Sonos CONTROL User manual

SONOS CONTROL
Product Guide

THIS DOCUMENT CONTAINS INFORMATION THAT IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE.
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Sonos products may be protected by one or more patents. Our patent-to-product information can be found here:
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All other products and services mentioned may be trademarks or service marks of their respective owners.
©2004-2014 by Sonos, Inc. All rights reserved.

SONOS CONTROL
• Wirelessly control all your Sonos players from anywhere WiFi reaches in your home.
• Easily and quickly search, browse and play your music.
• Fits in seamlessly with the rest of your Sonos System—use it as your only controller, or use it with other Sonos con-
trollers for the perfect mix.
Already have Sonos?
If you are adding a SONOS CONTROL to an existing Sonos system, see "Adding a SONOS CONTROL" on page 5.
New to Sonos?
It takes just a few steps to get your Sonos system up and running. Unpack the Sonos components you purchased and refer to
the Quickstart Guide included in the box. Set up at least one Sonos component before adding the SONOS CONTROL to your
music system.
Note: The SONOS CONTROL requires that you have one or more Sonos players and a wireless
router set up in your home. Sonos components are sold separately.

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At a Glance
Navigation
Rooms Touch to select a room to play music in, to view the music
selections playing in each room, or to create or modify room groups
in order to share the same music across rooms.
You can also use this button to lock the SONOS CONTROL so that
nothing happens when you touch the screen (such as when cleaning
the screen, or carrying the CONTROL in your pocket.)
To lock the SONOS CONTROL, touch and hold for two (2)
seconds. To unlock, simply touch and hold the button again.
Music menu Touch to browse or select music, access playlists, and change the
default settings for a Sonos component.
View Queue Touch to view the tracks in the current queue.

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Playback Controls
Sensors and Indicators
Volume
Back Touch to return to the previous screen.
Info & Options Touch on the Now Playing screen to view additional choices or
view more information for a music selection.
Play / Pause Toggles between playing and pausing the current track.
Next / Fast Forward Jumps to the start of the next track in the music queue.
Touching and holding this control displays the track position slider
while you move forward through the current track.
Previous / Rewind If you are more than 3 seconds into the track, this control returns to
the start of the current track; if you are less than 3 seconds into the
track, this control jumps to the start of the previous track.
Touching and holding this control displays the track position slider
while you skip backward through the current track.
Light sensor The light sensor automatically turns on the button backlights based
upon the brightness of the environment.
Wireless signal strength
indicator
Indicates the current strength of the CONTROL’s wireless signal.
Battery charge indicator Indicates the CONTROL’s remaining battery charge.
Volume Control Use the volume control buttons to increase (+) or decrease (-) the
volume in any room, or across a room group.

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Settings
Lock
You can lock the SONOS CONTROL so that nothing happens when you touch the LCD touch screen or buttons.
Choose one of the following options:
• From the Settings menu, select Controller Settings -> Lock Controller.
Or,
• Touch and hold for two (2) seconds.
When ready to unlock, simply touch and hold for two (2) seconds.
Sounds
The SONOS CONTROL makes a clicking sound when you touch a selection. You can choose to turn all sounds on, turn all
sounds off, or enable keyboard sounds only.
From the Settings menu, select Controller Settings -> Controller Sounds.
Light Sleep
The SONOS CONTROL will go into light sleep (the screen will turn off) to preserve the battery life when it is unused for a
specified period of time. When motion is detected or a button is pressed, the SONOS CONTROL awakens immediately.
From the Settings menu, select Controller Settings -> Sleep Timer Undocked/Docked.
•Sleep Timer Docked (when CONTROL is seated in charging cradle)
•Sleep Timer Undocked (when CONTROL is not seated in charging cradle or attached to power)
Screen Brightness
1. From the Settings menu, select Controller Settings -> Screen Brightness.
2. Drag your finger across the slider to adjust the brightness of the controller screen.
Button Brightness
1. From the Settings menu, select Controller Settings -> Button Brightness.
2. Drag your finger across the slider to adjust the brightness of the buttons on your controller.
The button brightness is controlled by the light sensor, so the button brightness will vary depending upon your
environment (such as whether it’s night or day, or whether your are inside or outside your home.)
Mute Temporarily silences the music in a room. Touch again to unmute.
To mute all rooms, touch and hold for 3 seconds. Touch and hold for
3 seconds to unmute all rooms.

