Playing Bluetooth through Sonos

[Lisa Schroeder]

I've had my B2 for a couple weeks now.  So far I have ripped all my cds and created several play list.

I do have a SXM radio that I want to play through my B2 and then send the output to my Sonos speakers.  I was hoping to use the aux in on the B2, but that does not appear to be an option.  So my next solution is to purchase a Bluetooth transmitter and then plug the SXM radio into it.

I am testing the Bluetooth playback option on the B2 by using my iPod.  I have the iPod Bluetooth connected to my B2 and the output on the iPod is setup to play through the Bluetooth.  On the B2 the speaker is set to one of my Sonos speakers.  The Bluetooth status is Ready.  The source is set to Bluetooth.  I am playing a podcast on the iPod, but I am not getting any audio output on the Sonos speaker.  I did verify that if I connect my iPod to a Bluetooth speaker, it does play through it.  Can you offer any suggestions?

Regards

Michael

[fred.w....@gmail.com]

I am not sure that the B2 can be used to rout Bluetooth input to the Wifi output. In other words I don't thin what you want to do is possible.

If I am wrong please correct me.

What you are failing to understand is how the B2 to Sonos works, the B2 does not DIRECTLY drive the Sonos speakers, it passes information to the Sonos system and the system delivers it to the speakers. Thus a real time bluetooth input could not be routed to the Sonos speakers. For comparison when you ask the B2 to play radio to the Sonos, no radio comes from the B2, but the request to hear that radio station is passed to the Sonos and the Sonos deals with it.

Hope this helps

Fred

[Lisa Schroeder]

Thanks for the info Fred.  When your music is streamed from the B2 to your Sonos speaker, how does it accomplish that?  I would think that whatever is being streamed to the B2 through the Bluetooth should be routed to the Sonos speaker using the same method.  Something to think about.

[fred.w....@gmail.com]

Ok I see where you are coming from, but music (the analogue wave forms) are not sent to the Sonos speakers by the B2 when it is playing to the Sonos speakers, what the B2 sends is the music track data and it is the Sonos system that converts the digital data into audible music.

Does that help you understand?

Frec

[Lisa Schroeder]

I'm not following what you are saying.  The bits for each song reside on the B2.  When the B2 sends the bits to the Sonos speaker, does it send the complete file or does it stream the bits?  I suspect that it sends the complete file and then Sonos plays it.

From what I read in other post, I believe that I should be able to send the Bluetooth input to a Sonos speaker or to a hard wired set of speakers.

[fred.w....@gmail.com]

The B2 sends the complete file to Sonos, not the bits.

When playing music to a Bluetooth speaker you are sending an analogue wave form to the speaker not bits.

Fred

[fred.w....@gmail.com]

Correction the music to Bluetooth is digital, a bitstream, and the speaker has a built in DAC. What i meant to say that the stream is generated by the transmitting device "live" it is not a file.

Fred

[PMB]

Hi Michael,

The B2 does not output it's Aux Input or Bluetooth received audio to Sonos.

Paul

Brennan Support.

[JFBUK]

Hi Michael,

assuming your SXM is Sirius radio then Sonos offers Sirius Radio integration via its  Sonos app or is this not an option for you ?

Have you thought about just uploading the contents of your iPod to your B2 ?

You will need a computer as an intermediate step but there are recent posts on this forum that help with how to do this.

John

[Lisa Schroeder]

Here was the original problem:

I have a SXM radio in the house.  I have a lifetime subscription on the radio.  I do not have the SXM streaming service.  I was hoping to connect the SXM radio to my B2 using the AUX input.  I found out that the AUX input was intended for this purpose.  So then I was looking into using the Bluetooth to connect the SXM radio to the B2.  Apparently that is not an option either.  After going through this exercise, I have concluded that you can play the following with the B2 and your Sonos speakers:

1. Play music that has been loaded onto the B2.

2. Play the contents of a play list.

3. Play preset radio stations.

4. Play files uploaded to the B2.

I resolved my problem by moving my lifetime SXM subscription to my car, then added the SXM streaming service, which they added for free.  I should have done this years ago.  I added the SXM streaming service to my Sonos account.  I then use the Sonos app to select which station to play on my Sonos speakers.

