How To Control Sonos With Amazon Echo

Sonos speakers are rated as some of the best smart speaker systems alongside Bose and ELAC. With an Amazon Echo and Sonos speaker combination, simple voice commands can play and control music from any room. Amazon Echo devices contain the virtual voice assistant Alexa that can help users to navigate their Sonos speakers. This post will look at the different types of Sonos Speakers, what an Amazon Echo can do for Sonos, and how to setup Amazon Echo and Sonos.

Sonos Speakers

Sonos makes four smart speakers that work with Amazon Echo devices and Amazon Alexa. The biggest of the four is the. The device comes with three tweeters and three mid-woofers, as well as adjustable base and treble. While the Play:5 connects primarily over Wi-Fi, it also comes with an input jack to connect a phone or record player to. The  and  are similar in function to one another; they both work only on a Wi-Fi network but do not contain an extra input jack. The Play:3 has one tweeter and two mid-woofers while the Play:1 has one tweeter and one mid-woofer. The fourth and newest device, the Sonos One, has the same specs as the Play:1, but actually comes with Amazon Alexa already integrated in the device. Currently the Play:1 is $50 cheaper than the Sonos One, but without the current discount, the two devices are the same price. It should be noted that while Alexa’s capabilities on the Sonos One are similar to those on an Echo device, there are several things Alexa Sonos cannot do like set reminders and call or send messages.

Sonos Amazon Echo

The Play line of Sonos speakers and the Sonos One can all be controlled using voice commands through an Amazon Echo device. Once set up correctly, users can say “Alexa, play Rihanna on Spotify” and the music will be heard through the Sonos speaker. For owners of multiple speakers, there are ways for the speakers to be linked or unlinked so music can be heard in any room or all rooms. Any commands that are given through the Echo device can be answered through the Sonos speaker. So if a user says, “Alexa, what is 10 times 40?”, her response will be heard through the speakers.

Amazon Alexa Sonos Set Up

There are a few different methods to set up the Amazon Echo and Sonos speaker which is mainly dependent on which speaker and which Echo device a user has.

Sonos One (no Echo device)

Because Sonos One doesn’t require an external Echo device, setting up Alexa’s capabilities is straightforward. Simply download the Amazon Alexa app and the Sonos app onto your phone or tablet. Once the apps are setup (each will give you appropriate prompts on how to sign in and create an account), open the Sonos app and tap Browse on the bottom. Then tap Add Amazon Alexa and tap Add to Sonos. From here, sign into your Amazon account, and press Continue through the screens. If you have already downloaded the Amazon Alexa app, tap ‘Verify music services on Alexa’. This will open up the Alexa app where you can choose which music services you would like to be available (like Pandora, Napster, etc.) as well as a default music station. Finally, you’ll receive a prompt to try it out, which is the final step.

Sonos Play:5 and Echo Dot

Echo Dot was not designed as a standalone speaker, so it contains a line-out port, making the two devices perfectly compatible. Connect the two with a 3.5mm line and open up the Sonos app. Go to Room Settings and enable Line In Autoplay. Other modifications can be made like the default volume.

Any Sonos Play Speaker and Any Echo Device

For the rest of the combinations, the Sonos speaker and Echo device will communicate over the Wi-Fi network. First, make sure both the speaker and device are set up and are on the same Wi-Fi network. Open up the Alexa app, go to Skills, search for Sonos, and press Enable. Next, sign into your Sonos account and agree that Alexa has permission to control your Sonos speaker. An option will pop up where you can click Discover Devices, and Alexa will find the Sonos speaker(s). Next, go to the Sonos app, click More, and then press Voice services. Amazon Alexa should appear. Press the icon. From here you can press Room Settings to finish setting up the connection or adjust the settings.