in sync. The timing in a DLNA client is controlled by the client, so it is quite unlikely that multiple clients will stay in sync, except through Sonos.

I use Sonos for my TV setup and connect those speakers via a Wiim streamer connected to the audio in on an Era. DLNA will eliminate the analog input on the Era, but Sonos still needs to do the syncing.

What has set Sonos apart from everyone else is that they have powered speakers that are integrated so they always stays in sync. That is how the system was designed from the ground up. Wiim is trying to get there with their speakers, but they still don't have an option for a center or for a soundbar. IMO, Wiim has a ways to go to get to true 5.1.