Your Sonos rear speakers will not become surrounds just because they are powered on and sitting behind the couch. You need to add them to the Sonos system first, pair them with the right home theater room, and make sure your TV is sending a supported surround format. Start with the standard app setup, then use the fixes below if the speakers do not appear or surround audio still sounds wrong.
Set up Sonos surround sound
Start here when both rear speakers are new or already appear in Sonos as separate rooms.
- 1.Install or open the Sonos app on a supported iPhone, iPad, or Android device. Sonos requires an iOS or Android device to set up a new system or add new products, so a Fire OS device can control playback but cannot run this setup.
- 2.Open Settings, choose Add Speaker or Component, and follow the prompts to add each rear speaker first.
- 3.Place the two surround speakers behind your usual seat, one to the left and one to the right.
- 4.Use two speakers of the same model, with both placed in the same orientation, either vertical or horizontal.
- 5.Open Settings, select the home theater Room, choose Set up Surrounds, and follow the on-screen prompts.
Check what the app needs first
Sonos setup requires the Sonos app on iOS or Android. The web app and desktop apps handle basic control, but they do not add new products or set up surround speakers.
For the current Sonos app, use iOS 18 or later, iPadOS 18 or later, Android 10 or later, or Fire OS 7 or later. Android setup does not include x86 devices or Chromebooks.
The S1 Controller app is for S1-compatible systems. In S1, open Settings, go to System, select the home theater room under Products, choose Set up Surrounds, and follow the prompts.
If you are mixing older and newer Sonos products, check the System section of your Sonos account before choosing between the current app and S1. Some products work only with S1, some work with both, and newer products require the current Sonos app.
Break an old stereo pair first
This fixes speakers that are already set as left and right music speakers instead of being available as rear surrounds.
Open the Sonos app on iOS or Android.
Go to Settings and select the room that contains the stereo pair under My System.
Choose Remove Stereo Pair and follow the in-app instructions.
After the speakers appear as separate rooms again, return to the home theater room and choose Set up Surrounds.
Fix surrounds that say not configured
In a surround home theater setup, this status means the system lost communication with the primary home theater product, usually after power or network trouble.
Make sure every product in the home theater setup has power.
Press Play/Pause on each speaker and confirm the status light reacts.
Reboot every product in the configured home theater setup.
Give the system time to come back online before changing settings again.
If the room still shows the surround setup as not configured, remove the surround speakers and add them again through the Sonos app.
Make your TV send surround sound to Sonos
The Sonos app adds the rear speakers, but your TV or external source device controls the audio format that reaches the home theater speaker. Set the TV or source audio output to a surround format Sonos supports.
Sonos supports Dolby Digital 5.0, Dolby Digital 5.1, and DTS Digital Surround. DTS Digital Surround is not available for home theater products using the S1 Controller app.
If your TV speakers still play sound, open the TV Settings menu, go to Sound or Audio, and set the TV speakers to Off or Use external audio system. When that option is unavailable, change TV audio output to External Speaker or Audio System.
Tune surround levels after setup
Open the Sonos app on iOS or Android.
Go to Settings and select the room with your surround speakers.
Under Sound, choose Surround Audio.
Adjust TV Level for movies and shows.
Adjust Music Level for songs.
Choose Ambient or Full under Music Playback, then set Surround Distance to match your room.
Use Reset when you want to return the surround audio controls to their default behavior.
Small level changes keep dialogue and front effects anchored while the rear speakers fill the room.
Remove surrounds from a room
Use this when you want the rear speakers to become regular Sonos rooms again.
- 1.Open the Sonos app and go to Settings.
- 2.Select the home theater room under Your System.
- 3.Choose Remove Surrounds.
- 4.Follow the in-app prompts until the speakers are removed from the home theater room.
- 5.Look for the speakers under their previous room names if they were separate rooms before being used as surrounds.
Wire Connect Amp or Era surrounds correctly
The most common cause of wired surround setup trouble is using Ethernet in a layout Sonos does not support.
If you use Connect:Amp to power wired rear surround speakers, wire both the Sonos home theater speaker and Connect:Amp to the router with Ethernet.
You can also wire the home theater speaker to Connect:Amp with Ethernet while another Sonos product is wired to the router in SonosNet mode.
When Connect:Amp is used as surrounds, its subwoofer and line-in connections are disabled.
With two Sonos Amps, set up one Amp as the TV front-speaker home theater product and the other Amp as the surround speakers. The surround Amp cannot be wired to the network on its own; it must be wired in addition to the TV-front Amp.
For Era 100, Era 100 Pro, Era 100 SL, and Era 300 surrounds, add them through Set up Surrounds. If the primary home theater speaker is wireless, do not connect Era 100 or Era 300 surrounds to the network with Ethernet through the Sonos Combo Adapter. Era 100 Pro has its own rule: when it joins the network through a PoE switch, wire the main home theater speaker to the network as well. To pair Era 100 Pro surrounds with a wireless home theater speaker, power them from a PoE injector instead, so they take power over Ethernet but connect over Wi-Fi.
Reset only when setup cannot find a speaker
This fixes a previously used or undiscoverable Sonos speaker that needs to become setup-ready before you can add it as a surround.
A factory reset deletes the product's registration information, My Sonos content, and content services, and Sonos does not recommend it as a routine troubleshooting step. Reset a speaker only when the Sonos app cannot find it during setup, or when you are transferring the product to someone else.
For Arc Ultra, Era 100, Era 100 Pro, Era 100 SL, and Era 300, unplug power.
Hold the Bluetooth button while reconnecting power.
Keep holding until the light flashes orange and white.
Wait for the green light before adding the speaker in the Sonos app.
For Roam, Roam 2, or Roam SL, hold power for five seconds.
While holding Play/Pause, press and release power.
Keep holding Play/Pause until the light flashes orange and white.
Wait for the green light before adding the speaker in the Sonos app.
For all other Sonos products, unplug power.
Hold Join while reconnecting power, or use Play/Pause or Mute when there is no Join button.
Battery products use a different sequence. Hold Power for five seconds to switch off Move, Move 2, or Sonos Play. Turn Move back on while holding Join, or Move 2 back on while holding Bluetooth. On Sonos Play, hold Play/Pause while you hold Power again for five seconds. In each case keep holding until the light flashes orange and white, then wait for green.
Wait for the flashing orange and white light, then wait for green before adding the speaker in the Sonos app.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I set up Sonos surround speakers from a computer?
No. Use the Sonos app on a supported iOS or Android device. The web app and desktop apps provide basic control, but they do not add products or set up surrounds.
Can I use two different Sonos speakers as surrounds?
Use two speakers of the same model. Some closely related models, such as One and One SL, can be used together when Sonos supports that pairing.
Why do I hear TV audio but not real surround sound?
Your TV or external source is sending the wrong format. Set it to Dolby Digital 5.0, Dolby Digital 5.1, or DTS Digital Surround. For S1 home theater products, do not use DTS Digital Surround.
Can I use Sonos voice control or speaker buttons to add surrounds?
No. Voice assistants and speaker buttons can control supported playback features after setup, but surround setup runs through the Sonos app.