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Motion sensor
The SONOS CONTROL has a motion sensor to automatically wake it up when motion is detected. Select this setting if you wish
to disable the motion sensor.
From the Settings menu, select Controller Settings -> Advanced Settings -> Motion Sensor.
Language
Use this setting to change the language setting for your SONOS CONTROL.
From the Settings menu, select Controller Settings -> Advanced Settings -> Language.
Adding a SONOS CONTROL
If you are setting up a new Sonos system, Sonos recommends you set up at least one Sonos component before adding the
SONOS CONTROL to your music system.
Once you’ve got one or more rooms set up, connect the power adapter to the back of the charging cradle (included) and plug
the cradle into a power outlet. Place the SONOS CONTROL into the charging cradle to wake it up (the screen will come alive
when it’s ready), and then follow the CONTROL’s on-screen instructions to add it to your Sonos system.
Usage Data
To help us improve our products and services, Sonos would like to collect usage data about how you use your Sonos system.
We will never provide any of this information to third parties. To learn more, you can go to our Website at 
www.sonos.com/legal/usage-data.
During setup, you will be requested to allow Sonos to collect usage data. You can change your mind anytime by selecting
Advanced Settings -> Usage Data from the Settings menu, and then selecting Yes or No.
Note: The SONOS CONTROL is compatible with Sonos software version 3.0 or later. If you are
adding to an existing Sonos system, use a different controller to check for software updates.
Once you update your Sonos system, you can add the SONOS CONTROL.

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Turning Off
1. Touch Controller Settings from the Settings menu.
2. Touch Advanced Settings -> Turn Off Controller.
To turn it back on, simply place the controller into the charging cradle. Use this setting to put your SONOS CONTROL into deep
sleep anytime it will not be in use for an extended period of time, or when you are transporting the controller to another
destination. (The SONOS CONTROL cannot be turned off while it is seated in the charging cradle.)
Turning Off the Music System
Your Sonos system is designed to be always on; the system uses minimal electricity whenever it is not playing music.
• To quickly stop streaming audio in all rooms, touch Pause All from the Rooms screen.
• To quickly stop streaming audio in a room or room group, press the Play/Pause button on a Sonos player (may appear
as a Mute icon on some players).
Your Sonos components remain off until you touch or press the Play/Pause button on a player to restart each room or
room group.
Clocks and Alarms
Setting date and time
1. From the Music menu, select Alarms.
2. Touch Date and Time Settings to select the way in which date and time settings are determined and displayed on the
CONTROL.
Adding an alarm
1. From the Music menu, touch Alarms -> Alarms.
2. Touch New Alarm.
3. Select the desired settings for this alarm, including the alarm time, the room you would like the alarm to play in, the
music source you’d like to play from, the frequency of the alarm, and the volume setting.
4. Touch Advanced to select additional alarm preferences:
•Duration — select the length of time you want the alarm music to play.
•Include Grouped Rooms — if you touch Yes, the alarm plays in the rooms that are linked together when the alarm
goes off (not in the rooms that were linked together at the time the alarm was set).
Note: If the music you’ve selected is not available when the alarm goes off (such as an
Internet radio station that has dropped off), your alarm plays the Sonos chime instead.

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•Show Clock on this Controller — select On if you want a clock to display on this controller when the alarm sounds.
•Shuffle Music — select On if you want the play mode for the selected alarm music set to shuffle.
5. Touch Save Alarm when you finish choosing the alarm settings.
Setting an alarm
1. From the Music menu, touch Alarms -> Alarms.
2. Select the alarm you wish to set, tap Alarm (Off), so it displays Alarm (On).
Changing an alarm
1. From the Music menu, tap Alarms -> Alarms.
2. Select the alarm you wish to change.
3. Change the alarm settings, and then touch Save Alarm.
Deleting an alarm
1. From the Music menu, touch Alarms -> Alarms.
2. Select the alarm you wish to delete, and touch Delete Alarm.
Setting a sleep timer
1. From the Music menu, touch Alarms -> Sleep Timer.
2. Select a sleep timer duration.
Turning off the alarm
When the alarm goes off,
touch Stop Alarm from the Now Playing screen to turn off the alarm.
Showing the clock screen
Once an alarm has been added to your Sonos system, you can set a preference to have the clock screen show automatically
on a SONOS CONTROL when the alarm sounds.
1. From the Music menu, select Alarms.
2. Touch Alarms, and then select the alarm from the list.
3. Select Advanced -> Show Clock on this Controller. (If you want the clock to show on another SONOS CONTROL, repeat
this process on the other controller.)
Note: You can also turn on an alarm when adding or editing it.