I like the idea of the B2.  I like the fact that you don't need to have your computer on to play music through my Sonos speakers.  It is easy to rip your CD's to the B2.  It is easy to create playlist.

I would like to have the ability to jump to a specific point in a song.  When creating playlist, sometimes the songs have a long intro.  So there should be a progress bar at the bottom that goes from 0 to the length of the song in minutes and seconds.  I should then be able to click on the progress bar to jump to that point in the song.

It would also be nice to be able to select multiple Sonos speakers to play to.  This is something you can do in the Sonos app.  I suspect the problem is with the integration to the Sonos speakers.  I doubt that Sonos has an api for developers.  To get around this you have to create a group in the Sonos app.  if you make frequent changes to the group as I do, then this is a pain.

The primary reason I bought the B2 is for my wife.  She likes to dance for exercise.  So we created a couple play list for her.

Had I know the limitation with the integration to Sonos, I probably would not have purchased the B2.  Don't get me wrong, it is a nice product.  It just doe not solve most of my needs.

[JFBUK]

Hi Michael,

Some comments on your post

John

I would like to have the ability to jump to a specific point in a song.  When creating playlist, sometimes the songs have a long intro.  So there should be a progress bar at the bottom that goes from 0 to the length of the song in minutes and seconds.  I should then be able to click on the progress bar to jump to that point in the song.

John>> You can do this in the Web UI if you are controlling playback via the B2 . The Web UI runs on any device that supports a browser and has Wi-Fi connectivity

It would also be nice to be able to select multiple Sonos speakers to play to.  This is something you can do in the Sonos app.  I suspect the problem is with the integration to the Sonos speakers.  I doubt that Sonos has an api for developers.  To get around this you have to create a group in the Sonos app.  if you make frequent changes to the group as I do, then this is a pain.

John>> I am not a Sonos user but my understanding is that if you group your Sonos speakers in the Sonos app then the B2 will see this grouping and you can output to it via the Web UI just as you do to an individual speaker

On Saturday, January 22, 2022 at 12:19:49 AM UTC jgri...@gmail.com wrote:

Michael,

I'm a very recent owner of a B2.  I was a little disappointed in the integration of both the Browser and App sides of the B2 as it relates to Sonos.  You're going to find that things get a whole lot better if you access the Brennan as music library.  You'll be able to jump to any position in a song.  Also, you'll be able to send to any combination of Sonos Speakers (I have 12) just like any other Sonos source.  Additionally you'll be able to randomize more than 20 songs in a playlist.  It is so awesome to go random from one album to another without the inherent lag of CD player switching discs.

• Start by enabling the NAS on your Brennan.
• On your Sonos App, click the gear in the lower-right of your screen
• Select System
• Scroll down to Music Library
• Select Music Library Setup
• Add the shared music folder.  In my case, it's //192/168.2.189/music.  In yours, the .2.189 part will be different, but I think you know that.

Your Sonos will spend a significant amount of time indexing.  Once done, if you click the music note at the bottom of the Sonos App, Music Library should be added to top of your Brows list.

I can't tell you how much better this is once configured.  Night/Day.  You'll also be able to create Play Lists on an iOS device without the need of a mouse since you'll be creating in the Sonos App and it's simply friendlier to iOS and Android.

Cheers!

-jg

[PMB]

Hi Michael,

Thank you for the feedback.

For completeness I would like to add to your list of B2 to Sonos play sources -

1. Play music that has been loaded onto the B2.

2. Play the contents of a play list.

3. Play preset radio stations.

4. Play files uploaded to the B2.

5. Play a CD

Paul

Brennan Support.