I am adding sound to my living room; it will only be used for music (no video, etc.). I am going to have 4 speakers in the room and a subwoofer ideally. I have just started addng the Sonos system to my house and I need basically a solid receiver without all of the bells and whistles of surround. The Sonos ZP120 is amplfied but I want to run both pairs of speakers at the same time, so I think it makes more sense to plug the ZP90 into the receiver. I would never turn on only one set of speakers as they would be placed in the corners of the room. Any thoughts?
Why do you need 4 speakers running at the same time? Unless you've got a barn sized room, 2 speakers set up properly should get the job done. 2 good channels of amplification and speakers are a lot better than 4 mediocre ones.
Rather than getting the amplified Sonos, I'd get an unamplified one and connect it to a 2 channel integrated amp.
How big is your room, what do you currently have, what do you need, and how much are you looking to spend?
The room is about 30' x 15'. I wanted to run ceiling speakers in the four corners as I want to avoid floor speakers. I don't really have any good location for bookshelf speakers either. I could potentially do wall mounted (smaller ones) like the Bose Acoustimass but I am avoiding those if possible. My plan (as fluid as it is) was to put the speakers in and add a subwoofer for extra low-end kick. In terms of what I have, it's nothing now. I am starting basically with a blank slate. Ignoring the cost of the Sonos controller, I'd look to spend around $1000 or so on amp and speakers. A stupid question perhaps, but an integrated amp is all I'd really need (i.e. no receiver, surround, etc.)?
I am being swayed by the input here towards a pair, but I am really looking for small satellite ones I can mount in the cornerrs. The area where we sit is next to a large fireplace and there are alcoves next to these which would look bad with floor speakers. I think I could mount small speakers in the corners (white) as they would blend in and perhaps that is all better than the ceiling ones. A subwoofer would still be a nice addition. The question is, which ones (not Bose) and any suggestions on a simple integrated amp (around $200)?
The input has been helpful. I have opted for the Definitive Tech ProMonitor 800s which I will pair with the ProSub 800. These will go on the wall and will be a huge step up from the Bose which I like aesthetically but have much better range. My final question is: I am using this with the Sonos system. I could buy the amped Sonos box and hook it up directly (it has two outputs, subwoofer output and 55W per channel). There is an unamped Sonos, though, which is $150 cheaper. Is there a decent receiver I can buy (around that $150 price difference) which would power the Definitive system better? I don't need much else in functionality as I only use it for music (no surround, etc).