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Online Updates
Sonos periodically provides you with software updates to improve performance or to add new features. Your Sonos system
must be registered to receive updates. If you have not yet registered, see "System Registration" on page 8.
Setting software update preferences
There are two options available:
• Periodically check for updates. When there is a software update available, the Update Now! icon appears on the
Music menu.
• Do not check for updates.
1. From the Settings menu, touch Advanced Settings.
2. Select the desired setting for the Auto Check for Updates.
•On, to periodically check for updates.
•Off, do not check for updates.
Updating your Sonos components
When there is a software update available, the Update Now! icon appears on the Music menu.
• Touch the Update Now! icon to begin the update process.
• Your Sonos components will all be updated, as they must carry the same software version number. This process
may take several minutes per component, depending upon your network connection.
• One or more components may need to be updated later if you purchase a new components with a later software
version, or if you plug in a components that was not in use when you performed your last software update.
• If you have another Sonos controller, you will be prompted to update it the next time you use it.
System Registration
Registering your music system allows you to receive technical support, Sonos software upgrades, and several free music
service trials. At no time is any of your information provided to other companies.
1. From the Settings menu, touch Advanced Settings.
2. Touch System Registration, and then follow the prompts to register your Sonos system.
Caution: Do not disconnect power from your Sonos components, or in any way disable your
Sonos system while this process is running. Contact Sonos Customer Support if an error
occurs.

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Renaming a Sonos Component
If you name a Sonos component incorrectly, or if you move it to another room, you can rename the component to suit your
preference.
1. From the Settings menu, touch Room Settings. If you wish to change the name of a BRIDGE, touch BRIDGE Settings
instead.
2. Touch to select the room you wish to change.
3. Touch Room Name.
4. Choose one of the following options:
• Drag your finger to scroll the room list, and touch to select the one you want.
• Or, touch Enter New to type a unique name. Use the keyboard to enter the name, and then touch OK.
Turning Off the Status Light
A constant white light displays above the volume controls on Sonos players to indicate that the unit is functioning in normal
operation. If you have a Sonos product located in a bedroom, you may want to turn this light off so that when the unit is in
normal operation it does not display. However, if the status indicator light begins to flash amber, please go to 
http://faq.sonos.com/led for additional information.
1. From the Settings menu, touch Room Settings. To turn off a BRIDGE status indicator light, touch BRIDGE Settings
instead.
2. Touch the room you wish to affect.
3. Touch White Status Light. If the option is set to:
•Off, the status indicator light remains off during normal operation.
•On, the status indicator light remains on during normal operation.

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Equalization (Sound Settings)
Sonos products ship with the equalization settings preset in order to provide the optimal playback experience. If desired, you
can change the sound settings (bass, treble, balance, or loudness) to suit your personal preferences.
1. From the Settings menu, touch Room Settings.
2. Touch to select a room.
3. Select Music Equalization, and drag your finger across the sliders to make adjustments.
• Slide controls to the right to increase, left to decrease.
• To change the Loudness setting, touch ON or OFF.
• To change the settings for a Sonos component back to the original default values, touch Reset All.
Note: The loudness setting is designed to compensate for normal changes in the ear's
sensitivity at low volumes — you can turn this setting on to boost certain frequencies,
including bass, at low volume.
Note: Balance is only adjustable on a PLAY:1 when it is used in a stereo pair.

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Creating a Stereo Pair
The Stereo Pair setting allows you to group two PLAY:1s, PLAY:3s or PLAY:5s in the same room to create a wider stereo
experience. In this configuration, one component serves as the left channel and the other serves as the right channel. You
cannot create a mixed stereo pair—the Sonos components in the stereo pair must be the same.
Optimum placement information
• When creating a stereo pair, it is best to place the two Sonos components 8 to 10 feet away from each other.
• Your favorite listening position should be 8 to 12 feet from the units. Less distance increases bass, more distance im-
proves stereo imaging.
1. From the Settings menu, touch Room Settings.
2. Select one of the components you wish to create a stereo pair with (PLAY:1, PLAY:3 or PLAY:5 only).
Note: The Stereo Pair setting is for use with PLAY:1s, PLAY:3s and PLAY:5s only. You cannot
create a mixed stereo pair—both Sonos components in the stereo pair must be the same.

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3. Touch Create Stereo Pair, and then follow the on-screen prompts.
The components automatically connect to form a stereo pair. The stereo pair appears with L + R in the room name.
Separating a stereo pair
1. From the Settings menu, touch Room Settings.
2. Select the stereo pair you wish to separate (the stereo pair appears with L + R in the name.)
3. Touch Separate Stereo Pair, and then follow the on-screen prompts.
The components appear separately on the Rooms screen.
Surround Speakers
Adding surround speakers
If you have a PLAYBAR, you can easily add two PLAY:1 or PLAY:3 speakers to function as left and right surround channels in
your Sonos surround sound experience.
• Make sure the Sonos products are the same—you cannot combine a PLAY:1 and a PLAY:3 to function as surround
speakers.
• Be sure to follow these instructions to set up your surround speakers.Do not create a room group or stereo pair as these
will not achieve the left and right surround channel functionality.
1. From the Settings menu, select Room Settings.
2. Select the room the PLAYBAR is located in.
3. Select Add Surround Speakers.
4. Follow the prompts to add first a left and then a right surround speaker.
Note: If these are newly purchased Sonos components, be sure to add them to your Sonos
system before attempting to set them up as surround speakers.

