The best whole-home audio is decided during framing, not after move-in. Our team spent time with Sonos's professional training at CEDIA Expo 2026, and most of what we learned comes down to choices a homeowner, architect, or builder can make early, while walls are still open.
Here are the six we walk every client through.
1. Which rooms get visible speakers, and which get hidden ones?
Start with how each space will be used, not with a product list.
Living areas, kitchens, and outdoor spaces usually get hidden architectural speakers in the ceiling, walls, or landscaping. Nothing to dust, nothing to knock over, nothing competing with the design.
Some spaces benefit from a visible speaker that looks intentional, like a home gym, a wine room, or a retail-style display area. For those, Sonos now offers the Era 100 Pro, a compact speaker designed to mount on a wall or ceiling with a professional-grade bracket.
Deciding this room by room tells us exactly what cable to pull and where.
2. Where will speakers get their power?
This is the question that saves the most money if it is answered early.
A traditional powered speaker needs a nearby electrical outlet. That forces either a visible cord or an extra outlet in an awkward spot.
The Era 100 Pro takes a different approach. It runs on PoE+, so one Ethernet cable from the equipment closet provides both power and a wired network connection. The wall stays clean, and the speaker can go where it sounds best rather than where an outlet happens to be.
Hidden architectural speakers work differently again. They are passive, so they receive their power from an amplifier in the equipment rack over standard speaker wire.
Either way, the plan is the same: low-voltage cable to every speaker location, pulled during rough-in.
3. Where will the equipment rack live?
Every whole-home system needs a home base. This is usually a closet, utility room, or a section of the garage with ventilation and a dedicated circuit.
The rack holds the network switch, the router, and the Sonos Amps that power each pair of hidden speakers. A larger home may have a dozen or more Amps in one place.
A few planning notes from the CEDIA sessions:
- Amps in a rack should be hardwired to the network, not left to rely on Wi-Fi inside a metal cabinet
- The network switch should be a managed switch configured specifically for Sonos
- Ventilation matters, especially in Texas, where garages and attics run hot for much of the year
The rack's location also affects the home theater, which brings us to the next decision.
4. Will the home theater be wired or wireless?
A Sonos home theater typically starts with a soundbar like the Arc Ultra under the TV, then adds a subwoofer and surround speakers.
In a custom home, surrounds are often hidden ceiling speakers powered by an Amp. That Amp can connect to the soundbar wirelessly or over a cable, and the choice has real consequences:
- If any part of the theater is hardwired, the soundbar must be hardwired as well
- A wireless surround Amp needs to sit fairly close to the soundbar, not in a rack at the other end of the house
That means the theater plan and the rack location need to be decided together. In most of our new builds, we run Ethernet to the TV wall and wire the whole theater. It is the most reliable option, and it costs very little extra when the walls are open.
5. Is the home network built for it?
Sonos has spent years moving away from its own private wireless mesh, SonosNet. Newer Sonos products do not use it at all. They depend on the home's own network.
That makes the network the foundation of the audio system. In practice, that means:
- Ethernet to every location that can take it
- Professional-grade Wi-Fi 6 or newer access points, placed for coverage rather than convenience
- A managed switch set up to Sonos's recommendations so the system stays stable over time
A consumer router sitting on a bookshelf is rarely enough for a large home with indoor and outdoor zones.
6. How will the rooms actually sound?
Modern Texas homes love glass, stone, tile, and open floor plans. Those surfaces look beautiful and reflect sound everywhere.
Two things help. First, speaker placement, which we plan with the room's layout and furniture in mind. The second is Trueplay, Sonos's tuning feature, which measures how sound behaves in each room and adjusts the speakers to match.
We tune every room after the furniture is in, because a sofa and a rug change the sound more than most people expect.
A few features clients ask about most
Once the system is in, the day-to-day experience is what people remember:
- Speech enhancement makes dialogue easier to follow in movies and shows
- Night sound keeps late-night viewing from waking the house
- TV audio swap moves the soundbar's audio to Sonos Ace headphones with one press, with head tracking that keeps the sound anchored to the screen
Frequently asked questions
Can I start with a few rooms and add more later? Yes, if the wiring is in place. We recommend pulling cable to every likely speaker location during construction, even if some rooms are finished later.
Do I need a separate subwoofer with the Arc Ultra? Not necessarily. The Arc Ultra produces surprisingly deep bass on its own thanks to its flat Sound Motion woofer. A subwoofer adds impact in larger media rooms.
Will the system work if the internet goes down? Many setups can continue playing music stored or streamed locally, but most streaming services need an internet connection. A well-built local network keeps everything else, like room grouping and volume control, running smoothly.
Can I control Sonos from my lighting keypads or home automation system? In many cases, yes. We can tell you what works with your specific system during design.
Planning a build in the Austin area?
Smarter Homes designs and installs whole-home audio, home theater, networking, and lighting for new construction and major remodels around Austin and West Lake Hills. If your project is still in the planning stage, now is the best time to talk.
Reach out to schedule a design consultation.