I'm sure other will chime, we're on an AV site after all ;-) But FWIW and as someone who has a fairly (overly?) complex 5.1 setup. I have to run power and balanced audio to my rears. I think there's something to be said for a simple plug-it-in-and-go system like Sonos. Particularly if streaming/multi room audio is a key consideration and cost (or bang for buck) less of one. It depends on what you want out of a system.
Maybe a good analogy might be buying a BMW with all the extras straight from the dealer vs someone who will tweak and upgrade their car with 3rd party add ons and/or personally tinker under the hood to get the best bang for thier buck. Or (to over simplify an analogy) a bit like the old PC/Android vs Apple/iOS debate, one you just plug in and it does 85% of what you want very very well, one will let you configure to your hearts content, but with that may also come some unwanted complexity.
Sonos Pros:
- Multi room handled very well
- Can use your phone as a remote to 'kick off' streaming, once started you can turn off your phone. This is useful compared to streaming straight from your phone via AirPlay or GoogleCast where your phone always needs to be connected and if someone calls while your phone is streaming it will likely come though the speakers.
- All of the most common audio streaming services handled very well
- Very nice app (so anyone in the house can use it)
- Fairly plug-and-play /Ease of set-up / Ease-of-use
- Can add more speakers later
- Wireless
Sonos Cons:
- It's primary focus isn't 5.1 audio (ie. your standard 'surround sound' setup with 5 speakers and a subwoofer), let alone Dolby Atmos etc. It's much more a multi-room / streaming music system than has been 'extended' to offer a 5.1 solution for people wanting to use it when watching TV and films. Because of that it's much weaker, in terms of features and support, compared to what even an entry level AVR could offer.
- Cost (you could build something cheaper using kit from different vendors; but that also may mean more issues down the line)
- Connection from your TV / BluRay (Sonos only accept a single 'optical audio' input; this is about the lowest form of AV audio connection and doesn't support HD codecs like DTS-HD - although DTS-HD always comes with a lossless 5.1 track so you won't end up with no sound, you just won't get the benefit of a lossless audio track, whether you notice is open to debate. An AVR by comparison, will accept HDMI which can receive 'digitally' all manner of audio tracks and decode them)
- Lack of inputs (as the sound-bar only has one 'optical input' you'll need to plug everything else into your TV first; depending on how many inputs your TV has this may be an issue. You'll also want to check that your TV can send the 5.1 audio from it's HDMI inputs out to the Sonos Playbar via the TV's optical output (some can't). An AVR by comparison will have anything up to 8 HDMI inputs and will also accept any number of regular audio inputs; some can also stream Spotify and let you connect via AirPlay etc.)
- No auto-room EQ (other than basic distance settings and bass/treble/loudness). Almost all AVRs by comparison will setup distance settings for 5.1 setups automatically and run room EQ to try and even out nulls and peaks in the frequency response caused by your room.
Personally, despite that list cons, if simplicity (esp. audio) and multi-room is your goal then Sonos still has a lot going for it.
Alternatively you could build something like this:
- An AVR, for the sake of argument something like this but your choice here is almost endless. The bigger AVRs will have enough speaker (or pre-out) outputs for you to run multiple zones, with stereo speakers in each zone (albeit wired). You can plug an Alexa DOT or a Sonos Connect (see below) into it to give it both Sonos and Alexa capabilities. Some may even come with Alexa/AirPlay/ChomeCast etc. built in.
Onkyo | TX-RZ720
- A passive sound bar, something like this, which is effectively three speakers in one box which you'd wire you your AVR for the left, centre, front.
SB-3 | Passive Soundbar | Monitor Audio
- Two Passive rears
Surround Speakers | Hi-Fi | Monitor Audio
- An active subwoofer, take your pick, it doesn't have to come from the same manufacture as your soundbar/rears (which probably should). BK Electronics are popular round these parts in terms of 'bang for buck'. This would blow the Sonos Sub out of the water (and probably have your neighbours knocking on the door!).
Monolith-DF Plus
This is pretty much your standard 5.1 setup (albeit with passive soundbar rather than 3 individual front speakers)
If you wanted a 'hybrid' Sonos system (ie. you stlll wanted to use Sonos speakers elsewhere in the house for multi room music) you'd need a 'Sonos Connect' which would plug into your AVR. This unit basically acts like a Sonos speaker without a speaker, instead it feeds the signal that would have gone to the Sonos AMP/Speaker (in a Sonos Play speaker) to your AVR.
CONNECT — Streaming Music Stereo Upgrade | Sonos
You'll probably also need a universal remote programmed up to turn everything on/off and switch inputs, but if your already looking at Lightwave etc. your probably got that covered.
Sorry, that probably adds more confusion than help ;-) If streaming music, easily, to multiple rooms is your key goal, then the Sonos is still a good route. But be aware it has some downsides esp. when it comes to perfect 5.1 or 7.1 playback of movies. But, if your re-wiring the house, then it may make sense to look at a hybrid system or make your AVR the heart of your system, plug everything (incl. streaming boxes / bluray / TV etc.) into it via HDMI and then connect a house full of speakers up to it.