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Surround settings
The default audio settings are determined by the calibration process. If you wish to make a change, you can follow the steps
below.
1. From the Settings menu, select Room Settings.
2. Select the room the PLAYBAR and surround speakers are located in. It appears as Room (+LS+RS)on the Room Settings
menu.
3. Select Advanced Audio -> Surround Settings.
4. Choose one of the following:
•SURROUNDS: Choose On or Off to turn the sound from the surround speakers on and off.
• Drag your finger across the slider to increase or decrease the volume of the surround speakers.
Removing surround speakers
1. From the Settings menu, select Room Settings.
2. Select the room the surround speakers are associated with. The room name appears as Room (+LS+RS) on the Room
Settings menu.
3. Select Remove Surround Speakers.
4. Select Next to drop the surround sound speakers from your surround system. If these were newly purchased PLAY:1s
they will appear as Unused on the Rooms menu. If these PLAY:1s existed in your household previously, they revert back
to their previous state.
You can now move them to another room for individual use. If you want to add them back as surround speakers, see "Adding
surround speakers" on page 12 for help.
Recharging
The SONOS CONTROL can be recharged by placing it in the Sonos Charging Cradle. The Battery Charge Indicator on your
controller displays the current battery charge level. To extend the battery life, it’s best not to let the Lithium Ion battery
discharge completely before recharging. Keep the controller seated in the charging cradle when not in use, as this type of
battery does not suffer from memory effect and can be charged anytime.
If the battery charge begins to run low, a message will appear on your controller screen indicating that it’s time to recharge.
Simply place it in the cradle to recharge.
If you should miss this message and the CONTROL’s battery discharges completely, simply place the controller into the
charging cradle. The CONTROL’s light sensor will turn orange, indicating that a reset is in process. It will take a few
minutes for the controller screen to wake up.

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Battery Replacement
After several years (depending upon usage), the battery on your CONTROL may not hold a charge as long as it once did. You
can purchase a replacement battery (visit our Web site at www.sonos.com for more information), and then follow the
instructions below to replace the battery.
1. Remove the battery door on the back of your CONTROL.
2. Remove the existing battery by gently pulling the gray battery tab toward you to dislodge the battery, and then lift up to
remove.
3. Remove the protective wrap from the new battery.
4. Insert the battery into the battery compartment with the Sonos logo facing out, making sure the battery snaps gently
into place.
5. Close the battery door.
6. Place the SONOS CONTROL into the charging cradle to wake it up.
Caution: Risk of explosion if battery is replaced by incorrect type. Dispose of used batteries
according to the instructions. (Check with your local waste or recycling company to determine
the proper disposal method in your area.)
Slide the battery door
back, and then lift it off

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Managing Rooms
Sonos lets you enjoy music in up to 32 rooms, inside or out. You can play a different song in every room or play the same
song in every room. Group the kitchen and patio together when you’re barbecuing; group the rooms throughout your home in
perfect synchronization for a party; or leave all your rooms ungrouped so that everyone can make a different music choice.
Use the Rooms list to:
• Select a room to play music in
• See what’s playing in every room
• Group rooms together to play the same music in synchrony
• Remove a room from a room group
Grouping Rooms
Any number of rooms can be grouped together to play the same audio in synchrony.
• You can group or ungroup rooms while music is playing.
• You can group all the Sonos players in your house with one touch by choosing Select All.
• You can group rooms first and then select the music you want to play, or you can add room(s) to a location where music
is already playing. Any rooms you group will automatically drop their current music queue and begin to play the music
from the selected room.
• If you want to be able to play a music queue later, save the queue as a Sonos playlist before you group the rooms. See
"Sonos Playlists" on page 30 for more information.
1. Press .
2. Touch Group to the right of the room you want to group with other rooms.

