Two ways to get music everywhere
With a matrix, every room's speaker wire runs back to one rack. A matrix switch, such as a Triad Audio Matrix Switch, sends any source to any room at its own volume. With Sonos, each room or zone has its own Sonos amp or speaker that streams over your network.
When a matrix is the better fit
- Larger homes with many zones, including outdoors
- You want local sources like TV audio, a turntable or radio in any room
- You want a central rack and one system to maintain
- You're building or renovating and can home-run speaker wire
When Sonos is the better fit
- A few rooms, added over time
- Existing homes where running wire back to one place is hard
- Families already using the Sonos app
- Rooms with soundbars and TV sound that also play music
Control
Both work with Control4, keypads and phones. A matrix is usually controlled through Control4 or keypads. Sonos has its own excellent app and also works with Control4.
Reliability and network
A matrix doesn't depend on Wi-Fi to play music in each room. Sonos depends on your network, so a solid network, ideally with wired Sonos amps and good access points, matters a lot.
Sources you can play
A matrix can take almost any audio source: streaming players, a TV's audio, a turntable through a preamp, radio or a doorbell chime. Sonos plays streaming services and, on soundbars and some amps, TV audio. If local sources matter to you, a matrix is more flexible.
Adding rooms later
With Sonos, adding a room is as easy as adding an amp or speaker, as long as the network reaches it. With a matrix, adding a room means running wire back to the rack, so plan extra zones during construction. Matrix switches come in fixed sizes, so choose one with spare zones if the house might grow.
An example
A three-floor home with ten indoor spaces, a patio and a pool usually runs best on a matrix: speaker wire from every zone to one rack, a 16-zone matrix, and Control4 or keypads for control. A condo with a living room, kitchen and bedroom usually runs best on Sonos: one amp or speaker per room and the Sonos app, maybe with Control4 on top.
Combining them
Many homes do both: a matrix for the whole-home backbone and Sonos in a few rooms or for the TV. The matrix can even take a Sonos stream as one of its sources.