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3. Check the rooms you want to add to this group, and then touch Done.
If you want to group all the rooms in your house, touch Select All from the Group Rooms screen. All of your Sonos
components will play the same music in synchrony until you remove rooms from the group.
Ungrouping Rooms
1. Press .
2. Touch Group to the right of the room group you want to change.
3. Uncheck the room(s) you want to remove from the group, and then touch Done.
Managing and Playing Music
Available Music Sources
• Sonos Favorites
• Local music library (shared folders on your home network)
• Music services
• Sonos playlists (music queues you have saved for future playback)
• Radio (Internet radio stations, radio shows, or podcasts)
• Docked iPod®
• Line-in (connect an external audio source like an Apple®AirPlay®device, CD player, TV, MP3 player or more to a Sonos
component via line-in and stream the audio to any or all Sonos components around your house)
What is Sonos Favorites?
Sonos Favorites gives you quick and easy access to the music you love the most. You can add audio selections to your Sonos
Favorites from any controller. Once you’ve added a favorite, it appears under Sonos Favorites on the Music menu.
What is your local music library?
Your local music library includes digital music located anywhere on your home network such as:
• shared folders on your computer
• shared folders on another computer in your network
• Network-Attached Storage (NAS) devices

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You can browse your music library in various ways. You can enter search criteria to quickly find a particular music selection, or
you can browse through a category hierarchy to make music selections.
Your choices include:
• Artists
• Albums
•Composers
•Genres
• Tracks
• Imported playlists
•Search
• Folders
What is a music queue?
When you select tracks, they are added to a list called a music queue. You can create a different queue for each room in your
home, or you can group rooms together to play the same audio. Tracks in the queue will play in order unless you turn on
shuffle and/or repeat.
When you add tracks to the queue, you can choose Play Now, Play Next, Add to (end of) Queue, or Replace Queue.
What is a music service?
A music service is an online music store or online service that sells audio on a per-song, per audiobook, or subscription basis.
Sonos is compatible with several music services - you can visit our Web site at www.sonos.com/music for the latest list.
What is a Sonos playlist?
A Sonos playlist is a music queue you create and then save for future listening. For example, you might want to create a jazz
playlist, a party playlist, or an easy listening playlist.
What is radio?
Sonos includes a radio guide that provides immediate access to thousands of free Internet radio stations and broadcast
programs. You can easily find Internet radio stations from all over the world—music, news, and variety programming,
including archived shows and podcasts. You can also add your own favorite stations if they use streaming MP3 or WMA
formats (not every radio station provides streams).
What is Line-in?
You can connect an external source like a CD player, portable music player, television, or AirPlay device to your Sonos system,
and stream the audio to any or all Sonos components (PLAY:5, CONNECT, or CONECT:AMP) around your house.
Note: If a computer on your network is turned off or is in standby mode, the music folders
on that computer are unavailable to the Sonos system until the computer is turned back on.

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Managing Your Local Music Library
The Sonos system can play music from any computer or Network-Attached Storage (NAS) device on your home network
where you have shared music folders. During the setup process, you are guided through the process of accessing your local
music library (such as your iTunes library). Over time, you may wish to add or remove music folders from this list.
Local music library Setup
Viewing shared folders
From the Settings menu, select Manage Music Library -> Music Library Setup.
The shared music folders that are currently accessible to your Sonos system are displayed. (If a computer on your network is
turned off or is in sleep or standby mode, the music on that computer will be unavailable to the Sonos system until the
computer is turned back on.)
Adding a shared folder
To make another shared folder available to your Sonos system:
1. From the Music menu, select Settings -> Manage Music Library -> Music Library Setup.
2. Touch Add New Share.
3. Choose one of the following options:
• Select Scan my network for shares to automatically scan for shared folders that are not currently being accessed.
• Touch to select a folder from the displayed list.
• If the folder does not require a user name and password, touch OK.
• If the folder does require a username and password, use the keyboard to type them, and then touch OK.
• Select Enter the location of a share if you prefer to enter the path.
• Use the keyboard to type the path name for the share (path example: \\Name\Sharename, where Name is the net-
work name for your computer or NAS device, and Sharename is the name of the top level shared folder, such as
\\linkstation\music_share.)
• If the folder does not require a user name and password, touch OK.
• If the folder does require a username and password, use the keyboard to type them, and then touch OK.
Stop accessing a shared folder
1. From the Music menu, select Settings -> Manage Music Library -> Music Library Setup.
The shared music folders that are currently accessible to your Sonos system are displayed.
2. Select the folder you wish to stop using, and touch Remove. Your music folder will remain untouched on your computer,
but you will no longer be able to access it from the Sonos system.
Note: To play music from imported playlists, drop the playlist file .PLS, .M3U or .WPL into the
same music folder you have shared to the Sonos system, update your music index, and the
custom playlists will appear when you select Imported Playlists from the Music Library
menu.